Following are the final group standings in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifying Competition at the conclusion of all but one of the series matches on Tuesday:

How They Finished

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

MALI 6 4 1 1 10 4 6 13

GUINEA 6 3 2 1 8 5 3 11

NAMIBIA 6 3 0 3 8 7 1 9

CHAD 6 0 1 5 2 12 -10 1

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

BURKINA FASO 6 3 3 0 6 2 4 12

MALAWI 6 3 1 2 4 5 -1 10

UGANDA 6 2 2 2 3 2 1 8

SOUTH SUDAN 6 1 0 5 2 6 -4 3

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PtS

GHANA 6 4 1 1 9 3 6 13

SUDAN 6 4 0 2 9 3 6 12

SOUTH AFRICA 6 3 1 2 8 7 1 10

SO TOM E PRNCIPE 6 0 0 6 3 16 -13 0

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

GAMBIA 6 3 1 2 9 7 2 10

GABON 6 3 1 2 8 6 2 10

CONGO DR 6 2 3 1 4 5 -1 9

ANGOLA 6 1 1 4 4 7 -3 4

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

MOROCCO 6 4 2 0 10 1 9 14

MAURITANIA 6 2 3 1 5 4 1 9

BURUNDI 6 1 2 3 6 10 -4 5

CENT. AFRICAN REP.6 1 1 4 5 11 -6 4

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

CAMEROON 6 3 2 1 8 4 4 11

CAPE VERDE ISLANDS 6 2 4 0 6 3 3 10

RWANDA 6 1 3 2 1 3 -2 6

MOZAMBIQUE 6 1 1 4 5 10 -5 4

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

EGYPT 6 3 3 0 10 3 7 12

COMOROS 6 2 3 1 4 6 -2 9

KENYA 6 1 4 1 7 7 0 7

TOGO 6 0 2 4 3 8 -5 2

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

ALGERIA 6 4 2 0 19 6 13 14

ZIMBABWE 6 2 2 2 6 8 -2 8

ZAMBIA 6 2 1 3 8 12 -4 7

BOTSWANA 6 1 1 4 2 9 -7 4

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

SENEGAL 6 4 2 0 10 2 8 14

GUINEA-BISSAU 6 3 0 3 9 7 2 9

CONGO 6 2 2 2 5 5 0 8

ESWATINI 6 0 2 4 3 13 -10 2

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

TUNISIA 6 5 1 0 14 5 9 16

EQUATORIAL GUINEA 6 3 0 3 7 7 0 9

TANZANIA 6 2 1 3 5 6 -1 7

LIBYA 6 1 0 5 7 15 -8 3

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

CTE DIVOIRE 6 4 1 1 11 5 6 13

ETHIOPIA 6 3 0 3 10 6 4 9

MADAGASCAR 6 2 2 2 9 9 0 8

NIGER REP. 6 1 1 4 3 13 -10 4

TEAM MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

NIGERIA 6 4 2 0 14 7 7 14

REP OF BENIN 5 2 1 2 3 3 0 7

SIERRA LEONE 5 0 4 1 5 6 -1 4

LESOTHO 6 0 3 3 3 9 -6 3

*The top two teams in each group, including finals hosts Cameroon who played in the Qualifiers in order to use it to prepare, advance to the finals scheduled for January 2022.

** CAF will take a decision on the Sierra-Leone versus Rep. of Benin tie which was not played as expected on Tuesday, with the game to produce the groups runners-upend the final qualifier to Cameroon 2021.

Source: NAN News

By Moses Omorogieva

Nigerian Olympian, Chioma Ajuwa has commended the efforts of Making of Champions (MoC) in building future athletes, with a call for its sustenance to promote the development of athletes in Nigeria.

Ajuwa made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday at the 3rd MoC Grand Prix holding at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATHEC), Lagos.

She said that many Nigerian athletes would have been lost to the streets if not for the support of the MoC.

She underscored the need for individuals and organisations to support and sponsor the programme for the development of athletes.

The Gold Medalist noted that the recent drab and inactivity of sporting events nationwide had prevented so many talented Nigerians from being discovered.

According to her, only competitions like the MoC can expose and help to effectively evaluate these hidden talents.

I have to give kudos to MoC for this annual event. From what I am seeing here, without MoC, I wonder what would have become of some athletes here.

I am happy for these athletes and I am grateful for how the MoC is improving and increasing athletes proficiency in Nigeria.

I can see athletes who are hungry to compete and evaluate themselves for future competitions.

