28 February 2021
Nigeria: Cryptocurrencies (currencies that only exist digitally, usually have no central issuing or regulating authority but instead use a decentralized system to record transactions and manage the issuance of new units, and that rely on cryptography to prevent counterfeiting and fraudulent transactions) such as Bitcoin are thriving in Nigeria. “A 2020 survey by data platform Statista revealed that 32% of Nigerians are users of cryptocurrencies - the highest proportion of any country in the world.” In absolute terms of cryptocurrencies traded, Nigeria is thought to be third in the world after the USA and Russia. With prices rising and the country’s currency, the naira, falling, cryptocurrencies become all the more attractive – though there is, of course, the possibility of the bubble bursting.
The central bank has been trying to regulate the cryptocurrency market since 2017 without enforcing the rules emitted, but seems to have gotten serious in 2021 and bank accounts have now been frozen due to cryptocurrency-related activity.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56169917
Sudan: A Russian warship has docked in port Sudan. This looks like an advance notice of the building of a Russian naval base in Port Sudan with 300 military and civilian personnel, a base where nuclear-powered vessels will be able to dock.
BBC Africa Latest Updates 28 February 2021. 13:58
27 February 2021
Nigeria: 42 people kidnapped from a boarding school last week in Niger State have been freed. A search and rescue operation has been launched by the authorities for the 317 girls kidnapped yesterday from a school in Jangebe in Zamfara State.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56222326