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SEYCHELLES NEWS AGENCY When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Seychelles in March 2015, the two countries affirmed a partnership regarding maritime security and creating a “blue economy” where the ocean can be used to drive growth. Modi and Seychelles President James Michel signed four bilateral agreements, announced the donation of a surveillance aircraft to the Seychelles, and launched a new radar system. In a ceremony in the mountainous region of Mahé, Modi officially switched on the Coastal Surveillance Radar, describing it as a symbol of the cooperation between the two countries. The Coastal Surveillance Radar project has been…

ADF STAFF The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) inaugurated a new multinational maritime coordination center designed to monitor and prevent illicit activity at sea. The program known as Pilot Zone E will coordinate joint activities among Benin, Niger, Nigeria and Togo, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) reported. It will be headquartered in Cotonou, Benin, and  the collaboration will include patrols, information sharing, training and drills. The center is part of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy and will report to the Regional Maritime Security Coordination Centre of West Africa. Other subregional zones have already been established, including Zone…

The former U.S. Coast Guard cutter Gallatin was transferred to the Nigerian Navy during a ceremony in Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States. The cutter was renamed the NNS Okpabana and commissioned in a ceremony in Nigeria. [Leroy Burnell/post and courier] Nigeria commissioned four warships into service in February 2015, with two more to be commissioned before the end of the year. The vessels were handed over to their commanding officers at a ceremony at the Naval Dockyard at Victoria Island in Lagos. They are the NNS Centenary, NNS Prosperity, NNS Okpabana and NNS Sagbama, according to the News…

DEFENCEWEB Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are flying hundreds of missions over South Africa’s Kruger National Park as part of a yearlong project to gauge their effectiveness in combating rhino poaching. The results so far have been positive. “By the end of the project, we will have a lot of information about the use of available technology in anti-poaching operations and be able to make informed decisions on what is best for our environment,” said Kuseni Dlamini, chairman of the South Africa National Parks (SANParks) board. A South African company, UAV and Drone Solutions (UDS), is flying the UAVs. After the…

VOICE OF AMERICA For the first time in decades, young basketball players in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, are holding tournaments at night thanks to improved security. For years, warlords and terrorist groups denied young Somalis the ability to play sports. At the Wiish Stadium in Mogadishu, enthusiastic fans filled the capital’s basketball court in April 2015 to witness a night sporting event — the first in two decades. Before entry, guards frisked all the supporters to assure attendees, basketball players and officials the game would be secure. Most of these young Somalis, born after the collapse of the government more…

VOICE OF AMERICA At the height of the Ebola crisis in late 2014, social life in Liberia was at a standstill as people tried to avoid contact to keep themselves from catching the deadly virus. But in March 2015, with the infection rate at zero for weeks, social life began returning to normal. Liberians were seen enjoying street food and sharing meals and drinks again. They crammed into public buses and cabs without worry. Popular beaches and nightclubs were again packed, and residents expressed satisfaction that social life had returned, even though the worries have not entirely faded. “I think…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Ethiopia set fire to a 6-ton pile of seized elephant ivory, the country’s entire stock, vowing a zero-tolerance policy toward poachers and traffickers. Burning the stock, which included huge tusks, elaborate carvings, necklaces and bracelets, came in March 2015, two weeks after neighboring Kenya took similar action aimed at demonstrating renewed commitment to protect Africa’s iconic but dwindling elephant population. “The message we’re sending is that we have zero tolerance for poaching and illegal trafficking,” said Dawud Mume Ali, director of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority. “We are trying to save the elephants from extinction. This is part…

REUTERS Ethiopia will complete expansion of the capital’s airport in 2018 to triple the number of passengers it handles from 7 million a year now and will soon pick a site for a new hub to deal with 10 times the number in the future, a senior official said. Bole International Airport, on the edge of Addis Ababa, is home to Ethiopian Airlines, the state-owned national carrier that is Africa’s largest by revenue and profit. Less than a decade ago, the airport handled 1 million passengers a year, but that rose to 7 million in 2014. Officials expect it to…

THE CITIZEN, TANZANIA Business executives in East Africa are optimistic about the regional economy despite insecurity in Kenya and weakening currencies, a survey indicates. A global entrepreneur indicator survey conducted by Entrepreneur Organisation (EO), a network of more than 10,000 business owners, shows that 78 percent of entrepreneurs are willing to start a business under the current economic environment. The survey was released in April 2015. The EO’s founding president, Sriram Bharatam, attributed the results to the confidence and optimism that East African entrepreneurs and companies have developed over the years. “In terms of business momentum, the indicators show that…

ADF STAFF One thousand entrepreneurs representing 52 African countries are in the first class of winners of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program. The winners were announced in March 2015. The selection committee was made up of some of Africa’s most successful business leaders. In all, 20,000 African entrepreneurs applied when the online application portal opened on January 1, 2015. “Filling the form itself was an enlightening process that helped me see a lot of loopholes to eliminate from my business, and regardless of the outcome, I know that I am on track towards the achievement of my dream,” applicant Obewe…