News Rider

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja The Minister of Works Engr. David Umahi has assured the African Development Bank (AfDB) and  Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that the 1028km Lagos–Abidjan Corridor will bolster trade and connectivity across West Africa. He stated this during a high-level meeting with delegations from the ECOWAS Commission and the AfDB in Abuja on Thursday.  The team visited Umahi who is the Chairman of the Steering Committee for the project and Nigeria's representative at the ministerial level, to brief him on progress and resolve outstanding technical and financing issues. Umahi conveyed the backing of  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stressing that infrastructure development remains central to the administration’s agenda. The project is connecting Cote D’Ivoire from Abidjan, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria from Lagos.  Umahi explained that the Lagos–Abidjan corridor, spanning about 1,028 kilometres, is being developed to match the s...

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja                            Dr Anthony Simpasa  African Development Bank Group (AfFB) has appointed a Zambian economist, Dr. Anthony Simpasa as the Director of Macroeconomics Policy, Forecasting and Research.  The appointment was effective September 1, 2024. Simpasa is a thorough-bred professional with over two decades of experience in academia, central banking, and international development.  He is highly conversant with Africa’s development and policy landscape, even as he led teams on complex flagship projects, country operations and research initiatives. Simpasa joined AfDB in 2011as Principal Research Economist and has held several positions. Between February 2022 to March 2023, he served as acting division manager, Macroeconomics Policy, Debt Sustainability and Forecasting, as well as lead economist for the Nigeria Country Department. The economist played a pivotal...