WED2020: FBRA affirms waste recycling as crucial to environmental protection - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

As the world celebrates the World Environmental Day 2020, the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) has called for increased stakeholders’ collaboration towards restoring biodiversity and preserving the environment, reports NaijaAgroNet. 

The Alliance, in a statement commemorating this year’s World Environmental Day themed “Celebrate Biodiversity”, reiterated the crucial role of recycling in preserving the environment while urging consumers to imbibe a culture of proper waste disposal.

The World Environment Day is an annual event designed to engage people, communities and governments to raise global awareness and action for the protection of the environment. The event is expected to galvanize global efforts and initiatives that address the growing concerns around the environment such as global warming, food security, climate change and water supply.

FBRA was established in 2018 as the Producer Responsible Organization (PRO) for the food and beverage sector with a focus on enabling the collection, recovery and recycling of the post-consumer packaging waste in compliance with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines. Since inception, the group has continued to support the waste potentials in Nigeria through various initiatives such as community recycling education, buy-back schemes and engagement of stakeholders in the waste value chain to promote circular economy.

According to the Chairman of the Alliance, Matthieu Seguin, the theme of this year’s celebration “Celebrate Biodiversity” is timely at a period when over 1 million species including plants and animal are at a risk of extinction essentially due to human activities and environmental threats posed by climate change, pollution, industrialization, land-use change and deforestation.

“Beyond the modest gains recorded in terms of significant reduction in pollution around the world, the year 2020 remains a critical moment for us, being the curtain raiser for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. We are using this opportunity to call for the need to scale up consumer education, recycling efforts and stakeholders’ support in promoting sustainable consumption and production to preserve the environment,”

“The FBRA coalition, is predicated on the strong commitment of its member organizations to deliver on goals that will amongst other things, have a significant impact in the promotion of environmental sustainability. We will continue to lead this change as well as the adoption of practices and partnerships to advance this important mandate,” Matthieu said.

FBRA consists of eleven forward-thinking companies namely Nigerian Bottling Company Limited/Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Breweries Plc. And Seven-Up Bottling Company Limited. Others are Nestle Nigeria Plc., Guinness Nigeria Plc., Intercontinental Distillers Limited, International Breweries Limited, Tulip Cocoa, Prima Caps and Preforms, DOW Chemicals and Tetrapak West Africa. Together, member organisations are committed to taking deliberate actions in providing sustainable solutions for post-consumer packaging waste recovery, environmental preservation and promotion of biodiversity in Nigeria.

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Maggi dishes out new website with Yelo Peppe - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

The Nestlé brand MAGGI has launched a first-of-its-kind website in Central and West Africa, offering fresh new twists to well-known African dishes.

It is also serving up a second season of Yelo Pèppè – its popular online nutrition education drama series – on YouTube (https://bit.ly/3dGIGuN) from June 8, 2020.

The brand’s latest launches are just a few of the innovative ways MAGGI is meeting its consumers’ digital and nutritional appetites, while also contributing to Nestlé’s purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future.

The MAGGI website, which provides over 40 African recipes on an easy-to-use platform, can help families cook balanced and nutritious meals.

Now that many of us are spending more time cooking at home, who isn’t stuck for new food ideas? Get some inspiration from the Recipe of The Day or the With A Twist section! There are recipes for kids, adventurous cooks, those who love a classic dish and time-saving one pot meals, all available in English and French.

“MAGGI innovates once more by providing different variations of beloved African dishes that offer something for every food lover,” said Dominique Allier, Business Executive Officer for Culinary at Nestlé Central and West Africa. “We are proud to be the first region worldwide chosen by MAGGI to launch this unique website”, he added.

The new website, which was built in collaboration with top African chefs, expert nutritionists and local food influencers, provides helpful tips in some recipes on how to boost your iron intake and balance dishes.

“As well as highlighting the importance of including nutritious diets in our daily lives with well-known family favourites; people across the globe now have easy access to traditional African recipes we know and love”, said Akua Kwakwa, Nutrition, Health and Wellness Manager for Nestlé Central and West Africa.

