Tax: Nigeria’s Minister of Finance coordinates VAIDS
VAIDS: Nigeria Will Prosecute Tax Defaulters After March—Minister
By the time the current tax amnesty expires on March 31st, 2018, Nigeria will publish the names of tax defaulters and consequently take legal actions against them.
Nigeria is currently running a tax amnesty programme titled: Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) where those owing interests on taxes are encourages to come up voluntarily and pay the actual tax owed while the interest and penalty are waved.
The programme started on July 1st, 2017 and will end on March 31st, 2018.
In an interview with Vanguard newspaper, Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, said those who defy government’s olive branch will not go unpunished.
“What then will be the advantage to those who complied with the scheme if we don’t prosecute? We must name and shame the defaulters after the deadline. We will definitely prosecute them. In addition, the worst court is that of public opinion. So we have about 500 letters ready, when I spoke to two people that I know of the 500 people, they were begging me to give them the letter personally.
“The truth is that people don’t want to be embarrassed. Tax evasion is a criminal offence and we will prosecute evaders after March 31, 2018. Do you reckon you may have to deal with a significant number of people not complying? It will be very disappointing if a large number of people that should comply do not.
“That will mean that this work of getting the message out has failed. We are using every means, namely; social media, videos, adverts, website. We have done a lot to get the message out. When we were designing this program, the team went to Indonesia, Turkey, India and other countries that have done big tax amnesties; we found out that once people know you have the data, they will comply. Lagos, Ogun state and FCT have given us their Land registry.
“We have also gotten data from CAC, FIRS, SEC, CBN, Remita, NIBBS, FRSC, NCAA, among others. There is really no hiding place, frankly. We are in no hurry. Nigerians have until March to declare, while the government has from March going forward to prosecute”, said Adeosun.
There was panic-buying of petroleum products in Abuja, capital city of Nigeria on Monday. Motorists said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) may increase the price of the product which is officially at N145 per litre.
But the NNPC on Monday in Abuja reiterated that there was no plan to increase the prices of petroleum products.
In a statement, Ndu Ughamadu, the corporation’s Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division, said there was no plan to increase prices at the ex-depot level and pump price ahead of the forthcoming yuletide.
NNPC on Nov. 30, issued a press statement where it stated that there was no plan to increase fuel price at the depot and at filling stations.
But there had been a fissure between the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association over discrepancies in ex-depot prices of the products.
Ughamadu said that the ex-depot petrol price of N133.38 per litre and pump price of N143/N145 per litre had not changed.
He assured the public that the corporation had enough stock of petroleum products to ensure seamless supply and distribution of products across the country, especially during the yuletide.
He urged motorists and other users of the products to disregard trending rumours of an impending fuel price hike.
“The NNPC has the full commitment of all downstream stakeholders, including petroleum marketers and industry unions to cooperate in achieving zero fuel scarcity this season and beyond.
“We enjoin motorists not to engage in panic buying or indulge in the dangerous practice of stocking petrol products in jerry cans at home.
“The Petroleum Products Marketing Company and NNPC Retail Limited are fully geared up to ensure that motorists enjoy uninterrupted access to petrol throughout the nation,’’ Ughamadu said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the queues, which were first noticed in few stations on Saturday, spread to more outlets on Monday, forcing motorists into panic-buying.
Some of the filling stations belonging to members of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have increased the price of a litre of petrol from N145 to N150.
At some filling station across Abuja, and some NNPC Mega Stations and others operated by major marketers, the queues were longer as they maintained the official price of N145 per litre but were reluctant to sell to motorists.
Some motorists on queue expressed displeasure about the situation and urged the government to act fast before it degenerated into a major problem.
ECOWAS Moves to Regulate Tobacco Consumption, Improve Revenue
The ECOWAS Commission is working to increase excise duties on tobacco and other unhealthy products among the member states. This idea will increase revenue generation for ECOWAS and also discourage tobacco consumption in the region.
Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission Mr Edward Singhatey said this formed part of the aims of the meeting of the ECOWAS Financial Council of Ministers in Abuja, Nigeria, over the weekend.
