Daily Watch – Airtel gets green light to expand fibre network, B’Faso ditches ECOWAS logo on passports

Gunmen attacked Kwatas and Daffo communities of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing seven people. Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s Special Adviser, Gakji Shipi, who is also Operation Rainbow’s coordinator, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday in Jos. He said, “So far, seven people have been confirmed killed while others sustained varying degrees of injuries. At the moment, normalcy has returned to the areas, but we are still on the trail of those behind this dastardly act and we will not allow them to get away with it.” No group has claimed responsibility, and it’s unclear if the two attacks were by the same group.

The National Communications Commission (NCC) has granted Airtel Nigeria Telesonic Limited three licences to expand its fibre network and improve infrastructure to meet growing data services in Nigeria. As detailed on the NCC’s website, the approved licences include National Long Distance, Internet Service Provider, and Sales & Installation Major licences. The NCC highlighted that the National Long Distance licence, which is valid for 20 years, will be in effect from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2044. This licence will allow the operator to establish and manage networks that facilitate long-distance communications within Nigeria, covering voice, data, and video services. On the other hand, the Internet Service Provider and Sales and Installation Major licences will be valid for five years, starting on 1 July 2024, and ending on 30 June 2029, as noted on the website.

Ghana’s parliament has approved a $250 million loan agreement from the World Bank to support the country’s energy sector. This loan was initially resisted by the Minority in the House ahead of the recess. The proponents explained that it is intended to aid reforms under the Ghana Energy Sector Recovery Programme. Despite being in recess, the Majority petitioned the Speaker to reconvene the House for two emergency sittings to address urgent government business. At Wednesday’s sitting, the Minority raised concerns over a $90 million consultancy fee included in the loan agreement, and argued that the fee was excessively high and required thorough scrutiny before being approved by the House. However, the Majority in Parliament advocated for the approval of the funds. They claimed it was a pressing matter that demanded immediate attention to address the energy sector’s problems.

Burkina Faso has introduced new biometric passports without the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) logo, further signalling its intent to withdraw from the regional alliance after military leaders took over. Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, now led by military juntas, jointly announced in January they would leave ECOWAS despite efforts by the bloc to change their decision. “On this passport, there’s no ECOWAS logo and no mention of ECOWAS either. Since January, Burkina Faso has decided to withdraw from this body, and this is just a realisation of the action already taken by Burkina Faso,” security minister Mahamadou Sana told reporters at the launch. ECOWAS has warned that the three countries’ withdrawal would undermine the freedom of movement and common market of the 400 million people living in the 50-year-old bloc.