By Abdallah el-Kurebe Journalists, farmers, scientists, biosafety regulators and agribusiness companies from Argentina, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda and the US gathered in Brazil between March 16th and 20th 2015 for the Biotechnology and Science Communication Confidence Building Project. This meeting was meant to enable African countries learn about and improve on their food security strategies through confidence building in modern biotechnology as well as optimizing best communication practices and policies to guide in the deployment of biotech/GM crops in Africa. The choice of Brazil for the meeting was the country’s rating by the International Service for the Acquisition…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
By Abdallah el-Kurebe Key Facts ¤ The scientific evidence is clear: global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a growing threat to society.” – The board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). ¤ Climate Change affects the social and environmental determinants of health – clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter ¤ Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress ¤ Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through better transport, food and energy-use choices…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe The New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has described the United State’s climate action plan – the ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contributions’ (INDCs) as grossly inadequate. It also sees US, which has a history of being the world’s largest polluter of the environment, as doing less to address climate change. A release issued by CSE on April 1, 2015, observed that the INDCs was a replication of “its earlier pledge made in November 2014, which is “neither fair nor ambitious, and way short of what is needed to keep global warming under 2 degree centigrade.” According…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe The management of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) has lamented that the Hospital should not be part of the ongoing national strike of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU). The Chief Managing Director (CMD) of the Hospital, Dr. Yakubu Ahmed told news men in his office on Saturday that far as the management of UDUTH was concerned, all demands of the Union had been met. “UDUTH should not be part of the strike. We should not be part of the strike in any case. This is because we have met all the demands of the Union.…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe Oil is described as ‘Black Gold’ while Cotton is ‘White Gold’. While Nigeria is blessed with both, the former is threatening the nation’s economic strength while there are glittering economic opportunities in the later. From a population of 4.4 billion people in 1980, the world dwindling economies is being further threatened with a population explosion of 7.1 billion, presently. More so, the World Bank and FAO report reveals that arable land is declining – from 0.4 hectares in 1961 to a projected less than 0.13 hectares per person in 2050, thereby creating a damning gap of economic…
Agroforestry: African Agric Ministers Need To Own Orphan Crops By Abdallah el-Kurebe As the African Plant Breeding Academy (AfPBA) graduates the first batch of plant breeders, at the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Kenya, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) has suggested that there is the need for the Ministers of Agriculture in Africa to own orphan crops. Speaking at the end of a six weeks training of 21 scientists from 2leven countries and 19 institutions, Director of NEPAD’s African Biosafety Network of Expertise, Dr. Diran Makinde who represented NEPAD CEO Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki stated…
NACOTAN urges NASS to pass the biosafety law before 2015 elections By Abdallah el-Kurebe The President of National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN), Alhaji Hamma Ali Kwajaffa has called on the National Assembly to speed up the passage of Biosafety Bill before the 2015 general elections. He made the appeal in Abuja at the Cotton Value Chain Forum organised by Monsanto Seed Company and NACOTAN on Monday. The theme of the Forum is “Positioning Nigeria’s Cotton Industry Value Chain for Economic Transformation.” Kwajaffa observed that looking at Burkina Faso’s agriculture sector, which has been dominated by the cotton segment, “Nigeria…
I’ll Use Agriculture To Fight Poverty – Says Amb. Wali By Abdallah el-Kurebe The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State, Amb. Abdallah Wali has said that if elected as governor of the state in 2015, he will use agriculture to fight poverty. Speaking with Journalists in Sokoto on Saturday, he said that agriculture would be his main focus of developing the state as well as reverse the trend where Sokoto is regarded as one of the poorest states in Nigeria. “Ninety percent of our land is arable. Goronyo dam can be fully put to use…
Polio Eradication: JAP calls for upward review of funds to LGAs By Abdallah el-Kurebe The Journalists Against Poliomyelitis and for Immunization (JAP), Sokoto state chapter has called on government and other donor agencies in the state to consider an upward review of funds meant for Immunization Plus Days (IPDs), especially in Very High Risk local government areas. The called was made during JAP’s one-day orientation meeting with officials of UNICEF and Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHDA) for December round of IPDs. In a communique signed by the state coordinator, Abdallah el-Kurebe and issued in Sokoto on Thursday, the…
WHO provides vaccines, pluses for December NIPDs in Sokoto By Abdallah el-Kurebe The World Health Organization (WHO) is to provide adequate vaccines and incentives in order to ensure success of the December round of the National Polio Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) in the 23 local governments of Sokoto State. State Coordinator of the Organization, Dr. Isyaku Ayodeji said during a one-day orientation session organised for the members of Journalists Against Poliomyelitis (JAP) in Sokoto on Wednesday that “WHO will provide the local government areas with the polio vaccines and incentives that include sweets, indomie noodles and others.” he call on…