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Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts

Monday, April 16, 2018

Merck Foundation opens call on diabetes, hypertension awards 2018

NaijaAgroNet: 
The Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, has opened the calls for application for Merck Diabetes and Hypertension awards 2018, reports ITRealms.

The awards, ITRealms gathered is open across the African and Asian Universities through its Merck Capacity Advancement Program with the aim to building a platform for diabetes and hypertension experts across the globe.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej said, “I am very proud to see our newly established platform of Diabetes and Hypertension Experts has grown in one year. This encourages us to continue and expand 2018 Merck Diabetes and Hypertension Awards to universities in more countries in Africa and Asia such as Senegal, Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea, Niger, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam to join our mission to improve access to quality Diabetes and hypertension care in the two continents . “

She further added, “All Merck Diabetes and Hypertension awards winners have Joined Merck Foundation Alumni with our oncology and Fertility scholars and fellows from different countries to exchange experience & knowledge and network, this is a very important initiative for us. I personally oversee this platform to ensure success of its interaction and sustainability. “

Merck Diabetes and Hypertension Awards 2018 will be rolled out in many African and Asian Universities in more than 30 countries, as a part of Merck Foundation’s commitment to build Diabetes and Hypertension healthcare capacity and improving access to quality and sustainable healthcare solutions in developing countries.

The theme for Merck Diabetes Award 2018 is ‘Every day is a Diabetes Day,’ and the theme for Merck Hypertension Award is ‘What a Healthy Heart Needs.’ All medical postgraduates and final year undergraduates are invited to apply for the awards. The participants need to submit a one-page concept paper on the theme.

Isaac Oyimah/ED, Ops

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Tuesday, November 28, 2017

AUC awards 13 institutions with GMES support

The African Union Commission (AUC) has awarded grants to thirteen consortia of institutions of higher learnings to serve as Regional Implementing Centres for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security and Africa (GMES and Africa) Support Programme, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The award ceremony, NaijaAgroNet gathered, would hold on the margins of the 5th AU-EU Summit in Abidjan, Cote d`Ivoire.

Also, NaijaAgroNet recalled that following a call for proposals in May 2017, a number of African institutions operating in the areas of water, natural resources, marine and coastal areas, applied for the GMES and Africa Support Programme Grants.

The Communications Officer, GMES & Africa at AUC, Mr. Adiatou Fattey in a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet, noted that in order to evaluate the applications and select the most suitable consortia of institutions that submitted proposals, the African Union Commission instituted a committee supported by a team of assessors comprising African earth observation experts.

The 13 consortia of institutions were finally selected and the award marks the official announcement of their selection.

1. Central Africa: Agence Gabonaise d'Etudes et d'Observations Spatiale (AGEOS) and Commission Internationale du Bassin Congo-Oubangui-Sangha (CICOS) for Water and natural resources service.

2. East Africa:

IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre (ICPAC) and Regional Centre for Mapping off Resources for Development (RCMRD) for Water and natural resources service
Mauritius Oceanography Institute (MOI) for Marine and coastal areas service
3.North Africa:

National Authority for Remote Sensing & Space Sciences (NARSS) for marine and coastal area service
Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS) for water and natural ressources service
4. Southern Africa:

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for marine and coastal areas service
Southern African Development Community Climate Services Centre (SADC-CSC) and Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) for water and natural resources service
5. West Africa

Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE) and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria (CSSTE-Obafemi) for water and natural resources service University of Ghana (UG) for Marine and coastal areas service.


At the award ceremony, the Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology at the African Union Commission, Professor Sarah Anyang Agbor, felicitated the successful institutions on their selection, which she said was based on their experience and proven capacities. 

She implored them to deliver the goods, and promised the African Union Commission’s unflinching support.