“For people who are more concerned about sodium, saturated fat and added sugars, the website features the unique ‘MyMenuIQ™’ guide that illustrates how nutritionally-balanced each recipe is. The higher the score, the more balanced the meal is,” she added.

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2,000 families to benefit from ITFC food programme - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

Some 2,000 families have been marked to benefit from the food programme agreement, courtesy of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), reports NaijaAgroNet. The deal, NaijaAgroNet gathered that was to support the provision of a food relief programme for the most vulnerable people in Kyrgyzstan during the outbreak of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), in coordination with of the Kyrgyzstan Government. This, NaijaAgroNet gathered, will allow the ITFC partner, Micro Credit Company M Bulak of Kyrgyzstan, to implement the humanitarian intervention. The support will provide immediate relief to around 2,000 families who are most affected by the health and economic consequences of the pandemic and is the latest in a series of ITFC interventions, in alignment with the Islamic Development Bank Group ‘3Rs Response Package’. ITFC Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, said: “This grant provides critical support for the provision of crucial food supplies in Kyrgyzstan, and enables ITFC to support the most fragile, who are struggling with the social and economic fallout from the pandemic. The intervention also builds upon ITFC’s existing partnership with the Micro Credit Company M Bulak and contributes to enhance the development of economic and social infrastructures that both parties are working towards.” Micro Credit Company M Bulak is a client of ITFC and benefited from US$2 million Murabaha Financing Agreement in 2019. In addition, Micro Credit Company M Bulak benefited from an Islamic Trade Finance Workshop conducted in March 2019 and Advanced Islamic Trade Finance Workshop conducted in February 2020, both organized by ITFC in Kyrgyzstan. Isaac Oyimah/Editor ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

ITFC targets 2,000 families for COVID-19 relief programme - NaigaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

Some 2,000 families have been marked to benefit from immediate provision of relief for a segment during this COVID-19 pandemic, by the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), reports NaijaAgroNet.

In a agreement entered recently to support the provision of a food relief program for the most vulnerable people in Kyrgyzstan during the outbreak of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), NaijaAgroNet gathered that coordination was for the Kyrgyzstan Government.

This, NaijaAgroNet also gathered will allow the ITFC partner, Micro Credit Company M Bulak of Kyrgyzstan, to implement the humanitarian intervention.

The support will provide immediate relief to around 2,000 families who are most affected by the health and economic consequences of the pandemic and is the latest in a series of ITFC interventions, in alignment with the Islamic Development Bank Group ‘3Rs Response Package’.

ITFC CEO, ITFC, Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, said: “This grant provides critical support for the provision of crucial food supplies in Kyrgyzstan, and enables ITFC to support the most fragile, who are struggling with the social and economic fallout from the pandemic. The intervention also builds upon ITFC’s existing partnership with the Micro Credit Company M Bulak and contributes to enhance the development of economic and social infrastructures that both parties are working towards.”


Micro Credit Company M Bulak is a client of ITFC and benefited from US$2 million Murabaha Financing Agreement in 2019. In addition, Micro Credit Company M Bulak benefited from an Islamic Trade Finance Workshop conducted in March 2019 and Advanced Islamic Trade Finance Workshop conducted in February 2020, both organized by ITFC in Kyrgyzstan.



Isaac Oyimah/Editor



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Queen Afolabi explans why she distribute noodles, face marks to children - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: 

The Queen of Apomuland, Olori Janet Afolabi, has distributed face masks and cartons of noodles to indigent children in Apomu community, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The packages were well distributed to the children in their various suburbs, a development that has received great commendation from their parents and the entire community.

Olori Afolabi assured that the gift package is not a one off exercise, adding that it will be done intermittently.

She pointed out on the reason for reaching out was because of the plight of these children, especially in this season of COVID-19.

Further, she said many families cannot feed their children following the effect of the COVID-19, which has shut down economic activities.