An excise duty is a type of tax charged on goods produced within the country, as opposed to customs duties, charged on goods from outside the country.
Singhatey said that member states had begun working on a draft directive to harmonise excise duties on tobacco products. Singhatey added that the draft would include the legislative and regulatory provisions of member states in tracking and tracing mechanisms related to tobacco products .
“This in order to facilitate the smooth running of the domestic market of tobacco products and ensure compliance with the obligations of member states under the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in tobacco products. ”
He said member states had a duty to establish efficient tax collection measures and explore sources of tax revenue. He, therefore, said that the meeting would also consider the draft document to establish an ECOWAS Customs Code aimed at harmonising customs legislations in the sub-region, in line with international requirements.
“It is important that customs procedures are modernised and simplified so that they do not become obstacles to legitimate trade and oppressive to the very society in which they operate. “Experts in customs procedures agree that it is possible to maximise revenue collection and at the same time facilitate legitimate trade and protect the society.
”The commission’s vice president also said that member states had developed a draft Institutional framework for the monitoring and steering of the ECOWAS Fiscal Transition Programme. The programme was designed to facilitate mobilisation of domestic resources for development, monitor the fiscal coordination of domestic taxes and eliminate double taxation. Singhatey also said it was pertinent for member states to work on the harmonisation of Value Added Tax (VAT) exemptions to ensure “equal treatment of all economic operators in the Community” .
In her address, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun said that the Federal Government “identified with the ECOWAS position on excise tax on some products”. Adeosun, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Mahmoud Dutse, said the government was currently putting in place policies to increase excise tax on tobacco, alcohol and other products.
The minister said that the Federal Government had also begun reviewing its excise tax rates and structure on tobacco, cigarettes and alcoholic beverages.
She added that this was in line with the ECOWAS draft regulation on harmonisation of excise taxes on tobacco. “One of the techniques used by governments all over the world is to tax products that are either consumed particularly when you want to do progressive taxation, or products that are hazardous to health and increase health spending. “It is a twin objective; to raise revenue and decrease the quantity of tobacco consumption.
“In this regard, the use of modern techniques and tools of production controls such as tax stamps or special package markings in the context of the track-and-trace system, which is a global best practice, are being considered. “
The harmonisation of laws establishing a system for tracing, tracking and tax verification of manufactured or imported tobacco products in ECOWAS member states is a welcome development for Nigeria.
“Adeosun said it was important for member states to put in place effective track-and-trace systems to eliminate illicit trade. “Without an effective track-and-trace system, illicit trade will undermine trade and tax measures and will have serious adverse effects on public health in West Africa.
“Nigeria supports the ECOWAS directives of VAT exemptions on basic food items in their raw states, medicaments and pharmaceutical products.”
VAIDS: Nigeria to Access Information Exchange Data Jan 1st, 2018
Nigeria will start accessing information on taxpayers already provided by the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) platform which the country is a part of.
This is a part of the on-going tax amnesty programme: Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS). According to the Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, this is to ensure that all taxable entities are contacted to pay due taxes or face appropriate punishment.
Nigeria is a part of the AEOI that plans to supply the government with information concerning various categories of income and financial transactions of Nigerians in other countries.
The Minister said that the government will name and shame wanting individuals and entities that fail to avail themselves of the amnesty programme after the deadline, March 31st.
“It would be premature to call persons who have/will receive letters, ‘Tax Evaders’. We will only label people as real tax evaders when the VAIDS deadline expires and they have failed to regularize. We will then proceed to apply the full weight of the law. Then we must name and shame the tax evaders,” she stated.
The Minister of Finance, who made this disclosure on the sidelines of the VAIDS training workshop in Lagos at the weekend, said the ministry had received $110 million already from just two companies.
She said: “We have set $1 billion as the success target. However, it’s not really about how much money that comes in. For me, it’s about getting people into the tax net, going forward. Once people start declaring the appropriate income, that revenue for the government will be continuous. Hence, regardless of the oil price, the government will have a steady source of revenue.
