1.4m IDPs live in cholera ‘hotspots’ Northeast Nigeria

NaijaAgroNet:

Over 1.4 million Internally Displaced People (IDP) have been confirmed living in cholera ‘hotspots’ in the Northeastern Nigeria, with 28 persons confirmed died from the outbreak, reports NaijaAgroNet.

As revealed by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) there is growing concern for the health and wellbeing of 1.4 million displaced people, including 350,000 children under the age of five, living in cholera ‘hotspots’ in northeast Nigeria.

The outbreak, UNICEF said, occurs as ongoing violence and military efforts against insurgents in the region have displaced over 1.7 million people and left over 3.6 million without adequate access to basic water services.

UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Pernille Ironside, confirmed this to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement made available by the chief of communication, Doune Porter, an estimated 28 people have died from cholera, while 837 are suspected to have been infected with the disease, including at least 145 children under the age of five.

“The outbreak was first identified in the Muna Garage camp for the displaced in Maiduguri, the state capital of northeast Nigeria’s Borno state,” she said, and has since spread to six other locations in the state.

She reassured that UNICEF and partners have rapidly scaled up their response to the cholera outbreak, as heavy rains multiply the risk of disease and malnutrition for conflict affected children.

For Ironside, “Cholera is difficult for young children to withstand at any time, but becomes a crisis for survival when their resilience is already weakened by malnutrition, malaria and other waterborne diseases” lamenting that “Cholera is one more threat amongst many that children in northeast Nigeria are battling today in order to survive.”

NaijaAgroNet gathered that a cholera preparedness plan has been in place since before the rains began, even as religious leaders, community heads and local volunteers have been mobilised to encourage good hygiene practices and help refer suspected cases to health facilities.

“Water is chlorinated at access points in the camps and across host communities in an effort to curb the spread of disease as the rainy season continues,” Ironside said.

                  

Since the outbreak was confirmed there has been a closely coordinated water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health rapid response, driven by the Borno State Government with support from World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF and international non-governmental organisations, including the setup of a cholera treatment centre at the Muna Garage Camp.

NaijaAgroNet further reports that as the impact of the rains is felt, UNICEF said, it also scaled up nutrition and child health programmes across the three northeast Nigerian states mostly affected by conflict.

“So far this year, UNICEF has treated over 110,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, distributed nearly 120,000 mosquito nets and provided emergency primary health care services to over three million people in these states. The response continues despite increased security concerns, reduced access because of floods and a heavily damaged health system,” UNICEF official confirmed.

NaijaAgroNet equally reports that even in the face of a deadly cholera outbreak, the WASH sector remains critically underfunded. To date, UNICEF has only received 49 per cent of funding needed to provide two million people with access to clean water, one of the main interventions that can protect children from deadly waterborne diseases and offer some protection against the threat of malnutrition.

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First solar power incubator for showcase, invites proposals

NaijaAgroNet:

The city of Abidjan in Cote D’Ivoire has concluded plans to host the first solar power incubator conference tagged ‘Unlocking Solar Capital Africa’ next month, October, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The conference championed by Solarplaza, NaijaAgroNet reports focuses on connecting solar project development and finance cum investment, will be the first African event featuring a Solar Incubator programme.

NaijaAgroNet gathered, this event is aimed at identifying Solar cells, also called photovoltaic (PV) cells by scientists, which converts sunlight directly into electricity. PV, experts say gets its name from the process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage), which is called the PV effect.

Also, it’s aimed at PV projects of potential in sub-Saharan Africa by providing access to funding, commercial and technical know-how.

In addition, NaijaAgroNet gathered, the initiative ‘The PV Solar Incubator, Your Project, Our Expertise, For a Sustainable Future,’ will be launched by Phanes Group in partnership with Solarplaza, Hogan Lovells, responsAbility, and Proparco, and invites PV developers to submit proposals for projects that are based in sub-Saharan Africa, and have a clear Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) component.

Candidates are asked to submit their proposals before October 1, 2017, via Phanes Group’s website or through the conference website.

Shortlistees, NaijaAgroNet further gathered will be invited to pitch their projects to an expert panel at Solarplaza’s ‘Unlocking Solar Capital Africa’ conference in Ivory Coast, October 25 - 26, where the industry’s biggest players will hold extensive discussions about solutions for Africa’s solar energy funding gap.

