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Oando Reports Profit-After-Tax Up 10% to ₦241.3 billion as Upstream Production Rises 32% in FY 2025

Source: APO


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Oando PLC (www.OandoPLC.com), Africa’s leading indigenous energy solutions provider, has published its unaudited results for the full year ended 31 December 2025. The company announced a 32% year-on-year increase in production by its upstream business, averaging 32,482 boepd. This growth was driven by a 36% increase in crude oil production to 11,269 bopd, a 24% increase in gas production to 19,982 boepd, and a 715% increase in NGL production to 1,231 bpd.

The Group attributed the production growth to the full-year consolidation of the NAOC JV interest, improved operational uptime resulting from the reactivation of previously constrained wells, and targeted infrastructure upgrades across operated assets.

Oando reported a 10% increase in profit after tax to ₦241.3 billion compared to ₦220.1 billion in 2024, supported by higher upstream production, impairment reversals, and favourable tax adjustments. However, revenue declined 21% to ₦3.21 trillion from ₦4.09trillion in 2024, while gross profit decreased 82% year-on-year to ₦27.8 billion, down from ₦155.9 billion in 2024. These declines in earnings reflect the Company’s change in revenue mix as it scaled back high-turnover, lower-margin refined-product trading in favour of higher-margin crude and gas trading opportunities, as well as the impact of non-cash items.

Commenting on the full year-end 2025 unaudited results, Group Chief Executive, Oando PLC, Wale Tinubu, CON, said, “2025 was a year of relentless execution as we successfully transitioned from the integration of the NAOC Joint Venture into operational delivery.

Over the year under review, we reinforced asset integrity, strengthened security across our operating areas, and materially improved uptime, delivering a 32% year-on-year increase in total production. Operated Joint Venture production averaged approximately 80,545 boepd, translating to 32,482 boepd net to Oando, alongside a 30% increase in crude oil liftings and a 59% increase in gas sales volumes.

Building on this foundation, we launched our development drilling programme with the successful completion and start-up of the Obiafu-44 gas-condensate well. This well represents the first execution milestone within a phased 36-well development programme, designed to restore field deliverability, unlock incremental production and advance the Group’s medium-term growth objectives.”

Within its trading business, the Group recorded a 42% increase year-on-year in crude oil cargos traded, rising to 26 crude oil cargos (29.4 MMbbl) compared to 21 cargos (20.7 MMbbl) traded in 2024. During the period, Oando deliberately paused premium motor spirit (PMS) trading in response to structural changes in Nigeria’s domestic downstream landscape. While this rebalancing resulted in a short-term reduction in reported earnings, it aligns with the Group’s longer-term focus on margin quality and capital efficiency.

“In our downstream trading business, we responded decisively to evolving market dynamics by deliberately rebalancing our portfolio away from gasoline importation toward higher-margin crude and gas opportunities. We expanded global exports and leveraged structured offtake and pre-export financing arrangements to support liquidity, cash-flow resilience, and effective production monetization for our clients,”  added Tinubu.

The period under review showcases the Company’s transition from asset integration following the acquisition to a decisive assumption of operatorship, evidenced by strong upstream performance. Capital expenditure increased significantly from 2024, with higher investment in upstream development, facility integrity, and infrastructure optimisation. This investment is strategic; production growth and increased revenue depend on these foundational capabilities being in place, and more importantly, it is evidence that the company is postured correctly for the future.

In line with its group-wide optimisation strategy, the Company realised $17.7 million in cost savings across key operating inputs through disciplined contract optimisation. During the period, retained earnings returned to a positive position, reflecting non-cash intra-group balance sheet realignments associated with ongoing capital restructuring. Collectively, these developments enhance the Company’s financial resilience and position it to deliver sustainable, long-term value as it enters its next phase of growth.

Looking ahead, Tinubu remarked “With operational control firmly embedded and the foundations for growth clearly established, our focus is on the diligent execution of our development programme to accelerate production growth, strengthen cash generation and enhance long-term value creation. As we enter 2026, we will continue to allocate capital prudently, deepen operational resilience and build on the momentum achieved.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Oando PLC.

