Namibian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ndaitwah to Visit China

APO News from Africa:

Namibian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ndaitwah to Visit China:

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying announces:

At the invitation of Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of Namibia, will pay an official visit to China from April 10 to 13. 

Distributed by APO on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.

Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa

UN experts mark third anniversary of Nigeria kidnapping with new plea for “forgotten” Chibok girls:

A fresh appeal is being made to the Nigerian Government by UN human rights experts* to take all necessary measures to rescue 195 girls still missing after they were kidnapped in 2014 from their secondary school in Chibok, northeastern Nigeria.
 

“It is deeply shocking that three years after this deplorable and devastating act of violence, the majority of the girls remain missing,” said the UN Special Rapporteurs, who visited Nigeria last year.

The girls were among 276 students abducted at gunpoint on 14 April 2014 by the Boko Haram militant group. The experts welcomed the release of 21 of the captives in October 2016 as “a positive step forward and a chance for them to start their long journey to recovery and rehabilitation”.

But they stressed: “As more and more time passes there is a risk that the fate of the remaining girls will be forgotten. We cannot allow this to happen. There must be more that the Government of Nigeria, with the support of the international community, can do to locate and rescue them.  

“Their continued captivity is a source of immense pain for their families and communities, and is simply unacceptable,” the experts added.
 
“We must also remember that the Chibok girls are not the only ones who have been suffering such violence at the hands of Boko Haram. As outlined in the report produced after our visit to Nigeria, thousands of women and children are thought to have been abducted since 2012.

“We must make sure that all possible measures are taken to locate and rescue all of them from abuse at the hands of Boko Haram,” they stressed.

“It is also vital to remember that release is just the first step that the Chibok girls and others captured by Boko Haram must take in order to start rebuilding their lives. Rehabilitation and reintegration is not easy and we must ensure that all those rescued are provided with all necessary support. This must include working with the communities and securing access to justice.

“A comprehensive approach to addressing challenges in northeastern Nigeria would provide an opportunity not only to reintegrate the women and children affected by Boko Haram but also to strengthen the health and educational sectors which are crucial for peace, security and sustainable development in Nigeria,” concluded the experts.

(*) The UN experts: Ms. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children; Ms. Urmila Bhoola, Special Rapporteur on slavery; Mr. Dainius Pūras, Special Rapporteur on the right to health; Ms. Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Ms. Dubravka Šimonović, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences; and Ms. Alda Facio, current Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice.

Distributed by APO on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa

2016: Dangote Flour Mills returns to profitability…posts N12 bn profit:

Dangote Flour Mills (http://Dangote.com) has posted a profit before tax of N11.82 billion for its financial year ended December 31, 2016. According to the results released on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the company has returned to profitability after four years of losses.

Review of the results indicated that the group’s operating profit went up to N16 billion compared to a loss of N8.6 billion posted at the preceding year. Profit after tax went up to N10.6 billion in contrast to a loss of N12.5 billion in 2015.

Revenue went up by 120 percent from N48 billion to N105 billion, while gross profit increased by 556.8 percent to N29 billion compared to N4 billion in 2016. Capital market analysts described the company’s performance as heartwarming given that the company had recorded losses in the past.

Dangote Flour Mills consist of Dangote Flour, Dangote Pasta, and Dangote Noodles. It was sold to Tiger Branded Consumer Goods, but later reacquired and re-positioned for good results.

Having reacquired the flour mills, the new board of directors and management started a restructuring process.

Speaking on the repositioning, the chairman, Dangote Flour Mills, Ighodalo Asue, said, “We bought back Dangote Flour Mill from Tiger Branded Consumer Goods and by this move, it means we have a stronger, better, sophisticated and more focused Dangote Flour Mills.

“Since the takeover, we have taken a lot of steps to reposition the company through expansion to drive growth. We are also using this medium to restate our commitment to increasing our shareholders.”

The group chief executive officer, Dangote Flour Mills, Thabo Mabe, attributed the return to profitability to several strategies adopted by the company to increase market share and create value for shareholders.

He noted that the Dangote Flour Mills was driven by the vision of putting its products on the table of every Nigerian.

Distributed by APO on behalf of Dangote Group.

Media Contact:
Francis Awowole-Browne
Francis.Awowole@Dangote.com
+234 806 630 4898

Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa