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Wednesday, March 21, 2018

NAFDAC returns to Ports, borders for effective regulation - DG


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The Director General of the National Agency for Food andDrug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Christianah Mojisola Adeyeye, has assured Nigerians that the return of the agency to the nation’s ports and borders will enhance the regulation of importation of narcotic drugs and hazardous chemical substances, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This, she also said, would boost up the regulation of hazardous substances identified to be grossly abused and consequently, posing public health and security threats to the country.

A communique issued at the end of the National Chemical Security Training Conference in Abuja and held under the auspices of the Officeof the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and made available to NaijaAgroNet, with the theme “Towards a Secured Importation, Distribution, Storage and Use of Chemicals in Nigeria.”

NAFDAC DG noted that the return to ports and borders will once again, restore NAFDAC’s key responsibility of monitoring imports of controlled drugs and chemical substances which come in various forms, thus requiring expertise to monitor their industry-wide application and use.

The agency commended ONSA, the Chemical Society of Nigeria and other key stakeholders for recognizing NAFDAC as a key player in the national security architecture by this singular act of restoring the presence of NAFDAC officials at all designated Ports of entry and land borders.
She recalled that the laws establishing NAFDAC empowered the agency to statutorily operate at the ports. 

“The clearance of regulated products outside of the current legal framework poses immediate and life threatening risks to the public as unregistered, spurious and falsified products exit the ports without recourse to the agency’s approval for such products to be in the market,” she said.

Prof. Adeyeye further assured members of the public that NAFDAC will continue to contribute its quota to government’s efforts in securing lives and property by ensuring that only quality, safe, efficacious and wholesome regulated products and are consumed by Nigerians and smuggling of chemical weapons, harmful drugs and substances into the country is checked.
 
Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Diabetes monitor, a ‘game changer’

A new method of measuring blood glucose levels in people with diabetes is a significant advance in the management of the disease, reports NaijaAgroNet.

According to an independent assessment by University of Manchester, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Derby Teaching Hospitals experts, the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitor has been available on prescription in the United Kingdom from November 2017.

NaijaAgroNetgathered it works through a white disc adhered to the arm which connects remotely to a small monitoring device.

This design, NaijaAgroNet gathered is to replace the recommended 4-10 painful finger-stick blood glucose tests required each day for the self-management of diabetes.

Lead researcher from The University of Manchester and a Consultant Diabetologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Lalantha Leelarathna, noted that the disc is replaced every 14 days and could also be purchased by people with diabetes.

“Type 1 Diabetes can occur at any age but typically presents in childhood and requires lifelong insulin therapy. Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in people over 30-year-old and is initially treated without medication or with lifestyle modification and/or tablets,” Leelarathna said.

People with Type 1 Diabetes, Dr. Leelarathna said, should measure their blood glucose many times a day so they are able to adjust their insulin dose, stressing that having a blood glucose which is too high increases the risk of diabetes complications such as eye disease, foot ulcers and kidney disease.

Glucose levels which are too low can make the person with diabetes feel unwell and unable to function. If left untreated, low glucose can cause coma and seizures.

“Despite major progress in the care of people living with Type 1 diabetes, many fail to achieve their target blood sugar level – and that risks major complications.

“A key barrier in achieving near normal glucose levels is this need for frequent fingerstick blood glucose monitoring and that’s down to pain and inconvenience.

“Our review concludes that The FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitor works well for both adults and children.

 “The studies show it is accurate, comfortable and easy to use. It is associated with a reduction in low blood sugar levels, improvements in glycated haemoglobin levels and adverse events are low.

“Our assessment of the available evidence shows that for most patients, it is a game changer.”

Dr Emma Wilmot from Derby Teaching Hospitals said: “From our perspective, the FreeStyle Libre is a significant advance in the management of diabetes. Many users describe it as ‘life changing’.

‘The challenge in the UK is to now ensure that it reaches people living with diabetes. We are delighted that this device became available on the NHS drug tariff in November 2017.

“However, it is clear from the Diabetes UK map of access that this does not necessarily mean that it will make it into the hands of those who might benefit from the development of a postcode lottery for access would further add to the variation in diabetes care across the country and may adversely impact on outcomes.’


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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Investing in school meals ‘win-win’ for West African nations – UN

The United Nations food relief agency has urged governments in West Africa subregion to spend more money on school meal programmes as these investments not only contribute to children’s better future but also create local jobs around agriculture, reports NaijaAgroNet.
“It is a win-win opportunity which governments must seize,” said Abdou Dieng, UN World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Director for West and Central Africa. “Children enjoy healthy meals that make it more likely that they will stay in school and learn for a better future, while jobs are created and businesses develop.”
The call was made on African Day of School Feeding, annually observed on 1 March.
Increasingly, the food for the meals is sourced from smallholder farmers within the community. The idea is that home-grown school meals provide local farmers and businesses with a predictable outlet for their products, leading to more stable incomes, more investment, higher productivity and the creation of jobs for youth and women in the communities concerned.
In Burkina Faso, the introduction of yoghurt in school meals has had multiple benefits – a women’s group that collects milk locally has recently set up a processing plant for yoghurt that is now delivered to schools by young people on motorcycles.
Some governments in the region are showing a growing interest in investing more in national school meals programmes. The Government of Benin has allotted $47 million to feed 400,000 children over the course of five years in partnership with WFP, using a home-grown school meals model.
WFP’s regional school meals programme, which aims to assist about 2.7 million children this year, faces a $60 million funding gap. Without proper financing, the programme will fall short, leave many vulnerable students hungry and at risk of dropping out of school.

 Correspondent/GEE

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Miss Ghana UK 2017 to hang out with tertiary students

Food for All Africa in partnership with Miss Ghana UK Foundation and Psychosocial Africa would next month, April bring together tertiary students within Accra to hang out with the current Queen, Miss Sabina Lawabea Awuni, reports NaijaAgroNet.
The hangout, NaijaAgroNet gathered would culminate in a social event aimed at promoting mental health and nutritional well-being among tertiary students in Ghana.
NaijaAgroNet also gathered from Food for All Africa that for every case of suicide reported, five people have already contemplated committing suicide, making a total of about 200,000 people contemplating the idea annually.
Sabina said that on the use of social get together as a means to suicide prevention as such programmes tend to give people listening ears.
According to a 2012 survey conducted by the Network for Anti-suicide and Crisis Prevention in Ghana, five or more people commit suicide every day in the country. 
The dominant cause of their death ranged from problems with parents, failure at school, inability of parents to provide needs, impotence and relationship related issues. 
Former Chief Psychiatrist of the Accra Mental Hospital, Dr Akwesi Osei reiterates that suicide is premeditated. It is not something one does the first time he or she thinks about it.
“There are three organizational stages of suicide, involving “getting used to,” the idea, the means and the opportunity or motivation,” he said.
He described the first stage as the preparation state where a person prepares to commit suicide. People who are naturally secretive, who come from broken homes, people with no loving childhood and people with traumatic stress disorders are susceptible.
The second, he said were the precipitate factors that triggered one to commit suicide. Some of the triggers were financial crisis, loss of a loved one and separation.
The final stage was when victims remained in a perpetual state of the desire to kill him or herself, and with the triggers including the lack of financial support, among others.
Hang Out with Miss Ghana UK 2017, The Jubilee Queen on Saturday 7th April 2018 at Tuo Restaurant and garden on Ring road Central will be an experience sharing session with the Queen, Sabina Awuni, mental health advocate, Nana Abena Korkor Addo  and Chef Elijah Addo in promoting mental health and nutritional wellness among tertiary students in Ghana through activities such as cooking competition,eating,games,let’s talk and music jams.
The Queen together with SRC executives of participating schools will in the morning cook and serve breakfast to patients of Accra psychiatric hospital.


Uj. N. Dominic/ED, Ops
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Tuesday, March 13, 2018

ICTs essential to empowerment, success of poor rural women

The role of information communications technologies in supporting rural women's economic empowerment, voice and status, was the focus of discussions at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on 8 March, International Women’s Day, reports NaijaAgroNet.

IFAD, together with United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), will highlight the role that innovations in information and communications technologies (ICTs) can play in expanding rural women's opportunities in value chains and enterprise development, while increasing their access to education and information.

