Barclays Africa Group, South Africas No.2 lender by market value, plans to extend its reach throughout the continent, its CEO, Maria Ramos said on Thursday after posting annual profit up nearly 4 percent.

Ramos said the bank, which is changing its name back to South African brand Absa after its split from former parent Barclays, aims to enter Nigeria as it seeks to lift its share of the African market to 12 percent from 6 percent over the medium term.

Finance Director Jason Quinn told Reuters that Nigeria has been in its sights for some time.

We would have to think carefully about how and when to enter the Nigerian market and that is what we are going to start doing, he said.

We have to decide how we enter, whether we acquire or build.

The bank had earlier reported normalised diluted headline earnings per share the primary measure of profit in South Africa, stripping out one-off items up 3.9 pct at 1,837.7 cents for the year to Dec. 31, helped by a 20 percent drop in credit impairments.

Net interest income, a gauge of lending profitability, rose by 1 percent to 42.32 billion rand ($3.56 billion), while its net interest margin was unchanged at 4.95 percent.

Growth in the United States was the positive surprise in the second half, even as Europe, Japan and China grew at or above consensus expectations, the bank said.

This more than made up for slow economic expansion in its main markets, which account for about 80 percent of group income.

Barclays Africa and its rivals have struggled to increase lending as slowing economic growth in many African markets tempers demand from corporate clients while retail clients in its home South African market feel the squeeze from rising interest rates.

However, confidence in its domestic market has been buoyed by the Cyril Ramaphosas elevation to the South African presidency last month, pledging to revitalise the economy.

Barclays Africa said it expects growth in loans and deposits to improve in 2018 and forecast stronger loan growth from the rest of Africa. It also forecast stronger loan growth in corporate and investment banking in South Africa. ($1 = 11.9025 rand)

*Reuters

Source: NAN

Tennis legend, Serena Williams will restart her tennis career on Monday at the BNP Paribas Open in Palm Springs California, but her husband, Alexis Ohanian has lined up four billboards as a surprise for her.

The billboards, erected alongside Interstate 10 are meant to celebrate her return to competitive tennis. And it would appear Alexis designed them with the help of daughter Olympia.

These just went up on alongside I-10 into Palm Springs.

Ben Enwonwus paint of Ile-Ife princess, Adetutu Ademiluyi, known as Tutu, has fetched in a London auction 1, 205,000, four times more than expected.

In naira terms, it was sold for N508, 358, 301, an African record.

The Nigerian masterpiece, initially declared missing was found in a modest north London flat recently.

Bonhams, the auction company announced the record price for the paint, which measuresand was signed by Enwonwu and dated 1974.

The identity of the buyer of the Lot 47 has not been disclosed yet.

There were other Enwonwus paints sold today, but none fetched anything near Tutu.

Enwonwus Fulani Girl fetched 13,125. Children of Onitsha got 11,250.

fetched 12,150, while Dancers got 11,250.

Itachafo Muo, another Enwonwus paint was sold for 18,750.e got 40,000, 100,0000

The other Nigerian artist whose work was also of great reckoning during the auction was Yusuf Adebayo Cameron Grillo. HisEvangelists: Cymbal, Triangle and Tambourine done in 1964, was sold for 56,250.

Bonhams says on its website that Ben Enwonwus portraits of Tutu have achieved a high level of celebrity because the paintings were some of the most enigmatic works produced by a Nigerian artist in the 20th century.

In 1971, Enwonwu, who died in1994, at the age of 77, was appointed the first professor of Fine Art at the University of Ife.

The violence of the Nigerian/Biafran conflict (1967-1970) was still fresh in public consciousness, and academic institutions were tasked with promoting a spirit of national reconciliation. Enwonwu embraced this duty, using Negritude ideology and imagery to explore issues of cultural identity and political contestation that the Nigerian civil war had laid bare. The artist created a number of his most famous works during this period, including three portraits all titled of a young Yoruba woman named Adetutu Ademiluyi, a granddaughter of a previous Ooni (king) of Ife.

Enwonwu frequently made trips to the countryside surrounding Ife, sketching the landscape and recording cultural traditions and practices. It was during one of these visits that he encountered Tutu. He was so impressed by her beauty and unusual features that he asked her parents for permission to paint her. Enwonwu may have also been motivated by her status as a royal princess of Ife he was also of royal lineage, descended from the Umuezearoli of Onitsha. In addition, winning the approval of the Ife royal house would offer the artist protection from any problems arising from his Igbo ethnicity, a contentious issue in post-war Nigeria.

