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AFRIMA ANNOUNCES EXCITING EVENT PROGRAMME FOR GHANA 2018
The International Committee of All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, and The African Union Commission, AUC, have announced the program for the biggest music event in Africa, the 5th AFRIMA-Ghana 2018 holding in the Gold Coast City of Accra, Ghana from Wednesday, November 21 to Saturday, November 24 under the theme ‘Africa is Gold’.
Ghana was unveiled as the 5th AFRIMA Official Host Country by the AUC on September 5 at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Subsequently, the Republic of Ghana accepted the Official Host Country rights on Tuesday, September 11 during a media event held at the Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast City Accra and attended by top Ghanaian government officials led by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana, Honourable Catherine Afeku.
Kicking off the back-to-back exhilarating events program for the 5th AFRIMA on November 21 is the AFRIMA Welcome Soiree, a reception in honour of arriving AFRIMA nominees and delegates, African Union officials, members of the International Committee of AFRIMA, media and other invited guests.
This is followed by the Africa Music Business Summit (AMBS) on November 22 at the Ballroom, Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast City, Accra, between 8.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. To be held under the theme “African Music in a Global Village: Leveraging the Opportunities”, the annual AMBS is a panel discussion platform to interrogate and strategize on the business of music in Africa while charting a synergistic way forward for development and economic empowerment for the music talents. It is a platform for business networking and interaction among music professionals, music executives, government officials and other stakeholders in the music, media and financial sectors of Africa while discussing the potentials present in the continent’s music industry and ways to harness its socio-economic gains.
Later in the day on November 22, at the AFRIMA Music Village, lovers and fans of African music are in for high octane performances by upcoming and A-list artistes from across the continent in a festival-style music concert which holds at the 100,000-capacity Independence Square, Accra, from 5.00 p.m. till dawn. The event will be broadcast live on dedicated satellite event channels.
In a bid to showcase the cultural and historical dynamism of the beautiful host city, invited guests will be treated to a tour of landmarks and sights of Accra on Friday, November 23. This will be followed by the Nominee’s Party from 10.00 p.m.
The live broadcast Main Awards Ceremony on Saturday, November 24 will have in attendance high profile guests from across the continent and the Diaspora. Scheduled for the Accra International Conference Centre, AICC, Ghana, by 7.30 p.m., the star-studded awards show will begin with the live-broadcast red carpet at 4.30 p.m. where all the glam, glitz and high fashion of the 5th AFRIMA-Ghana 2018 will be on display. The awards ceremony to be broadcast to 84 countries on 105 partner media channels will also feature a potpourri of performances from some 2018 AFRIMA nominees, past award winners, and special guest artistes.
Wrapping up the thrilling event programme is the 5th AFRIMA After-Party at the Pool Bar, Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast, Accra, Ghana.
Expressing her excitements at the coming events, Hon. Catherine Afeku said “On behalf of His Excellency, the President of Ghana and the people of the Republic of Ghana, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana welcomes African artistes, African media and event delegates to the 5th All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA-Ghana 2018. We take pride in ourselves in hosting this continental awards between November 21 and 24 which is consistent with our national development agenda to the growth of culture and the creative arts. We project a boost to the tourism economy of Ghana and the creation of opportunities for artists and investors in the culture and creative arts industry of Ghana. We expect more of such opportunities to be created in the national economy as we host AFRIMA events in the coming years. This will become one of the vehicles to deepen the collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the Africa Union to drive the Government’s transformation agenda. We look forward to welcoming you with the warm Ghanaian hospitality, Akwaaba!”
Also sharing his enthusiasm, AFRIMA Country Director for Ghana, Francis Doku extolled the virtues of the Host Country saying, “We are very excited to be the host for the 5th AFRIMA, Ghana is a very beautiful country, and the most hospitable people on earth, and we want the whole of Africa and the rest of the world to come to see how we can also help developed the culture of Africa through music. It is also an opportunity to show the world what Ghana looks like, who we are, and the fact that we can also help to bring Africans together just as we did during the colonization of Africa. He went further to implore the world to come to Ghana, enjoy the food, the weather and the people from 21st to 24th of November, 2018 when Africa and the world will meet in Accra for the 5th edition of the All Africa Music Awards. Welcome to Ghana”. He concludes.
In partnership with the African Union Commission, AFRIMA seeks to reward Africa’s music talents living on the continent or in the diaspora, it stimulates conversations among Africans and between Africa and the rest of the globe about the great potentials and values of the African musical and artistic heritage for the purpose of creating jobs, reducing poverty, calling the attention of world leaders to Africa and promoting the positive image of Africa to the world for global competitiveness.
At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.
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More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria’s restive Borno state.
No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.
The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.
This sad incident is coming barely two weeks after Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church specifically warned against attacks in some states. He mentioned these states while calling on security operatives to pay close attention to them.
These were his words:
“Another attack is coming up in these following states where the military must watch carefully and intelligently; Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Kwara and Kogi state. They want to do a deadly attack, it’s preventable but it depends on how they will handle it. I have told you about the danger coming up.”
