Energy and New Green Technology Confab'17 berths @...

Energy and New Green Technology Confab'17 berths @...: ITRealms : The Garden City of Port Harcourt is set to host The Energy and New Green Technology Conference with the theme: ‘The Future o...

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

IDforGirls: Kaduna launches End Violence against Children campaign

As Nigeria joins countries around the world to celebrate International Day of the Girl, Kaduna State fulfilled its commitment to launch a campaign to end violence against children. Kaduna is now the seventh Nigerian state to have launched such a campaign, following promises made by all states to put in place action plans to end violence against children.

The Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, Deputy Governor Barnabas Bala Bantex promised that government policies would be reinforced to improve the quality of life for girls and to protect the rights of children in Kaduna state. "Basic education is free and compulsory, especially for school age girls in Kaduna State," the Deputy Governor noted. "We must continue to work with UNICEF and other development partners to protect children and to end the incidence of any form of violence against children," he added at today’s launch of the campaign in Kaduna. 

“If Nigeria is to realize its commitment to achieve gender equality and to empower all women and girls by 2030, it needs to redouble its’ efforts to meet the challenges of violence against girls, child marriage, female genital mutilation, and unequal access to education,” noted Pernille Ironside, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria a.i. “These are the fundamental drivers of inequity for girls.”

At the National Centre for Women Development in Abuja this morning, UNICEF and partners, including the Federal Ministry of Education, the Malala Fund, ONE Campaign and DFID, launched a series of activities to mark International Day of the Girl, which will include essay writing competitions and leadership training for girls.

The global theme for the day this year is “Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision 2030,” focusing on “EmPOWER girls: Emergency response and resilience planning.”Global studies indicate that in crisis situations, girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys, compromising their future prospects for work and financial independence as adults. Health services critical to girls’ wellbeing, including sexual and reproductive health services and information, maternal care, and provisions for menstrual health and hygiene are often scarce or insufficient during periods of conflict.

At the Abuja celebration of International Day of the Girl this morning, UNICEF called for girls to have access to specially-tailored programmes to meet their needs in the humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria, where an estimated 4 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

Thousands of girls in northeast Nigeria have been held by Boko Haram, most suffering the trauma of violence, rape and forced ‘marriage.’ Even when they escape or are released from captivity, the stigma associated with such harrowing experiences can be lifelong and girls require specific support to reintegrate into their communities.

UNICEF interventions in education, health, nutrition, water, sanitation, and child protection in the northeast are designed to be gender-sensitive in order to meet the needs of both girls and boys.

UNICEF also supports the Borno State Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development in the provision of programmes for girls affected by the insurgency. These include social integration of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, stigma, counselling support and access to education.

“In emergency situations like the one in northeast Nigeria, we must be sure to listen to girls and encourage them to participate in the processes that affect them, including in disaster management, efforts to build resilience, and in peacebuilding and recovery,” said UNICEF’s Pernille Ironside, “Only with girls’ participation will their perspectives and needs be understood and incorporated into the humanitarian response.”

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

'The Future of Everything is here @SDG'

NaijaAgroNet:

The joint meeting of the United Nations General Assembly Second Committee and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will have a special focus on “The Future of Everything—Sustainable Development in the Age of Rapid Technological Change” reports NaijaAgroNet.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also called artificial intelligence “a new frontier” with “advances moving at warp speed.

He pointed out that nowadays, driverless cars, advanced medical diagnosis, 3D printing, artificial intelligence is playing an increasing role in the economy today, and it can fundamentally reshape global and local economies in the years to come. The impacts on communities and societies could be profound.

To place the issue of artificial intelligence on the international agenda, experts from Governments, academia, business and civil society, will gather at UN Headquarters in New York on 11 October, to identify options to harness the potential of rapid technological change and innovation towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The life-like robot “Sophia,” he noted has made many public appearances, and will also participate in the event.

“Artificial Intelligence has the potential to accelerate progress towards a dignified life, in peace and prosperity, for all people,” said Mr. Guterres. “The time has arrived for all of us – governments, industry and civil society – to consider how artificial intelligence will affect our future.”