“The problems we have faced in the last two years would not have occurred if we had a better tax collection system. Developed countries, today, have a very high tax to GDP ratio, some as high as 90 percent. The days of heavy dependence on oil ought to be over.”
Adeosun added that the ministry was working relentlessly with agencies such as Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Nigeria Customs Administration, among others, to mine the data required to detect tax defaulters.
“Increased cooperation between the Federal & State Governments, and also with foreign governments, has provided the ministry of finance with unprecedented amounts of data that allow us accurately profile taxpayers & identify those whose lifestyles/assets are not consistent with their declared incomes.
“We have compiled a list of about 500 Nigerians who own property and trusts abroad and are believed to have under-declared these assets. We will be writing to them to take advantage of our tax amnesty, VAIDS, opened until March 2018,” she asserted.
Speaking on a related development, the finance minister uncovered that in October 2017, more than N89 billion was recorded as Value Added Tax, VAT collection. “This is the highest amount Nigeria has ever collected in a single month. We’re working to hit a target of 120 billion Naira monthly, in the next few years. 80 per cent of VAT goes to state government.
This is the highest amount Nigeria has ever collected in a single month. We’re working to hit a target of 120 billion Naira monthly, in the next few years. 80 per cent of VAT goes to state government. Hence, this phenomenon of states owing salaries will end just with the remittance from VAT. It really important that we do massive registration process and we get people paying VAT,” Adeosun declared. Some of the benefits of the nine months scheme that commenced July 31st include; the waiver of the 10 percent penalty of the tax due as well as the related interest charges that accrue at 21 percent per annum. Another benefit is that individuals and entities can decide to pay the liabilities in installments over the period of 3 years. “I urge Nigerians not to wait until last minute to declare income and assets because they will save more if they declare early. If they come in between January 1st and March 31st, they will have to pay the 10 percent penalty. We will still be prepared for the rush when the deadline is fast approaching,” she stated.
United States of America Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan (L) and Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama stands for both country’s national anthem during the Nigeria-United States Bi-National Commission meeting in Abuja, on November 20, 2017. The US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan led interagency US delegation to a meeting of Nigeria and the United States Bi-National Commission in Abuja. / AFP PHOTO / PIUS UTOMI EKPEI
US Stakes $45.5 million to Refloat Nigerian Economy
The United States, US, has linked the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria to the country’s spluttering economy; and has promised to assist the country with a new tranche of $45.5 million.
US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan made the promise today in the Nigeria-United States Bi-National Commission meeting in Abuja.
Sullivan — the most senior Trump administration official to visit Nigeria this year — said the US was “committed to helping the Nigerian people provide their own security” but said military might alone was not enough.
“Nigeria’s success… requires improvements to the economy and governance off the battlefield as well,” he said at a meeting of US and Nigerian officials.
As part of that, he pledged an additional $45.5 million through USAID to support “stabilisation and early recovery efforts” to help those affected by the violence to recover”, said The Guardian.
The US also called for “transparent and credible” inquiries into violations, stating that prosecutions were needed to help heal wounds in the battle-scarred region.
“This is essential to deepening the people’s trust of the government, strengthening security efforts in the northeast and improving the United States’ ability to partner with Nigeria,” he said on a visit to Abuja.
Nigerian troops have been repeatedly accused of abuses against Boko Haram suspects and civilians, including arbitrary arrest, torture and extra-judicial killings.
The military has consistently denied the claims but concern about the army’s record has limited direct foreign involvement in the fight-back against the jihadists.
A $593-million (503-million-euro) deal agreed under the Obama administration to sell Nigeria 12 Super Tucano A-29 ground attack aircraft was announced in May 2016.
But it was halted after at least 112 people displaced by the conflict in northeast Nigeria were killed in January this year in a botched air strike against the Islamist militants.
The State Department finally approved the sale in August.
US troops have been providing help to Nigerian and regional forces fighting Boko Haram, running an unmanned surveillance drone operation from a base in northern Cameroon.
Washington and other Western powers have also provided training for Nigerian troops.
At least 20,000 people have been killed and more than 2.6 million made homeless since 2009, while chronic food shortages have left hundreds of thousands starving.
Cases against hundreds of Boko Haram suspects opened in October but the prosecutions are being held behind closed doors at a military facility, with press and public barred, the paper reported.
Tunde Fowler, Executive Chairman, FIRS and Chairman, African Tax Administration Forum, is one of major drivers of VAIDS Photo credit/FIRS
VAIDS: Mercy Ends April 1st, 2018, Says Fowler. This implies that people expecting extension of the programme will be the ultimate April Fools.
On April 1st, 2018, the door of mercy will be shut against all defaulting taxpayers who refused to take advantage of the Federal Government’s Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Tunde Fowler said today.
The Federal Government conceived VAIDS to encourage defaulting taxpayers to voluntarily declare their income and assets, hitherto undisclosed and then pay applicable tax liabilities over a defined period without facing applicable sanctions.
The scheme is scheduled to run from July 1st, 2017 to March 31st, 2018 and it is expected to turn in about US$1billion to the national treasury.
VAIDS is like an amnesty for tax offenders.
While some defaulting taxpayers have used the opening offered by VAIDS to clear themselves, others are still asking the federal government to shift the March 31st, 2018 deadline.
But Fowler answered them today at a VAIDS stakeholders’ workshop, insisting that the March deadline remains sacrosanct.
“Those who have no intention of complying will not comply even if you extend the deadline to 10 years,”, those were the words Fowler used to dismiss calls for extension.
Four months into the implementation of VAIDS an estimated $50 million has already been raised by tax authorities.
Recall that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, had on June 29, as acting president, had launched the scheme which commenced on July 1 to last for a period of 9 months.
At a forum with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum some days ago, Fowler, who is one of the major drivers of VAIDS noted: “I am glad to note that a lot of enquires have been made both at the state and federal level. At the federal level, over $50 million has been realised through this scheme today. I will like also to use this opportunity to call on the general public to give total support to tax authorities and revenue agencies to enable us efficiently discharge our duties by collecting the needed revenue to fund government projects and services.
We believe that payment of tax is your contribution towards the society we live. As tax administrators, we have created a platform where other revenue agencies such as Nigeria Custom Service, Immigration and Federal Road Safety Corps can work hand in hand to optimise revenue collection”, he said.
Brent crude oil futures traded for $62.33 a barrel after hitting a session peak of $62.90, representing a 28-month high. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil hit $55.89 cent, breaking above $56 a barrel for the first time since July 2015.
Blue Light on Oil Revenue Progresses to 2-Year High
Oil prices hit their highest since July 2015 on Monday as Saudi Arabia’s crown prince cemented his power over the weekend through an anti-corruption crackdown, while markets continued to tighten.
Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) experienced highest-ever conformity with voluntary production adjustment.
The 24 participating countries of OPEC signed the ‘Declaration of Cooperation’, on December 10, 2016, showed joint conformity of 116 per cent, the highest level reached since the declaration came into effect at the beginning of 2017.
Brent crude futures were trading 26 cents higher at $62.33 a barrel by 3.42pm, after hitting a session peak of $62.90, a 28-month high. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 25 cents to $55.89 a barrel, breaking above $56 for the first time since July 2015
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tightened his grip with the arrest of royals, ministers and investors including prominent billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal and the powerful head of the National Guard, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah.
Analysts for now do not see Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, changing its policy of boosting crude prices. Prince Mohammed’s reforms include a plan to list parts of state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco next year, and a higher oil price is seen as beneficial for its market capitalization.
“We believe the kingdom will stick to the OPEC deal and continue to focus on reducing global oil inventories,” UBS oil analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said that while there is “satisfaction” with a production-cutting deal between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers led by Russia, the “job is not done yet”. OPEC is expected to extend a cut of around 1.8 million barrels per day throughout the whole of 2018.
