The money was frozen in 2014 by a Swiss court after a legal procedure against his son, Abba Abacha.

Originally deposited in Luxembourg, it is a fraction of the billions of dollars allegedly looted during his rule from 1993 to 1998.

Recovering the “Abacha loot” has been a major priority for Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari made the recovery of stolen assets a major part of his 2015 election campaign and this will be the largest yet.

Although an agreement to repatriate the money was signed in March, the Nigerian Ministry of Justice, the World Bank and lawyers from Switzerland and the US have been grappling with legal complications surrounding the return of the money, says the BBC’s Stephanie Hegarty in Abuja.

However on Monday, Switzerland announced that the battle was over and that the money will finally be returned.

It didn’t say precisely when, but it did say that the World Bank must be involved in supervising how the money was spent, to ensure it was used “for the benefit of the Nigerian people”.

“The fight against corruption is one of Switzerland’s priorities” Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter said, adding that the move should “strengthen social security for the poorest Nigerians”, AFP reports.

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Source: BBC

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Researchers last year detected 3 tonnes of silver and 43 kg of gold in effluent and sludge from waste water treatment plants – amounting to around 3 million Swiss francs ($3.1 million).

But before people start hunting in their drains for jewellery, the government study said the tiny particles were likely to be mostly from the watchmaking, pharmaceuticals and chemical industries, which use the metals in their products and processes.

“You hear stories about an angry man or woman throwing jewellery down the toilet, but we didn’t find any rings, unfortunately,” report author Bas Vriens said on Thursday.

“The levels of gold or silver were very small, in the micrograms, or even nanograms, but when you add them up it’s pretty substantial.”

Researchers are now studying if it is worthwhile to extract the metals that end up in sewage sludge before usually being burnt, but so far it has not found to be cost-effective.

Higher levels of gold were found in the western Swiss region of Jura, believed to be linked to watchmakers that use the precious metal to decorate their expensive timepieces.

There was also a higher concentration in the southern canton of Ticino due to the gold refineries in the area. This was the only region where it might make sense to recover the metals, Vriens said.

Other trace elements including rare metals such as gadolinium – used in medical imaging – were also found by the scientists from the government’s Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG).

Their discovery is the latest example of wealthy Switzerland finding riches in unusual places.

Last month an investigation was launched after toilets at a Geneva bank and three restaurants were blocked by about $100,000 in high-denomination banknotes – a bit different from the huge fat mass that blocked an east London sewer.

The Swiss metal concentrations complied with regulations and were removed before humans drank the water again, the study said.

“It wouldn’t make sense for people to boil their tap water to recover gold or silver because it has already been filtered out before it re-enters the drinking water supply,” Vriens said.

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Source: Reuters

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He said the plan will focus on the use of scientific skills and knowledge approaches, provision of fertilizers to farmers and requisite storage and irrigation facilities to ensure high productivity.

The Vice President said the nation had sufficient arable lands, water resources and space to increase production and it will tap into the experiences of other countries that had implemented similar plans in the past.

He said there were available road networks that would facilitate the process to leverage on the public-private partnerships to enhance the infrastructural needs.

Vice President Bawumia said this at a media briefing after the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) High Level Panel Discussion, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The panel discussion, organised by the UNCTAD was on the theme: “Accelerating Progress in Building Productive Capacities in Least Developing Countries and Other Vulnerable Developing Economies”.

Vice President Bawumia said the government would ensure inclusiveness in the implementation of the Plan by involving farmers, rural folks and all the relevant stakeholders to achieve success.

He noted that empirical research showed that human capital played a pivotal role in enhancing productivity, adding; “The Government of Ghana shared this vision in enhancing productivity”

“We cannot develop as a nation if a lot of the people don’t have the requisite knowledge, skills and education, therefore, we launched the Free Senior High School Policy, which we believe that with the right curriculum, we will produce the generation of people who are problem solvers,” he said.

To enhance the production capacity, he said, the nation must add value to the agricultural produce instead of exporting raw materials.