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Afreximbank announces top 8 finalists for its flagship Accelerator Program

Source: APO – Report:

  • Eight visionary startups selected to advance Africa’s intra-continental trade and industrialisation goals
  • Finalists are eligible subject to selection criteria to receive up to US$250,000 in equity investment, expert mentorship, and exclusive market access

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) is excited to announce the selection of the top 8 finalists of the first cohort for its pioneering Afreximbank Accelerator Program. This dynamic three-month initiative, that kicks off in March 2026 is designed to empower Africa’s most promising startups that are driving innovation in intra-African trade.

The finalists were carefully selected from a highly competitive pool of over 1,600 applications, showcasing the continent’s most promising entrepreneurial talent. The rigorous process included detailed business assessments, interviews, and pitch sessions, overseen by a panel of Afreximbank trade specialists alongside leading external experts from the venture capital and innovation ecosystem.

The selected finalists embody Afreximbank’s mission to drive measurable progress in intra-African and global African trade. Representing innovations in sectors such as agriculture, e-commerce, market access, financial technology solutions, supply chain enhancement and manufacturing, these startups are poised to address critical trade challenges affecting both continental and diaspora markets, while also advancing intra-African trade and industrialisation.

The geographic diversity of applications, from across Africa, the diaspora, and CARICOM demonstrates the programme’s broad reach and stands as a testament to Afreximbank’s commitment to integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). By prioritising solutions from Seed to Series A – maturity and applying a robust three-stage evaluation that combines expert insight, practical business assessment, and strategic innovation criteria, the programme aims not only to accelerate start-ups growth but also to foster a sustainable ecosystem for trade-led development across Africa.

Afreximbank Accelerator Program will provide finalists with a comprehensive package of support including:

  • Equity Investment: Equity financing- subject to selection criteria-of up to $250,000 through Afreximbank’s impact equity investment arm, Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), enabling rapid scale-up and operational growth.
  • Mentorship: Access to seasoned experts, as well as industry leaders to refine business strategies and accelerate market entry. These include leading investors, trade specialists, and industry thought leaders committed to fostering Africa’s economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
  • Market Access: Connection to Afreximbank’s pan-African trade ecosystem, including trade facilitation programmes, regulatory pathways as well as exclusive opportunities to leverage Afreximbank’s extensive network of government stakeholders, private sector players, and multilateral partners to secure partnerships and funding.

Over the course of the program, finalists will engage in virtual learning modules, hands-on workshops, and in-person sessions hosted across regional hubs such as Abuja, Nairobi and Afreximbank’s headquarters in Cairo. This immersive experience will culminate in a high-profile ‘Demo Day’, where startups will showcase their innovative solutions to an influential audience of global investors, policymakers, and industry champions.

Mr. Haytham Elmaayergi, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank at Afreximbank commented: “The Afreximbank Accelerator Programme reflects our belief in the power of innovation to transform intra-African trade and also underscores the important role that Global Africa’s innovation plays in realising the promise of the AfCFTA. This inaugural cohort represents the future of African enterprise, and we are proud to invest in them from vision to scale to nurture solutions needed to unlock trade across Africa, the diaspora, and the Caribbean.”

The Afreximbank Accelerator Program exemplifies the Bank’s commitment to fostering homegrown solutions that address critical trade challenges and unlock Africa’s economic potential under the AfCFTA framework.

To view the full list of the top 8 finalists and program details, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/3ZPTXSQ

– on behalf of Afreximbank.

Media Contact:
Vincent Musumba
Communications and Events Manager (Media Relations)
Email: press@afreximbank.com

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About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2024, Afreximbank’s total assets and contingencies stood at over US$40.1 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$7.2 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa2), China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), and Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its equity impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.

For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com

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South Africa: President Ramaphosa mourns passing of struggle veteran Leon Levy

Source: APO


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President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deep sadness at the passing in Cape Town of Mr Leon Levy, aged 96, who was the last surviving signatory of the Freedom Charter and Accused No 4 in the 1956 Treason Trial.

President Ramaphosa offers his deep sympathy to the family and friends of Mr Levy who took on numerous roles in the struggle alongside his equally committed identical twin brother, Norman, who passed away in July 2021.

Leon Levy, whose parents had emigrated from Lithuania, joined the Communist Party of South Africa when he was a teenager and became a trade unionist when he was 24 – two years before he was elected president of the South African Congress of Trade Unions that he had helped to establish.

