Grim omen as ECOWAS loses Burkina, Mali, Niger (4)

Release of food from strategic reserves: Is the timing right?

PENULTIMATE WEEKEND, the West African regional economic bloc, ECOWAS,  made a spirited attempt to draw the countries that earlier announced their voluntary exit back into the fold. That announcement came with carrots and candies: that all the sanctions imposed on the countries concerned were unconditionally and unilaterally lifted. The announcement, which was more of a […]

Grim omen as ECOWAS loses Burkina, Mali, Niger (3)

Release of food from strategic reserves: Is the timing right?

TIME FOR SCORECARD. It is now 2034. The epitaph in front of the edifice that once served as the headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja has this message: “Here stands this monument as a reminder and testament of a grandiose dream and an aspiration of some past leaders and […]

Release of food from strategic reserves: Is the timing right?

Release of food from strategic reserves: Is the timing right?

The purported approval by the House of Representatives of the release of food from the national strategic reserves in response to food price increases is an interesting decision with far-reaching implications, from the legislative chamber as well as the executive branch of the government. It begs the questions bordering on circumspection and insight in public […]

Grim omen as ECOWAS loses Burkina, Mali, Niger (2)

Release of food from strategic reserves: Is the timing right?

  IMPACTS OF RECENT disengagement from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger may not seem apparent immediately, within and outside the sub-region. The long term impact, however, promises to be far-reaching and profound in magnitude. Beyond Africa, there will be clear and unmistakable effects, mostly negative. For […]

Sports’ economic multipliers are besides health benefits

Helping others during this difficult period of food insecurity

Sports can indeed serve as an economic multiplier beyond their health benefits. Here are several ways in which sports can have a positive economic impact: Revenue Generation: Sporting events, such as professional leagues, tournaments, and championships, generate significant revenue through ticket sales, merchandise, and broadcasting rights. This revenue contributes to local economies by supporting jobs […]

Grim omen as ECOWAS loses Burkina, Mali, Niger

Release of food from strategic reserves: Is the timing right?

CULMINATION OF EVENTS since the nearly past four years in West Africa are now crystallising. The latest was the announcement made on Sunday in Bamako, Ouagadougou and Niamey in the joint statement to formally signify the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Whether or not […]

Aid, loans, commodity exports and prospects of Africa’s prosperity (6)

Release of food from strategic reserves: Is the timing right?

Nestory Fedeliko (FEDE) produced this cartoon for the LSE Africa Summit 2015   PERSPECTIVE, DIRECTION AND FOCUS, these three major areas of consideration require African nations’ undivided attention if the continent is to make any remarkable progress in the future. Till now, African perspectives in areas of existential importance are at best tied to the […]

Aid, loans, commodity exports and prospects of Africa’s prosperity (5)

Release of food from strategic reserves: Is the timing right?

GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS when applied to commodities, ipso facto, presuppose unbroken links in values addition to and movement of commodities worldwide. In reality, however, much lies beneath and within the expression that appears to be different from what it suggests, prima facie. Competition in global trade has been treated for so long as brutal, non-sentimental, […]

Aid, loans, commodity exports and prospects of Africa’s prosperity (4)

Release of food from strategic reserves: Is the timing right?

POLITICAL ANAESTHESIA called democracy had numbed the diplomatic sense of Niger Republic until July 26, 2023, when the military junta struck and removed Mohamed Bazoum as president, thus truncating his democratic regime. Despite the local, regional and international outcry, resistance and threats of forceful removal of the new military regime, the junta held its ground, […]

Aid, loans, commodity exports and prospects of Africa’s prosperity (3)

Release of food from strategic reserves: Is the timing right?

EMPIRE-BUILDING AFRICAN leaders have done much damage to the prospects of Africa since the exit of colonisers and the end of their direct or indirect rule, or involvement in the daily affairs of the state. While argumentative analysts make endless references to the plundering of Africa’s resources during the colonial era and the brutal abductions […]