Also boosting oil prices, US energy companies cut eight oil rigs last week, to 729, in the biggest reduction since May 2016.
While supplies are tightening, analysts say demand remains strong. “Synchronous global economic growth and new supply disruptions are creating the most constructive oil price environment since … 2014,” Barclays bank said.
The bank raised its forecast for the average Brent price in the fourth quarter of this year by $6 to $60 a barrel, and its full-year 2018 forecast by $3 to $55 a barrel.
Speculators have also increased to a record high their bets on gains in the price of Brent.
ICE commitment-of-traders data showed money managers had increased their net long holdings of Brent crude futures and options by 23,500 contracts to 530,237.
Money managers raised their net long commitments on WTI by 63,072 contracts to 343,705 over the same period, a more than six-month high
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, said that he expects oil prices to remain stable in 2018.He said he was optimistic about 2018, looking at the current depletion of reserves and the slowing rate of United States (U.S.) tight oil growth, as well as the positive performance in terms of conformity with the ‘Declaration of Co-operation.’
“It all leads to the fact that 2018 should be okay. “A lot of us are going through very difficult times in our economies, and we need the volumes. But if you get the volumes, you lose the price.
“I think we are all committed to staying the course. We are going to do everything we need to do to make sure it works, and I think that 2018 will respond appropriately.”
Kachikwu, who stated that the nation had already been contributing to the stabilisation of the market, further said: “A lot of work has been done to improve the security situation in the Niger Delta. Confidence in the system is building, and the economy is coming back.
“The reality is that for nearly two years, Nigeria has contributed all the volumes needed to stabilise the market. We had below one million barrels out of the market completely. Everyone benefited from that, but we are suffering.”
He, therefore, supported the process that had been built up within OPEC to deal with the oil market crisis over the past year, including OPEC and non-OPEC talks and the building of a monitoring mechanism, saying: “First, I like the concept; it brings confidence to the market. Above and beyond the usual resolutions we have in our general assemblies, we have been able to put an enforcement team behind it. I think it’s a model that we will always adopt going forward once things begin to fall out of place. I think it has worked very well for everybody.
AfDB, NEPAD vote food security, employment for Africa development
Food Security, Employment Top AfDB, NEPAD Agenda
Ensuring food security and employment are top on the agenda as the African Development Bank (AfDB) and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Nigeria as they collaborate in the delivery of developmental programmes and projects that would improve the welfare of the African people in line with NEPAD vision.
AfDB and NEPAD in a statement on Sunday by the Special Assistant Media to the NEPAD CEO, Mr Nkem Anyata-Lafia, said that the agreement was reached in Abidjan, the Cote d’Ivoire capital, on October 31, 2017.
AfDB President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said, although, Africa was late in its agricultural development agenda in comparison to other continents, there was hope that, with speedy actions, success would be achieved.
To achieve this, Adesina said the AfDB has been reorganised for better delivery of its mandate and responsiveness to the needs of the African continent.
Adeshina said the Bank had established three new Departments: Power, Energy and Green Growth; Agriculture, Human and Social Development as well as that of the Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialisation; each of which is headed by a Vice President.
He also said the AfDB established five Regional Integration and Business Delivery Offices across the continent which would be commissioned on November 19-20 this year adding that Nigeria has one of such Offices.
Some programmes include: 1 Grid-based System and Off the Grid System, which encompasses a 500m USD for facilitating business system for off the grid systems, efforts in clean energy for women and Africa 50, and a solar grid system being experimented in Jigawa State, Nigeria.
Others include :1B USD signed between AfDB, World Bank, Rockefeller and Bill Gates Foundations for technologies in agricultural transformation and another 3B USD to support women in Africa; 25M USD for job- creation for African youth; 150Euro for Boost Africa, an initiative that will be carried out with European Investors; 300m USD for skills development as well as several other empowerment initiatives for the continent, including the oncoming African Investment Forum slated for Abidjan on November 8-9 this year.