The UN discussion is intended to identify options on how the potential of technological change can be harnessed to achieve sustainable development. The experts, covering a range of areas, will discuss the key trends in technology and innovation in recent years, and how they have had differential impacts on people and prosperity.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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

Trafficking: UNICEF facilitates release of 527 chi...

Trafficking: UNICEF facilitates release of 527 chi...: ITRealms : The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has facilitated the release of 752 persons including 527 children, reports ITRealm...

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Respite for millions of children in West Africa

NaijaAgroNet:

Respite may have come the way of millions of children in West Africa, as all member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) agreed to a range of concrete measures to protect children from violence, abuse and exploitation, reports NaijaAgroNet.

 Arising from the ECOWAS First Ladies’ Forum in Niamey, which ended Thursday, October 5, 2017, Ministers responsible for the care and protection of children across the 15 Member States adopted on 4 October the ECOWAS Strategic Framework for Strengthening National Child Protection Systems to Prevent and Respond to Violence, Abuse and Exploitation against Children in West Africa.

In doing so they are committing to concrete measures to protect children from the most damaging forms of abuse, by focusing on five priority areas: sexual, physical and emotional violence against children, including female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C); child marriage; child labour; civil registration and vital statistics; and children on the move.

Led by the ECOWAS Commission, the Strategic Framework was developed in collaboration with a Regional Child Protection Working Group comprised of United Nations agencies and international non-governmental organizations and networks.

Almost 9 out of 10 children in West Africa experience violent discipline. While child marriage exists throughout the continent, it is especially prevalent in West Africa, which hosts six out of the ten countries with the highest rates of child marriage in the world: about four in ten young women in West Africa were married off as children. Less than one in two children in West Africa have a birth certificate, which is their basic right to an identity. In addition, the region is the theatre of complex migration routes where children are especially vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.

“The Ministerial adoption marks a major step forward for the protection of children in our region”, said ECOWAS’ Commissioner for Social Affairs, Dr. Fatimata Dia Sow, whose organization convened the gathering of experts and ministers from the 15 Member States. “We stand together more strongly than ever to ensure children are safe and protected. With the right framework, the right actions, the right resources and the right positive changes in attitudes and practices, we can ensure they have an opportunity to fully contribute to our societies.”

Strong child protection systems can ensure that no child falls between the cracks. They provide the surest safeguards against child abuse, neglect, exploitation and other forms of violence through a concerted effort between formal and informal actors. The adoption of the Child Protection Framework provides a joint platform for action on the protection priorities for children. As programmes for children are strengthened at national and community level, Ministerial commitments made during this week’s meeting will be submitted for approval at the next ECOWAS Heads of State meeting in December 2017.

“In West Africa, urgent action is needed to address the acute vulnerabilities of children”, said Andy Brooks, the Chair of the Regional Child Protection Working Group. “We count on the commitment shown by the Ministers being echoed and supported by the Heads of States and the First Ladies’ network in West Africa. We will continue to support States to strengthen services on the ground and the ECOWAS Commission in tracking accountabilities to commitments made here today.”

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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

1.3bn tonnes of food produce wasted

NaijaAgroNet:

Globally, one-third of all food produce for human consumption estimated at 1.3 billion tonnes is lost or wasted, annually, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This disclosure was made by the officials of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and which has caused massive financial losses while squandering natural resources.

In Europe alone, according to European Union (EU) Commission, about 88 million tonnes of food are wasted each year, with associated costs estimated at €143 billion.

FAO also said, the increased use and abuse of Anti-Medicines in both human and animal healthcare has contributed to an increase in the number of disease-causing microbes that are resistant to antimicrobial medicines used to treat them, like antibiotics.

This makes AMR a growing threat that could lead to as many as 10 million deaths a year and over $100 million in losses to the global economy by 2050, according to some studies. And in addition to public health risks, AMR has implications for food safety as walls as the economic wellbeing of millions of farming households across the globe.

For this, FAO and EU are synchronizing efforts to quantify food losses and waste at each state of the food chain.

To enhance the exchange of information and evidence related to antimicrobial use in food production as well as AMR management best practices, paved the way for the recent agreement signed between the two.