Source: NAN

Rwanda has shut 714 churches in different parts of Kigali over the last one week for failure to meet minimum standards.

New Times of Rwanda reported that the churches were found to lack basic infrastructure, hygiene, safety standards and had issues related to their legal status.

The crackdown is being carried out by respective urban district authorities in partnership with the Rwanda Governance Board, the newspaper said.

Justus Kangwagye, the Head of Political Parties and Civil Society Department at the Rwanda Governance Board, said places of worship are required to meet basic requirements in terms of safety, hygiene, infrastructure and legality which those affected were found to be lacking.

Kangwagye said most of the affected places of worship were asked to halt operations until they meet the expected standards.

Worshiping should be done in an organised way and meet minimum standards. Exercising your freedom of worship should not encroach on other peoples rights. They have been asked to halt operations until they meet the requirements, he said.

Some may not be able to resume operations any time soon, he said.

Kangwagye said some premises exposed worshipers to risks.

For instance, if the infrastructure is deemed likely to cause danger to those worshiping, it is obvious that it fails to meet the requirements, he explained.

Others were found to have inadequacies such as lack of parking lots which would lead to their members parking by the roadsides and causing traffic jam.

Other churches which were closed operated from tents.

Churches that are hosted in tents were also asked to review their premises before they can continue their operations. As for hygiene and sanitation, you cannot have a gathering where there is no water for washing hands, no toilets among other issues, he said.

Others, he added, were warned on the lack of safety and security installations and asked to look into it or risk closure.

Kangwagye explained that setting up a church, requires a temporary certificate which expires after 12 months.

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Source: NAN

Crown-wearing worshippers of World Peace and Unification Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, United States scared the hell out of people and a school on Wednesday, when they arrived the church, each clutching an AR-15 rifle.

Brides were clad in white and grooms in dark suits, all arriving with dozens of AR-15s, though unloaded.

Inside the church, they drank holy wine and exchanged or renewed wedding vows in what was called a commitment ceremony, which alsodoubled as an advertisement for the Second Amendment.

Though the state police kept watch as the ceremony unfolded, neighbours were not at ease.

A smattering of protesters stood outside the church and anearby school cancelled classes, the AP reported.

The church, which has a worldwide following, believes the AR-15 symbolizes the rod of iron in the book of Revelation, and encouraged couples to bring the weapons. An AR-15 was used in the Florida high school massacre on Feb. 14.

The Rev. Sean Moon, who leads the church, prayed for a kingdom of peace police and peace militia where the citizens, through the right given to them by almighty God to keep and bear arms, will be able to protect one another and protect human flourishing.

Moon is the son of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah who founded the Unification Church, which critics regard as a cult. The younger Moons congregation is a breakaway faction of the Unification Church, which had distanced itself from Wednesdays event.

An attendant checked each weapon at the door to make sure it was unloaded and secured with a zip tie, and the elaborate commitment ceremony went off without a hitch. Some worshippers wore crowns made out of bullets.

Tim Elder, Unification Sanctuarys director of world missions, said the ceremony was meant to be a blessing of couples, not inanimate objects, calling the AR-15 a religious accoutrement.

But Wednesdays event, coming on the heels of the high school massacre in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17, rubbed emotions raw.

Its scaring people in the community, one protester told a church member. Are you aware of that?

The ceremony prompted Wallenpaupack Area School District to move students at an elementary school down the street to other campuses.

Lisa Desiena, from Scranton, protested outside the church with a sign that called the group an armed religious cult.

She said she owns a gun, but I dont need a freaking assault weapon to defend myself. Only thing theyre good for is killing. Period. Thats all that weapon is good for, mass killing. And you want to bless it? Shame on you.

But Sreymom Ouk, 41, who attended the ceremony with her husband, Sort Ouk, and came with their AR-15, said the weapon is useful for defending her family against sickos and evil psychopaths.

People have the right to bear arms, and in Gods kingdom, you have to protect that, she said. You have to protect against evil.

Reported by AP

Source: NAN

Saudi Arabia began issuing licences Thursday to operate cinemas in the kingdom ahead of their reopening after a decades-long ban was lifted as part of a far-reaching liberalisation drive.

The move is another step towards opening the Saudi market to regional and international theatre chains, which have long eyed the kingdom as the Middle Easts last untapped mass market.

