Opinion piece by Reuben Maigwa, President of the Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA) LILONGWE, Malawi, May 16, 2016/ — The below opinion piece by Reuben Maigwa, President of the Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA) (www.TAMAlawi.com), was published today in the Nation. The SADC Regional Vulnerability Assessment estimates that an alarming 16% of the region’s population are food insecure. The effects of the current El Nino phenomenon have further deepened food insecurity in Malawi and the region more broadly. Indeed the volatility of climate change presents arguably the greatest threat to food security and, by extension, human security in sub-Saharan Africa.…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
JAP interaction with LG UNICEF Consultant, NTRC in Sokoto South LG By Abdallah el-Kurebe Sokoto state government in collaboration with Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have created special teams to capture missed children during the Immunization Plus Days (IPDs) at strategic locations across the state. The special teams include Ardo, which target Fulani itinerant settlements and those that target children in hospitals and markets. These are in addition to house to house teams, health camps, fixed posts and other special teams. In Sokoto South local government, Ardo teams, supported by CDC were posted…
Northwest Governors at the meeting on Agriculture in Kaduna By Abdallah el-Kurebe Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state has said that closer collaboration among all stakeholders as well as regional integration were key ingredients for the expansion and sustenance of agricultural activities in the Northwest geo-political zone of the country. Speaking during a high level meeting of the governors of the region on Agriculture action plan in Kaduna on Sunday, the governor said that working together would ensure states’ access to finance and improvement of infrastructure that would support the sector. The meeting, coordinated by the Usman Bugaje-led Arewa Research…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with Sokoto state government have introduced certain interventions as Nigeria engages in the final fight against Poliomyelitis. Although it has been delisted from countries with endemic polio disease, efforts were being made towards certification of Nigeria as polio virus free country by WHO in the next two years. JAP members monitoring May IPDs At a meeting with Journalists Against Poliomyelitis and for Immunization (JAP), UNICEF disclosed that the Fund had Health Camps, Doctors Against Polio (DAP), Community Mallams, Qur’anic Mallams, Polio Survivors, Village Community Mobilizers (VCMs), etc as interventions…
Blown aspect of the hospital By Abdallah el-Kurebe Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has ordered the closure of the state owned Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital located at Unguwan Rogo area of Sokoto town. This followed an unscheduled visit by the Governor to assess the state of facilities which many in the state described as appalling. Health professional have voiced concern over the substandard facilities at the hospital, and have urged the government to intervene for the benefit of the populace. A visit to the hospital showed that apart from lack of basic health facilities, the integrity of the buildings cannot…
Key Points: Off-grid technology can catalyse sustainable development for even the 1.1 billion without electricity in the remotest “last mile” communities Bottom-up approach key to achieving SDG7 Energy Access for All GoalHub and spoke models combining hybrid mini-grids and solar home systems can provide starting point Governments need to create integrated off-grid and grid extension strategies Small-scale finance and support for off-grid entrepreneurs now more important than centralised aid programmes Women and youth can play vital role Now need to move ambition beyond lighting and phone charging to demonstrating more productive uses of renewable energy 1.1 billion people are still…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe Sokoto State Executive Council, during its third meeting since its inauguration a year ago, on Wednesday approved the expenditure of N1,660,000,000 to procure 9,000 metric tones of assorted fertilizers for this year’s rainy season. Commissioners of Agriculture, Umaru Nagwari; Information, Abdulkadir Jeli Abubakar; Environment, Muhammadu Sifawa and that of Health, Dr. Balarabe Kakale jointly briefed news men shortly after the meeting. The Council also approved the purchase of rice faro variety for rice farmers as well as procurement of 16,000 water pumps for distribution to dry season farmers to the tune of N392 million and approved a…
Stakeholders at the workshop organised by CropLife West and Central Africa in Abuja By Etta Michael Bisong The Federal Government has called on stakeholders to ensure the use of quality and safe pesticides to tackle the concerns in agricultural production, as well as environmental protection to foster sustainable economic development in Nigeria. Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, who made the call in Abuja during a workshop organised by CropLife West and Central Africa, lamented that the use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDPs) were the twin topical concerns that bedevil growth in agriculture and global environmental…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe The issue of food security lies strongly in sustainable food production by the smallholder farmers who form the larger population in agricultural production. It is in general agreement that since the larger percentage of farmers in the African continent are smallholders and many of who live in the rural communities, policies in sustainable agricultural development should should be seem to protect smallholder agriculture as well as farmers’ interests in all ramifications. There is no doubt that agriculture is the backbone of the African economy and available statistics reveal that it accounts for 20% of the region’s GDP.…
– African ingenuity this year showcases breakthroughs in malaria and other public health burdens, smart solutions for farmers and dynamic power initiatives … – The Tryctor is a mini tractor modelled on the motorcycle – Safi Sarvi Organics is a low-cost fertilizermade from purely organic products and waste from farm harvests GABORONE, Botswana, May 9, 2016/ — The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) (www.AfricanInnovation.org) today announced the top 10 nominees for its landmark programme, the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA). Now celebrating its 5th year under the theme “Made in Africa”, IPA is the premier innovation initiative in the African continent, offering a grand share prize of US$150 000 and…