“As we celebrate 2020 children day, we should remember children in need and put a smile on their faces.

“We should give them hope for a greater tomorrow,” she said.

In addition, Olori Afolabi charged parents on their expected roles in keeping their children safe during this pandemic.

Urging parents and caretakers to guide children about regular hand washing and social distancing. 

She equally emphasised on regular preventive messages to reduce the spread of COVID19.

Olori Afolabi also extended the act of kindness to some blind children in Ekiti State, where she donated 100 face masks to Government Special School for the Blind in Ikere Ekiti.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor
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35 Medical Postgraduates: Merck Foundation partners African health ministries - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:
Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany in partnership with African First Ladies and Ministries of Health, continue their strategy to provide one-year diploma and two-year master degree in both Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine and Diabetes for medical postgraduates from more than 35 African and Asian countries, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and One of 100 Most Influential Africans emphasized, “Amidst the pandemic that has rocked the world, we must not forget people living with other health conditions such as Diabetes and Hypertension because they are the Coronavirus risk groups therefore Merck Foundation continues to build Hypertension and Diabetes care training to doctors, in partnership with African First Ladies, Ministries of Health and Academia. Moreover, we also provide training to doctors from Asian countries”.

Merck Foundation has so far enrolled and trained over 183 Medical postgraduates from over 35 countries. As a part of their efforts to build hypertension and diabetes care capacity, Merck Foundation enroll medical postgraduates for One Year Online Diploma and Two Year online master degree in Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine and Diabetes from reputable university in UK. Additionally, they also enroll doctors for a three-month Diabetes Master course from English, French and Portuguese speaking African countries to advance their clinical knowledge in tackling these non-communicable conditions.

Merck Foundation started capacity building of Coronavirus healthcare through providing online one-year diplomas and two year master degree in both Respiratory Medicine and Acute Medicine from UK University, for African doctors.

Dr. Sofia Jarombwereni Natshikare Nepembe, Merck Foundation alumnus from Namibia says, “I feel fortunate to be a part of this program and receive the Postgraduate one-year Diploma in Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine as part of Merck Foundation capacity advancement program. The course has enabled me to learn the advanced scientific developments for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The course has helped me to serve my patients better. Merck Foundation is doing a great job by providing postgraduate degrees for doctors like me who are eager to specialize to better serve their communities.”

“We are committed to enroll more doctors for these courses to be able to build a platform of hypertension and diabetes experts in underserved communities. These online courses is the right strategy to scale up our efforts to improve access to quality healthcare solutions widely and effectively especially during Coronavirus lockdown”, explained Dr. Rasha Kelej.

The program started in 35 countries such as: Bangladesh, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor

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COVID-19: Yanmar disinfects city of Indaiatuba - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: 

The Yanmar South America has teamed up with John Deere and the local government of Indaiatuba, an important center of industry in the state of Sao Paulo, in an effort to disinfect the streets of the city of the novel coronavirus, to make them safer for citizens.

The City of Indaiatuba carried out the spraying and disinfection of the city’s streets from April 15th to May 8th with Yanmar contributing a Solis 90 CV tractor to assist in the operation. 

Working at night, the tractors sprayed a solution of water and sodium hypochlorite, a chlorine-based bleach, prepared and approved by the city’s health department. Yanmar South America employee Odirlei Silva from the agricultural commercial department operated the tractor.

“We have over 60 years of history in Indaiatuba,” said Yanmar South America President Kenji Kitahara. “This city is home to many of our employees and it’s important for the people of the city that we work closely with City Hall in this time of crisis.”

The response of residents was overwhelmingly positive with many taking to social media to express thanks for the disinfection work.

Mr. Nilson Gaspar, Mayor of the City of Indaiatuba agreed with residents: “Nothing is more important to us than the health and wellbeing of our residents. We’re very pleased that the city has been able to come together with Yanmar and John Deere to carry out this important public service.”

Yanmar will consider further action in the future in line with city health guidelines.

