Statement Issued at a Media Briefing held on 24 April 2017 at Apo Apartments, Apo, Abuja Gentlemen of the Press, WE DEMAND: THE PROTECTION OF OUR FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT REVOCATION OF MONSANTO’S GMO PERMITS and REPEAL OF THE NATIONAL BIOSAFETY MANAGEMENT AGENCY ACT 2015 The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Act, 2015, was signed into law in the dying days of the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. In spite of the far-reaching importance of biosafety matters to citizens of Nigeria, the process that led to the passage of the Biosafety Bill and its eventual signing into law was trailed…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), says billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote, may become the largest exporter of rice in the world by 2021 LAGOS, Nigeria, April 17, 2017/ — Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), says billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote (www.Dangote.com), may become the largest exporter of rice in the world by 2021. Speaking at the Mo Ibrahim Forum in Morocco over the weekend, Adesina said Africa must focus on agriculture to drive growth and create jobs on the continent. “I remember when I was minister of Agriculture in Nigeria. Aliko Dangote was there,…
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By Abdallah el-Kurebe The Burkina Faso’s cotton companies and growers have settled their long dispute with Monsanto Seed Company over their revenue losses allegedly caused by the introduction of genetically modified (GM) cotton. Among the world’s poorest countries, Burkina Faso, which began the nationwide introduction of cotton containing Monsanto’s Bollgard II trait in 2008 to fight against pests, is Africa’s top cotton producer. However, a decline in quality of cotton, which lowered the crop’s value on the global market, was blamed on Monsanto by the country’s cotton companies and the national farmers union. They demanded $76.5 million in compensation from…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe President Macky Sall of Senegal has thrown his weight behind the adoption of agricultural biotechnology in the country. He made the declaration during the 2017 Annual Session of the Senegal National Scientific and Technical Academy (ANSTS) on the situation, implications and perspectives of GMOs in Senegal. At a session chaired by him, President Sall made it clear that he supported the implementation of biotechnology in Senegal providing that necessary measures to minimise risks, were taken. ”I must say very clearly that I am for the use of GMOs based on the precautions taken and based on a dynamic…
Participants in Bangkok Bangkok: Delegates to the Smart Villages Initiative Closing Workshop for South and Southeast Asia in Bangkok March 7-9 agreed that a bottom-up approach involving villagers themselves is essential to catalyse energy access and spread its resultant development dividends in the large number of rural off-grid communities that still exist across the region with little chance of grid connection. Organised in conjunction with the Global Young Academy (GYA), the Thai National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), and the Thai National Science Museum, the workshop also stressed the need for more evidence of the impact of so-called technology…
By Dr. Hannah Nnadi Dear Editor, I’m writing the article below as a concerned Nigerian, who has watched how some activists have taken it upon themselves to smear the integrity of government agencies and individuals working for the good of the country. Nigerians should be aware and be on the alert for these activists in order not to be misled. The attitude of these so called activists to frustrate government agencies must be resisted as their actions are very unpatriotic and misleading. In light of ongoing discussions and debates on the issues raised, I would be grateful…
Cassava farm IBADAN, NIGERIA: The world’s top cassava experts will gather in Nigeria to report progress on developing new varieties of cassava with higher yield and nutritional content. The meeting will take place on March 14-16, at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in Ibadan. “Africa produces more than half of the world’s cassava — about 86 million tons from over 10 million hectares,” said Chiedozie Egesi, IITA-based project manager of theNext Generation Cassava Breeding (NextGen Cassava) project, who also works to biofortify cassava with essential micronutrients. “But disease pathogens and climate change threaten cassava production and jeopardize the income…
Group of Almajiri children By Abdallah el-Kurebe Cruel happenings surrounding the child today have surged the calls for the respect of the rights of the vulnerable group. Globally, children suffer all manner of ill treatments; most are abandoned or ‘sold’ into slavery. Man’s inhumanity to the child has drawn the attention of the United Nations General Assembly as well as the adoption by it of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on November 20, 1989. In a manner of domestication, the OAU Assembly of Heads of States and Governments adopted the African Union Charter on the Rights…
Fantastic move