January 15, 2026

Briefs

Briefs

Fast, sharp summaries of the most important stories in African business, culture, tech, and creativity.

Briefs

Heineken CEO to exit in May 2026 amid poor sales performance

Heineken says CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board, Dolf van den Brink will leave on May 31, 2026, ending nearly six years in the role. The brewer’s supervisory board has started a search for a successor, while Brink will stay on as an adviser for eight months from June 1. The leadership change comes.

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Briefs

Dangote refinery meet local demand of petrol, oil marketers confirm

Independent petroleum marketers say Nigeria’s petrol supply is increasingly coming from the Dangote Refinery, arguing that product availability has improved and imports have effectively paused for now. In an interview published by Nairametrics, IPMAN spokesperson Chinedu Ukadike said members have been lifting PMS from Dangote without the shortages that typically show up around peak travel.

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Briefs

Tinubu reinstates Fubara as Rivers Govnernor – but who really holds power?

President Bola Tinubu has lifted the six-month emergency rule imposed on Rivers State, reinstating Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the State House of Assembly. The suspension takes effect from midnight, September 17, 2025. “It therefore gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with.

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Ibrahim Traoré rejects Bill Gates’ mosquito project, tells them to exit Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso’s ruling junta, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré has pulled the plug on a high-profile malaria experiment backed by U.S. billionaire Bill Gates, halting the release of genetically modified mosquitoes that were meant to outsmart one of Africa’s deadliest killers. Traoré recently announced that Target Malaria, the research consortium behind the project, must “cease.

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Briefs

“You can’t link Buhari to corruption,” says Femi Adesina

Femi Adesina, the former special adviser on media and publicity to late ex-president Muhammadu Buhari, staunchly defended his “senior friend” and boss’ long-time public insinuation that he was a religious bigot. Adesina spoke during an interview on Channels TV on Sunday, hours after news broke that Buhari had died in a London clinic after a.

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Briefs

Nigeria rejects Trump’s bullying, says ‘we won’t accept asylum seekers’

The Nigerian government has affirmed that it will not accept the President Donald Trump administration’s proposal to force a controversial asylum deal on it, which was one of the reasons Nigeria was slammed with new visa restrictions. According to multiple sources, the U.S. had proposed to ship some undocumented migrants in the US to some.

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Briefs

After spending $18bn, Dangote says Nigerian refineries may never work again

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has voiced strong doubts about the future of Nigeria’s four refineries, managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), saying they may never work again. The refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna, with a combined production capacity of 445,000 bpd, have gulped no less than $18 billion, but are still.

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Briefs

Tinubu extends hand to Ibrahim Traoré-led Sahel States, says ‘we’re still family’

President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional cooperation amidst growing political fractures in West Africa. Tinubu made these remarks on Thursday in Abuja while receiving Cheick Oumar Coulibaly, Mali’s ambassador to Nigeria. The meeting comes as tensions mount between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Chaired by Tinubu, and the breakaway.

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Briefs

Senate says 7.5% VAT stays, passes 2 tax reform bills — here is how it’ll affect you

Nigeria’s Senate has approved two of the four sweeping tax reform bills aimed at overhauling the country’s outdated revenue framework, following months of debate and public scrutiny. The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill 2024 and the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill 2024 were passed on Wednesday, May 7. The remaining two, the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024.

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Briefs

Namibia deporting US citizens? We fact-checked it and here is the truth

Rumours that Namibia is deporting U.S. citizens (over 500) without visas have gone viral across African social media. Posts circulating on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and X (formerly Twitter) claim that Namibia’s President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, has ordered the removal of more than 500 Americans for entering the country without proper visas. However, a thorough fact-check reveals.

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