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Showing posts with label Cameroon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cameroon. Show all posts

Friday, August 18, 2023

Smoking ovens help internally displaced fish processors in Cameroon - ITREALMS

NaijaAgroNet: ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Sitting on the Logone River in the Far North region of Cameroon, right on the border of Chad, Logone-Birni has experienced more than its share of conflict and upheaval. The Boko Haram insurgency, which has been affecting the Far North region for nearly a decade, meant that many have suffered violence and disruption.
Smoking ovens help internally displaced fish processors in Cameroon - ITREALMS
But in December 2021, violent clashes erupted once again. This time the conflict arose between inland fishers, ethnic herders and farmers over limited water resources, a result of climate change and declining rainfall. Tens of thousands of people were forced to flee for their lives.

Monday, March 20, 2023

Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon in bilateral deal for cross-border oil and gas - ITREALMS

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The President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, H.E. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and H.E Paul Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon have signed a bilateral treaty that would see the two West African countries cooperate on cross-border oil and gas development and monetization, reports 
NaijaAgroNet.
Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon in bilateral deal for cross-border oil and gas - ITREALMS
The agreement was signed during the heads of state summit of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) countries held in Cameroon last week and is set to bring with it new opportunities for oilfield development and regional energy security.

Monday, February 27, 2017

515,000 children suffer SAM out of 7.1m severely food insecure in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria

An estimated 7.1 million people are now severely food insecure across Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, with 515 000 children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), reports NaijaAgroNet.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) made this revelation at the just concluded  Oslo Humanitarian Conference today, organized to mobilize international funding for the crisis-struck region, mostly where 80 to 90 percent of people rely on farming, fishing and herding for their livelihoods.

Confirming the revelation, the Director, FAO's Emergency and Rehabilitation Division, Dominique Burgeon, noted that  among these countries are 515 000 children who are suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM); a condition which, if untreated, could lead to permanent damage to a child's development and even death. 

FAO pointed out that with the next planting season starting in May, and with scarcity of animal fodder and water points during the lean season, it has become crucial that crop seeds, tools and livestock support reach families urgently to limit the scope of the deepening crisis that now involves four countries,

According to FAO, the food crisis has split across borders as a result of violence related to the armed group Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria , while some parts of neighboring countries in the Lake Chad Basin, precisely Cameroon's Far North, western Chad and southeastern Niger; with what it described as devastating effects on food security and livelihoods. 

FAO, therefore, urgently calls for $30 million in immediate emergency support to assist farming families in these four countries to get ready to plant in the upcoming May planting season and prevent them from slipping into long-term dependency on food aid. 


Isaac Oyimah/GEE 
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Monday, November 5, 2012

