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The Minister of Finance Nicolas Kazadi Urges The Operators Of The Mining Sector To Work For The Development Of The DRC

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The Minister of Finance, Nicolas Kazadi, urges the operators of the mining sector to work for the development of the DRC. It is the first time that the Finance Minister has exchanged with some of the primary contributors of revenue to the national treasury.

During this meeting, Nicolas Kazadi announced the creation of an investment fund for the diversification of the Congolese economy. This initiative is being developed to contribute to mechanisms of stabilization for the economy and especially open the process of perennial development, an essential goal for His Excellency President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo.

According to the Minister of Finance, the mining sector remains a vital component of the Congolese economy. The mining code was designed to attract foreign investors and the rapid rise of this sector has allowed the state to maximize revenues despite the structural problems that remain.

The Inspector-General of Finance, Mr. Jules Alingete, was equally present in this session. He urged the mining operators to comply with legal provisions, such as the payment of VAT, and the repatriation of export revenues which the Finance Minister requested during the meeting. Jules Alingete also insisted on the importance of restoring order so as to increase public revenues and special attention was brought to the more rational use of mining resources in order to stimulate the development of local communities.

In addition to the legal and fiscal debate for effective management of the mines for future generations, a proposal was brought forward to strengthen this dialogue by holding regular meetings under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance to examine the different issues thoroughly. This proposal made by Louis Watum, the President of the Chamber of Mines, was immediately adopted to mend the atmosphere of mistrust that was previously apparent between the Congolese government and operators in the mining sector.

Another subject of lively debate is customs disputes. For some mining operators, this issue is simply a matter of optical illusion, with customs officials often presenting unfounded figures to the Congolese State. To ease the tension, the Minister of Finance, Nicolas Kazadi, reminded his audience of the necessity of forming an arbitration commission, as stated in the customs code, to clear up any misunderstandings.

Though it possesses several deposits of various minerals (including copper, cobalt, gold, and diamonds), the DRC only exploits a dozen of these deposits. This is why the Minister of Finance, Nicolas Kazadi, is working on setting up a hotline to regularly record the opinions of all parties on the various solutions to tackle the challenges faced by the mining sector.

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Education

FG Abolishes 18-Year Age Benchmark For Admission Into Tertiary Institutions

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The new Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has abolished the controversial 18-year admission benchmark for tertiary institutions in the country.

This is coming as the minister indicated interest in reviewing the nation’s education policy.

However, Alausa stated that there would be no reversal of the Federal Government’s decision to void over 22,700-degree certificates obtained by Nigerians from some “fake” universities in neighbouring Togo and the Benin Republic.

Alausa spoke on Tuesday at his inaugural ministerial press conference in Abuja.

He stated that practical education will help to address the unemployment situation in Nigeria, as tertiary institutions will not continue to churn out graduates every year without providing jobs for them.

He disclosed that the Federal Government will collaborate with private sector operators to train students in order to discover and unleash their potential.

Alausa added that universities of agriculture will be empowered to adopt commercial farming practices to combat food insecurity.

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Outrage in Equatorial Guinea: Government Restricts WhatsApp Multimedia Sharing Amid Scandal

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There is outrage in Equatorial Guinea as the government restricted its citizens from downloading and sharing multimedia files using mobile data on WhatsApp.

This decision followed the guidelines that the country’s government gave to telecommunications operators when it urged them to implement measures to restrict access to inappropriate content.

The country’s Director General, National Financial Investigation Agency, Baltasar Engonga, has been involved in a sex scandal involving the wives of notable people in the nation.

The scandal emerged in the course of a fraud investigation against the 54-year-old economist which resulted in the search of his house and office on impromptu notice by ANIF officials who came across several CDs that later revealed his sexcapades with different married women.

It was reported that the over 400 videos include encounters with high-profile individuals, such as his brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of the President of Equatorial Guinea, the Director General of Police’s wife, and about 20 of the country’s ministers’ wives, among others.

The footage, discovered in his office, was said to have been recorded with consent and has since been leaked online, causing a media uproar.

But, in a new development on Tuesday, it was reported that the citizens have been lamenting their inability to share photos, videos, and audio when using a mobile data connection, leading users to rely exclusively on WiFi networks to share such content.

Sources revealed that the restrictions have been affecting business and academic activities in the country.

Citizens wonder why the actions of a few individuals would result into holding thousands of other innocent ones hostage.

Earlier, the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, Teddy Nguema, announced plans to install surveillance cameras in all state body offices.

This sweeping measure is part of an ongoing effort to ensure strict adherence to public service laws and combat misconduct among officials.

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Education

NCC Confiscates ₦23 Million Worth of Pirated Books During Bookstores Raid In Uyo

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The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) on Saturday, November 2, confiscated ₦23.1 million in pirated books from local shops, including Academic Needs and Zion Bookshop during a raid in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The raid was by the Deputy Director of Operations, Mr Macfoy Akachukwu, representing the NCC Director General, Dr. John Asein.

Akachukwu, who stated that the raid was a significant operation to combat the rampant sale of pirated books, listed the books seized during the raid to include: Basic Civic Education by Dr Merry Ukaegbu, Spectrum New Further Mathematics by T.R. Moses and Essential Christian Religious Study for Senior Secondary Schools by Orovwuje B.O and Okolie E.U.

Other books included Macmillan Brilliant English for Junior Secondary Schools by Wale Ossianwo, New General Basic Science for Junior Secondary Schools by S. Ajayi, New Oxford Secondary English Course for Secondary Schools by Ayo Banjo and New Concept Mathematics for Senior Secondary Schools by H.N. Odogwu among others.

Major publishers affected by the raid included Evans, UPL, Lantern, Longman, TONAD, and Pearson among others.

According to Asein, the operation is important as it was part of a nationwide initiative to protect authors’ rights.

“What we have done is part of the commissions mandate to protect and promote the rights of authors and other genuine investors in the copyright book industry,” he stated.

He reaffirmed that the NCC is committed to “eliminating the sale of pirated works and to establish a robust copyright framework in Nigeria”.

Asein emphasized that authors deserve to benefit from their creative work and not run into financial losses because of piracy.

“It is our duty to ensure that authors get rewards for their creative work. I have under my watch, zero tolerance for piracy and infringement of Copyright Laws,” Asein said.

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