Washington D.C., June 15, 2015 – A new study has found that orange sweet potato (OSP) reduced both the prevalence and duration of diarrhea in young children in Mozambique. The OSP was conventionally bred to provide more vitamin A in the diet. In Africa, more than 40 percent of children aged under five are estimated to be at risk of vitamin A deficiency. This increases the risk of diseases such as diarrhea, which is one of the leading causes of mortality in children, taking more than 350,000 lives of children under five in Africa every year. Other studies have shown…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
PRESS RELEASE Bonn conference ends without making headway; CSE concerned about tardy progress There was little negotiation at the conference – only text was edited Will Paris Agreement achieve its outcome in December, wonders CSE Only 12 countries have submitted their intended national contributions until now CSE says proposed emission cuts post-2020 by US and EU not ambitious enough Developed countries not committing to reduce emission between now and 2020 CSE endorses Indian stand on emission cuts by developed countries pre-2020 Bonn, June 12: With 10 days of negotiations spent in streamlining the text for the agreement…
PRESS RELEASE CSE says ambiguous Delhi IIT studies on vehicular air pollution being used selectively by ministry of road transport and highways Slams the ministry for trying to confuse and slow down policy action on vehicular pollution and block decisions on old diesel vehicles CSE has carried out rapid review of available studies in Delhi that make the case for urgent and priority measures to cut people’s exposure to toxic risk from vehicular emissions even while taking action on other pollution sources There is enough evidence to show that older vehicles emit more particulate and toxic…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe A rice milling firm has debuted in Sokoto with the managing director of the company, Alhaji Nura Attajiri saying that Nigeria was blessed with fertile land capable of producing all types of crops, including rice and therefore had no reason to import rice. Attajiri said this during the inauguration of the N30 million mill, which has the capacity of milling 1,250 kilograms of rice per hour in Sokoto on Friday. According him, “There is no need for Nigeria to import food, especially rice, as such more efforts should be put in to encourage more Nigerians to produce…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar has observed that insecurity, unemployment and food insecurity were some of the problems that are retarding the nation’s development. Receiving the new Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Ibrahim Bello in his Palace in Sokoto on Thursday, the Sultan stressed the need for action towards addressing the current security challenges in Zamfara state and some parts of the country. While calling on security agencies and other stakeholders to assist in addressing the problems in order to ensure societal development, Abubakar also called on leaders “to be just and fair in the discharge of their responsibilities.…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe The Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) has sworn in 52 new Medical Doctors that studied for the 2012/2013 academic session. Accepting the new Medical Doctors into medical practice on behalf of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria on Tuesday, State Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr Abdulgafar Jimoh urged them to “lead with decorum, mutual respect and be advocates of clinical governance.” The Vice Chancellor (VC) of UDUS, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru called on the Doctors to abide by their professional oath and be good ambassadors of the institution. “What you did in the last six…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe For the first time in the whole of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, the Bone and Joint Orthopedic Hospital, a private entity based in Sokoto has successfully performed a hip replacement on Hajiya Rukayya Muhammad (65) of Wamakko local government area of the state by three surgeons. The Bone and Joint Orthopedic Hospital has therefore joined other orthopedic hospitals in Abuja, Lagos and other places in the country to perform that kind of surgery. Dr. Muhammad Oboirien, who is the Medical Director of the Hospital said that the woman had damaged hip, which resulted from severe arthritis,…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe The World Health Organization(WHO) has said that at least, 240,000 children would be immunized during the Injectable and Oral Polio Vaccination campaign scheduled to hold between 2nd and 6th May in Sokoto North, Sokoto South and Wamakko local government areas (LGAs) of the state. The Supplemental Immunization Officer of WHO, Dr. Ana Elena Chevez disclosed this on Wednesday at a roundtable meeting with members of Journalists Against Polio (JAP) on Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV). She explained that children living in the three local government areas required higher level of protection because the areas were classified as vulnerable to…
Mohammed Rahman doesn’t know it yet, but his small farm in central Bangladesh is globally significant. Mr. Rahman, a smallholder farmer in Krishnapur, about 60 miles northwest of the capital, Dhaka, grows eggplant on his meager acre of waterlogged land. As we squatted in the muddy field, examining the lush green foliage and shiny purple fruits, he explained how, for the first time this season, he had been able to stop using pesticides. This was thanks to a new pest-resistant variety of eggplant supplied by the government-run Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. Despite a recent hailstorm, the weather had been kind,…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe Twenty-three (23) African and European research partners are presently collaborating on a long term research and innovation towards a sustainable improvement of food and nutrition security and the livelihoods of African farmers. A report by the Natural Resources Institute in Finland says that the focus of the research is on sustainable intensification of the agrofood system in Africa. “The research will understudy the consequences of sustainable intensification of food production to the environment, economy and society.” It observed that farming practices have impacted negatively on the environment as a result of which many people still do not…