He was among the organisers of the Congress of the People which adopted the Freedom Charter on 26 June 1955.

The six Charter signatories were African National Congress President Chief Albert Luthuli; Jimmy La Guma of the South African Coloured People’s Congress; Monty Naicker of the Natal Indian Congress; Pieter Beyleveld of the Congress of Democrats and Leon Levy of the South African Congress of Trade Unions.

In December 1956, security police arrested the Levy brothers as part of a crackdown on liberation movement leaders and charged the activists with high treason, which carried the death penalty as a possible sentence.

While Norman Levy was discharged later, Leon Levy remained on trial until his acquittal in 1961.

The brothers remained politically active, with Norman Levy serving three years after being convicted under the Suppression of Communism Act.

Leon Levy was subjected to two periods of detention, after which he went into exile in England, where Norman joined him after being released from prison.

President Ramaphosa said: “The passing of Leon Levy is a sad moment for us as fellow human beings. It is particularly sad for us as citizens of a South Africa that attained freedom from apartheid through the hard and sacrificial activism of Leon Levy and those who were in the trenches with him, including his brother, Norman.

“As we mark 70 years since the Treason Trial of 1956, we are obliged to pay tribute to the cohort of leaders and other activists who fought the apartheid state based on their belief in the inherent equality and dignity of all people.

“Leon Levy attached his signature to the Freedom Charter that lives on in our Constitution whose 30th anniversary we observe as well in 2026.

“Leon Levy was part of a generation whose contributions to a better life and a better world for all South Africans and humanity globally must never be forgotten or dishonoured.

“May his soul rest in peace.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

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South Africa: President Ramaphosa mourns passing of writer Dr Diana Ferrus

Source: APO


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President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deep condolences following the passing of writer, storyteller and cultural activist, Dr Diana Ferrus, who has passed away at the age of 72.

President Ramaphosa’s thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and associates of the late poet who in 1998 penned the persuasive poem, A Poem for Sarah Baartman.

The poem is credited with being instrumental in the return to South Africa from France of the mortal remains of Ms Sarah Baartman, an Eastern Cape citizen who had been taken to Europe in the 19th century to be dehumanised and exploited as an exhibit.

Dr Ferrus was a writer who published works in Afrikaans and English and taught and empowered emerging writers to articulate protest and social commentary.

President Ramaphosa said: “A remarkable voice has gone silent. Diana Ferrus was a creative stalwart whose profound understanding of the human condition and the all-encompassing injustices of apartheid inspired her way with words.

“She was a patriot who painted our nation in prose that awakened us to the essence of our humanity.

“No-one could remain unaffected by her insight, her deep appreciation of our nation’s cultural and natural endowments, or her demands for justice and the restoration of the dignity of a dispossessed and disempowered people.

“May Diana’s soul rest in the peace to which she invited Sarah Baartman in her landmark poem.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

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Nigeria’s open borders promised more trade and free movement: but crossings are chaotic and corrupt

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By John Babalola, Associate lecturer, University of Lincoln

West Africa has pursued one of the world’s most ambitious border liberalisation schemes in the past four decades. The Ecowas Free Movement Protocol, signed in 1979, enables citizens of 16 member states to cross international borders with minimal documentation. The intention was to promote economic integration and prosperity across the region.

For instance, Nigeria’s open borders promise trade. Yet at Nigeria’s border posts, a troubling reality emerges. The open border system has become a vehicle for systematic exploitation of travellers.

My research towards my PhD at the University of Lincoln under the supervision of Dr Joshua Skoczylis focuses on west African migration and border governance. Together, we have examined how the region’s free movement protocol operates in practice at Nigeria’s frontiers.

Using the examples of two contrasting Nigerian border crossings – Idi-Iroko on the Benin border and Chikanda on the Niger border – I sought to understand the protocol’s impact on border security in Nigeria. Through qualitative interviews with policymakers, frontline security staff and community leaders, the research reveals how information gaps between officials and citizens transform an integration policy into an instrument of corruption.

While these sites cannot claim to represent all of Nigeria’s 84 manned official border posts, they illustrate the institutional dynamics reported across major crossing points in the region.