This job should not be left for MoC alone. There should be such competitions every month or every two months to keep the athletes in better form. Sponsors should support their efforts to make Nigeria proud, she said.

Ajuwa noted that only regular competitions would assist Nigerian athletes to be better prepared ahead of any major games like the Olympics.

Olympic Games is not All African Games. It is a world championship where the best athletes compete.

Our athletes are trying but I cant see from our present level of preparedness those to win gold medal, except other countries are also bringing athletes like ours she noted.

The Founder of MoC, Bambo Akani said that over 900 athletes from nine African countries were participating in the two-day event.

Akani said the number of athletes and nations were increased due to support and sponsorship by digital entertainment and sports technology company, BetKing and the Athletic Federation of Nigeria.

Commenting, Ruby Chuka, Head of Products and Marketing, BetKing, the partnership is a great move toward fulfilling our commitment to strengthen our communities.

We recognise this event as an opportunity to support the development of sports in Nigeria and encourage our youths to engage in activities that have the potential to build our nation further.

Supporting an event such as this enables us help Nigerian athletes who have struggled to find international standard competitions where they can hone their skills.

We look forward to seeing athletes from the MoC Grand Prix event participate at the Olympics Games in Tokyo, and eventually stand on the podium proudly flying the Nigerian flag, he said.

Source: NAN News

The COVID-19 has pushed back global gender parity by a generation, according to a report published Wednesday by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The WEF estimates the time it will take to close the global gender gap has increased by around 36 years since the last report a year ago from 99.5 to 135.6 years.

Women have lost their jobs at higher rates than men 5 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively, the report says, citing the International Labour Organisation.

This is partly due to women more often working in industries hit harder by lockdowns.

They were also disproportionately affected by care establishment closures, with housework, childcare and elder care responsibilities more often falling on women, according to data from Ipsos.

The report also points to historically low representation for women in the fast-growing jobs of tomorrow.

Women make up 14 per cent of the cloud computing workforce, 20 per cent in engineering and 32 per cent in data and artificial intelligence, the report says.

The pandemic has fundamentally impacted gender equality in both the workplace and the home, rolling back years of progress.

If we want a dynamic future economy, it is vital for women to be represented in the jobs of tomorrow, managing director of the WEF Saadia Zahidi said.

The report also cited a widening political gender gap in countries with large populations and only marginal improvement in the economic gender gap since the previous year.

In health, 95 per cent of the gap has been closed, while in education, 37 countries have reached gender parity, but it will still take 14.2 years to close the gap.

Iceland came out again as the worlds most gender-equal country. Western Europe was the best performing region overall, and would need 52.1 years to close the gap at the current rate.

The Middle East and North Africa remains the region with the largest gender gap.

It will take an estimated 142.4 years to close the gap in the region, where just 31 per cent of women are active in the workforce.

The annual Global Gender Gap Report, in its 15th year, examines four benchmarks: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN News

Egypts former Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri, who served in the position for two times, died on Wednesday at the age of 88, state-run Ahram website reported.

He passed away at the Air Force Hospital after a long battle with illness, the report added.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi mourned Ganzouri as a unique statesman who has been loyal to Egypt, its people, and soil.

Ganzouri was a man of wise vision, successful and special leading capabilities who presented a lot for the country in the political and economic fields, Sisi posted at his official Facebook page.

As an official who sided with the poor and the low-income, Ganzouri served also as Minister of Planning and International Cooperation.

Ganzouri served as prime minister between 1996 and 1999 under the ousted President Hosni Mubarak, and head of a national salvation government in 2011 following the uprising that toppled Mubarak. He was appointed as advisor to the president for economic affairs in 2013. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN News

South African mining sector says it has lost 213 employees in 2020 and 162 in the first quarter of 2021 due to COVID-19.

The Minerals Council of South Africa said this on Wednesday.

The Minerals Council said that of the industrys 473,750 employees, to date there had been 32,908 positive COVID-19 cases.

Even though the levels of the pandemic had declined, people need to exercise extreme caution.

COVID-19 will not take a break over Easter.

As far as possible, we must all continue to follow COVID-19 guidelines, stay at home, avoid group gatherings to reduce the spread of the virus during this time to protect ourselves and those we care about, said Minerals Council head of health, Thuthula Balfour.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the Easter weekend.

South Africa will break for the Easter weekend from April 2, to April 5.

The government has called on people to be cautious during this period. (Xinhua/ NAN)

Source: NAN News

African countries need strong policies and further support from the international community to avert a debt crisis and protracted low growth, says the United Nations.