The culture and information ministry said it had finalised the terms of licencing to restore cinema in Saudi Arabia.

Licencing commences immediately, the ministry added in a statement.

The news comes as Dubai-based VOX Cinemas, the leading operator in the Middle East, launches its first public screening in Saudi Arabia, which runs through Saturday and aims to raise awareness about Alzheimers disease.

The screening in Riyadh will feature content from local producers including Myrkott Production and Telfaz Company, VOX said.

Major cinema chains are seeking to break into the market of more than 30 million people, the majority of whom are under 25.

In December, US giant AMC Entertainment signed a non-binding agreement with Saudi Arabias vast Public Investment Fund to build and operate cinemas across the kingdom.

AMC will still face stiff competition from regional heavyweights, including VOX.

The move to reopen cinemas is part of a modernisation drive by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is seeking to balance unpopular subsidy cuts in an era of low oil prices with more entertainment options despite opposition from religious hardliners.

The reform stems partly from an economic motive to boost domestic spending on entertainment as the kingdom reels from a protracted slump in oil prices.

Saudis currently splurge billions of dollars annually to see movie shows and visit amusement parks in neighbouring tourist hubs like Dubai.

Source: NAN

Its now official: supermodel Naomi Campbell is off the market. And she is dating Britishmusician Skepta, whose real name is Joseph Junior Adenuga.

He is 15 years younger than the fashion icon.

There had been rumour about their relationship, but Naomi, 47, confirmed it via an Instagram post on Thursday, when she shared a GQ cover featuring her and her beau cuddled close while wearing nothing but jewelry.

Skepta is the first man Naomi has beenlinked tosince Egyptian millionaire Louis C. Camilleri in July 2017, the Mail Online reported.

Born Joseph Junior Adenuga on September 19, 1982, Skepta is an English rapper, songwriter and producer. Although he was born in NorthLondon, his parents are Nigerian immigrants.

He made his musical debut in 2007 with the release of his cleverly titled album, Greatest Hits.

Skeptas second album, Microphone Champion, followed in 2009. Both albums were independent releases. By the time his third album, Doin It Again, was released in 2011, he had signed with AATW.

Skepta didnt begin to really draw attention until his fourth album, however. The project, titled Konnichiwa, was released in May 2016. It won him a Mercury Prize. Since gaining notoriety, hes collaborated and performed with major names in the music business like Flatbush Zombies, Wizkid andDrake,Kanye Westand more

The rapper has four siblings, two of whom music aficionados may be familiar with. His one brother is a grime rapper called Jme. Skepta has another sibling, Julie Adenuga, whos a DJ on Beats 1.

In addition to musical pursuits, Skepta founded a clothing company called Mains. The brand dropped its first line in June 2017.

Source: NAN

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) would inaugurate Electronic Health Records (EHR) to improve quality of care and enhance monitoring and management of people living with HIV.

The institute is collaborating with Seam Health Innovations to enhance the success of the project.

The Director of Strategic Information of the Institute, Dr. Ahmad Aliyu, said EHR would be implemented in four health facilities in Kano, Nasarawa states and Federal Capital Territory.

He said the introduction of real time clinical documentation for patients would last one month beginning from Feb. 23.

He said the exercise would be conducted at National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) in Idu, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) Gwagwalada, Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH)in Lafia and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) Kano.

According to him, the project will lead to greater efficiency in handling patient information and reduce the errors in documentation and prescriptions given to patients.

The hospitals involved will receive laptops, printers and internet support to allow for the smooth transition from paper to electronic documentation, he said.

Aliyu expressed the hope that the support provided will motivate the healthcare providers to embrace global norm of electronic systems of documentation and record keeping.

He called on the authorities of the facilities to ensure optimal use of the support and provide adequate security for the equipment and maintain confidentiality of patients information.

The project is also expected to give health care workers easy access to patient information, increase their proficiency in monitoring and counseling patients and encourage evidence-based strategies that are tailored to the needs of patients, he said.

Aliyu quoted the Managing Partner Seam Health Innovations, Dr. Adetola Olateju, as saying that in preparation for the launch, an assessment of infrastructural gaps at each facility was done to ensure that all systems met the requirement.

Staff training, workflow dry runs are being carried out for a smooth transition to be possible.

The system also has security settings to ensure that only those authorized have access to patients information, he said.