Many women, particularly young rural women, lack access to productive resources such as land, credit and technology. Women lag behind in terms of their access to ICTs, with only 41 per cent of women in low-and middle income countries owning mobile phones compared to 46 per cent for males. Nearly two-thirds of women living in the South Asia and East Asia and Pacific sub-regions do not own a mobile phone. Rural women regularly lack access to health care, education, decent work and social protection. As a consequence, they are more likely to be poor and they are vulnerable to economic and climatic shocks.


ICTs can go a long way to boosting economic opportunities for rural women. Mobile and smartphones, for example, provide access to real-time information on prices in different markets and allow more informed choices about where and when to buy and sell. Studies indicate that when women earn money, they are more likely than men to spend it on food for their families and the education of their children.

Uj. N. Dominic/ED, OP

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Sweden partners FAO to tackle dignity preservation @EMC

The Government of Sweden is partnering the Food andAgriculture Organisation (FAO) and The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as well as Arab Republic of Egypt to tackle issues on “Preserving Dignity and Sharing Responsibility: Mobilizing Collective Action for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), reports NaijaAgroNet.

The Extra-ordinary Ministerial Conference slated for March 15 at the FAO Headquarters, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, NaijaAgroNet gathered, will afford UNRWA to host the event on the oldest and largest UN humanitarian and human development programme in the Middle East, serving over five million Palestine refugees.

NaijaAgroNet equally gathered that UNRWA is experiencing the worst financial crisis in its 70 year history and may be forced to suspend services.

The Foreign Ministers of Jordan, Sweden and Egypt will co-chair the Extraordinary Ministerial Conference in support of UNRWA, which the aim to actively support a collective response by the international community to protect the rights and dignity of Palestinian Refugees and ensure that UNRWA’s unprecedented funding crisis of US$ 446 million is urgently resolved.


NaijaAgroNet the Extraordinary Ministerial Conference will include special attendance of the UN Secretary-General, Mr Antonio Guterres, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms Federica Mogherini.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Africa: Scale up women's rights, nutrition activism

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, three African leaders and activists, Martin Chungong, Cameroonian Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, former Prime Minister of Niger and CEO of NEPAD Agency, and Nahas Angula, former Prime Minister of Namibia and Convener of the Namibia Alliance for Improved Nutrition (NAFIN), come together to celebrate rural and urban crusaders who have transformed women’s lives and call for more activists to speak up for gender equality to fight malnutrition across Africa.
Today, as we mark International Women’s Day, we celebrate not only all women, but especially the activists – rural and urban, men and women – who are transforming women’s lives. Right now, women and men across Africa are part of a movement sweeping across the world for women’s rights, equality and justice.
You do not have to look far to see – or hear – women on the continent slowly breaking the silence, joining the #MeToo campaign on social media, raising their voices in unison alongside many men and against the status quo, organising for better representation in decision-making and demanding land rights and equal pay for work of equal value.
However, with the increase in hunger and food insecurity seen last year across parts of sub-Saharan Africa – for the first time in decades – there are few rights as important to our future survival as the right to adequate food and good nutrition. This will not happen unless each woman and man, girl and boy is equally valued and has the same access to food. This means that, when we move from thinking to acting on nutrition and food security, we must also think and act on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Throughout history, activism in Africa has yielded enormous results. Many women have fought for justice for women before us. Today this is not only a moral duty, it is the smart thing to do. Recently, countries such as Senegal and Tunisia have made strides in ensuring equal rights for both women and men. Rwanda has secured the highest percentage of women in parliament in the world, whilst women in Liberia and South Sudan have been at the forefront of peace and reconciliation efforts. In the words of Nelson Mandela – our ‘own’ Madiba – whose 100th birthday we will celebrate later this year, "freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression". Sadly, no country has achieved this freedom yet.

Where there is food insecurity, rural women and girls are disproportionally affected and more likely to experience the multiple burdens of malnutrition. They are often tasked with making sure every family and community member reaps the benefits of the best possible food and nutrients available and are involved at each stage of the food value chain – from farm to fork.
Although there are no large differences in the number of malnourished girls versus boys under five years old, the difference in power between males and females really becomes visible as girls reach adolescence. Malnourished mothers, especially those who have not attended secondary school, are more likely to give birth to malnourished girls and boys, perpetuating a vicious intergenerational cycle – with devastating effects for the brain power of the continent.
It is widely accepted that good nutrition is a maker and marker of sustainable development. What we now know is that gender equality is a maker and marker of good nutrition. With this knowledge, the main message we have for policy-makers, leaders and activists all over Africa is to scale up investments in women for better nutrition and food security everywhere. Yet, without empowering lawmakers to unblock resources from national budgets and putting in place the necessary means and policies in support of women and girls, no initiative will succeed.

