NIGERIA AND BRAZIL LAUNCH AGRO-TRADE DELIVERABLES, OPENING DOORS FOR HIBISCUS, SESAME, AND SHEA BUTTER EXPORTS

KASiBC AFRiCA©®™ BY: CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS | ONLINE EDITOR 

NIGERIA AND BRAZIL LAUNCH AGRO-TRADE DELIVERABLES, OPENING DOORS FOR HIBISCUS, SESAME, AND SHEA BUTTER EXPORTS

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ABUJA, NIGERIA – At a high-level bilateral meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima announced that the Nigeria–Brazil Agro-Trade Initiative has officially transitioned from policy discussions to active implementation.

​The announcement, made alongside Brazilian Minister of Agriculture and Livestock André Carlos Alves de Paula Filho, marks a major step forward for agricultural trade between the two nations, opening up immediate opportunities for private-sector operators.

​1. Key Market Openings for Nigerian Exports

​The most immediate outcome of the updated trade framework is Brazil’s commitment to open its domestic market to three primary Nigerian agricultural products:

• ​Hibiscus
• ​Sesame
• ​Shea Butter

​Phytosanitary Certificates: The technical staff of Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock is currently finalizing the required phytosanitary (plant health) certificate proposals to formally clear these products for shipping. Once finalized, Brazil will facilitate direct B2B contacts to connect Nigerian exporters with verified Brazilian buyers.




​2. Active Technical Working Groups

​To move past high-level diplomatic agreements, the Joint Agriculture and Livestock Technical Working Group is now fully operational under the Nigeria-Brazil Strategic Dialogue Mechanism (SDM). It features four highly focused sub-groups working on technical exchange:

• ​Dairy & Livestock Genetics: Transferring critical genetics to boost local dairy yields.
• ​Soybean Productivity: Utilizing Brazilian agronomic expertise to scale up Nigerian soy farming.
• ​Agricultural Policy: Aligning regulatory and administrative standards to reduce trade friction.
• ​Agro-Climatic Risk Zoning: Sharing meteorological and soil modeling techniques to help farmers mitigate weather-related risks.

​3. Institutional Alignment & Key Backing

• ​Jigawa State’s Role: Governor Malam Umar Namadi highlighted that Jigawa State currently accounts for 75% of Nigeria's total non-oil exports. He pledged the state’s full cooperation to act as a major supply hub for the sesame and hibiscus pipelines heading to South America.
• ​EMBRAPA Engagement: Brazil has established a permanent agricultural attaché in Abuja and significantly increased local collaboration via EMBRAPA (the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), helping fast-track technical and agronomic exchanges directly on the ground.

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RAMAPHOSA CALLS FOR BOLD SYSTEM-WIDE REFORM AT GLOBAL EDUCATION SUMMIT IN PARIS

KASiBC AFRiCA©®™ BY: CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS | ONLINE EDITOR 

RAMAPHOSA CALLS FOR BOLD SYSTEM-WIDE REFORM AT GLOBAL EDUCATION SUMMIT IN PARIS

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PARIS, FRANCE – Delivering a keynote address at the UNESCO Headquarters, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called on global leaders to pivot from policy promises to aggressive implementation as the international community reviews its progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).

Speaking at the Transforming Education Summit (TES Plus 4), Ramaphosa emphasized that with the 2030 global education deadline rapidly approaching, the time for incremental adjustments has passed.

Global Success Stories and South Africa's Milestones

Ramaphosa anchored his address by invoking the words of democratic South Africa’s founding father, Nelson Mandela, who famously declared education the most powerful weapon to change the world. To illustrate this transformative capacity, the President highlighted major developmental leaps across several nations:

• Rwanda: Rapidly shifting into one of Africa’s fastest-growing knowledge economies through targeted education investment.

• China: Moving from a predominantly agrarian society to the world’s second-largest economy, lifting over 800 million citizens out of poverty.

• India: Generating a world-class, highly sought-after technological and digital workforce.

Reflecting on South Africa, Ramaphosa celebrated the country's recent achievement of the highest school-leaving certificate (Matric) pass rate in its democratic history. Notably, the majority of learners qualifying for university admission came from impoverished communities, gaining access to free higher education at universities and TVET colleges—opportunities entirely denied to previous generations under apartheid.

