COVID-19: Five media outlets benefit from Bloomberg, Ford grants - NaijaAgroNet... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

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To strengthen regional journalism at a time when communities urgently needed access to accurate, local information on COVID-19, the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa (BMIA) and the Ford Foundation have awarded their latest round of funding to some five media entities on the continent, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The beneficiaries cut across Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa will receive grants from the BMIA Community Media Fund (BMIA-CMF) to improve training and support the production of independent, reliable news content on issues impacting local communities. 

Afi-Antonio partners Feminine Star to empower women - NaijaAgroNet ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

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The Afi Antonio Foundation in partnership with Feminine Star Africa has hosted a women empowerment programme in Anloga, Ghana, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Empowering women to be key change agents is an essential element to achieving the end of hunger and poverty.

The theme for the programme was "Empowering Women And Girls For a Better Tomorrow" with focus on training women for equity on income generating skills that will help them realize their financial goals and overcome persistent gender based barriers.

Bridging African medicare gaps with technologies - NaijaAgroNet ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

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Omnia Health Live Africa set to bring together policy drivers, thought leaders, expert clinicians and decision-makers to transform healthcare's most pressing challenges through collaboration and empowerment.

The international healthcare community sits at a critical juncture, particularly with the COVID-19 pandemic placing a spotlight on some of the industry’s biggest resource challenges.

African Oil Week: US, Africa collaboration leads agenda - NaijaAgroNet ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

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The participation of US Department of Energy’s Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy and the US Development Finance Corporation’s Chief Development Officer in AOW Virtual highlights the importance that the United States places on fostering relationships with the continent, reports NaijaAgroNet.

When the US government launched its Prosper Africa initiative in December 2018, it did so with a vision to open markets for American businesses, grow Africa’s middle class and promote youth employment opportunities. Securing the continent’s energy future – either with its own resources or imported ones – and facilitating electrification for those Africans not yet connected to the grid have been crucial to the initiative since its inception.

CS-SUNN launches Let us do more campaign - NaijaAgroNet ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

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Nigeria at 60 anniversary got a boost on Thursday with the launch of “Let us do more campaign” by the Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), reports NaijaAgroNet.

According to the Secretary to the Board of Trustees at CS-SUNN, Prof. Ngozi Nnam, the launch was in commemoration of the nation’s independence and a wake up call to nutrition stakeholders in the country.

ARC, Insuretech Pula to deliver agric index insurance products - NaijaAgroNet ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

NaijaAgroNet: 
The commercial subsidiary of African Risk Capacity Group (ARC Group), the ARC Ltd, has entered a partnership with Pula to deliver best-in-class agriculture index insurance products to protect African farmers from climatic risks, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Every farming season, African farmers are exposed to a wide range of climate risks including drought, excessive rainfall, pests and diseases, and several other perils that negatively affect their yields. 

As an aggregator specialising in meso and micro parametric insurance in agriculture, Pula provides the levers to connect participating farmers with regional insurance companies and global reinsurance firms to underwrite such risks.

Fish seller wins Princewill ‘Hard Worker’ award for September - NaijaAgroNet ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

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After a keenly contested month, a fish seller, Destiny Abraham Nelson, has emerged winner of the monthly Princewill Trust Help the Hard Worker competition put together by the Princewills Trust, reports NaijaAgroNet.

A Rivers State-based one hundred level student of the University of Uyo, who turned fish seller to enable her pay her school fees, emerged the winner of the September, 2020 edition, after a very well contested competition, beating Nimi Jack and Oscar Nyesom to win the N100,000 cash prize.

UNICEF receives 115,800 COVID-19 test kits from IHS - NaijaAgroNet: ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

NaijaAgroNet: 

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has received the delivery of 115,800 COVID-19 test kits to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, courtesy of IHS Nigeria, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Testing remains the mainstay of the response led by the Presidential Task Force and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the first step towards diagnosing the infection. Tests enable health officials to understand the COVID-19 status of an individual and link that person to care, support and treatment while contributing to the protection of families and communities.

Post-COVID-19: FAO reiterates mandate delivery despite pandemic - NaijaAgroNet: ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

NaijaAgroNet:

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has reiterated delivery on its mandate while safeguarding the health and wellbeing of its employees, especially since the early days of the pandemic, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The UN agency, NaijaAgroNet gathered had in July, presented the FAO COVID-19 Response and Recovery Program aimed at preventing a global food emergency during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, while working on medium- to long-term development responses for food security and nutrition.

On the normative side, the International Code of Conduct for the Sustainable Use and Management of Fertilizers and the Ten Elements of Agroecology were adopted by the FAO Conference; and the FAO Climate Change Strategy is being implemented.

On the operational side, FAO continued to support its members in combatting plant pests and animal diseases that affect lives and livelihoods of millions of people such as the Desert Locust, a threat that remains a priority for FAO with the pandemic making activities on the ground more difficult.

"Between January and August 2020, over 760 000 have been controlled across 10 countries from the Horn of Africa to Yemen," official hinted.

FAO said that in this area, control operations have averted the loss of an estimated 1.52 million tonnes of cereal in the region, stressing that this amount of grain is enough to feed 9.88 million people for an entire year and is valued at $456 million.

In some countries, including Ethiopia and Somalia, FAO and governments are currently fighting the second generation of a widespread desert locust surge. National governments continue to lead control and surveillance operations supported by FAO through the provision of pesticides, bio-pesticides, equipment, aircraft and training.

FAO has also launched the Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control for a strong and coordinated response to the rapid spread of the Fall Armyworm at all levels.

Additionally, the UN agency said, its providing assistance for a Peste des Petits Ruminants-free world, and measures aimed at countering African swine fever and other major animal diseases.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor

Renewable Energy Jobs grew to 11.5m worldwide - NaijaAgroNet ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

NaijaAgroNet: 

The renewable energy sector has continued to bring socio-economic benefits by creating numerous jobs worldwide, according to the latest figures released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), reports NaijaAgroNet.

The seventh edition of Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review shows that jobs in the sector reached 11.5 million globally last year, led by solar PV with some 3.8 million jobs, or a third of the total.