The Vice President said the “One District, One Factory,” initiative was a well thought-out plan for inclusive development of the 216 districts.

In the next few weeks, Dr Bawumia said, Government would launch the national digitisation of the economy, which would digitise the Public Address System, National Identification System and Interoperability of the Payment System, to boost the formalisation of the economy.

He said the digitisation of the economy would enhance quality delivery of services by state institutions and the private sector.

The implementation of the paperless clearing system at the ports from September 1, this year, had yielded positive dividend with 56 per cent increment of the ports revenue to the Government, he noted.

The Government, the Vice President said, will revamp the railway infrastructure to promote efficient transportation system that would accelerate national development.

UNCTAD is the United Nations body responsible for development issues, particularly international trade as the main driver of development.

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Source: GNA

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Ghana has been classified by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) as a priority country for economic development, resulting in the signing of the Swiss co-operation strategy for Ghana.

President Akufo-Addo made this known on Wednesday, 12^th July, 2017, at a joint press conference held with the President of Switzerland, Her Excellency Doris Leuthard, at the Presidency, after bilateral talks between the two countries.

The teams from Ghana and Switzerland held discussions in the areas of Foreign Affairs, UN Reforms, Finance, Security and Agriculture, aimed at deepening the bilateral relations existing between them, as well as exploring other areas of co-operation.

President Akufo-Addo disclosed that the two countries underlined and reinforced their co-operation in helping to end the scourge of terrorism, and the threats to peace and sustainable development in Africa and the world.

Ghana and Switzerland also agreed to work closely within the United Nations Human Rights Council, as well as with other UN agencies, and extended mutual support for the candidatures of the two countries, vying for positions on the UN Security Council and other UN bodies.

“I took the opportunity also to highlight the importance that Ghana and the African Union attaches to the long, overdue process of UN Reform, especially of the Security Council, to correct the longstanding injustice that the current structure and composition of the UN Security Council represent for the nations of Africa,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo also solicited the support of Switzerland for the lead role being played by the AU in its attempts to resolve the crises in Mali, Libya and other States of the Sahel, which are receiving the full brunt of the terrorism menace.

On the issue of migration and mobility, which have gripped the attention of the world in recent years, and now goes beyond the individual policies of state, President Akufo-Addo bemoaned the high numbers of young Africans taking harrowing risks across the Sahara and around the Mediterranean, trying to reach a better life.

What this means, the President added, is that “if we provide them the right environment in Africa, which enables them to enhance their skills, receive appropriate training, have access to digital technology and enhanced economic opportunities, their energies can be channelled towards making our continent great.”

He continued, “Nonetheless, whilst the necessary measures are being put in place, Ghana and Switzerland, as concerned and responsible members of the international community, have decided to co-operate further in ensuring legal and safer means of migration.”

In the area of agriculture, particularly cocoa, the two countries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enable both sides undertake jointly projects to boost cocoa production in Ghana, as well as add value to our cocoa.

President Akufo-Addo, however, stressed that “Ghana, under my presidency, will no longer become mere producers and exporters of cocoa beans, and will continue the policy of processing more and more of our cocoa here in the country. There is no future for Ghana and the teeming masses of Ghanaian youth with an economy that is structured around the production and export of raw materials. Her Excellency and her delegation agree with this, and have pledged the support of the Swiss Confederation to this end.”

President Akufo-Addo also took the opportunity also to solicit Swiss support for the candidature of Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, a distinguished Ghanaian jurist, for election to the International Criminal Court (ICC) during the elections, which will be held in the 16^th Session of the Assembly of State Parties to the ICC from 4^th to 14^th December 2017.

“We hope that, as we shape the future of Ghana, and position Ghanaian enterprises to compete effectively in the global market space, we have friends, such as the Swiss Confederation, to support us in this objective.

“There are many amongst us who cannot accept that it is only Asians who can engineer their transition from poverty to prosperity in a generation. We are determined to do that in our generation in Ghana, and ensure that succeeding generations will be neither victims nor pawns of the international economic order. Indeed, the project still remains a Ghana Beyond Aid,” he added.

