More cocoa beans are being smuggled from Ivory Coast to Ghana, farmers told Reuters on Thursday, as exporters halt shipments from the world’s top grower and global prices hit a one-year high. Top exporters are complying with presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara’s call for a ban on exports, in a bid to starve incumbent Laurent Gbagbo of revenues. Mr. Gbagbo has…
Cameroon awarded a diamond mining licence to South Korea’s CK Mining, requiring the company to begin development of its Mobilong concession within a year, according to state television on Thursday. The Mobilong concession has probable reserves of 736 million carats of gem quality and industrial diamonds that could make the Central African state a leading world diamond exporter, according to…
East Africa-focused exploration firm, Centric Energy, said it had completed an agreement to farm out to Tullow Oil Plc a 50 per cent interest in Centric’s Block 10BA in north-western Kenya. The deal brings to four the number of farm-in agreements that London-listed Tullow has closed this week after acquiring 50 per cent states in another two Kenyan blocks and…
27 January 2011 Real Madrid's new striker Emmanuel Adebayor, signed from Manchester City, Thursday rejected suggestions he has come to the club to replace the out-of-favour Karim Benzema. "I'm not here to compete with him (Benzema) or with anyone else. What I want is that all the Real players give their best," he told a news conference as he was…
28 January 2011 The circus for this years CAF Champions League gets underway this weekend across the continent and by May, the eight teams for the money-spinning group stage of Africas foremost club competition will emerge. Who will be the clubs to then jostle for the biggest prize in African club football? MTNFootball.com picks the most likely teams to challenge…
28 January 2011 Sundays Oyo derby between hosts Shooting Stars and Crown FC will be a grudge battle as neither is willing to give in to the rival. It will be a battle. I have been told that matches between the two clubs are always very keenly fought as Crown never want to acknowledge the superiority of Shooting Stars, 3SC…
27 January 2011 The 2011 CAF African Champions League gets underway this weekend, with no less than 46 teams competing in the first leg matches of the preliminary round. A further nine seeded teams Al Ittihad (Libya), Al Merreikh (Sudan), Dynamos (Zimbabwe), Esperance (Tunisia), Stade Malien (Mali), Al-Hilal (Sudan), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), ES Setif (Algeria) and Al Ahly (Egypt)…
For her love for her career and good money of course, controversial Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson has shaved her hair completely for the second time. On set of a movie which continues filming through this week, the lady who’s described as Nigeria’s Kim Kardashian (without the face that is) went bald last Saturday to play a widow role. With the…
Regenerated actress Ibinabo Fiberesima who’s since moved on with her life after her traumatic experience has returned to the Kirikiri maximum prison to extend a hand of help to the prisoners. The actress, was in a Lagos High court during the week to demand for justice for two prisoners whom she said have been standing trial for the past five…
Award winning Nigerian comedian (who’s more popular in the UK), Tunde Ednut, has announced basic requirements for his future wife. The good looking and outrightly witty short comedian says a woman without the back props could pass but one without (adequate) frontal weight is a no-go area. Tunde Ednut He tweeted on Tuesday: “MY WIFE MUST HAVE YANSH (Not really…
Cocoa hit a one-year high on Monday after Ivory Coast’s presidential claimant, Alassane Ouattara, locked in a standoff against incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, urged a month-long ban on exports from the world’s top producer. Dealers said prices were rising as the international market was thrown into turmoil on uncertainty over what Ouattara’s call meant, given that Gbagbo controls the supply pipeline…
New vehicle imports into Nigeria declined 18 percent in 2010, reflecting weak credit growth in sub-Saharan Africa’s second-biggest economy in the wake of a $4 billion bank bailout the previous year. Vehicle sales in Africa’s most-populous nation are a proxy measure for private purchasing power, a leading economic indicator which is not formally available in Nigeria. Port figures showed new…
26 January 2011 Barcelona put one foot in the Kings Cup final with a brace from Lionel Messi sealing a thumping 5-0 semi-final first leg win over Almeria at Camp Nou on Wednesday. Three goals in the opening quarter hour put Barcelona in total command and now Barcelona, who have won the Kings Cup a record 25 times, appear a…
27 January 2011 Disgraced FIFA and CAF executive Amos Adamu is confident his appeal against a three-year ban will be successful just as the Nigerian government has taken a special interest in the case. A source close to Adamu told MTNFootball.com that it was all a set-up against the top official and with the government now in the full picture…
Five National Youth Serving Corps members, a councilor, and an ad hoc staff are standing trial for allegedly diverting the Direct Data Capturing [DDC] machines and other materials meant for the ongoing voter registration exercise. The corps members are Makinwa Michael, Ovat Benard, Mustapha Yahaya, Osha Tolulope and Chinyere Okoye while the councilor is Effiong Edet Oqua representing Idundu Ward…