Stakeholders at the workshop organised by CropLife West and Central Africa in Abuja By Etta Michael Bisong The Federal Government has called on stakeholders to ensure the use of quality and safe pesticides to tackle the concerns in agricultural production, as well as environmental protection to foster sustainable economic development in Nigeria. Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, who made the call in Abuja during a workshop organised by CropLife West and Central Africa, lamented that the use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDPs) were the twin topical concerns that bedevil growth in agriculture and global environmental…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
By Abdallah el-Kurebe The issue of food security lies strongly in sustainable food production by the smallholder farmers who form the larger population in agricultural production. It is in general agreement that since the larger percentage of farmers in the African continent are smallholders and many of who live in the rural communities, policies in sustainable agricultural development should should be seem to protect smallholder agriculture as well as farmers’ interests in all ramifications. There is no doubt that agriculture is the backbone of the African economy and available statistics reveal that it accounts for 20% of the region’s GDP.…
– African ingenuity this year showcases breakthroughs in malaria and other public health burdens, smart solutions for farmers and dynamic power initiatives … – The Tryctor is a mini tractor modelled on the motorcycle – Safi Sarvi Organics is a low-cost fertilizermade from purely organic products and waste from farm harvests GABORONE, Botswana, May 9, 2016/ — The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) (www.AfricanInnovation.org) today announced the top 10 nominees for its landmark programme, the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA). Now celebrating its 5th year under the theme “Made in Africa”, IPA is the premier innovation initiative in the African continent, offering a grand share prize of US$150 000 and…
One Acre Fund, a nonprofit agriculture organization, today announced the official opening of its Malawi and Uganda operations BUNGOMA, Kenya, May 5, 2016/ — One Acre Fund (http://www.OneAcreFund.org), a nonprofit agriculture organization that supplies smallholder farmers with the financing and training they need to increase their incomes and food security, today announced the official opening of its Malawi and Uganda operations. Malawi and Uganda began as pilots in 2013 and 2014 respectively. One Acre Fund now serves 400,000 smallholder farmers—with an estimated two million people in those households—across East and Southern Africa. “The majority of the world’s poor are hard-working…
The partnership will initially focus on countries in Africa including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda WASHINGTON, February 4, 2015/ –GeoPoll (http://www.geopoll.com), the world’s largest real-time mobile survey platform, is announcing a strategic partnership with Control Union, global leader in agricultural certifications, food safety, and sustainability. Partnering allows Control Union to tap into GeoPoll’s multimodal mobile platform and database of 200 million users, giving them access the fastest and most cost effective data collection method available in emerging markets. Together, GeoPoll and Control Union will utilize mobile surveys to engage and educate smallholder farmers in emerging economies, with the goal of…
Prof. Sir Brian Heap of Smart Villages Initiatives By Abdallah el-Kurebe * “Energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, increased social equity and an environment that allows the planet thrive.” Ban Ki-moon * An estimated 1.3 billion people remain without access to electricity and 2.7 billion are still cooking on harmful and inefficient stoves. Many live in remote rural village communities and until they have access to energy services, little progress can be made to develop and improve their lives. – Poor Peoples Energy Outlook 2014 * In West Africa, almost 165 million people did not have…
L-R: Gen. Zakari in handshake with Gov. Tambuwal By Abdallah el-Kurebe Sokoto government has requested for the posting of more youth corps members that are specialised in medicine, mathematics and the English Language to be posted to the state. Governor Aminu Tambuwal made the request when the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Sule Zakari, paid a visit to Sokoto Government House on Tuesday. He said that more manpower was needed to complement government’s efforts, especially with his administration’s emphasis on health and education. “We need more doctors and teachers of mathematics and English…
L-R– Former President Olusegun Obasanjo; Dr Kenton Dashiell, IITA Dep. DG, Partnerships for Delivery; and Prof Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health during the Nigeria Zero Hunger Meeting at IITA Ibadan…on Friday By Abdallah el-Kurebe The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan on Friday held a stakeholders meeting in order to draw a roadmap to end hunger in Nigeria by the year 2030. The Nigeria Zero Hunger Strategy meeting, which received support from the World Food Program, was organized in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) that seeks to end hunger by…
Textile materials By Abdallah el-Kurebe The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has joined a league of other GMO advocates to support the production of genetically modified, also known as Bt Cotton in Nigeria. In a letter to the Country Representative of Monsanto, a global seed company, signed by the Director General of the Council, Dr. Hussaini Ibrahim stated that it was concerned with the current dwindling status of cotton production in Nigeria. RMRDC, which is an agency under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, noted that the textile sector had stabilized Nigeria’s economy when it was…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe Towards realizing the rights of children and women to survival, development, protection and participation, Sokoto State Government and UNICEF have signed a joint annual work plan for the year 2016. The work plan, which is drawn to cover health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, is estimated to gulp the sum of N2.09 billion. According to the plan, improvement of access to and use of high-quality and high-impact health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene interventions by children and women, would be achieved. In addition, it would improve access to quality basic education by the most vulnerable boys…