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Credit: Flagstaff House

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The speech, which will be delivered from the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra, will be live on radio from 6:30pm and online at http://tunein.com/citi973.

Doris Leuthard’s address will precede a panel discussion on the theme “Governance in the age of social media”.

The event will also feature contributions from the Vice President of IMANI, Kofi Bentil and Jemima Nunoo, a senior lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

Interested persons can also follow IMANI on Facebook at Imani Center for Policy and Education and on Twitter @imaniafr. with the hashtag #ImaniSwissEvent.

About Swiss President Doris Leuthard

The 53-year-old studied law at the University of Zurich, and became a partner in a law firm before entering parliament as an MP for the canton of Aargau in 1999.

She is currently the longest-serving member of the current Federal Council

In 2010, Leuthard became the third woman in Swiss history to become President and the first from the Swiss-German region. She also speaks French, Italian and English.

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By: EdwinKwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Being born in Switzerland does not guarantee citizenship and non-Swiss residents must typically wait 12 years before applying.

Tests and government interviews are also required, which can be expensive.

The new proposal will allow third-generation immigrants to avoid some of that bureaucracy.
It will directly affect those born in Switzerland, whose parents and grandparents also lived in the country permanently.

Supporters of the plan to simplify the process argue that it is ridiculous to ask people who were born and have lived all their lives in Switzerland to prove that they are integrated.

However opponents suggest that the measures could lead to further steps that will eventually allow all non-Swiss residents – 25% of the population – to gain easy citizenship.

An opposition poster, which features a woman in a burka, suggests that the new proposal could lead to a so-called “Islamisation” of the country.

The current vetting procedure, aimed at ensuring that new citizens are well integrated, includes interviews carried out by town councils. Questions put to interviewees can include requests to name local cheeses or mountains.

Those in favour of maintaining the current system also argue that the strict vetting rules make it superior to the more anonymous systems in neighbouring France and Germany.

Over the past 30 years, three previous attempts to relax the rules have been defeated. This time, opinion polls suggest the vote on Sunday will be close. Big cities back the idea, while more conservative rural areas oppose it.

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Source: BBC

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The five-storey hostel, estimated at GH¢34 million, being constructed by Top International Engineering Company Limited (TIEC) will accommodate 1,184 students and is expected to be completed within 24 months.

Twenty-Four million cedis of the total amount for the project is a loan from the Prudential Bank whilst the Government of Ghana would foot the rest of the cost under the direction of UCC-GUSSS Management Board.

Pro-Vice Chancellor of the UCC, Professor John Nelson Boah and Mr John Yaw Opoku, Chairman of Superannuation Management Committee, jointly performed the ceremony at the construction site adjacent the Students Representative Council Hostel.

According to Mr Opoku, the Ghana University Staff Superannuation Scheme (GUSSS) initiated the project to diversify the scheme’s investment ideas as well as to help reduce the accommodation challenge of the university.

He said the hostel had been designed to facilitate the provision of effective security and fire safety utility services such as supply of water storage facility, accessible ICT connectivity, a friendly ambience and a conducive environment.

Mr Opoku said it also had 63 spacious rooms with special washroom facilities for easy access especially for physically challenged students and each room will be fitted with kitchenettes, bath and washrooms en-suite.

The complex will also have study rooms, a library at each floor, a stand-by plant to provide power supply in case of power outage and five grocery shops, a unisex salon, a pharmacy shop as well as photocopy centers.

On recreational centers, he said the complex would also have a large courtyard, basketball and tennis courts.

Prof. Nelson Buah, who chaired the ceremony, said the project was a future investment and hence all the needed attention and interest would be geared into its early completion for the benefit of the institution.

He said most of the university’s projects had been abandoned due to lack of funds and urged management of the UCC-GUSSS Committee to maintain the project to help solve the accommodation problem of the university.

Source: GNA

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