My findings show that the Ecowas Free Movement Protocol is an example of what policy scholars call an implementation gap: the chasm between what policies promise on paper and what happens on the ground. This protocol establishes free movement principles without prescribing mechanisms or standard practices. But Nigeria has failed to develop its own ways to manage its borders.

The current chaotic system is crying out for changes: these should include standardised operating procedures, proper remuneration for border personnel, accountability mechanisms and intelligence sharing.

When nobody knows the rules

The protocol’s basic requirement is straightforward: travellers need a valid travel document (a passport) and an international health certificate. Yet interviews with dozens of border community members revealed that most had never seen these requirements written down, let alone understood them.

“I think the protocol is good for trade between countries,” one Idi-Iroko resident told me, “but I don’t really know what it says.” Another community member was more direct: “International passports? Those are a waste of time and money. You don’t need them to cross the borders.”

When citizens remain uncertain about requirements, officials can demand payments for unknown violations, charge fees for services that should be free, and accept bribes to overlook supposed irregularities. What looks like bureaucratic failure becomes a feature of the system for those who benefit from it.

Multiple residents confirmed they crossed regularly without documents, recognised by officials who “know them” as locals.

Border residents understand that in practice, rules matter less than relationships with officials. Documentation requirements are negotiable, and informal payment often smooths passage more effectively than proper papers.

The strategic information gap

Security agencies claim they regularly conduct community information programmes. Immigration officials described visiting market squares and motor parks to distribute flyers about trafficking dangers and documentation requirements. “We do enlightenment campaigns constantly,” one senior officer insisted. Yet my requests for programme documentation, schedules, attendance records, or evaluation reports yielded nothing.

None of the community members interviewed across two border zones recalled such programmes. Most had gleaned their understanding of border operations from informal conversations and personal experience.

The real implementation gap

Free movement doesn’t mean unregulated movement. Even within a borderless zone, states retain legitimate security interests: preventing trafficking, controlling smuggled goods, monitoring public health threats, and maintaining basic records of cross-border flows. The protocol acknowledges this by allowing member states to refuse entry on grounds of security, public health, or public order. Rules are needed to distinguish between these legitimate security functions and arbitrary restrictions that undermine the integration agenda.

The protocol assumes member states will create necessary institutional capacity: motivated, well-resourced security forces working collaboratively. But in reality there are ten competing agencies at major Nigerian posts, earning vastly different salaries, following separate mandates, jealously guarding information. As one military officer explained: “One organisation tries to be smarter, working individualistically instead of in cooperation.”

Frontline officers exercise enormous discretion in this under-regulated environment. They become de facto policymakers. They don’t simply implement policy poorly, they effectively create policy through their daily choices about whom to stop, what to inspect, and which violations to overlook.

A customs official candidly admitted to me:

Many people don’t go there for patriotism or duty. They go for survival. Even if you have the numbers, they’ll always try to see where the honey tastes better.

In this context, systematic corruption isn’t aberrant behaviour – it’s a strategy within deficient systems that national governments have failed to develop.

Why technology won’t fix this

Security officials often cite lack of technology as their main challenge. They argue that scanners, biometric systems and digital monitoring could help verify travellers’ identities, flag security threats, and create audit trails of border transactions. In theory, that could reduce opportunities for officials to demand arbitrary payments or wave through prohibited goods.

But technology won’t solve the fundamental problem my research uncovered.

The issue isn’t capacity for enforcement. It’s the incentive for exploitation. Sophisticated surveillance equipment won’t prevent officials from accepting bribes if their salaries are inadequate and accountability mechanisms are absent.

Anyway, most border posts lack electricity infrastructure to power such technology. And equipment placed in remote areas becomes vulnerable to theft or vandalism. Investment in hardware simply creates more expensive ways to fail.

What needs to change

Forty-six years after the protocol’s enactment, Ecowas needs to confront uncomfortable realities. Real reform requires several interconnected changes:

  • Genuine transparency about requirements: sustained, accessible public information about what documentation is legally required, what fees are legitimate, and how to report violations.

  • Standardised operating procedures across member states.

  • Adequate compensation for security personnel.

  • Accountability mechanisms with genuine consequences for exploitative behaviour.

  • Coordination frameworks that reduce inter-agency competition and enable intelligence sharing.