National Coordinator /CEO, NEPAD Nigeria, Princess Gloria Akobundu called for stronger synergy in the activities of stakeholders in Africa’s development, while soliciting strong support from the AfDB for the programmes and projects of NEPAD Nigeria.
Nigeria: Fragile Peace as NDA May Resume Hostilities
Following the ceasefire declared by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) in Nigeria’s Delta region, a couple of months back, there have been relative peace in the oil rich region and this has triggered recuperation of Nigeria’s economy.
A 2016 record shows that Nigeria loses about 800, 000 barrels per day or $6.72m daily to militants’ activities.
The economy is largely dependent and whenever the oil sources sneezes, the whole country catches cold.
On Friday, coalition of militants in the region—the NDA announced suspension of ceasefire which means that militants are about to start disturbing the peace of the economy: blowing-up of oil installations and kidnapping of oil workers.
Although opinion leaders in the region under the aegis of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) have issued calls to restrain the latest move by the militants, there are indications that the calls may all fall into deaf ears if their demands are not met by the Federal Government.
PANDEF’s immediate past secretary, Ledum Mitee, has warned that if the threat by NDA was carried out, it would have adverse effect on the 2018 budget projections and possible investments in the oil and gas sector by the international oil companies.
“Mine is to wish and make an appeal that it is not necessary at this stage. We are already in recession and every effort must be made to ensure that we regain needed revenue at this time. I still believe that there is still need for dialogue and we should always explore that opportunity. I will therefore, also call on the Federal Government to take opportunity of cases like this to do the needful. Look at the 2017 budget, for example, the amount voted for the East-West Road is not up to what was voted for Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, not to talk of what was voted for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, or Kano-Maiduguri Road. I think government should also show that they can match action with words.” Mitee said.
PANDEF, led by Chief Edwin Clark, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, former Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) president, Ledum Mitee, and several others on November 1, 2016, met Buhari in Abuja, where they presented their 16-point agenda. This led to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, setting up an inter-ministerial committee to look into the agenda, and how it should be implemented. Nothing has been done, not even the promised opening of the Maritime University last month.
The NDA had, while announcing resumption of hostilities on Friday, blamed the Federal Government for not keeping to its promise to redress the situation of the Niger Delta through the consideration of the16-point demand submitted by PANDEF.
Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, right, welcomes South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir at Khartoum airport, Sudan, Nov. 1, 2017. Photo credit/VoA
Govts of Sudan, South Sudan Ponder Economic Growth
Governments of South Sudan and Sudan are meeting to explore fronts for economic development of the once traumatised economies.
President of Sudan, Omar-al-Bashir had invited his South Sudan counterpart, Salva Kiir for them to discuss the economy of the two countries.
Kiir flew to Khartoum on Wednesday for the two-day summit where there is hope that they could talk about economic issues in the former Unity State.
Mayik Ayi Deng, the minister in the office of the president, who also oversees Kiir’s activities, told reporters at Juba International Airport upon the president’s departure to Khartoum Tuesday morning that Kiir was happy to accept Bashir’s invitation and hoped to settle unresolved issues with his counterpart this week.
“One is the resumption of oil in former Unity State; second, they are going to discuss the issues concerning the border for trade between the two countries; and, third they are going to discuss the issues concerning trade itself,” Deng said.
Deng said Kiir’s visit was aimed at enforcing the 2012 cooperation agreement, which covers demarcation, oil disputes, citizenship and the final status of the disputed Abyei region but was never implemented.
VoA reports that resuming oil production in former Unity State could significantly boost South’s rapidly deteriorating economy. Ninety-eight percent of the country’s economy relied on oil in previous years. Production in the former Unity State stopped when fighting broke out in late 2013. A peace deal signed in August 2015 has been violated many times over by both warring parties, and pipelines there have remained dormant.
Defense Minister Kuol Manyang, Petroleum Minister Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth and Information Minister Michael Makuei flew to Khartoum last week ahead of the talks to hammer out deals on many issues ahead of the summit, including how to demarcate a common border and redeploy forces away from the border zone.
You must be logged in to post a comment.