In a statement issued by the UN Department of Global Communications, on Wednesday, the global body warned of the devastating socio-economic impact of COVID-19.

The report was jointly signed by Devi Palanivelu, UN Department of Global Communications; and Helen Rosengren, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

It said that the impact of the pandemic would be felt for years to come, unless smart investments in economic, societal and climate resilience were made to ensure a robust and sustainable recovery of the global economy.

The UN said that despite the relatively few number of cases compared to the number of cases in other continents, the COVID-19 pandemic would continue to strongly impact on living conditions and development progress in Africa.

It said the crisis was already increasing unemployment, poverty and inequality, such that most countries were already facing enormous challenges to keep the pandemic under control and mobilize financial resources to support health systems, protect vulnerable groups, and support the recovery.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigerias GDP is projected to expand by 1.5 per cent in 2021, after a contraction of 3.5 per cent in 2020, according to the report.

Yet, the UN noted that tighter foreign exchange liquidity, mounting inflationary pressures and subdued domestic demand cloud its medium-term outlook.

In South Africa, GDP is projected to expand by 3.3 per cent in 2021, after a contraction of 7.7 per cent in 2020.

The UN also projected that a strong and sustained recovery remained uncertain, amid power shortages, elevated public debt and policy challenges.

Egypts GDP was estimated to have grown by 0.2 per cent in 2020; and in 2021.

GDP growth is projected to climb to 5.4 per cent, underpinned by a strong recovery of domestic demand and facilitated by the absence of severe balance-of-payments constraints.

Also, after a contraction of 0.5 per cent in 2020, the Ethiopian economy is projected to expand by only 2.3 per cent in 2021.

The UN noted that while agricultural exports were showing resilience, the tourism sector would remain restrained throughout 2021.

Generally, after a contraction of 3.4 per cent in 2020, Africa is projected to achieve a modest recovery, with regional GDP expanding by 3.4 per cent in 2021.

However, the UN report said this recovery was predicated on the rise of domestic demand and the pick-up of exports and commodity prices because external financing and high debt levels posed major risks.

The UN said elevated public debt was limiting the capacity to boost spending across the continent.

Also, meagre growth prospects meant less capacity to sustain debt levels, as foreign reserves, remittances and capital flows falter and depreciations constrain the capacity to service foreign currency-denominated debts.

The UN also said that African countries needed further support from the international community and strong national efforts in averting a debt crisis, which would not just cause a further economic deterioration, but also force painful fiscal adjustments.

Against such a backdrop, the report warned that social unrest and political tensions may easily escalate, which could, in turn, worsen food insecurity, violence, internal displacement and migration pressures.

Hamid Rashid, Chief of the Global Economic Monitoring Branch at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the lead author of the report, said that Africa was in need of a sustained revival of growth.

While a focus on the short term is essential, African countries need to lay the groundwork for a strong and inclusive development path in the medium term, which entails the creation of decent jobs at a large scale.

As countries will emerge from the crisis with higher levels of debt, a careful rebalancing of policy priorities will be required to build resilience and boost productivity.

This includes unlocking growth opportunities and accelerating technology adoption and bridging digital divides, enhancing climate resilience and boosting domestic revenue mobilization, Rashid said.

The report also highlighted the need for African countries to prioritise the diffusion of digital technologies; supported by the expansion of affordable and universal digital infrastructure.

It added that an effective framework for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could also become a major tool for promoting intra-African trade, food security and productivity.

We are facing the worst health and economic crisis in 90 years. As we mourn the growing death toll, we must remember that the choices we make now will determine our collective future, said UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres, who addressed the Davos Agenda on Wednesday.

Lets invest in an inclusive and sustainable future driven by smart policies, impactful investments, and a strong and effective multilateral system that places people at the heart of all socio-economic efforts, Guterres said.

The report, however, underscored that sustained recovery from the pandemic would depend not only on the size of the stimulus measures, and the quick rollout of vaccines, but also on the quality and efficacy of these measures to build resilience against future shocks. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Mercy Omoike

An agriculture expert, Mr Ismail Olawale has called for the training and equipping of farmers on soil profiling and composition to boost their harvests.

Olawale, a fellow at the National Agriculture Extension and Research Liaison Services (NEARLS), said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

He noted that local farmers had from time past applied traditional measures in soil enhancement and preservation but with the issues of climate change, they would need more assistance and training.

According to him, to get the best of the soil and better yields for their crops, the local farmers need to understand the composition of the soil in the farmlands.