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Pix: A Solis 90 CV tractor disinfects the streets of Indaiatuba, Brazil.

Banks tasks on observing physical distancing directives - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: 

The CLEEN Foundation has task banks in Nigeria on the need to observe physical distancing directives to avoid spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) across the country, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The NGO also  called for disciplinary action against security personnel violating government ban on inter-state movement by extorting citizens to allow movement in and out of states, thereby promoting the spread.

This was contained in a statement on Tuesday by the Executive Director, CLEEN Foundation, Mr. Benson Olugbuo, decrying the complicity of security operatives who allow interstate movements despite the restrictions have resulted in the increase in infection in the affected states.

Olugbuo expressed concerns that inter-state travel is still on the rise under the watch of these law enforcement agancies.

"In Edo, a trailer conveying 84 travelers from the Northern part of the country were intercepted at Irrua by the state task force, the travelers were taken to Irrua specialist hospital where three (3) of the persons tested positive for COVID-19. In Akwa Ibom state, a truckload of cattle herders was apprehended at Itu LGA (a boundary point between Akwa Ibom and Cross River state) by a Divisional Police Officer. 

"Ogun Waterside LGA of Ogun state that borders Lagos and Ondo states has also remained a key entry point due to the porous nature of both the land and sea borders. This has also led to a high number of COVID-19 infected victims that has been discovered in the LGA. 

"In Ekiti state, reports from border LGAs such as Ikere, Emure, Ekiti South West, Moba, Ekiti West etc indicate that security agents extort money between N200 – N5000 from travelers to allow movement in and out of the state," the report read.

The report recommended that security institutions and their oversight agencies sustain internal and external disciplinary measures to discipline personnel who are guilty of extorting citizens and violating human rights to serve as deterrent to other officers.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor

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Finance: Africa needs to think local - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

African countries may be coming to terms with a bitter reality: that the continent is about to entered major recession in 25 years, reports NaijaAgroNet.

While the impact of the pandemic on African economies is expected to be lesser than in Europe or North America, it still puts to the forefront the continent’s overdependence on key commodities for its economies to function, and under-investment into social infrastructure. For Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic is turning into a wake up call to find better ways to industrialize, chief amongst them being access to reliable, cheap and clean energy. Given global liquidity constraints however, financing Africa’s energy transition and supporting industrialization will require becoming more competitive and finding new ways to mobilize capital across key industries and projects.

The topic was at the center of a leading webinar discussion between Kola Karim, Managing Director and CEO of Shoreline Energy International, Vitol Senior Investment Manager Steven Brann, and Bambili Group Managing Director Nyonga Fofang. The webinar was organized by the African Energy Chamber (www.EnergyChamber.org) and hosted by Africa Oil & Power.

The key to industrialization in Africa is access to power, which heavily relies on Africa’s ability to get its natural resources right, especially natural gas. Up until now, most of Africa’s gas has been produced for the benefits of foreign markets in Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, where it is shipped as LNG. LNG prices have dropped to historic lows and are currently below the $2 threshold in Europe and Asia, while African power producers still pay above that price to get natural gas in their turbines. Current market prices for natural gas are expected to remain depressed for a while, and should be a strong incentive for African power producers to use LNG as a feedstock and switch their fuel oil or coal plants to LNG which can be easily procured on the continent.

However, proper management of Africa’s natural resources does not stop at switching existing power plants to gas in order to benefit from a cheap and locally-available resource. It rather requires a profound transformation of how African countries see energy and how they plan to power up their economies moving forward.

In doing so, financing will become an even greater challenge as capital becomes scarce and investors look for only very resilient assets to invest in. In that regard, participants noted that it is currently challenging to monetize Africa’s LNG across industries because industrial customers are reluctant to signing the kind of multi-year commitments required by gas producers to raise debt. Because potential industrial users do not know what the future holds and do not get a clear vision on what their country’s energy mix will look like, their reluctance to switch to gas is directly impacting the attractiveness of the sector and has them keep paying expensive energy instead. Similarly, the imports of fuel oil and coal to power industries has become such a habit that making a long-term commitment on developing LNG receiving and processing infrastructure is now a matter of debate.