For them, joint advocacy and education efforts to promote the responsible use of antimicrobials and improve farm-level hygiene to reduce the need for their use in the first place

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology
Pix: Courtesy: https://www.geo.tv

EU, FAO agree to deepen strategic alliance, halve food waste

NaijaAgroNet:

The European Union (EU) Commissioner of Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis and FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva have agreed to ratchet up collaboration between the two organizations to address food waste, food safety, and antimicrobial resistance in supply chains, reports NaijaAgroNet.

In a new letter of intent signed between, FAO and the EU, both pledged to work closely together to halve per capita food waste by 2030, a goal established under the new Sustainable Development Goals global agenda. It also commits them to intensified cooperation on tackling the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on farms and in food systems.

Speaking at a signing ceremony at FAO's Rome headquarters, Commissioner Andriukaitis said: "Food loss and waste represent an unacceptable, unethical and immoral squandering of scarce resources and increase food insecurity, while AMR marks a grave societal and economic burden," adding: "We are becoming more united, more efficient and more strategic in how we tackle these issues, and as such, this agreement should be celebrated."

Calling AMR growing global concern, Graziano da Silva said: "Unfortunately the use of antibiotics, including their use to promote growth, is already widespread."

He described FAO's vision that antibiotics and other antimicrobials should be only used to cure diseases and, in certain circumstances, to prevent epidemics. They should not be used for growth promotion, he said.    

Noting that food loss and waste is linked to many aspects of sustainable development, Graziano da Silva cited the importance of strong partnerships like that between the FAO and the EU in addressing the problem.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Novartis Access extends to sixth African country, Nigeria still aloof

NaijaAgroNet:

The Novartis Access has extended portfolio of high-quality medicines targeted at four key non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to the sixth country on the continent of Africa while Nigeria still aloof, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The latest addition being the Republic of Cameroon, just as NaijaAgroNet reports that Novartis Access had landed at Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Pakistan and Uganda before now.

According to Novartis Global Media Relations, Eric Althoff they were pleased to disclosed this in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health of Cameroon after they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement Novartis Access in Cameroon.

The collaboration, NaijaAgroNet also reports include capacity-building activities with the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) on community awareness. Initially.

Althoff said, Novartis Access medicines will be made available through CBCHS hospitals and clinics, with the objective to extend the programme to other faith-based organizations across the country.

Novartis Access, NaijaAgroNet gathered, provides a portfolio of high-quality medicines targeting four key non-communicable diseases (NCDs), namely, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, and breast cancer. This portfolio covers the world’s most frequently prescribed medicines for chronic diseases.

“Cameroon is increasingly affected by the burden of noncommunicable diseases,” said André Mama Fouda, Minister of Public Health of the Republic of Cameroon. “The government has established prevention and control programs for chronic diseases, and having access to high-quality treatments at low cost is critical to success. This collaboration with Novartis is part of the solution.”

According to the WHO, chronic diseases cause 31% (1) of all deaths every year in Cameroon, and a survey by the CBCHS showed consultations for NCDs at some of their health facilities rose by over 40% between 2011 and 2015 (2).

“We are pleased to help Cameroonian patients better manage their chronic conditions,” said Dr. Harald Nusser, Head of Novartis Social Business. “We believe new approaches such as Novartis Access that bring governments, the private sector and social sector together are needed to expand access to medicines and healthcare delivery.”

Beyond medicines, the collaboration will also offer activities to strengthen healthcare systems in Cameroon, for example by training healthcare professionals on NCD screening, diagnosis and treatment, quality assurance and by providing community education and awareness.

“This month, CBCHS and Novartis will kick off a Know Your Numbers campaign to encourage individuals to know their vital health numbers through community awareness and screenings,” said Prof. Tih Pius Muffih, Director of CBCHS. “Activities such as this campaign are needed to ensure we combat NCDs effectively, thanks to stronger healthcare systems and high-quality medicines.”

The campaign will take place in seven health districts in five regions, reaching a potential population of 1 million people with education and NCD health checks.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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

PAUWES graduates 48 on energy, water, climate change

NaijaAgroNet:

The Pan African University Institute for Water and Energy Sciences including Climate Change (PAUWES) celebrated the second graduating class of its both tracks of two Master programmes  with 47 students from across the African continent, report NaijaAgroNet.

