Day: August 31, 2023

Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa and Botswana’s Minister of Transport and Public Works, Eric Molala, affirmed their commitment to the Trans-Kalahari Railway Project during a meeting in Windhoek on Wednesday.

Mutorwa said the project is gaining momentum and that visible developments are on the way.

“Roads play a very important role in the transportation of people, services and goods, but rail transportation is much better in terms of the transportation of lives,” Mutorwa said.

He added that people cannot exchange goods if there is no transportation infrastructure.

Molale meanwhile said the justification for the Trans-Kalahari Railway Project could not have come at a better time.

“The people of Namibia and the people of Botswana will benefit from this rail line,” Molale said.

The meeting was held to discuss the two countries’ mutual interests and the progress made thus far on the Trans-Kalahari railway.

The governments of Namibia and Botswana in 2010 signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate the development of the Trans-Kalahari railway line connecting Botswana’s Mmamabula coal fields to Walvis Bay in Namibia. The two governments signed a bilateral agreement in 2014 to establish the 1 500 kilometre line.

Namibia and Botswana reaffirmed their commitment to the multibillion-dollar Trans-Kalahari railway project in 2022.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

It is projected that from October 2023 to March 2024, the number of people expected to experience food insecurity in Namibia will increase to 695 000, or 26 per cent of the population.

This number will increase from the approximately 579 000 people estimated to be facing high levels of acute food insecurity and requiring urgent humanitarian from July to September 2023, the Executive Director in the Office of the Prime Minister, I-Ben Nashandi, said on Wednesday.

He was speaking during the launch of the Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis Report 2023, and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Acute Food Insecurity Communication Report in Windhoek.

In his statement availed to Nampa, Nashandi said during the current period most households do not have any food stocks, most having indicated stocks lasting less than one month and those who had stocks lasting between one to three months, have already depleted their food stock.

“As a result, households have already experienced difficulties in purchasing food due to lack of income and high unemployment rates,” Nashandi said.

With regards to rainfall, the executive director said the country experienced below normal and sporadic rainfall which culminated in a combination of flash floods and dry spells in 2022/2023.

“This has subjected communities to prospects of lower crop yields, impacts on livestock, and ultimately reduced household food stocks compromising food security at household levels,” he stated.

Nashandi also touched on grazing and livestock, saying grazing conditions are generally poor in most regions across the country and this has an effect on the livestock body conditions.

He explained that the Office of the Prime Minister, through the Directorate Disaster Risk Management, conducts annual livelihood Vulnerability Assessments and Analyses (VAA). The assessments collects and analyses livelihood and food security data to inform policy and further aid the understanding of threats of natural and socio-economic disasters to food and nutrition security.

The 2023/24 VAA was conducted between May and July of 2023 and covered both urban and rural areas in all 14 regions.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said on Thursday, that it will conduct integrity tests on old buildings within the city to forestall building collapse.

Mr Mukhtar Galadima, Director, Development Control, FCTA, stated this in Abuja while addressing newsmen on buildings in Jabi that failed integrity tests which might likely collapse.

Galadima said that the test, which would be conducted in partnership with professional bodies and regulatory bodies, and agencies would be carried out in Wuse 1, Garki 1, Garki 2, and Asokoro.

He said that the old houses that would be targeted for the exercise would be mainly those above 30 years.

The director said that the measure became necessary, following the unfortunate incident that happened in Garki village, where a two-storey building collapsed, killed two persons and injured 37 others.

“We have agreed with our colleagues, the professional and regulatory bodies and agencies to identify some structures within the city and conduct integrity tests on them.

“The goal is to avert unforeseen circumstances like building collapse that may occur due to structural defects.

“I have discussed with my colleagues and we will soon be going to the field for the exercise, particularly in Garki 1, Garki 2, Wuse 1 and Asokoro,” he said.

He explained that the areas were targeted because they were mainly developed by private individuals with houses standing for over 30 years.

Galadima said that most of the officers that supervised buildings in the areas were out of service, “and we don’t know the level of supervision then.

“We want to be sure that the structures can stand the test of time,” he said.

The director, however, said that not every building that failed the integrity test would be demolished.

He said that sometimes the consultants would give room for remedial measures for the building to stand.

Galadima emphasised that structures that failed integrity tests and beyond remedy will be removed.

He urged people to comply with building regulations as provided by relevant acts and laws.

On the buildings located on Plot 643 Cadastral Zone Bo4, Jabi District, he said that the integrity test revealed that the building may collapse.

He said that after the failed test, the occupants of the four single-storey buildings on the plot were asked to vacate the buildings for their safety but refused to do so.

“It is disturbing that in spite professional warnings, the people are still occupying the house, even going further to obtain an order of the Court to stop us from vacating them.

“Our concern is the safety of the individual and their properties that is why we are calling on the public to desist from such acts.

“Once a structure has been tested and confirmed to be deficient, people should comply and vacate the structure because anything can happen,” he said.

On the court order, Galadima said that the department would consult the legal secretariat to decide on the next line of action.

During a visit to the affected buildings, Mr Abdulrazak Alao, Deputy Director, Building Inspectorate, North, said that the occupants were served a vacation notice on Aug. 21.

“We also invited them for a stakeholders` meeting to carry them along in the entire process but they refused to cooperate with us.

“Only for us to get here today (Thursday) and saw a Court Order pasted on the gate of the house, restraining us from carrying further action.

“We have carried out a scientific investigation called the Smith harmer test that indicated that the building is weak and could collapse.