Chief executive officer, Phanes Group,  Martin Haupts, revealed to NaijaAgroNet, comes as part of Unlocking Solar Capital Africa’s goal to solve Africa’s solar energy funding gap and Phanes Group's core strategy to collaborate with Africa-focused counterparties, such as local project owners, governments, and developers on projects that seek to create a sustainable future for urban and rural communities across the sub-Saharan region.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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EnviroNews, others for 8th Environmental awards..

EnviroNews, others to receive awards at 8th Enviro...: ITRealms: Leading online environment and development magazine,   EnviroNews Nigeria , along with several others organisations and indiv...

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Buhari administration takes private enterprise seriously - VP Osinbajo

NaijaAgroNet:

The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has said that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration takes private enterprise seriously, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking during the Commissioning of the Edo State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited NPK Fertilizer Plant, Auchi, Edo State on Tuesday, Osinbajo said that the state-owned fertilizer plant has been recently rehabilitated, as a Public-Private Partnership.

This accounts for the Presidential Enabling Business Council set up by President Muhammadu Buhari, the work of which was fortified by the Executive Order No. 1, which he executed on May 18, 2017, on the promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment and facilitation of the ease of doing business.

“The clear objective of establishing the plant is to boost farming activities and the agric value chain nationwide. This investment is a direct response to the Federal Government's strategy of growing the Nigerian economy on a zero oil assumption,” he said.

Agriculture, he noted, is that well-known, “but abandoned pathway to our economic diversification and national prosperity. The fundamental constraint to optimizing agriculture is access to inputs, fertilizer being a fundamental input. On the average, a Nigerian farmer uses 13kg per hectare of fertilizer compared with world average of 100kg per hectare. “

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande, in a press statement available to NaijaAgroNet quoted VP Osinbajo as explaining why Mr. President negotiated the December 2016 Fertilizer initiative, working with the Moroccan King, aimed at achieving local production of 1 million metric tons of NPK fertilizer for 2017 wet season farming. Reducing costs and delivering finished products at N5000-5500 per bag (formerly between N8-9,000 sometimes N13,000).

This, again, he said, is an enterprise that will create at least 500 direct jobs and several more indirect jobs. It will bring us closer to self-sufficiency in fertilizer production and, perhaps most importantly, boost food production and reduce food prices, ultimately enhancing food security in Nigeria.

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Drought-stricken herders in Ethiopia need urgent support

NaijaAgroNet:

Supporting herders to get back on their feet and preventing further livestock losses and suffering are crucial in drought-hit Ethiopia where hunger has been on the rise this year, warned today the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), reports NaijaAgroNet.

Drought has devastated herders’ livelihoods as it exhausted pastures and water sources, leading to a significant number of animals dying or falling ill, particularly in the southern and southeastern regions of the country as other areas recover from previous seasons’ El Niño-induced drought.

Drought-hit pastoralists face reduced milk production, rising malnutrition, and have limited income-earning capacity and severely constrained access to food.

Some 8.5 million people – one in 12 people – are now suffering from hunger; of these, 3.3 million people live in Somali Region.

The current food and nutrition crisis is significantly aggravated by the severe blow to pastoral livelihoods. For livestock-dependent families, the animals can literally mean the difference between life and death, especially for children, pregnant and nursing women for whom milk is a crucial source of nutrition.

With up to 2 million animals lost so far, FAO is focusing on providing emergency livestock support to the most vulnerable pastoralist communities through animal vaccination and treatment, supplementary feed and water, rehabilitating water points, and supporting fodder and feed production.

“It is crucial to provide this support between now and October – when rains are due – to begin the recovery process and prevent further losses of animals. If we don’t act now, hunger and malnutrition will only get worse among pastoral communities,” said Abdoul Karim Bah, FAO Deputy Representative in Ethiopia.

By providing supplementary feed and water for livestock, while at the  same time supporting fodder production, FAO seeks to protect core breeding animals and enable drought-hit families to rebuild their livelihoods. Animal health campaigns will be reinforced to protect animals, particularly before the rains set in, when they are at their weakest and more susceptible to parasites or infectious diseases. FAO-supported destocking and cash-for-work programmes will also provide a crucial source of cash for families.

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Mobile technology helps to transfer cash to conflict-affected rural families

NaijaAgroNet:

Many vulnerable rural families in Iraq can now benefit from a safer, more secure means of receiving income thanks to mobile money transfer technology adopted for the first time by Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) as part of a cash-for-work programme aimed at rehabilitating agricultural infrastructure and land, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The programme, which is funded by the Belgian Government, will support 12,000 conflict-affected people in 30 villages in Kirkuk, Anbar, Salah al-Din and Ninewa governorates. It will benefit local farmers, by enabling them to restart or expand farming activities with rehabilitated infrastructure, and provides agricultural livelihoods opportunities for displaced people returning home.