Confronting Systemic Vulnerabilities

Despite post-pandemic recovery efforts since the initial 2022 summit, the President warned that global educational infrastructure remains highly vulnerable to tightening fiscal constraints, conflict, and climate shocks. He noted that a transparent assessment of country commitments reveals where progress has stalled, demanding that nations confront uncomfortable truths rather than rely on noble rhetoric.

A Vision for Adaptive Education: "Resilience means building education systems that are not fragile branches bending in the wind, but sturdy forests with deep roots and the capacity to regenerate." — President Cyril Ramaphosa

Core Pillars of the Transformation Agenda

Ramaphosa outlined key systemic shifts that must occur to achieve genuine, resilient transformation:

• Elevating the Teaching Profession: Real reform is impossible without directly addressing inadequate teacher compensation, excessive classroom sizes, poor professional development, and the escalating mental health pressures impacting both educators and students.

• Prioritizing Equity and Inclusion: Policy interventions must actively include female learners, individuals living with disabilities, and marginalized rural or poor communities to prevent reforms from simply replicating historical inequalities.

• Harnessing Future Skills: Systems must adapt instantly to the unfolding technological revolution to ensure young people are equipped for a fast-changing global marketplace.

A Call for Global Accountability

Reflecting on South Africa's leadership, Ramaphosa encouraged global delegates to align TES Plus 4 objectives with the foundational literacy and cross-border skills recognition frameworks championed during South Africa's G20 Presidency.

Closing his address, the President issued a direct challenge to the international community to move decisively from statements to accountability, stating that every dollar spent on quality education returns exponentially in social stability, human dignity, and economic growth.

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MINISTER MACPHERSON INTERVENES TO ADDRESS DECAYING ALGOA PARK POLICE BARRACKS

KASiBC AFRiCA©®™ BY: CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS | ONLINE EDITOR 

MINISTER MACPHERSON INTERVENES TO ADDRESS DECAYING ALGOA PARK POLICE BARRACKS

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​GQEBERHA – Following an intensive oversight push, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has secured a commitment from National Government to address the severe decay and structural failure at the Algoa Park police barracks in Gqeberha.  

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The breakthrough comes after a formal request for urgent intervention was submitted to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), Dean Macpherson, by DA Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral candidate, Retief Odendaal.  

​Appalling Conditions Exposed

​The intervention was triggered by an oversight inspection conducted on 3 June 2026, by Odendaal alongside DA Eastern Cape Provincial Leader Andrew Whitfield, MP, and Provincial Chairperson Yusuf Cassim, MPL.  

​The inspection of the 12-storey residential blocks on 6th Avenue revealed living conditions deemed completely unfit for human habitation. 

Law enforcement officials living in the facility have been subjected to:  

​Severe Infrastructure Collapse: Entirely inoperable elevators, dark corridors due to vandalized lighting, and missing windows on every single floor.  

​Health and Safety Risks: Heavy structural damage to garages from past fires and widespread, rat-infested piles of uncollected garbage.  

​Total Security Failure: Missing security perimeter gates and an entirely unmanned guardhouse, leaving residents highly vulnerable to escalating criminal trespass and vehicle break-ins.  

​The facility's rapid decline had previously been locked in an administrative gridlock, with the DPWI and the South African Police Service (SAPS) pointing fingers at one another over who was legally responsible for the property's day-to-day upkeep.  

​National Government Demands 10-Day Turnaround

​In an official written response issued on 8 July 2026, Minister Macpherson broke the bureaucratic deadlock. The Minister acknowledged the severe risk the crumbling infrastructure poses to its inhabitants and broader SAPS operations.  

​Macpherson confirmed that he has officially instructed the DPWI’s Regional Office to dispatch a specialized task team to the Algoa Park facility. The team is mandated to conduct a comprehensive structural and logistical assessment and table a formal report to his office within 10 business days.  

​Upon receiving the audit, the Minister has committed to releasing the findings alongside a concrete, joint action plan to restore the buildings.  

​A Push for Local Accountability

​While the DPWI serves as the overarching custodian of state-owned properties, day-to-day hygiene, minor maintenance, and operational security remain the direct legislative responsibility of the client department—the SAPS. Odendaal noted that the DA is still awaiting a formal response from the Acting Minister of Police regarding the internal measures SAPS intends to take to clean up the facility.  

​The DA has pledged to maintain aggressive oversight on the implementation of Minister Macpherson's assessment to guarantee it yields sustainable, long-term maintenance rather than a temporary patch-up job.  