@primateayodele
Unfortunately, some of our military agencies don’t believe spiritual intelligence can save the country from so much danger hence, their neglect of this prophetic warning but now, it has been fulfilled with the miliary losing credibility by the day while Primate Ayodele continues to gain momentum.
Likewise, At least 26 passengers and crew sustained varying degrees of injuries on Monday following an accident involving the Kaduna–Abuja train, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Opeifa explained that the train departed Rigasa in Kaduna at 7:15 a.m. and was approaching Asham station around 9:16 a.m. when a loud bang was heard after the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the passenger coaches.
In July 2025, Primate Ayodele asked nigerians to pray not to see train mishap on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
@primateayodele #nigeriantiktok🇳🇬 #fulfillment #train #abuja #primateayodele
“Let’s pray not to see train mishap in Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Abuja route.”
This has also been fulfilled.
The project ends decades search for investors, boosts Nigeria’s blue economy
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
Nigeria’s maritime sector is set for a major transformation following a landmark agreement involving the world’s largest container shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which has secured a 45-year concession to build, manage and operate a modern container terminal at Snake Island Port in Lagos.
The project, to be developed in partnership with Nigerdock, marks one of the most significant private sector investments in Nigeria’s port infrastructure in recent decades and is expected to strengthen the country’s role as a major maritime gateway in West and Central Africa.
For Nigeria, the agreement brings to close decades of efforts to attract large-scale investors to develop Snake Island Port, a strategically located maritime asset in Lagos.
Long-standing concession history
Snake Island’s maritime facilities date back several decades. In 1992, the Federal Government granted a 99-year concession for the island’s port and industrial facilities to Nigerdock, a major maritime engineering and logistics company.
Nigerdock was later privatised and is currently operated by the Jagal Group owned by Nigerian industrialist Maher Jarmakani.
Over the years, the Island Container Terminal fell into disrepair, requiring major rehabilitation and modernization to meet modern global shipping standards.
The new partnership with MSC is expected to transform the port into a state-of-the-art container handling facility capable of attracting larger vessels and increasing Nigeria’s cargo throughput capacity.
Buhari administration approved the project.
The investment framework for the Snake Island development was approved in May 2023 by the Federal Executive Council under then President Muhammadu Buhari.
The approval authorised total private investment of approximately $974.1 million for the project under a Public-Private Partnership structure, including the 45-year concession period.
At the same time, the Federal Government also approved two other major maritime infrastructure projects:
• Development of the Ondo Multipurpose Port in Ilaje, Ondo State, with $1.48 billion in private investment and a 50-year concession.
• Expansion and development of the Burutu Sea Port in Delta State, involving $1.2 billion in private investment and a 40-year concession.
These projects form part of Nigeria’s broader effort to develop its blue economy and expand maritime trade capacity.
Construction partners
Engineering and construction of the Snake Island container terminal will be handled by:
• ITB Nigeria Limited
• DEME Group
ITB Nigeria Limited is part of the Chagoury Group and owned by the Chagoury family, while DEME Group is a globally recognised Belgian marine engineering and dredging company with extensive experience in port construction.
MSC profile
Founded in 1970 by Italian shipping entrepreneur Gianluigi Aponte and his wife Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, MSC has grown from a single cargo vessel into the largest container shipping company in the world.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the company operates in more than 155 countries and serves over 500 ports worldwide, with a fleet of roughly 900 container ships and over 200,000 employees globally.
The MSC Group also operates major logistics and maritime businesses including inland logistics through Medlog, cruise tourism through MSC Cruises, and port terminal operations across several continents.
According to Forbes, the estimated net worth of MSC founder Gianluigi Aponte is about $43.9 billion as of February 2026, placing him among the world’s richest shipping magnates. The company remains privately owned by the Aponte family, with both founders holding equal ownership stakes.
Management comments
Speaking on the development, MSC Group President Diego Aponte said the company is committed to strengthening its operations in Nigeria and across Africa.
“We are proud to expand our presence in Nigeria through this important infrastructure project. The Snake Island terminal will enhance service delivery and improve port efficiency for our customers and partners in the region,”
Chief Executive Officer of Nigerdock, Maher Jarmakani, described the agreement as a major milestone for the Nigerian maritime sector.
“We are delighted to partner with MSC in developing a world-class container terminal that will enhance Nigeria’s logistics capabilities and support economic growth,” he said.
Economic impact
Industry analysts say the project could significantly strengthen Nigeria’s maritime economy by expanding cargo handling capacity, reducing congestion at Lagos ports and attracting additional international shipping traffic.
The development is also expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across maritime operations, logistics, transport services and port-related commercial activities.
Infrastructure expansion
Beyond the port development, plans are also underway for Nigeria’s first underwater tunnel, linking Ahmadu Bello Way in Victoria Island through Snake Island and connecting the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway corridor through Badagry.
The tunnel project is expected to significantly improve freight movement and road connectivity between Lagos ports and national transport networks.
Strategic milestone
With the entry of MSC into the Snake Island development, industry observers say Nigeria is taking a significant step toward modernizing its maritime infrastructure and positioning itself as a regional hub for global shipping and trade.
For a project that has waited for decades for major international investors, the Snake Island concession represents a turning point in Nigeria’s port development strategy and a strong signal of global confidence in the country’s maritime future.
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
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