Until Ecowas confronts this reality, the free movement protocol will continue delivering the opposite of its promise: not integration and prosperity, but fragmentation and exploitation.

This article is based on doctoral fieldwork conducted in Nigeria between 5 June 2024 and 1 August 2024. Interview data and full findings will be available in the forthcoming PhD thesis at the University of Lincoln.

– Nigeria’s open borders promised more trade and free movement: but crossings are chaotic and corrupt
– https://theconversation.com/nigerias-open-borders-promised-more-trade-and-free-movement-but-crossings-are-chaotic-and-corrupt-273670

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Angola’s Lobito Corridor is being revived – but who stands to gain?

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Daniel Tjarks, Resarch Associate in Human Geography, Saarland University

The Lobito Corridor is a massive infrastructure axis linking Angola’s shore on the west of Africa to the mineral-rich interior. Built in the first three decades of the 1900s to export cheap commodities to colonial Portugal, it later fell into disrepair. Its main railway was rebuilt during Angola’s post-war reconstruction. More recently it has attracted renewed and competing international interests.

Daniel Tjarks has researched Angola’s political and economic geography, the spatial development of colonial Angola and the current role of international actors in the country. Angola’s post-war spatial development and the government’s plans to promote more balanced and equitable growth also feature in his PhD dissertation. He questions some of the celebratory political claims made about efforts to revitalise the corridor. In particular, whether it will help Angola diversify its oil-dependent economy and benefit ordinary citizens.

What is the Lobito Corridor?

The Lobito Corridor is a logistics corridor. At its heart is a 1,300km rail line that connects the port of the Angolan city of Lobito to the mineral-rich parts of Zambia and Congo to the east.

The Lobito Corridor. European commission. https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/lobito-corridor-building-future-together_en.

Its most important component, the Benguela Railway, was constructed between 1903 and 1931 under Portuguese colonial rule by Scottish engineer Robert Williams.

At the time, it was one of three separate railways linking the colony’s ports to its hinterland. This way, colonial Angola could provide Portugal with cheap commodities.

During Angola’s post-independence civil war (1975-2002), the line was largely destroyed. As Angola entered the peace period, the country was able to rebuild its infrastructure thanks to its booming oil business.

Chinese capital and construction companies enabled the resurrection of the railway between 2006 and 2014.

In 2023, a western consortium outbid Chinese competitors for a 30-year concession for the line’s operation. The consortium consists of Swiss commodity trader Trafigura, Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil and Belgian rail operator Vecturis. It has committed to invest US$455 million in the corridor’s development in Angola alone. Trafigura CEO Jeremy Weir says it will not only “create a western route to market for goods and materials” but also “boost the development of sectors along the line”.

Why is the corridor attracting so much attention again?

A lot is at stake in the Lobito corridor. Much more than a regional infrastructure project, it has gained strategic importance in the global scramble for critical resources.

Cobalt and copper from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are key to the clean energy transition and modern communication technology. The DRC and Zambia together account for about 14% of the global mine production of copper and the DRC for 73% of cobalt.

Control of access to these minerals is at the heart of growing US-China competition, at times referred to as a “second cold war”.

The Lobito corridor has therefore become a project of global importance.

For this reason, the railway line has attracted high-ranking visits in recent years. In 2024, then US president Joe Biden inspected the rail line, marking the first visit of a US president to the continent since 2015 and the first of a sitting US president to Angola. In 2025, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier also made the trip – again, the first of a German president to the country.

Even the Trump administration seems to have decided it will not break with commitments to support development of the corridor.

In 2024, the US, Europe, the African Development Bank and the three host countries signed a memorandum of understanding to extend the line to the east and mobilise investment alongside it.

At the seventh AU-EU summit in November 2025, European commission president Ursula von der Leyen described these commitments as evidence of the “European model” of investment and the two continents’ “unique and strategic partnership”. The commission promised to mobilise loans and private investments for the corridor worth no less than US$2 billion.

As the US and EU are trying to counter Chinese capital investment in Angola and in the wider region, the Lobito Corridor will continue to play a key role.

Who will benefit from the Lobito corridor?

There are good reasons to remain sceptical about the corridor’s promised benefits.