Participants highlighted the responsibility of both African sovereigns and the private sector in maintaining the continent in that energy status quo. In a post Covid-19 world, a situation in which Africa exports its energy while its people are in the dark, and imports finished products while its youth is unemployed is not longer viable. The industry is calling for a strong sovereign participation on establishing a connection with the private sector and thinking holistically about the development of the continent. While foreign exchange and international capital will continue to be needed, there is an urgent need to energize African communities and neighbors first. Nigeria cannot think of its gas development without keeping in mind the energy needs of its immediate neighbors for example. Similarly, South Africa cannot plan for its energy future without taking in consideration the vast gas reserves of its neighbors. The list of examples goes on.

Africa needs to use the solid base of its natural resources to create opportunities and change the narrative around its industrialization by making a difference in its own energy space. For such a paradigm shift to happen, African sovereigns need to take the lead. Only at the sovereign level can a country raise several billion dollars from multilateral agencies and invest in the necessary projects and infrastructure that will support private sector investment and growth. Only political will can truly unlock the value of African cross-border energy cooperation and open up the doors for a wider African private sector cooperation across industries and within a prosperous free trade continent.

Meanwhile, additional efforts need to be done to mobilize local and patient capital from domestic funds and African family fortunes. Participants concluded on the fact that there is a lot of do-good capital sitting all across the continent, but its mobilization requires the presentation of above-standards bankable projects run by outstanding leadership teams. It is up to African leaders and African private sector executives to put the continent on a new path to prosperity.

Isaac Oyimah/DoP

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COVID-19 threatens 950 Nigerian children - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: 

An estimated 950 Nigerian children are currently being threatened by pandemic COVID-19, reports NaijaAgroNet.

In the next six months these children could die of no urgent action is taken as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts routine services and threatens to weaken the health system, reports

As said by the UNICEF, globally, 6,000 additional children under five could die every day.

The estimate is based on an analysis by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, newly published in The Lancet Global Health journal.

In a commentary to the Lancet report, UNICEF warns these disruptions could result in potentially devastating increases in maternal and child deaths. 

The analysis offers three scenarios of the potential impact of COVID-19 in 118 low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria. In the worst-case scenario, the estimate is that an additional nearly 173,000 under-five deaths could occur in just six months, due to reductions in routine health service coverage levels – including routine vaccinations - and an increase in child wasting.

In Nigeria, these potential child deaths would be in addition to the 475,200 children who already die before their fifth birthday every six months – threatening to reverse a decade of progress in ending preventable under-five child mortality in Nigeria.

About 6,800 more Nigerian maternal deaths could also occur in just six months.

“Under a worst-case scenario, the global number of children dying before their fifth birthdays could increase for the first time in decades,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “We must not let mothers and children become collateral damage in the fight against the virus.”

Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria’s Country Representative, said, “We have made steady progress in reducing preventable child and maternal deaths in Nigeria over the last 20 years – and it would be devastating if that progress is lost or reversed – devastating for Nigerian families, communities and for the country as a whole.”

The under-five mortality rate has declined gradually over the last two decades in Nigeria - from 213 deaths per thousand in 1990 to 120 today. This is likely due to improved access and coverage of key lifesaving interventions at primary health care and community levels and improved immunization rates.

But in countries with still overall weak health systems, like Nigeria, COVID-19 is causing disruptions in medical supply chains and straining financial and human resources. Visits to health care centres are declining due to lockdowns, curfews and transport disruptions, and as communities remain fearful of infection.

According to the modeling, and assuming reductions in coverage in the worst-case scenario, the 10 countries that could potentially have the largest number of additional child deaths are: Bangladesh, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania.

The 10 countries that are most likely to witness the highest excess child mortality rates under the worst-case scenario are: Djibouti, Eswatini, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone and Somalia.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor

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