He noted that farmers had been doing well with the traditional ways of preserving soil nutrients, but the traditional ways had their limitations.

However, with the adverse effects of climate change and other variables, it is not easy to cope with these indigenous practices.

We should put in more efforts to make sure information is available to our farmers on the changing nature of Nigerian soil.

Soil depletes in its components due to changes in rain pattern, excavation, climate change effects, industrial activities and land grabbing.

After these activities, it takes long for the soil to regain its original components for good cultivation of crops, he said.

Olawale also called on the framers to reach out to agriculture research institutes and experts to enable them maximise the best of their farmlands.

He said that one of the traditional ways of replenishing the soil and making it more fertile was through the rotational cropping system.

However, if the soil composition of any farmland is not rich, there is little rotational crop farming can do for the soil.

Local farmers should contact the National Farmers Helpline center at NAERLS to help on soil profiling.

There are experts on soil enhancement and composition that can provide appropriate answers and information on soil composition in order to help farmers get better crop yields.

The technicality in handling soil composition for local farmers may demand site seeing. The experts may need to visit the farms so they may not be able to afford it.

According to him, services of the extension officers are free, but they may not be able to reach all local farmers.

He noted that farmers could access professional help in research institutes in the part of the country where they reside.

We have agricultural research institutes in the north, eastern and the southwest areas of the country, Olawale said. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Lucy Osuizigbo-Okechukwu

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra has deployed 500 personnel on 24-hour patrol of highways in the state to ensure free flow of traffic and rescue operations during Easter celebration.

The state Sector Commander, Mr Andrew Kumapayi, who made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Wednesday, said the personnel included 650 special marshals.

Kumapayi said the command also deployed operation vehicles, tow trucks and ambulances to clear any obstructions and respond to emergency cases, respectively.

We have deployed sufficient personnel across all major highways to check activities of reckless drivers and ensure safe driving with observance of traffic rules and regulations.

As a lead agency in traffic management, FRSC in Anambra is committed to ensuring a safer motoring environment during this Easter celebration.

The command will also collaborate with other sister agencies to ensure crash-free celebration, he said.

Kumapayi said that the command would also deploy personnel to parks and fleet operators terminals to conduct test on drivers to detect drunk drivers and disallow them.

He warned motorists against use of phone while driving, overloading, dangerous driving, driving against traffic and speed limit violation.

He also called on motorists to ensure proper servicing of their vehicles and avoid the use of worn-out and expired tyres.

The sector commander said that the command had set up mobile courts to try traffic offenders. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Isaiah Eka

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Akwa Ibom says it has deployed 1,500 operatives to ensure adequate security for lives and property in in the state during the Easter celebration.

The State Commandant of the corps, Mr Samuel Fadeyi, disclosed this in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo on Wednesday.

We have deployed 1,500 officers and men to complement other security agencies in assuring security, law and order during the celebration.

We warn vandals to permanently stay off critical national assets and infrastructure.

NSCDC remains uncompromising in its statutory duty to protect these assets and infrastructure.

We must ensure the protection of government critical assets and infrastructure, which is our core mandate, Fadeyi said.

He said that the command would collaborate with other sister-security agencies to ensure a hitch-free Easter celebration in the state.

He urged residents, worshippers and fun seekers to go about their activities in line with COVID-19 protocols, assuring them of their safety.

Fadeyi warned criminals and trouble makers to stay away from the state, saying that security operatives would deal decisively with anybody caught fomenting trouble. (NAN)

Source: NAN News

By Aminu Garko

The Niger Police have shot and killed a bandit and recovered one AK-47 riffle from him in Tashan Barau village of Rafi Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Adamu Usman, Commissioner of Police in the state, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Wednesday.

Usman said that on March 30 at about 15 :25 hours, a team of Operation Puff-Adder 11, attached to the command acted on a credible intelligence that a group of bandits on motorcycles was sighted heading toward Pangu-Gari in Rafi local government area.

He said that the team mobilised to the location and engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle at Tashan-Barau village, along Tegina/Minna road.

He said that one of the bandits who was later identified as Mohammed Garba of Ungwan Sani, Sabon Mariga area of Rafi local government area was shot, while one AK 47 rifle and an unregistered Bajaj motorcycle were recovered.

The commissioner said the corpse of the criminal had been deposited at a hospital mortuary.

He assured members of the public that the command would continue the onslaught against bandits and called on the residents to always give useful and timely information to security agencies.( NAN)

Source: NAN News