First, recent background reports point to major challenges facing the development of the soft infrastructure of customs and regulations. Others have pointed to the corridor’s unclear commercial viability. Ships having to call at the secondary port of Lobito will incur higher costs. There’s also competition from other routes – mostly, the Chinese-built Tazara railway, connecting Zambia to Dar-es-Salaam.

Second, the economic model at the heart of the Lobito corridor is anything but a break with exploitative extractivism. Throughout Angolan history, primary commodities have left the country, while hopes for broad-based growth have repeatedly been frustrated.

The consortium that now operates the railway grounds its investment primarily in expectations of future demand for critical minerals. And while the political emphasis on complementary investments is laudable, the corridor does not, as one background report puts it,

immediately lend itself to linking minerals and wider development.

Moreover, the country has already seen decades of large-scale oil exports that have delivered few tangible results for the wider population. Instead they have propelled blatant corruption and growing discontent with a ruling party that has been in power since independence.

Angolan economists Alves da Rocha and Wilson Chimoco have argued that “expectations on the impact on economic diversification are very low”.

Angolan government critic and journalist Rafael Marques de Morais has even called the corridor

a mirror of everything negative the continent endures: Chinese debt, Western opportunism, Congolese blood, Angolan misrule.

For him

if hypocrisy needed a railway, it would look exactly like the Lobito Corridor.

If the project really is to benefit all, the government will have to live up to promises that fewer and fewer Angolans seem to believe it capable of delivering.

– Angola’s Lobito Corridor is being revived – but who stands to gain?
– https://theconversation.com/angolas-lobito-corridor-is-being-revived-but-who-stands-to-gain-274305

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Police record major successes in fight against crime

Source: Government of South Africa

Police record major successes in fight against crime

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has scored big wins in the fight against crime, focusing strongly on taking illegal guns and ammunition out of circulation.

During the nationwide Operation Shanela II, police arrested 14 589 suspects for crimes including murder, rape, sexual assault, robberies, drug offences and illegal mining between 26 January and 1 February 2026. 

Furthermore, 2 032 wanted suspects were also traced and arrested for serious crimes during the same period. 

Police also recovered 119 firearms, including 10 rifles, seven shotguns, and five homemade firearms, alongside 1 144 rounds of ammunition. These recoveries form part of a broader clampdown on violent crime.

In addition, police arrested 100 suspects for illegal possession of firearms; 88 suspects for illegal possession of ammunition; 124 suspects for murder; 164 suspects for rape; 102 suspects for armed robbery, and 532 suspects for drug dealing.

Under confiscations and recoveries, 51 hijacked and stolen vehicles were recovered during the past week; more than 700 dangerous weapons were seized across the country; different types of drugs were recovered, and contraband goods worth more than R1 million were seized.

Communities are urged to continue reporting criminal activities to their nearest police stations, or through Crime Stop (08600 10111) or the MySAPS App. – SAnews.gov.za

Edwin

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Minister of State for International Cooperation Meets ICTJ Executive Director

Source: Government of Qatar

Doha, February 02, 2026

HE Minister of State for International Cooperation Dr. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met on Monday with HE Executive Director of the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) Fernando Travesi, who is visiting the country.

The two sides discussed cooperation relations between the State of Qatar and the ICTJ, as well as ways to support and enhance them, particularly in the fields of development cooperation and support for recovery efforts in Syria.

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Winning All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) ‘Life-Changing’ Say Juma Jux, Folex as Stakeholders Meet in Tanzania

Source: APO – Report:

Fresh from their victories at the 9th All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) (https://AFRIMA.org) in Lagos, Nigeria, Tanzanian stars Juma Jux and Folex have described the platform as a major driver of global visibility for African creatives, as industry stakeholders met in Dar es Salaam to review the impact of the awards on the region’s music industry. 

The award-winning artistes shared their views during a Media and Stakeholders’ Parley hosted by AFRIMA’s International Committee, which brought together artistes, regulators, music executives and the media to examine opportunities created by the awards and how East Africa can better harness them. 

Speaking at the event held at Urban by City Blue Hotel, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Juma Jux, winner of East African Artiste of the Year (Male) at the 9th AFRIMA, described the experience as career-defining.

“Winning AFRIMA changed a lot for me,” Jux said. “People who never spoke to me before now reach out. Being on a stage watched in over 84 countries gives you a new level of visibility and responsibility.”