He said IHVN first deployed Open Medical Records System (OMRS) an Electronic Medical Record System and e-mobile supportive supervision tool in 2012 at supported facilities to improve and strengthen patient management and monitoring. (NAN)

Source: NAN

(Xinhua/NAN)Kenya on Wednesday issued an alert on mouth and foot disease across the country to help curb its spread.

Obadiah Nyaga, the director of Veterinary Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, urged Kenyans to report the outbreak of the contagious viral infection immediately to the nearest veterinary office for action.

The disease was detected in the country in 2017 where it spread into 26 counties and has continued to date, Nyaga said in a statement.

He directed all livestock traders to obtain a livestock permit from the local veterinary offices before moving the livestock.

Nyaga noted that the presence of the disease hinders local and international trade and movement of livestock.

The disease is characterised by sores and wounds in the mouth and feet causing salivation and lameness that results into heavy losses in milk production, body condition and death especially in young livestock.

The disease does not have a cure but sick livestock are managed through good feeding and care and treatment of wounds.

Nyaga however blamed the control of disease to uncontrolled livestock movements due to drought, cattle rustling and roadside grazing.

Very low vaccination converges has left majority of livestock susceptible to disease given that there is 60 million cattle, sheep and goats that require attention, he added.

He revealed that they are worried that some of the outbreaks are linked to an apparent new variant of serotype O that has not been detected in the country but is in circulation in neighbouring countries.

The current vaccine appears to be unproductive but we are upgrading the vaccine to match all serotypes in circulation, he added.

Nyaga said the government has in the meantime embarked on promoting production of vaccines that offer longer immunity like the recently launched oil based vaccines to ease logistics of vaccinations.

He said the government has also issued guidelines for control measures to be undertaken by the county governments in their efforts to effectively control the disease.

He directed farmers to disinfect contact materials and equipment and dispose infected carcasses or materials hygienically.

Source: NAN

Stakeholders in the health sector on Thursday listed insecurity of hospitals and medical workers as the major threat to healthcare delivery in the country.

They urged governments and private sector to invest in enhanced security for medical and health workers to curb the spate of kidnappings, killings of health workers in the country.

The health stakeholders include Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).

Dr Friday Omolei, the Chairman, National Committee on Security of Medical Doctors spoke on behalf of stakeholders at a joint news conference in Abuja.

The news conference was organised by Ethic Resource Centre Nigeria, an NGO in collaboration with security agencies and the health workers on the implementation of the Medics Security Joint Action Project.

Omolei said the devastating consequences of insecurity of hospitals and medical workers posed a threat to healthcare services, and called for investment of upgrading of hospital infrastructure.

He said investment in upgrading hospital infrastructure, equipments and materials would be futile if workers were not sufficiently safe and secure to operate them.

He attributed series of attacks on health workers or patients on lack of emergency protocols in hospitals across the country.

Nigeria is experiencing a complex interplay of security challenges that include terrorism, militancy, kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery, communal clashes, socio-economic and political tensions.

The time for all stakeholders to come together and invest in enhanced security of medical and health workers is now!

Stakeholders must find time and resources to install preventive initiatives. Huge amount of money is spent when medical workers are kidnapped. It makes sense to make necessary investments to stop the trend of medical workers being target of choice.

It is no longer news that security and safety protocols of most hospitals in Nigeria are also being breached by criminals.

The media have reported stories of new born babies being stolen from hospitals among others.

Doctors and nurses are sometimes molested by angry people who lost their loved ones, he said.

Omolei reaffirmed that Chief Medical Directors, doctors on missions, pharmacists, dentists, nurses, primary health workers had been kidnapped and sometimes killed in recent past while vaccination programmes were compromised.

He further recalled instances were medical and health workers and doctors on call abandoned their duty posts in hospitals to protest on the street, requesting governments to respond to the crisis and take proactive measures.

He decried that Primary Healthcare Centres were being shut down in zones affected by terrorism, insurgency and militancy.

Omolei, who described the menace as trending in the sector, said the security challenge had made access to healthcare harder as medical workers and their families often time relocate from insurgency and kidnap prone communities to safer areas.

He said that due to the devastating consequences of thechallenge, pregnant women do not receive required medical care thereby worsening maternal, neonatal, under five mortality ratios and other healthcare indices.

According to him, there is urgent need for all stakeholders to join forces and prioritise investment on the security and safety of health workers to ensure quality and efficient healthcare.

Other stakeholders present at the meeting are Health Officers Registration Board of Nigeria, Medical and Health Workers Union, Radiographers Association of Nigeria, Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria and Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria.

Source: NAN