Daily Watch – Mahama returns to Jubilee House, B/Faso junta fires PM

9th December 2024

Nigeria’s trade surplus stood at  5.81 trillion in the third quarter of 2024. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that the country recorded a positive trade balance of 5.81 trillion for the eighth consecutive quarter in Q3, but lower than the 6.9 trillion recorded in Q2 and  6.52 trillion in Q1. Total merchandise trade stood at  35.1 trillion in Q3, an increase of 13.26% over the value recorded in the preceding quarter and rose by 81.35% compared to the value recorded in the corresponding period of 2023. Total exports in Q3 2024 were valued at  20.4 trillion, reflecting a 98% rise compared to 10.3 trillion in the corresponding quarter of 2023. Total imports in Q3 amounted to  14.6 trillion, an increase of 62.3 % compared to the 9 trillion recorded in Q3 2023.  

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) said last Friday that it signed a petrol purchase agreement with the Dangote Refinery. In a statement signed by its National Public Relations Officer, Joseph Obele, it said the sealing of a transactionary deal with Dangote Refinery resulted from a successful buyer-seller negotiation and agreement secured by PETROAN at the strategic meeting. Mr Obele explained that the National President of PETROAN, Billy Gillis-Harry led the negotiation team of the association to a fruitful strategic business meeting with the management of Dangote Refinery. “PETROAN is impressed with the outcome of the strategic business meeting which was evidenced by the establishment of seller/buyer relationship, reservation of monthly volume for PETROAN, payment modalities and a favourable rate,” the statement said.

Ghana’s former President John Dramani Mahama has staged a political comeback by winning the West African nation’s presidential election after his rival Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia conceded defeat on Sunday. Addressing a press conference from his residence, Bawumia said he called Mahama to congratulate him, adding that Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) also won the parliamentary election. “The data from our own internal collation of the election results indicate that former President John Dramani Mahama has won the presidential election decisively,” Bawumia said, adding that NDC also won the parliamentary election. Bawumia said he conceded before the official result to ease tensions. Early results showed that Mahama and the NDC party had a commanding lead. Joy News reported that Mahama was leading with over 53% of the vote to Bawumia’s 45.16% after provisional results from 68 out of 276 constituencies were counted.

Burkina Faso’s ruling junta has dismissed interim Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela and dissolved the government, a decree issued by the office of military leader Ibrahim Traore said last Friday. The decree did not give a reason for dismissing Tambela, appointed interim premier soon after Traore seized power in September 2022.  The decree said that members of the dissolved government will continue in their roles until a new cabinet is named. Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo was appointed as the prime minister of the transition in a statement on Saturday. Ouedraogo was the communication minister and spokesman of the previous government.