The Adamawa Ministry of Health has confirmed that the cases of cholera outbreak in Mubi have risen to 434 with 13 deaths. The Information Officer of the Ministry, Mr Abubakar Muhammed confirmed the number in a statement on Sunday in Yola. “Total number of cases reported from Mubi North and Mubi South Local Government Areas as at 26th May, 2018 stand at 434 cases with 13 deaths. While the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is 3.0 per cent; Mubi North has 211 cases and 7 deaths equivalent to 3.3 per cent case fatality rate. Mubi South has 223 cases with 6 deaths and…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
A Nigerian lawyer based in Port Harcourt, Kingdom Ifedichukwuezi has identified alcohol and drug abuse as responsible for the increasing incidences of rape in the country. He said on Friday that most of the time, rape suspects were found to be on drugs when they committed the offence. “Provocative (indecent) dressing ‘’ by some ladies is accountable for the increasing wave of rape in the society. Indecent dressing by some ladies can seduce some men who cannot contain their desire. If ladies dress decently, it will reduce the rape of young ladies,” Ifedichukwuezi said. While noting that rampant incidences of rape in…
By Mark Lynas The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Golden Rice, marking the third positive international assessment for the genetically engineered biofortified crop. Previously, Food Standards Australia, New Zealand and Health Canada gave Golden Rice the stamp of approval in February and March 2018 respectively. In an official letter to the developers of Golden Rice, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the FDA concurred that the new rice was safe for consumers. “Based on the information IRRI has presented to FDA, we have no further questions concerning human or animal food derived from GR2E rice at…
The Federal Government in conjunction with the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has started the training of 250 farmers in Niger in cassava and rice entrepreneurship. The State Programme Coordinator (SPC) of IFAD-VCDP, Dr Mathew Ahmed made this known at the opening of one of the entrepreneurship workshops in Minna on Friday, adding that the aim of the workshops was to enable those trained to train other farmers in the state. “If you must do well in agri-business, you must utilise this training and step it down to other members of your group…
The United Nations (UN), through the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF) has released two million dollars to sustain the response to a deadly cholera outbreak in Yobe, North-east Nigeria, that could affect thousands of people. Authorities said since the beginning of the outbreak, which was officially declared in four local government areas on March 28, 404 cases and 15 deaths have been reported. According to a statement by Samantha Newport, Head of Communications, OCHA Nigeria, the UN and its partners activated an immediate emergency response in the affected communities in support of the State Ministry of Health. “However, additional resources are…
The Government of Tanzania on Thursday set aside 307 million U.S. dollars for the construction of the 2,100 megawatts (MW) Stiegler’s Gorge hydropower project in the Selous Game Reserve. Stiegler’s Gorge hydropower project is the world’s renowned wildlife area, a Senior Official said on Thursday. Medard Kalemani, the East African nation’s Minister for Energy, told the National Assembly in the capital Dodoma that the allocated budget for the mega power project was about 41 per cent of the ministry’s budget. “The government has so far evaluated the tenders for the project that will help Tanzania in its quest to graduate…
The President of African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), Akinwumi A. Adesina, and the Bank’s Board of Governors held a high-level session on “Climate and Disaster Risk Financing” focusing on the Role of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) (www.AfricanRiskCapacity.org) and the Africa Disaster Risk Financing Program (ADRiFi) on Wednesdayin Busan, Korea. The high-level session, part of the 53rd African Development Bank Group Annual Meetings underway in Busan, Korea, provided a platform for African Ministers of Finance, the Economy and Planning, who form its Board of Governors, to extend ongoing discussions between the Bank and regional member countries on the importance of disaster risk financing…
Europe can no longer turn its back on the benefits of genetically modified crops – Observer editorial For a generation, a campaign by the green movement against the growing of genetically modified crops has held sway across Europe. These foodstuffs are a threat to health, the environment and the small independent farmer, NGOs have argued. As result, virtually no GM crops have been grown on Europe’s farms for the past 25 years. Yet hard evidence to support what is, in all but name, a ban on these vilified forms of plant life is thin on the ground. In fact, most scientific reports…
Market update: Good business prospects for the agrofood, plastics and packaging industries in Côte d’Ivoire and West Africa According to GTAI Germany Trade & Invest of 16 May 2018, Côte d’Ivoire is becoming the bread basket of West Africa(https://goo.gl/kJPmWm). Agriculture and the food industry, especially in Abidjan, have been very dynamic for years, both in production and processing. Further investments will follow. Both sectors also enjoy a prominent regional position as they also supply the other francophone countries of the region, such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Niger, Togo and Benin. The increasing demand for food throughout the rather homogenous French-speaking…
A new study conducted by a team of scientists from Wageningen University & Research and Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority reveals that a potato variety genetically engineered to resist potato blight can help reduce the use of chemical fungicides by up to 90 percent. The approach uses two tools: a genetically modified (GM) potato along with a new pest management strategy. Potato blight, caused by the water mold Phytophthora infestans, causes significant losses to potato farmers worldwide. Farmers resort to spraying their crops with fungicides on a weekly basis to control the disease. The international team of scientists developed the IPM2.0 approach which involves growing…