Yesterday, we gathered together to address a high-level event of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in Johannesburg. This Alliance has been tasked with ensuring that food security and nutrition remain at the highest level of both political and legislative agendas. We brought together a regional platform for African Members of Parliament to make sure that women’s and girls’ rights, needs and agency are at the front and centre of all actions.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development promises to leave no one behind. Recently, the publication Nature estimated that no single African country is set to end childhood malnutrition by 2030, due to large disparities within countries themselves. This is in spite of the fact that most African countries, especially much of sub-Saharan Africa and eastern and southern regions, have shown improvements.

As members of the Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement – a voluntary push for better nutrition which today counts 60 countries, many of whom are African – we know that successful nutrition approaches are those that have sought to address and eliminate gender inequalities. Much of the reduction in hunger worldwide between 1970 and 1995 is a result of improvements in women’s status and access to decision-making, including in parliaments. We know that if we give a girl access to secondary schooling, more than 25 per cent fewer girls and boys will be stunted, and will be able to develop normally. The evidence is clear. Now is the time to act.

International Women’s Day is not just a celebration but a reminder to us to remain activists in our own right, not only as heads of agencies which promote equality, but also as individuals. Together, let us empower women in all settings, rural and urban, and make improved nutrition a reality.

We commit to scaling up women’s rights and nutrition activism in Africa, and beyond. And hope you will do the same. The #TimeisNow for the #TheAfricaWeWant.

*Contributed by: Op-ed by Martin Chungong, Secretary-General of IPU, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, CEO of NEPAD Agency and Nahas Angula, former Prime Minister of Namibia and Convener of the Namibia Alliance for Improved Nutrition (NAFIN)

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Monday, March 5, 2018

Rice importation: Okada riders operates new route in Katsina

Although the Federal Government of Nigeria banned the importation of foreign rice into the country,  there is a new route of importing foreign rice into the country through the Okada riders, reports NaijaAgroNet.
This route, source making rounds online showed are heavily protected with over 100 motorcycle riders, also known as okada riders carrying across from Niger Republic some bags of rice.
Some Nigeria have equally condemned the opening of the northern borders for rice importation with motorcycle, while in the south, especially via Lagos border with Contonou, Benin Republic borders are closed.
“Now they opened Niger Republic border and have been importing Rice from the Northern borders and have it repackaged,” source said.
Other concerned Nigerian also disclosed that the long queue of Motorcyclists transporting Rice to Kastina State, its evident that in a day, some six Trailer loads are being offloaded every day.
“One Nigeria. With two different laws. Rice importation is banned in the south and free duty in the north,” our source decried.
Further, some source claimed that as at November 2017, some of these bags of rice are brought in and sold for N7,000 in the north, while
 “It was easy to enter from Katsina but here in the South you see Customs Officers raiding shops and killing innocent people all in the name of attacking smugglers.  This is unfair,” our source lamented.


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Pix: Okada riders allegedly  transporting foreign rice from Niger Republic to Katsina State in Nigeria.

Friday, March 2, 2018

GE’s healthymagination, Miller Centre, graduate second cohort on maternal, child health

NaijaAgroNet:
GE’s healthymagination Mother and Child Programme has graduated its second cohort of social entrepreneurs who completed training and mentorship that is designed to scale impact, thereby improving maternal and child health outcomes in Africa, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The graduation of the second cohort, NaijaAgroNet gathered, builds on the success of the 1st group of entrepreneurs, all of whom have reported a notable impact of the programme on their businesses.
One such entrepreneur, NaijaAgroNet reports, is Dr. Steve Adudans whose HewaTele has attracted over 2 Million USD in additional investment since completing the programme in March 2017.
“The skills and practical knowledge we received has enabled us to transform our business model for greater impact. Thanks to the programme, we managed to secure investment from global development partners for the expansion of 2 additional oxygen plants which will increase access to affordable, safe and quality life-saving medical oxygen in Kenya” Dr. Adudans said.

