🔅 "You Want Elephants? We'll Give You Elephants!"
Plus, Botswana's Unique Conservation Offer, ANC Corruption Scandals, and Nigeria Powers Up with Dangote Refinery
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Botswana to Germany: "You Want Elephants? We'll Give You Elephants!"
In a twist to the ongoing debate about hunting trophy imports, Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi has come up with a novel solution: send 20,000 elephants to Germany.
The whole debacle started when Germany, one of the EU's largest importers of hunting trophies, suggested stricter import limits due to poaching concerns.
Masisi, who claims Botswana is dealing with an elephant "overpopulation," was not amused.
In a scathing interview with German daily Bild, he said, "It is very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion about our affairs in Botswana. We are paying the price for preserving these animals for the world."
Masisi went on to say that Germans should "live together with the animals, in the way you are trying to tell us to." He even offered to gift the elephants to Germany, stating that he "would not take no for an answer."Â
According to Masisi, herds of elephants are causing property damage, eating crops, and trampling residents in Botswana. He argues that a ban on the import of hunting trophies would only make matters worse and impoverish Botswanans.
So, will we soon see elephants roaming the streets of Berlin? Probably not. But one thing's for sure: Masisi has certainly found a creative way to make his point in the ongoing debate about conservation and hunting trophy imports.
South Africa's Ex-Speaker Goes from Parliament to Police Station
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the former parliamentary speaker and ANC veteran has been arrested as part of a corruption inquiry, making her the latest in a long line of senior party members to be caught up in such scandals.
Mapisa-Nqakula, who resigned as speaker on Wednesday, handed herself over to the police near Pretoria, where she was formally detained and due to be charged with corruption and money laundering.
The timing couldn't be worse for the ANC, with national elections just around the corner in May. The party is already struggling in the polls, thanks to a weak economy and a seemingly endless string of corruption accusations against its top brass, including the president and vice president.
Mapisa-Nqakula, who served as defence minister from 2014 to 2021, is accused of soliciting about $120000 in bribes from a former military contractor.
She denies the allegations, but that didn't stop investigators from raiding her Johannesburg residence in March.
In her resignation letter on Wednesday, the 67-year-old maintained her innocence but said she was stepping down to uphold the integrity of parliament and focus on the investigation.
As South Africans prepare to head to the polls, the ANC's share of the vote is expected to drop below 50% for the first time since 1994. The party might have to form a coalition with rival parties to stay in power – a prospect that's about as appealing as a root canal for the ANC leadership.
Nigeria's Dangote Refinery: Fueling Africa's Largest Economy, One Barrel at a Time
Nigeria, the land of jollof rice, Afrobeats, and now, a shiny new oil refinery courtesy of the country's richest man, Aliko Dangote. The $20 billion behemoth, located on the outskirts of Lagos, is set to change the game for Africa's most populous nation and top oil producer.
You might be thinking, "Wait, Nigeria produces oil but imports fuel?" Yep, that's the irony of it all. But fear not, because the Dangote refinery is here to save the day, one barrel at a time.
And the best part?Â
This Tuesday, it started supplying petroleum products to the local market, much to the delight of fuel marketers nationwide.
One thing's for sure: the Dangote refinery is the talk of the town, and it's just getting started. Africa's largest economy is about to get a whole lot more fuel-efficient, thanks to one man's vision and a whole lot of barrels of oil.
Africa Shines in Global Trade's Gloomy Year
While the world's commerce wizards were nursing their headaches from the global trade downturn of 2023, Africa was quietly toasting its 6% growth in trade.Â
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's latest Global Trade Update, last year wasn't all doom and gloom—even though the global trade market contracted by 3%—as Africa decided it wasn't going to join that pity party.
Bottom line?
While the world's trade winds were blowing cold, plunging by $1.3 trillion, Africa's markets were heating up, not just surviving but increasing by 6% instead.
Food for Thought
“If you pick up one end of the stick you also pick up the other."
— Ethiopian Proverb