The continent has taken a decisive step towards resource sovereignty, but the real struggle lies ahead
By Vsevolod Sviridov, expert at the Center for African Studies, Higher School of Economics, Moscow
At an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers of the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO) in early July, it was decided that the headquarters of the new Africa Energy Bank will be located in Nigeria, over Algeria, Benin, and Ghana. For Nigeria, it was particularly important to beat Algeria, a rival for the status of Africa’s largest energy power, and Ghana – a rival for political influence in West Africa.
Between Nigeria and Algeria, the choice probably fell on the former because, in January, the Research Institute (GRI) of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) was opened in Algeria. The GRI will develop a framework for scientific and technological cooperation through information exchange, the sharing of best practices, innovation, and technology transfer. Moreover, the African Energy Commission (AFREC) of the African Union is also located in Algeria. The presence of such international organizations has already sealed Algeria’s status as an influential player in the energy sector, both in Africa and globally.
The fact that the headquarters of the Africa Energy Bank (AEB) – which may become one of Africa’s most influential financial structures, both in the energy sector and in general – will be located in Nigeria is an important achievement for the country, especially in light of the crises which have impacted the country’s energy sector.
The founding documents and the AEB charter were signed in early June by Afreximbank and the Africa Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO). The latter is an African organization established in 1987 to develop intra-African cooperation in the energy sector. The same two organizations spearheaded the project to establish the AEB, became its founders, and will provide a large portion of the initial capital.
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https://www.rt.com/africa/601547-sovereignty-africa-energy-bank/
Any moment now I am expecting John Cleese (a veteran of Monty Python) to jump out of the bushes and announce the creation of the Ministry of Silly Wars, with Donald Trump as the deranged leader. For you youngsters out there, Monty Python’s skit, The Ministry of Silly Walks, helped make the members of MP legends. I had to reference Monty Python because the line of bullshit the Trump administration is feeding the American people and the world about the amazing, obliterating US attack on Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday morning, is more ridiculous that all of the silly walks pictured in the following video:
My hopes that Donald Trump would finally act like a responsible adult are dashed. He’s a dangerous buffoon. While the team around him are working frantically to maintain the fiction that Trump has a vision and is calling the shots on the foreign policy front, he is careening around the globe like an out-of-control cue ball on a billiards table. It started a week ago… first, he claimed...
Tuesday marks the third anniversary of the launch of the Fujian, China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults. Official media said China is about to enter a three-aircraft-carrier era, with the Fujian expected to enter service by 2025.
After the launch of the Fujian on June 17, 2022, it carried out its first sea trial from May 1 to 8 in 2024. Since then, the Fujian has completed multiple sea trials, accumulating more than 100 days of sea trial, China Central Television (CCTV) News reported on Tuesday.
Wei Dongxu, a Chinese military affairs commentator, said that the aircraft carrier Fujian has been making steady progress in sea trials, and is expected to be commissioned within this year, CCTV News reported.
With a full displacement of more than 80,000 tons, the Fujian is the world's first conventionally powered aircraft carrier to feature electromagnetic catapult technologies, according to CCTV News. The report noted that it will carry a wide variety of carrier-borne...
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Central Asian countries have explored and formed the China-Central Asia Spirit, which features mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit, mutual assistance, and the pursuit of common modernization through high-quality development.
Xi made the remarks in his speech at the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.
Xi said that the Chinese side has decided to establish three cooperation centers and a trade facilitation platform within the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism.
When addressing the summit, Xi said these institutions include the China-Central Asia poverty reduction cooperation center, the China-Central Asia education exchange cooperation center, the China-Central Asia desertification control cooperation center, as well as the China-Central Asia trade facilitation cooperation....more below