Isaac Oyimah/ED, Ops

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Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Poisonous Fanta, Sprite: Court berates NAFDAC, Nigerian Bottling Company, awards N2m damages to Fijabi

A Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere suburb area of Lagos State, has berated and ordered the National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to compel the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Plc to ensure a written warning on Fanta and Sprite bottles indicating that both soft drinks are poisonous when taken with Ascorbic Acid, also popularly known as Vitamin C in Nigeria, reports NaijaAgroNet.

A copy of the judgement making a round and available to NaijaAgroNet, the court held that NAFDAC failed Nigerians by declaring, as fit for human consumption, products discovered by tests in the United Kingdom as turning poisonous when mixed with ascorbic acid.

Delivering the landmark judgement in Lagos, Justice Adedayo Oyebanji, awarded a cost of N2 million only against NAFDAC, as outcome of a suit filed by a Lagos-based businessman, Dr. Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo, and his company, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited, against NBC Plc and NAFDAC.                      

 Adebo had urged the court to declare that NBC was negligent to its consumers by bottling Fanta and Sprite with excessive levels of benzoic acid and sunset additives, in addition to ordering NAFDAC to carry out routine laboratory tests on all the soft drinks and related products NBC bottles to ensure their safety for consumption.

In the amended statement of claims filed before the court by Mr. Abiodun Onidare on behalf of Mr. Adebo and his company,  it was alleged that in March 2007, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Company bought large quantities of Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange, Sprite, Fanta Lemon, Fanta Pineapple and soda water from NBC for export to and subsequent retail in the United Kingdom.

But when the consignment arrived in the United Kingdom, health authorities in that country, precisely the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council's Trading Standard, Department of Environment and Economy Directorate, raised fundamental health issues on the contents and composition of Fanta and Sprite.

Findings by the United Kingdom health authorities were also corroborated by other agencies in European Union countries, which found the products to contain excessive levels of sunset yellow and benzoic acid, which are known to be carcinogenic.

On account of the irregularities and carcinogenic substances present in the drinks, Mr. Adebo and his company could not sell the Fanta and Sprite. This caused huge losses for the company, as the products were seized and destroyed by the United Kingdom health authorities.

The claimants equally alleged that NAFDAC did not carry out requisite tests to determine the safety of the drinks for human consumption. They averred that being registered as exporters with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, they could legally export NBC products to any part of the world and that the bottling company was aware that the products purchased were meant for export.

In addition to other reliefs, Mr. Adebo and his company sought the sum of N15,119,619.37 as special damages and N1,622,000 being the money NBC admitted receiving from the claimants.

In its amended statement of defense, filed before the court by Mr. T. O. Busari, NBC admitted supplying the products, but contended that they are meant for local distribution and consumption, as it does not produce for export. It argued that Coca-Cola is manufactured and bottled by various Coca-Cola franchise holders in most countries of the world, including the United Kingdom.

The company denied that it was negligent, as it has stringent quality control procedures to ensure that its products are safe for end-user consumption.

NBC also rejected the allegation that the damages claimed by the businessman and his firm were caused by negligence or any fault on its part.  It argued that the levels of the chemical components in its soft drinks are safe for consumption in Nigeria and that the claimants are not entitled to the recovery of damages arising from their illegal exportation of products meant for local distribution.

NBC further contended that the claims made by Mr. Adebo and his company were speculative, frivolous and vexatious and should be dismissed with substantial cost. NAFDAC did not file any defense.

To prove his case, Mr. Adebo personally testified. While being led in evidence by Mr. Onidare, he tendered 12 exhibits. NBC's Sales Operation Manager, Mr. Micheal Nwosu China, and its Head of Central Laboratory, Mr. Abiodun Adeola Falana, both testified on the bottling company's behalf and also tendered 12 exhibits.

In her judgment, Justice Oyebanji said: “It is imperative to state that the knowledge of the Nigeria Bottling Company that the products were to be exported is immaterial to its being fit for human consumption. The court is in absolute agreement with the learned counsel for the claimants that soft drinks manufactured by Nigeria bottling company ought to be fit for human consumption irrespective of color or creed. 

