The Director, Global Cassava Partnership (GCP21) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Mr Claude Fauguet on Tuesday called on policymakers on agriculture in Africa to consider cassava as a cash crop. He made the call in Lagos at a news conference to announce the 4th International Cassava Conference scheduled to hold in June, tagged: “Transforming Cassava in Africa”. Fauguet told newsmen that cassava was a resilient crop that could survive under any climate and therefore needed science and technology to grow and develop it. According to him, “Policy makers in Africa really need to begin to see cassava…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Director, Global Cassava Partnership (GCP21) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Claude Fauguet on Tuesday said Africa needed 30 tonnes per hectare of cassava by 2050 from the current nine tonnes per hectare. Speaking at a news conference in Lagos to announce the 4th International Cassava Conference, the Director said comparatively that Africa currently produced about 10 tonnes per hectare of cassava, while Latin America and Asia currently produced 12 tonnes and 22 tonnes per hectare respectively. According to Fauguet, Africa needed more science in the cultivation of cassava because its population and Nigeria, especially will double…
Kenya is likely to achieve the UN target of total malaria eradication by 2030 as the government and bilateral partners roll out robust interventions to contain the disease, officials said on Wednesday. Sicily Kariuki, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, said Kenya has the potential to achieve the vision of malaria free status subject to robust investments in diagnostic kits, case management and public education. “Kenya has made notable progress in combating malaria as prevalence rate drops due to a combination of policy, funding and biomedical interventions. Our goal to achieve malaria free status is within reach,” said Kariuki, ahead of World Malaria Day to be observed…
The Carter Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Programme for Plateau and Nasarawa has called for an effective policy of prohibiting open defecation toward eradicating schistosomiasis. The Director of the centre, Dr Abel Eigege said on Wednesday in Jos that schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzias is an infectious disease caused by parasitic worms, adding that the worms could cause acute and chronic infections, with symptoms like fever, blood in urine or stools and abdominal discomfort. According to him, schistosomiasis had been effectively eradicated in Plateau and Nasarawa states, adding that it might easily reemerge if people continued to defecate and urinate in the…
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is targeting 1,200 indigent Ogonis in its free medical outreach in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers. The Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Dr Marvin Dekil while flagging-off the second phase of the exercise on Monday in Taabaa community, said the exercise was to prevent, detect and treat victims of hydrocarbon pollution in Ogoniland in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report. “The health outreach is the first step toward the implementation of the initial stage of the Health Impact Study as recommended in the UNEP Report on Ogoniland. The…
The Ministry of Health in Adamawa state on Monday in Yola reported the death of one person from Lassa fever outbreak in the state. The Information Officer of the ministry, Mr Abubakar Muhammed disclosed that 81 other people had been quarantined following the development. He said that 45 members of the deceased’s families and other 36 persons including some health workers who had direct contact with the deceased, had also been quarantined. Muhammed explained that the state government, World Health Organisation and other collaborative agencies had established an emergency centre in Yola to receive information and quick response. He said…
Nine people were killed in floods in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam, officials said on Monday. Downpours, common during the East African country’s rainy season, caused the flooding, which badly damaged infrastructure, said Dar es Salaam police official, Lazaro Mambosasa. Major roads were flooded, causing the city’s bus system to suspend services, and at least 20 houses in low-lying areas were also swept away. Residents of the city were urged to remain vigilant as heavy rains were expected to continue over the next few days. (dpa/NAN)
The Director of the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Prof. Ibrahim Umar-Abubakar has said that the institute would constitute a committee to build and strengthen research-industry synergy to boost Nigeria’s agricultural production. He disclosed this at the sidelines of Research Extension Farmers Input Linkage System (REFILS), which is part of the 2018 Annual Agricultural Research Review and Planning Meeting organised by IAR, Samaru, Zaria in Kaduna State. Abubakar said the committee became imperative in view of the fact that it would bring the industries closer to researchers for solving societal and national challenges. “I…
The Borno state Commissioner for Health, Dr Haruna Mshelia has said that at least, three persons have died in fresh cholera outbreak in Kukawa local government of of the state. He disclosed this when the Director General of World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebrayesus visited the WHO’s Emergency and Response Centre on Friday in Maiduguri. Mshela said that about 700 cases of cholera were recorded in Baga, Doron Baga and Kukawa in the past weeks, adding that the state government in collaboration with WHO and other partners had scaled up activities to combat the outbreak in the affected communities. Noting…
The University of Liège has awarded the AGRA President, Dr. Agnes Kalibata an Honorary Doctorate – its highest honour – in recognition of her leadership role in driving Africa’s agricultural transformation. Presenting her with the Insignias of the distinction, Prof. Albert Corhay, the University Rector, outlined her outstanding contributions to agriculture across Africa. He spoke particularly of her vision and leadership in contributing to real change across Africa both through her former role as the Minister of Agriculture in Rwanda and now as the AGRA President. On receiving the honour, Dr. Kalibata recognised the input of others in the process, saying: “This is a…