Experts say ‘Climate change may increase threat of malaria in CAR region’ - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

Experts have said that climate change among other dangers, are capable of increasing threats of malaria in the Central African regions, reports NaijaAgroNet.

According to a new report issued at an RBM Partnership to End Malaria conference in Abuja Tuesday, participating experts hanged their position on the recent survey, saying “surveillance and programme delivery need to improve to drive progress.”

Unlike countries previously surveyed in West, East and Southern Africa in early 2018, Central African respondents saw climate change as more of a threat. One respondent in Rwanda worried that malaria was creeping up into highland regions which had previously been free of the disease, and others discussed how changing rainfall patterns could have an impact on mosquito breeding seasons.

More domestic and international funding was also cited as critical, with respondents from Cameroon, DRC, and Republic of Congo saying more support is needed. Earlier this month, at the recent Replenishment conference for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, world leaders increased funding for programmes addressing these diseases with pledges totaling $14 billion for the period 2020-2023, meeting the Global Fund’s funding target. Rwanda pledged $2.5 million, DRC, Congo and Cameroon also made domestic resource pledges of $6 million, $5.5 million and $5 million, respectively.

Dr Richard Nchabi Kamwi, Ambassador for the Elimination 8 countries and a co-chair of the study, said: “Maintaining momentum against malaria requires strong political leadership, resilient health systems and securing additional resources. The pledges made at the recent Global Fund replenishment are heartening signs that critical resources are forthcoming.” Dr Kamwi continued:

“It’s also important that Cameroon and DRC have been identified by the World Health Organization and RBM Partnership as “high burden to high impact” (HBHI) countries, ensuring these countries will benefit from increased attention and investment from the international community.” The other study co-chair is Professor Bob Snow, KEMRI-Wellcome-University of Oxford Collaborative Programme in Kenya.

HBHI is an initiative supported by the RBM Partnership to End Malaria and the World Health Organization to build international support and country-led responses to reignite the pace of progress in the global malaria fight. Respondents associated with malaria control programmes in the two HBHI countries in the study were aware of the strategy and believed that with sufficient resources it would be highly beneficial.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor

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Increased public spending on agriculture to solve Africa’s food crises

NaijaAgroNet 

The World Bank has urged Africa to increase public spending on agriculture as the only solution to solving the continent’s food crises NaijaAgroNet can authoritatively report.

Addressing a business forum in Nairobi, World Bank Group Senior Natural Resources Management Specialist, Ademola Braimoh stated that low investments in agriculture have made Africa’s agricultural sector vulnerable to climate change.

“These challenges can be overcome through more investment in instruments such as the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA),” Braimoh said during the launch of the World Bank’s report on Increasing Agricultural Production and Resilience through improved Agro- Meteorological Services, NaijaAgroNet learnt.

In the same development, World Bank Kenya Country Director, Diarietou Gaye said over 220 million people are currently food insecure in Africa and this figure could rise to over 350 million by the end of 2015 unless appropriate interventions are put in place to cope with the intensity of climate change.

Gaye said climate change is a fundamental threat to development and should be confronted in order to combat poverty. She noted that a two degree Celsius rise in temperature in Africa will trigger a 40 to 80 per cent decline in land area suitable for growing maize, millet and sorghum.

“Climate projections indicate that crop yields decline by 5 per cent for every Celsius degree of global warming,” she added. 

Cyriacus Nnaji /ED (Ops)

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Power generation exceeds 4,000mw in Nigeria

NaijaAgroNet:

Federal Government of Nigeria may have exceeded 4,000 mega watts (mw) which saw to increase in power supply to homes, offices and business across the country, according to the Kande Daniel, special adviser, media and communication to the minister of power, Prof. Chinedu Ositadimma Nebo, reports NaijaAgroNet.

A press statement endorsed by Kande Daniel and sighted by NaijaAgroNet informed that after grid information was released last weekend, Nigeria’s generation capacity has gone up in excess of 4,000mw to 4,105.90mw as at last Tuesday.

Daniel further revealed a breakdown of how generated capacity was shared, with the industrial nerve-centre Lagos and environs getting the highest, a maximum load totaling 985.0mw, while the maximum load allocated to Abuja through Katampe and Gwagwalada power line was 410.80mw.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that Nigeria’s generation capacity as at mid last week stood at 3,795.30mw.

“The latest grid information has dismissed insinuations in some sections of the media that power generation dropped to less than 2,000mw,” Daniel declared.

Pointing out to NaijaAgroNet that the general view since mid-last week suggests that many households now enjoy enhanced power supply in their domains.

The ministry went on to assure on government’s resolve to consolidate efforts at removing all bottlenecks to sufficient power supply.

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Photo: Chinedu Nebo, power minister