“It is manifest that NAFDAC has been grossly irresponsible in its regulatory duties to the consumers of Fanta and Sprite manufactured by Nigeria Bottling Company. In my respective view, NAFDAC has failed the citizens of this great nation by its certification as satisfactory for human consumption products, which in the United Kingdom failed sample test for human consumption, and which become poisonous in the presence of Ascorbic Acid ordinarily known as Vitamin C, which can be freely taken by the unsuspecting public with the company's Fanta or Sprite.                                             

“As earlier stated, the court is in absolute agreement with the learned counsel for the claimants that consumable products ought to be fit for human consumption irrespective of race, colour or creed.”

Justice Oyebanji also held that by its certification as satisfactory, Fanta and Sprite, without any written warning on the products that it cannot be taken with Vitamin C, NAFDAC would have caused great harm to the health of unsuspecting Nigerians.                                       

“The court, in the light of the damning evidence before it showing that NAFDAC has failed to live up to expectation, cannot close its eyes to the grievous implication of allowing the status quo to continue as it is.
“For the reasons herein adumbrated in this judgment, the court hereby orders as follows:
“That NAFDAC shall forthwith mandate Nigeria bottling company to, within 90 days hereof, include on all the bottles of Fanta and Sprite soft drinks manufactured by the company, a written warning that the content of the said bottles of Fanta and Sprite soft drinks cannot be taken with Vitamin C as same becomes poisonous if taken with Vitamin C.


“In consideration of the fact that this case was filed in 2008 and that it has been in court for nine years, costs of N2 million is awarded against NAFDAC. Interest shall be paid on the costs awarded at the rate of 10% per annum until liquidation of the said sum,” ruled Justice Oyebanji.

Isaac Oyimah with additional reports from Sahara Reporters/GEE
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Sunday, December 18, 2011

NaijaAgroNet emerges finalist @ Ardyis Award 2011

NaijaAgroNet, an international award-winning online publication of DigitalSENSE Africa Media has emerged finalist at the Ardyis Project Award known as the Youth in Agriculture Blog Competition (YoBloCo Awards).

Confirming this, the Executive Director, Operations at DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA) Media, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke said that NaijaAgroNet’s emergence was within the West African region and in the institutional blogs category.

She explained that what is now left is for comments from readers of the blog at http://ardyis.cta.int/yobloco/?page_id=239 before 31st December, 2011.

Mrs. Nweke also urged Nigerians and especially visitors and readers of NaijaAgroNet to be part of this progress by commenting on the above web link.

Official of the Netherlands-based Centre for Technical Agriculture (CTA) the organizers of the away in collaboration with African Union (AU) had informed that one of the aims of the competition is to put into limelight issues, successes and challenges faced by youth engage in agriculture and urban and rural areas, and the promotion of the sharing of information on issues of agriculture and rural development in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

Noteworthy is that the last edition of Highway Africa conference which held in the city of Cape Town, South Africa, saw Nigeria winning the first runner up by NaijaAgroNet, an initiative of DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA) Media.

DSA was honoured for the innovative use of new media for corporate category at this year's Highway Africa New Media Award, which held International Conference Centre, Cape Town.

The prize was presented to the Executive Director, Operations, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke by the Honourable Minister of Information, Nigeria, Mr. Labaran Maku in the company of the Vice Chancellor of Rhodes University, Grahamstown, Dr. Saleem Badat and Group Executive Director, Telkom, Mrs. Brenda Kali among others.

Maku also commended the management of DSA for the initiative and invited more Nigerians to emulate such step to sustain the tempo of good image for the nation.

Speaking after receiving the award, the Executive Director, Operations, DSA, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, expressed gratitude to God Almighty for his mercies, especially considering the fact that NaijaAgroNet was an initiative that berthed a few months ago.

This award, she said, indicates there is a brighter future for online revolution in the most populous nation on the continent and the world generally with focus on agro business and sustainable development of the environment.

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