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Idris Elba Leads Sierra Leone’s Smart City Project
Award-winning actor Idris Elba is spearheading an ambitious project to construct a smart city in Sierra Leone. This eco-city, planned for Sherbro Island, aims to be a benchmark of sustainability and progress, and challenge the traditional views of Africa.
Elba is partnering with Siaka Stevens, grandson of a former Sierra Leonean president, and renewable energy company Octopus Energy Generation. The island city will be powered by wind and solar energy, a significant development in a country where less than a third of homes have electricity.
“Profit isn’t the main goal,” Elba told the BBC. “This is about self-reliance, building an economy that thrives on its own and fosters future growth.”
The film star aspires to transform the way the world sees Africa. “We’re used to seeing Africa through the lens of aid dependency,” he remarked. “This project offers a completely different perspective.”
The smart city is envisioned as a hub for business and innovation, attracting tourism and empowering local communities. Elba even plans to establish a film studio and a retirement home for his mother.
Nigeria Renames Airport After President Tinubu
In a move that has elicited mixed reactions, the central state of Niger in Nigeria has recently undertaken the renaming of a local airport following its renovation, naming it after the current President, Bola Tinubu.
This decision, the state’s spokesperson said, serves to honor President Tinubu’s contributions towards the development of the state. The airport, now bearing Tinubu’s name, is situated in Minna, the state capital, and is slated for an official inauguration by the President himself. The event, scheduled for Monday, will also mark the commencement of an agricultural processing zone.
A segment of the Nigerian populace has raised concerns over the renaming’s economic implications and the broader rationale behind such a gesture. Critics argue that renaming the airport, which was previously known as the Abubakar Imam International Airport after a renowned Nigerian writer and journalist credited with pioneering the first Hausa language newspaper in northern Nigeria, might not necessarily translate to tangible economic benefits for the state or its residents.
This move to rename the Minna International Airport after President Tinubu is part of a larger scheme unveiled last year by the country’s aviation authorities. This plan involves renaming a total of 15 federal airports in honor of various eminent Nigerians, including past presidents, as a means of commemorating their contributions to the nation. This policy has sparked a national conversation about the criteria for such honors and the potential impact on the country’s heritage and identity.
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