Participants, who are from households with no other income source, include women who are often the sole breadwinners for their families, and people with a disability. The workers and their families are people who either remained in their villages during conflict or returned home after being displaced by the fighting.

"The use of mobile technology will streamline the safe delivery of cash transfers to participants, who are some of the most vulnerable people in the country," said Fadel El-Zubi, FAO Representative in Iraq. "Providing income opportunities is critical in rural areas affected by conflict, where competition for employment is high, jobs are scarce and people are struggling to support their families."

To facilitate the payments, FAO has partnered with Zain a mobile and data services operator with a commercial footprint in eight Middle Eastern and African countries. Participant names and identity numbers are pre-registered with the company, and they receive a free SIM card. Once each person completes a certain number of days of work, they receive a text message containing a personalised security code. They can then collect their wages from any certified money mobile transfer agent, provided their code and identity number match those registered.

"As well as providing much-needed income for participants, the programme will improve agricultural production in the surrounding communities, through activities including rehabilitating canals for irrigation to grow crops and preparing farmland for planting," said El-Zubi. "This, in turn, will encourage community members still displaced by conflict to return home and begin farming again. FAO's aim is to support people to get back on their feet as quickly as possible, and reduce their reliance on food assistance."

Around 12 million Iraqis reside in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Years of conflict has destroyed or damaged harvests, equipment, infrastructure, livestock, seeds, crops and stored food; and left 3.2 million Iraqis food insecure. As of 15 July 2017, more than 3.3 million people remained displaced within Iraq, while about 2 million had returned home.

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180m lack access to basic water, UNICEF

NaijaAgroNet:

Over 180 million people do not have access to basic drinking water in countries affected by conflict, violence and instability across the world, UNICEF warned today, as World Water Week gets under way.

“Children’s access to safe water and sanitation, especially in conflicts and emergencies, is a right, not a privilege” said Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF’s global chief of water, sanitation and hygiene. ”In countries beset by violence, displacement, conflict and instability, children’s most basic means of survival – water – must be a priority.”

People living in fragile situations are four times more likely to lack basic drinking water than populations in non-fragile situations, according to a recent UNICEF and World Health Organisation analysis. Of the estimated 484 million people living in fragile situations in 2015, 183 million lacked basic drinking water services.

In Yemen, a country reeling from the impact of over two years of conflict, water supply networks that serve the country’s largest cities are at imminent risk of collapse due to war-inflicted damage and disrepair. Around 15 million people in the country have been cut off from regular access to water and sanitation.

In Syria, where the conflict is well into its seventh year, around 15 million people are in need of safe water, including an estimated 6.4 million children. Water has frequently been used as a weapon of war: In 2016 alone, there were at least 30 deliberate water cuts – including in Aleppo, Damascus, Hama, Raqqa and Dara, with pumps destroyed and water sources contaminated.

In conflict-affected areas in northeast Nigeria, 75 per cent of water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, leaving 3.6 million people without even basic water services.

In South Sudan, where fighting has raged for over three years, almost half the water points across the country have been damaged or completely destroyed.

“In far too many cases, water and sanitation systems have been attacked, damaged or left in disrepair to the point of collapse. When children have no safe water to drink, and when health systems are left in ruins, malnutrition and potentially fatal diseases like cholera will inevitably follow,” said Wijesekera.

In Yemen, for example, children make up more than 53 per cent of the over half a million cases of suspected cholera and acute watery diarrhoea reported so far.  Somalia is suffering from the largest outbreak of cholera in the last five years, with nearly 77,000 cases of suspected cholera/acute watery diarrhoea. And in South Sudan, the cholera outbreak is the most severe the country has ever experienced, with more than 19,000 cases since June 2016.

In famine-threatened north-east Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, nearly 30 million people, including 14.6 million children, are in urgent need of safe water. More than 5 million children are estimated to be malnourished this year, with 1.4 million severely so.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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Good nutrition, key to breaking cycle of poverty in Nigeria - SBNN

NaijaAgroNet:

Eradicating malnutrition could increase wages by between 5 and 50 per cent and is a sure way of breaking an inter-generational cycle of poverty in Nigeria, according to Scale Up Nutrition Business Network Nigeria (SBNN), a civil society group, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking in Lagos at a one day symposium organised by Media Centre Against Child Malnutrition (MeCAM), Ms Ify Ibiso of SUN Business Network added that good nutrition can prevent "child deaths by more than one third per year, improve school attainment by at least one year, reduce poverty as well-nourished children are 33% more likely to escape poverty as adults and empower women to be 10% more likely to run their own business."