Lagdo Dam flood disaster: Matters Arising

A water-submerged settlement

Water is one of the gifts of God to mankind and other living creatures.  It comes in form of rainfall, oceans, rivers, streams, or lakes etc.  Because of its indispensability to human existence, the amount and nature of water available determines the flow of development.  It’s importance is such that some school of thought believe that “water has no enemy”.  One of them was Nigeria’s Afrobeat musician, late Fela Anikulapo Kuti who dedicated one of his sound tracks to this belief.  However, there are complex patterns of water uses with far-reaching consequences.
In Africa, almost all major rivers are shared by two or more countries.  Altogether, water management represents one of the region’s most urgent development challenges. This requires developing laws, regulations and institutions to manage their water resources in ways that are economically productive, socially acceptable and environmentally sustainable.
In water resources management, the conservation and management of wetlands and floodplains are critical because of their productive capacity. The World Commission on Dams (WCD) has observed that the rights of downstream communities have historically been ignored. The present flood disaster in Nigeria is another case in point. Flood is currently ravaging many of such communities spread across Kogi, Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Anambra, Enugu, Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa and Imo States.
This particular flood is a consequence of over-release of water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroun.  The operational incompetence or negligence by the Camerounian dam operatives and the passivity of successive Nigerian governments have undermined the livelihoods of over 400 vulnerable downstream communities across the country.
As the flood rages, it is wrecking havoc in every conceivable way, on both great and small.  Even the President’s country home was not spared. Poverty and environmental degradation lie both at the beginning and the end of the chain. Hundreds of people have lost their lives; about 88,740 have been displaced and property worth billions of Naira submerged. Food insecurity is increasing as numerous live-stocks and farmlands have been overtaken by flood. Recent reports reveal that some oil fields have been submerged as well.  Floods are among the most frequent and costly natural disasters in terms of human hardship and economic loss.
A visit to some of the displaced people’s camps revealed that they are far from being rehabilitated. What you see is, a people who have lost all their possessions and are at the verge of  losing their own lives should a serious epidemic break out now. Their over-crowded tents are mostly situated in school premises, church compounds, and uncompleted buildings. Expectedly, this environmental challenge has resulted to social and psychological problems.
There have been reported cases of sexual assault and rape, possibly due to desperate lifestyles prevalent in a state of anomie. Also, due to heightened trauma, some women have gone into forced labour. Meanwhile, we are yet to hear of deployment of counselors to the camps.
The affected Nigerians are earnestly waiting to feel the impact of the huge funds released by the president to affected states. They are also anxiously waiting to see the extent to which the 34-member Presidential Committee on flood will ameliorate their pains. Elected political office holders from the affected areas should seize the hour to compassionately touch their people. They should address the problem on ground with real solutions.  Corporate bodies, billionaires around the corridors of power, national awardees, and indeed all well meaning Nigerian must arise.
It is time to be our brothers’ keeper!
This flood disaster raises a lot of critical questions; when shall our governments begin to heed expert warnings and adequately prepare for emergencies? What are the governors of the downstream/coastal states waiting for before they will draw-out and commence implementation of clear-cut master plans? What is the National Assembly waiting for before they pass the water resources bill (and other key sector bills) before it?
The bill, if passed, will kick start water sector reforms. Right laws, political will, adequate and monitoring mechanisms are crucial for meaningful negotiation, contribution and collaboration with neighboring countries so that water usage upstream does not affect our downstream communities again. Let us arise, with hearts of servanthood, so that we can build a future that puts few strains on the society and the environment.


MacDenis Igbo

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

IITA boosts food security in Cameroon with cassava varieties



At the presentation of the cassava varieties
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in a bid to boost the agricultural sector in Cameroon on food security has unveiled improved cassava varieties.
IITA revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement that five new improved cassava varieties were released to safeguard the lives of millions of Cameroonians.
These varieties namely with genotypes TMS 92/0326, TMS 96/1414, TMS 96/0023, TMS 92/0057, and TMS 92/0067, according to IITA were developed through conventional breeding by the institute and some other partners.
The improved varieties would improve nutritional values through the provision of caratenoids, iron and zinc as they have an estimated 20 tonnes to 35 tonnes per hectare.
Programme National de Development des Racines et Tubercules (PNDRT), the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), non-governmental organizations as well as local farmers partnered IITA on this project.
According to the IITA Director General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, who was quoted as saying that the varieties would help close the yield gaps while improving yield and increasing farmers' revenue especially those that rely on cassava for livelihood.
"IITA will continue to support farmers in Cameroon by offering improved varieties and technologies that address the constraints to development in tropical nations," the IITA boss said.
Cameroonian Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Essimi Menye commended the efforts of IITA in developing these varieties, adding that the new they would assist the nation to take advantage of the opportunities of the crop which is one of the major staples in Cameroon.
As said by IITA, Cassava in Cameroon is either boiled and eaten, or processed into local delicacies such as Mitumba, Baton de manioc, Beignets de manioc, gari, and Ndas among others. Other use includes ethanol production, inclusion in bread production ad glucose syrup production.

 Yinka Awosanya/LS
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