The Executive Director, New Growth Markets, Business Innovations at GE, Robert Wells said they are proud of the major strides that the first cohort of enterprises have made since they graduated, and are thrilled that a second stellar group of passionate entrepreneurs is now better equipped to expand their reach and save the lives of more mothers and children across the continent.

“GE is committed to continue partnering with Social Entrepreneurs to support sustainable healthcare development especially through capacity building and skills transfer” he said.

NaijaAgroNet notes that after a rigorous evaluation process, the social enterprises selected to feature in the second cohort of the healthymagination Mother and Child Programme attended a three-day, in-person workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa followed by a six-month online accelerator program that included weekly in-depth mentorship from Silicon Valley-based executives and local GE business leaders.
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CDC partners Lagos to unveil disability awareness ribbon

The Children's Developmental Center (CDC) has unveiled the Disability Awareness Ribbon with the support of the Lagos State government in commemoration in aid of the campaign for the Developmental Disability Awareness month, demanded action against discrimination practices, reports NaijaAgroNet.

At the launch in Lagos key stakeholders in the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) space called for action by government at all levels to provide the necessary support towards the upbringing of children with various forms of disabilities.

They also expressed deep concern about the future of children with disabilities in the country where there is no clear cut policy their growth support plan and engagement that will better their lives.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Yinka Akindayomi, service director at CDC said over the last twenty years has been both a service provider and in forefront of advocating for children and adults with development disabilities and their families.

Akindayomi said in the course of the Centers intervention it has realized that the inclusion of children and adults with any disabilities can only come through a joint effort.

She noted that there must be a harmonious and strong partnerships among stakeholders for any society to grow, adding that one of the great benefits of working together is the inspiration and ideas that can result from unity, because people from different backgrounds and levels of experience can help in creating solutions to problems in the society especially where stigma is concerned.

"Personal boundaries are limits we set for our selves as individuals but when we work together, there is the motivation to push beyond those boundaries which yields results. Nigeria will be better if we work together, because unity maximizes strengths and brings out the best in its citizens. This value of unity is regularly seen in sports, culture, entertainment etc and we should endeavor to include in our everyday life, workplaces, homes and community at large", she counseled.

In her remarks, Mrs. Emmanuella Otiono, educational consultant at Center Escolar Educational, emotionally spoke about discrimination against people with disabilities, and advised that rather discourage them by attitude efforts should be made to identify those special talents in them to help them maximize their potentials.

Otiono said her center like similar others offers a continuum of services that meet the specialized needs of young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities including those with autism or other autism spectrum disorders.

"We help youth in all aspects of their lives so they can be successful at home and in school, with friends and family. We understand that no two young people are alike and consider a number of factors including their home environment, upbringing and clinical history when creating Individualized Service Plans" she said, adding that whether serving youth in foster care or providing supports in home and community settings, stakeholders should also help youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities reach new heights.

Otiono, expressly noted that youths with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities represent special populations at risk for juvenile delinquency, victimization, educational failure, and poor employment outcomes and that they often have multiple, overlapping risk factors.
She noted that youth with disabilities typically receive mentoring, if at all, within disability-specific programs rather than in inclusive, community-based programs.

Speaking further, Otiono stated that early childhood is the period from prenatal development and a crucial phase of growth and development because experiences during early childhood can influence outcomes across the entire course of an individual’s life.

"For all children, early childhood provides an important window of opportunity to prepare the foundation for life-long learning and participation, while preventing potential delays in development and disabilities. For children who experience disability, it is a vital time to ensure access to interventions which can help them reach their full potential.

Despite being more vulnerable to developmental risks, young children with disabilities are often overlooked in mainstream programmes and services designed to ensure child development", she added.

Other stakeholders at the forum expressed disappointment that these children however, do not receive the specific supports required to meet their rights and needs as children with disabilities and their families are confronted by barriers including inadequate legislation and policies, negative attitudes, inadequate services, and lack of accessible environments.


They argued that if children with developmental delays or disabilities and their families are not provided with timely and appropriate early intervention, support and protection, their difficulties can become more severe and often leading to lifetime consequences, increased poverty and profound exclusion.

Isaac Oyimah with additional reports by Yemisi Izuora/GEE

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