The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has launched a multi-million euro fund which provides loans and equity investments for rural small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), farmers' organisations, agricultural entrepreneurs and rural financial institutions across the globe.The agribusiness capital (ABC) fund launched during IFAD’s annual general council meeting in Rome, Italy, seeks to mobilise 200 million euros from investors [...]
Bill Gates and Melinda, his wife, say 2018 left them with many surprises — both good and bad, but the top of the list is that Africa is not growing along with the world.The co-founder of Microsoft and his wife expressed this view in the 2019 edition of the annual report on their philanthropic work, lessons learned, and priorities ahead.In [...]
Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man, has called on all businesses within Nigeria and Africa, to support the health sector with at least one percent of their profit. Speaking at the 2019 Africa Business Health Forum in Addis Ababa, Dangote, who was represented by Halima Dangote, said business is highly interwoven with health. [...]
Ayodeji Oluwaseun Osowobi, founder Stand to End Rape Initiative, has been named a finalist for the 2019 Commonwealth Youth Awards.The Nigerian anti-rape activist will be contending with 16 high-achieving entrepreneurs, innovators and social activists from across the world.The awards is to "recognise and celebrate the achievements of people aged 15 to 29 whose innovative projects are making a significant contribution to their [...]
The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) in Ibadan has released some list of insecticides that must not be used for cocoa production.The institute announced this in its bulletin released on Thursday.The insecticides include Acephate, Amitraz, Aldrin, Azinphos-methyl, Carbaryl, Carbofuran, Carbosulfan, Cartap, Terbufos, Cyhexatin, Dichlorvos(DDVP), Dieldrin, Dioxacarb and Endosulfan.According to it, fungicides such as Benomyl, Captafol, Hexaconazole, Pyrifenox, Triadimefon, Tridamorph, [...]
BY BLESSING OLADUNJOYE For what purpose could a time to be circumcised and be inflicted with pains be described as? Many parents decide to circumcise their daughters because of the main purpose of sustaining culture and practicing archaic traditions. Female genital mutilation (FGM), which is the practice of partially or totally removing the external genitalia of girls and young women is done [...]
BY SAM EMEHELUOn Thursday June 28, 2018 one of the deadliest truck fire accidents of the year happened on the ‘Otedola” bridge; a major access point in and out of Nigeria biggest commercial city, Lagos.Casualty count: 54 vehicle, 12 lives, several injured persons and valuables on the spot.Like many other accidents that involved 5, 121 persons the previous year, no [...]
Global immunization experts attending the biannual Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (RITAG) meeting urged African countries to strengthen their routine immunization. Over the past five years, immunization coverage in sub-Saharan Africa has stagnated at 72%, exposing populations to vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks. The immunization experts also emphasized the importance of increased domestic investment in disease surveillance and the need for community engagement to [...]
BY CHARLES SHEY WIYSONGE People are now living longer in sub-Saharan Africa than they did two decades ago. This is an achievement, given that life expectancy in the region went down the drain from the 1990s to the mid-2000s as it choked under the devastating effects of the HIV epidemic.The question to ask is whether the additional years are spent in good [...]
The World Bank has predicted that countries in sub-Saharan Africa will make little progress in poverty reduction in 2019.In its report, Global Economic Prospects: Darkening Skies, released on Tuesday, the Bretton Wood institution said the trade war between the United States and China is causing collateral damage to the global economy."Regional growth is expected to accelerate to 3.4 percent in [...]
