A new global study conducted by Leaps by Bayer in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Ipsos reveals how people around the world feel about cutting-edge technologies shaping healthcare and agriculture. Bayer, during an online VIP Media briefing, attended by ASHENEWS’ Editor-in-Chief, Abdallah el-Kurebe shared interesting data gathered from the study on the public’s attitudes toward biotechnology. The scope of the study The largest global study on the perception of biotechnology surveyed 13,000 individuals in 13 countries across the world, including Nigeria and South Africa, to gather their responses, which provided a glimpse into public sentiment about the future…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has identified public sector corruption as Nigeria’s greatest challenge, revealing that procurement and contract fraud account for 90% of corruption cases in the country. Olukoyede made this statement on Friday, January 17, 2025, during a meeting with the newly-appointed Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, and his management team at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja. “At the EFCC, we handle both private and public sector fraud,” Olukoyede said. “In the public sector, which remains one of Nigeria’s major challenges, we have…
Bayer is making remarkable strides in its pharmaceutical growth strategy, fueled by a wave of innovative advancements and strong progress in its drug pipeline. Regulatory submissions are underway for new treatments that promise to address critical health challenges, including a third indication for darolutamide in prostate cancer, finerenone for a common type of heart failure, and acoramidis for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). These developments reaffirm Bayer’s leadership in these crucial therapeutic areas. Adding to this momentum, Bayer announced at the 43rd J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco that it is also advancing its work in women’s health, radiology, and…
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has endorsed a revised Value Added Tax (VAT) sharing formula and other critical tax reforms aimed at fostering equitable resource distribution and modernizing Nigeria’s tax system. The announcement was made in a communiqué issued on Thursday, signed by AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, NGF Chairman and Governor of Kwara State. The communiqué followed consultations with the Presidential Tax Reform Committee and stakeholders such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). The key resolutions arrived at during the meeting include: Revised VAT sharing formulaThe NGF approved a new VAT-sharing formula designed to ensure fairness:50% based on equality30% based on…
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has reported a remarkable 2,500% increase in the country’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion capacity in 2024. Mr. Farouk Ahmed, the Authority Chief Executive of NMDPRA, disclosed this at the inaugural Petroleum Industry Stakeholders’ Forum organized by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on Thursday in Abuja. Ahmed attributed the surge to the agency’s support of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), which stimulated the establishment of 186 new conversion centers. “The NMDPRA will continue to collaborate with PCNGI to ensure the deployment of CNG infrastructure in major cities such as…
Nigeria continues to strengthen its position among the top African nations leveraging solar energy, with the country adding 63.5 Megawatt peak (MWp) capacity in 2024, according to a report by the Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA). This brings Nigeria’s total installed solar capacity to 385.7 MWp by the end of the year, as highlighted in the AFSIA Africa Solar Outlook 2025 report. The report attributes the rising interest in solar energy in Nigeria to the removal of fuel subsidies, which has prompted many Nigerians to seek solar solutions as an alternative. “Nigeria has started feeling the positive impact of the…
Lemon(s) are a rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants, which are known to positively affect cholesterol levels. Antioxidants help to prevent the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, which is a primary contributor to plaque formation in the arteries. On the other hand, Vitamin C has been shown to increase the production of HDL (good) cholesterol, which helps remove excess cholesterol from the bloodstream. Moreover, lemons also contain a compound called d-limonene, which has been found to have cholesterol-lowering properties. D-limonene works by inhibiting an enzyme that is involved in the production of cholesterol, thus reducing its levels in the…
Losing your hair is a common and stressful experience. There are many supplements out there that claim to restore hair strength and growth. But it can be confusing to know which ones to take, or if they actually work. And the research around supplements and hair growth is often conflicting. Here, we dive deeper into the vitamins and mineral deficiencies linked to hair loss, how to know if you have one of these deficiencies, and whether you should consider a supplement. Key takeaways: Several different vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause hair loss. Examples include vitamin D, vitamin B, iron, and zinc. …
OpenAI is setting its sights on a groundbreaking frontier: superintelligence. In a recent blog post, CEO Sam Altman outlined the company’s plans to prioritize the development of artificial intelligence systems that surpass human capabilities, marking a shift from traditional AI goals to more ambitious horizons. Altman described superintelligence as a transformative technology capable of achieving feats far beyond the capabilities of current AI. “This sounds like science fiction right now, and somewhat crazy to even talk about it. That’s alright—we’ve been there before and we’re OK with being there again,” he wrote. He pointed to accelerating scientific discovery as a…
Microsoft is making a bold bet on the future of artificial intelligence, with plans to invest $80 billion in AI-enabled data centers during the 2025 fiscal year. This move, outlined in a recent blog post by Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith, reflects the growing demand for generative AI products and the infrastructure required to power them. “Not since the invention of electricity has the United States had the opportunity it has today to harness new technology to invigorate the nation’s economy,” Smith wrote. “In many ways, artificial intelligence is the electricity of our age, and the next four…