Welcome to the Development Diaries weekly roundup of top Nigerian and African stories for Sunday, 25 June, 2023.
We reported the fresh calls of African leaders on the impact of climate change; the appointment of new service chiefs in Nigeria; controversy over the proposed ‘114 percent increase’ in the basic salaries for public officeholders in Nigeria; funding to address the rising cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in Africa among other top stories.
Tinubu Appoints Lagbaja Army Chief
President Bola Tinubu approved the replacement of all service chiefs, Inspector-General of Police, advisors, and Comptroller-General of Customs. Tinubu took the action three weeks after promising to reform Nigeria’s security architecture. Read more
Subsidy Removal: Labour Demands and Expectations
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said that the Nigerian government must meet its demand towards cushioning the effect of fuel subsidy removal. The NLC, ahead of its 19 June meeting with the Bola Tinubu-led government, said that it would not hesitate to mobilise workers for industrial action if the government did not meet its demands. Read more
African CSOs Demand Urgent Action against Climate Change
A group of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Africa called on world leaders to significantly scale up debt-free and grant-based finance for African institutions to effectively respond to the severe impact of climate change. Read more
Paris Summit: AfDB Renews Call for Climate Financing
The African Development Bank’s (AfDB) president, Akinwumi Adesina, has urged rich countries to keep their financial commitment towards mitigating the impact of climate change in developing countries. Read more
Proposed 114 Percent Salary Hike for Politicians Provocative
Controversy trailed media reports that the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) had proposed a ‘114 percent increase’ in the basic salaries for public officeholders in Nigeria. Read more
South Africa: NGO Decries Rise in Teen Pregnancies
The Teddy Bear Clinic urged the South African government to declare teenage pregnancy a pandemic. The call was made after the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health said there had been 26,515 teen pregnancies in the province in the last eight months, with the youngest being ten years old. Read more
Congo: NGOs Call for Urgent Humanitarian Response
Forum of International NGOs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo called for urgent humanitarian attention in the country. Over 2,750 civilians have been killed in the east of the country since the year began. Read more
UNFPA Addresses Sexual Violence in Africa, Others
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) called on the global community to vastly scale up action and funding in order to address the rising cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in crisis settings. UNFPA Executive Director, Natalia Kanem, made this known in a press release to commemorate the 2023 International Day of Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Read more
Sudan: SIHA Reports War Crimes against Civilians
The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) condemned the acts of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who continue to carry out their fighting in neighborhoods and civilian homes in Sudan. The acts of atrocities committed in Sudan’s Al Geneina district of West Darfur State amount to genocide and war crimes against civilians and human rights defenders (HRDs). Read more
Ghana: CRI Seeks Protection Policy for Vulnerable Groups
Child Rights International (CRI) called on the government of Ghana to clarify its position regarding key social intervention programmes following the bailout programme of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Read more
That is the roundup of some stories that made headlines last week. More headlines are available on Development Diaries.
Photo source: CIFOR