She noted that at least 33% of Nigerian children under 5y are stunted, 18% wasted, 2% overweight, while only a paltry 17% of the under-fives are exclusively breastfed.

Ms Ibiso called for improved media awareness and reporting of nutrition,  adding that her organisation is always ready to partner with journalists to not only give proper perspective to the topic but also ensure that nutrition is given adequate attention by all relevant stakeholders. 

She added: "The media is an important ally in any public health situation and in this case focusing on nutrition. It serves the role of Influencers and Investigators and is a source of correct information as well as an advocate for correct health behaviours; but before the media can take on their roles, they need to understand nutrition, the issues surrounding it, and policy and practices, in order to convey the right information.

"The SUN Business Network is willing and ready to partner with the media to improve the nutrition of the Nigerian populace especially for children."

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New IFAD-supported project boosts rural economy, livelihoods

NaijaAgroNet:

A total of 60,000 Angolan rural households in Cuanza Sul and Huila provinces will benefit from a financial agreement, signed today between the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Angola, that will generate revenue and boost food and nutrition security of poorer households. The project will increase smallholder agriculture productivity, production and marketing for selected crops and will place a special focus on women and young people.

The financing agreement for the Smallholder Agriculture Development and Commercialization Project in Cuanza Sul and Huila Provinces (SADCP-CH) was signed in Rome by Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD, and Florêncio Mariano da Conceição de Almeida, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Angola to IFAD.

The total cost of the project is US$38.2 million, including a $28.8 million loan from IFAD. The project will be cofinanced by the Government of Angola ($8.2 million) and by the beneficiaries themselves ($1.1 million).

During Angola’s 26-year civil war, the agriculture sector was devastated and productivity plummeted. Due to instability, many smallholder farmers reverted to subsistence farming to feed their families. What minimal surplus they had, they sold in local markets. SADCP-CH will help subsistence farmers increase agricultural production and productivity through improved agricultural practices and technologies. Farmer field schools will strengthen the skills of smallholders and their organizations.

With most agriculture in the region dependent on rainfall, SADCP-CH will also enhance access to water and more efficient water use. It will develop small-scale irrigation systems, focussing on the rehabilitation of existing schemes that cover about 500 hectares in the project area.

Support will be provided to farmers’ organizations to promote climate resilient agriculture for key priority food and horticultural crops, while working to promote investments aimed at reducing post-harvest losses and strengthening market linkages. 

For example, the project will pilot and promote low-cost technologies for storage and processing of perishable products. This will help farmers capitalize on the market, rather than being subject to opportunistic traders that are well aware of product perishability. The expectation is that the increased demand for goods and services in rural areas will spur the creation of non-farm jobs, in particular for the young people.

Since 1991, IFAD has financed six rural development programmes and projects in Angola for a total cost of $139.7 million, with an IFAD investment of $76.0 million directly benefiting 261,600 rural households.

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Food security: Pope Francis donates to FAO

NaijaAgroNet:

The Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis, in an unprecedented move, has symbolically donated €25,000 to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO's) efforts supporting people facing food insecurity and famine in East Africa, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Pope Francis said the funds are "a symbolic contribution to an FAO programme that provides seeds to rural families in areas affected by the combined effects of conflicts and drought."

The pontiff's remarks were contained in a letter to FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva by Monsignor Fernando Chica Arellano, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN food agencies in Rome.

Pope Francis' gesture stemmed from a pledge he made in a message to FAO's Conference on 3 July 2017 and was "inspired also by the desire to encourage Governments," Monsignor Chica wrote in the letter.

Famine was declared in parts of South Sudan in February and while the situation has eased after a significant scaling up in the humanitarian response, some 6 million people in the country are still struggling to find enough food every day.

Meanwhile the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in five other East African countries - Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda - is currently estimated at about 16 million, which marks an increase of about 30 percent since late 2016.

Pope Francis, who has made solidarity a major theme of his pontificate, is set to visit FAO's headquarters on 16 October to mark World Food Day. This year the event is being held under the slogan: "Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development".

Isaac Oyimah/ED, ops

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