The graduating students, NaijaAgroNet gathered have received their diplomas during a ceremony at the University of Tlemcen.

Director, PAUWES at University of Tlemcen, Prof. Abdellatif Zerga, said this year’s graduating students join the next generation of African engineers and policymakers committed to addressing the issues critical to Africa’s sustainable development. They have not only successfully completed their coursework requirements, but have conducted practice-oriented research for their master theses based on a multitude of case studies that address the water, energy, and climate-related challenges Africa faces.

NaijaAgroNet reports that in order to gain a transcontinental perspective of those same challenges, our students have also completed international internships in the private and public sectors at renowned research institutions cross Africa and beyond. Besides focusing on their studies, the students of the Class of 2017—with the support of PAUWES—launched the first student-lead clubs, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Club and the Community of Practice (CoP), which have contributed to the overall sense of community and leadership that our institute strives to promote.

This cohort of graduating students, NaijaAgroNet reports, represents and fulfills one of the key objectives of the Pan African University (PAU) and PAUWES, which is to foster an African learning environment of the most qualified and motivated scholars while revitalizing and nurturing the quality of African higher education.

Not only are an array African Union member states and eleven female students represented in the Class of 2017, but this diverse cohort of students have had the opportunity to study alongside an international faculty of over 100 professors and researchers from across Africa and the world.

Supported by PAUWES, the University of Tlemcen and our key thematic partner—Germany, we are confident that students of the Class of 2017 are well positioned to become leaders in public administration, policy-making, research, technology, private enterprise, and civil society.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Smallholders worst affected by lumpy skin disease

NaijaAgroNet:

The ongoing epidemic of lumpy skin disease is affecting largely the smallholder farmers’ leading to the warning by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), reports NaijaAgroNet.

In a position paper made available to NaijaAgroNet, FAO warned that even countries that have not been affected by lumpy skin disease so far but are considered at risk need to carry out risk-based vaccination to avert the spread of the disease, which can have devastating consequences for farmers, particularly smallholders.

Pointing out that for broader cattle vaccination to keep lumpy skin disease at bay, especially in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and in areas where the risk is the highest.

Lumpy skin disease is a cattle pox virus transmitted by biting insects that can be deadly for cattle but does not affect humans. The disease used to be confined to Africa only. In 2013, it emerged in Turkey and then quickly spread through nine countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. 

At the height of the disease’s spread in Europe, countries hit by lumpy skin disease registered up to 200 outbreaks, which have led to significant economic losses – due to drops in milk production and reduced quality of skins – and the death of up to around 15 percent of the affected herds.

“Although the outbreak in Europe was contained in April following mass vaccinations, we have seen the disease resurface in recent months in Albania, Greece and Macedonia. It’s just another warning sign that the disease has not been fully contained yet and can keep spreading if we don’t step up efforts to control it,” said Ren Wang, FAO Assistant Director-General, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department.

FAO urges governments across the regions at risk of lumpy skin disease to carry out vaccination campaigns, especially ahead of bug season, which usually starts in March, when infection rates are highest to prevent, control and eliminate the disease.

Preventive vaccination in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and northern Serbia, for example, would create a buffer zone and stop the disease from potentially spreading to neighbouring countries such as Hungary and Romania, which have been spared to date from the disease.

FAO warned that stamping out – the proactive culling of all animals on an infected farm – should be used as a last resort because stamping out can have a drastic impact on farmers’ livelihoods, particularly those of smallholders. If stamping out is considered necessary, FAO recommends for this to be used only in the case of clinically affected cattle, when the infection is confirmed by an authorized laboratory, and animals should be humanely culled and appropriately disposed of as soon as possible.

FAO has already played an important role in reshaping countries’ policies so that vaccination is used as a key measure to prevent lumpy skin disease, and to minimize stamping out.

“Despite the progress made in combatting lumpy skin disease, there are still some grey areas we need to focus on. For one, we need to understand better if lumpy skin disease can also be  transmitted from one animal to another via infected milk, for example, and if infected animals that do not show clinical signs could still spread the virus,” said Ren Wang, Assistant Director-General, FAO Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department.

“There is also a need for better regional coordination and heightened surveillance to deal more effectively with the spread of the disease,” Ren Wang said.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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

Pix: Ren Wang