​Looking ahead to local governance strategies, Odendaal stated that a DA-led administration in Nelson Mandela Bay will implement a zero-tolerance stance on derelict buildings. 

The plan involves fully restoring the local Problem Buildings Task Team, tightening municipal by-law enforcement, and launching a dedicated Metro Police Problem Buildings Unit to hold both negligent private landlords and government entities to identical public standards.  

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MK PARTY CONDEMNS “FABRICATED” SUNDAY WORLD REPORT TARGETING SECRETARY GENERAL SIBONELO NOMVALO

KASiBC AFRiCA©®™ BY: CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS | ONLINE EDITOR 

MK PARTY CONDEMNS “FABRICATED” SUNDAY WORLD REPORT TARGETING SECRETARY GENERAL SIBONELO NOMVALO

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​JOHANNESBURG – The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) has issued a scathing rebuttal against a Sunday World newspaper article, labeling the report a "blatant fabrication" aimed at inciting internal division ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections.

​The party’s statement follows the publication of a front-page story on July 12, 2026, titled "MKP leader's security tops R336k while Party freezes spending for others." The MK Party has denied the allegations in their entirety, describing them as malicious, unfounded, and ethically compromised.

​Key Counterclaims by the MK Party

​The political organization took direct aim at the journalistic standards of the publication, highlighting several core grievances:

​Complete Denial of Mismanagement: The party rejected the narrative that Secretary General Sibonelo Nomvalo is benefiting from exorbitant private security arrangements at the expense of other party functions.

​Reliance on Anonymous Sources: The MK Party heavily criticized the growing media trend of substituting credible investigative work with unverified leaks from anonymous sources whose motives and validity cannot be scrutinized.

​Absence of the Right to Reply: The party accused Sunday World reporters of completely bypassing fundamental journalistic ethics by failing to grant the affected parties a genuine, fair opportunity to respond to the defamatory claims prior to publication.

​"Deliberate Subversion" Ahead of 2026 Municipal Elections

​The timing of the article, according to the MK Party leadership, is far from coincidental. With political organizations aggressively structure-building and vetting candidate lists for the upcoming 2026 Local Government Elections, the party believes the narrative was manufactured specifically to disrupt organizational momentum.

​"The publication recklessly seeks to portray the Secretary General as benefiting from exorbitant security arrangements while simultaneously creating the false impression that the Party has neglected its organizational responsibilities," the party stated. "This narrative is deliberately crafted to damage the reputation of both the Secretary General and the MK Party at a critical period."

​The MK Party concluded its statement by warning that such reporting erodes broader public trust in independent media, reaffirming that its focus remains squarely on its internal municipal campaign preparations despite what it calls media-driven "sensationalism."

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DPCI DENIES INVESTIGATING ACTING NATIONAL COMMISSIONER, REFERS MATTER TO IDAC

KASiBC AFRiCA©®™ BY: CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS | ONLINE EDITOR 

DPCI DENIES INVESTIGATING ACTING NATIONAL COMMISSIONER, REFERS MATTER TO IDAC

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PRETORIA – The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), popularly known as the Hawks, has formally clarified media reports claiming that the unit is conducting a criminal investigation targeting the Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane.  

​In an official statement, the DPCI confirmed that it is not investigating the Acting National Commissioner, dismissing assertions that a criminal case has been registered by its team.

​The Basis of the Clarification

​According to the DPCI, a formal complaint was indeed submitted to their offices. However, initial assessments revealed that the complaint directly correlates with an ongoing, pre-existing matter that is already being handled by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).  

​To maintain jurisdictional integrity and avoid a duplication of investigative resources, the Hawks redirected the file:

​Procedural Referral: The complaint was immediately forwarded to IDAC for evaluation under its existing corruption investigation mandate.

​Complainant Notified: The DPCI confirmed that the individual who lodged the initial complaint was fully informed of the administrative transfer.

​No Active Case: The Hawks emphasized that the act of processing and transferring this correspondence does not equate to opening a case docket or initiating an active DPCI-led probe against the top official.

​"The referral of the complaint does not constitute the registration of a criminal case or the initiation of a criminal investigation by the DPCI," the directorate stated. "It was merely referred to the IDAC because of the existing investigation."

​The DPCI has advised that any further media or public inquiries regarding the processing, merits, or status of the complaint be directed exclusively to IDAC.

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