He also called for stronger partnerships between platforms like AFRIMA and government agencies in Tanzania. “When institutions work hand in hand with platforms like AFRIMA, artistes benefit more through exposure, training and knowledge sharing,” he added.

Also speaking, Tanzanian music director Folex, who won Best Music Video of the Year for his work on Juma Jux’s Ololufemi video, said the recognition had changed his life. He explained that the Lagos experience opened doors to new networks and learning opportunities.

“Being nominated alongside international names like Pink and TG Omori and then winning the award was life-changing for me. It showed that East Africans can compete and win at the highest level. This award validates the work of music video directors in Tanzania and brings more confidence to our creative industry,” he said.

Associate Producer of AFRIMA, Victoria Nkong, said the awards had grown beyond a celebration of talent to become a strong development platform for African creatives.

“AFRIMA is designed to build an ecosystem for African music,” Nkong said. “Beyond the trophies, we focus on talent promotion, industry development and creating pathways that help African artistes move from local recognition to global visibility.”

She added that the engagement in Tanzania was important for deepening collaboration with government institutions and industry stakeholders.

“Tanzania and East Africa have rich musical identities. AFRIMA is committed to working closely with institutions and creatives here to ensure that their music and talent are well represented on the global stage,” she said.

Also speaking, Selemani Mabisso, Acting Assistant Director of the Music Department at the National Arts Council of Tanzania, BASATA, reaffirmed the council’s willingness to partner with AFRIMA and other international bodies.  

“BASATA is open to collaborations that will help grow and strengthen Tanzania’s music industry,” Mabisso said. “We are ready to support initiatives that will position our creatives competitively on the global stage.”

The 9th AFRIMA was held from January 7 to 11, 2026, in Lagos, Nigeria, and was organised by the African Union Commission and the International Executive Committee of AFRIMA, in partnership with the Lagos State Government as the Official Host City.

The five-day celebration of African music featured seven major events, including a Welcome Soiree, the Africa Music Business Summit, the AFRIMA Music Village at Ikeja City Mall, where over 25 top artistes thrilled more than 30,000 fans, and a grand finale at the Eko Convention Centre, Lagos, Nigeria, which was broadcast to audiences in 84 countries worldwide. 

– on behalf of All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA).

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‘Risk assessment’ informed Bester, Matlala transfers – Thobakgale

Source: Government of South Africa

‘Risk assessment’ informed Bester, Matlala transfers – Thobakgale

The transfers of suspected criminal mastermind, Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala and convicted rapist and murderer, Thabo Bester, to the super maximum eBongweni Correctional Centre in Kokstad, were done in line with security assessments.

This according to Correctional Services National Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale.

The Commissioner was responding to questions during a media briefing held in Pretoria on Monday. 

“On a daily basis, we conduct risk assessments. We also assess threats that have to do with the system. We also assess threats and risks that have to do with each and every inmate that we accommodate in a correctional facility.

“This analysis becomes part of a security plan that each and every correctional facility develops on a daily basis. The transfers of inmate Cat Matlala and Thabo Bester were informed by this security and threats analysis,” Thobakgale explained.

Matlala was transferred to the facility in December while Bester was moved late last month.

Both were previously held at the Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Centre (C-Max) in Pretoria.

“It is with good reason and for the safety of both inmates. Apart, of course, from ensuring that the safety and security in the correctional system is not undermined by any activity that is associated with both inmates.

“Transfers are administered on a daily basis. For example, yesterday an inmate was transferred from the Eastern Cape to Ebongweni after being reclassified from medium to high security because of activities, criminal, associated [with him] that were detected.

“For us to be able to prevent crime from continuing to happen, including threats and risks that are associated with those that are in our facilities, we have to act and…promptly,” the National Commissioner added.

He emphasised that the department remains “open to engage” with the legal representatives of Matlala who reportedly complained about the quality of consultations.

Engagements with the National Prosecuting Authority and the courts on how to “work together to ensure that…he makes it to court on time” are also on the cards.

“That obligation we have been able to meet. He was able to consult with his lawyers. The primary objective is for us to ensure that at the end of the day, he is still available to appear in court.”

He added that the department was exercising its responsibility as a security department. – SAnews.gov.za

 

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