“The buildings have decayed, soaked and weak. I want it to be on record that the building is very unfit for human habitation and might collapse any day,” he said.

Mr Mustapha Suleiman, one of the occupants of the buildings, appealed for the meeting to be rescheduled to Friday and it was granted.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Dr Farouk Mudi, President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) said the newly unveiled AGRIVEST Reality TV Challenge Platform will create more than 10 million jobs in five years.

Mudi stated this at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between AFAN, TINGO mobile, and the Association of Deans of Agriculture in Nigeria (ADAN) and the unveiling of the reality TV show.

Reality TV shows are television programmes in which ordinary people are continuously filmed, designed to be entertaining rather than informative.

According to the AFAN president, the Agrivest Reality TV Challenge Show is a comprehensive Agribusiness Training, Advocacy, and Mentoring Programme delivered on an entertainment platform but designed and intended to promote self-sufficiency in food production in Nigeria as well as explore the business opportunities in the sector.

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“We are certain that this project will indeed bring about a positive change to the agriculture industry and the communities within.

“I implore farmers and our members across the country to leverage this positive trend to promote and tap into it, and to improve upon the production and supply of agricultural and other agro-related goods and services.

“Our objective is to stimulate, create awareness, and redirect the attention of the youthful population of Nigeria to the tremendous potentials and opportunities in agriculture using entertainment as a delivery channel, ” he said.

Mudi pointed out that the reality show would create a scenario whereby the youth would be educated and entertained through a competitive process.

He said that in addition to the millions of jobs and wealth that would be created for those engaged, the resurgence of the sector would help the country guarantee food security and reduce poverty.

The AFAN president maintained that the project is designed and intended “to build a country where sustainable agriculture will be the bedrock and core foundation of our collective and thriving economy and means of livelihood leveraging on our human and material resources and connecting with rural smallholder farmers to cultivate ideas for sustainable growth.”

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He stated that as the Nigerian population continues to grow, the revival and sustainability of the sector will become even more critical.

Also speaking at the event, Auwal Maude, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TINGO Mobile, one of the partners in the project, and Africa’s leading Agri-Fintech company, said he was certain that the show would bring about a positive change in the agriculture industry and the communities within.

Maude said that the company is out to transform rural farming communities to connect through its proprietary platform to meet their complete needs through the use of smartphones and GSM technology to enable subscribers and farmers to converge on the marketplace.

“We offer this service within and outside of the agricultural sector to manage their commercial activities of growing and selling their produce in the market both domestically and internationally,” he said.

He called on the Federal Government to create an environment conducive for agri-business to thrive and make it more attractive to the youth.

“We urge the government to create an enabling environment for agriculture to thrive and make it more attractive for youths because agriculture goes beyond farming,” he said.

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On his part, Dr Emmanuel Abuhson, member of the team urged Nigerian youths to see agriculture from a business and marketing perspective.

Abuhson said that Nigeria is capable of feeding not only Africa but the world at large given the country’s huge potential in agriculture.

He observed that a wide gap exists between farming and getting the farm yield or products to the consumers which the reality show seeks to bridge.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Recent events involving Nigerian teams in world sports have reinforced the notion that the girl child can prevail in all endeavours if opportunities are provided.

The excellent performances of Super Falcons at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Australia and New Zealand, and the 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship in Rwanda, lend credence to this notion.

The performances of the female teams, on African soil and on the global stage, warmed the hearts of most Nigerians, especially the youth, transforming weariness into joy.

While those events lasted, the gloom experienced by some Nigerians over the removal of fuel subsidy and the attendant high cost of living, diminished.

D’Tigress’ 84-74 win over Senegal in the 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship in, Kigali, Rwanda, made Nigeria the first team to win the coveted trophy four titles in a row.

According to FIBA.basketball, “D’Tigress’ sixth continental title comes exactly 20 years after they conquered their very first African crown in 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique.

Again, when the curtain finally closed on the ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup on Aug. 20, African teams, including Nigeria, depicted resilience and put up encouraging performances.

The Super Falcons, in their ninth world cup appearance, did not lose any match in the tough Group B that included Australia (co-hosts), Canada and the Republic of Ireland.

They eventually succumbed to a 2-4 loss on penalty kicks in the last 16 to the eventual runners-up, England, after tying goalless in regulation time.

Interestingly, the Nigerian goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie was named Player of the Match against Canada by the FIFA Technical Study Group.

According to CAFONline.com, with 36 successful tackles made, Nigeria’s Christy Ucheibe ranked among the top five defenders at the tournament.

The FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, said the Women’s World Cup had been truly transformational, not only in Australia and New Zealand but all over the world.

He said the tournament’s success story had supported the decision for its enlargement from 24 to 32 teams.

“We need everyone. We need the UN agencies, who have been very helpful to us in this World Cup, participating with us.

“We need the governments, we need the institutions, to create dedicated spaces for women, and for women’s sport and women’s football in particular, of course.

“We need the partners, the sponsors to pay a fair price. We need the media,” he said.

Some organisations have already heeded the clarion call. For instance, the Olumide Oyedeji Foundation, an NGO, is promoting girl child development in sports in Nigeria.

Its founder, Olumide Oyedeji, said the foundation, had trained 40,000 young Nigerians, including girls, through its basketball camp since inception in 2001.

The Foundation opened its training camp from Aug. 21 to Aug. 25, for another batch of 400 kids trained on the rudiments of basketball at the Indoor Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

Oyedeji said the main objective of the exercise was to discover the next generation of basketball stars for Nigeria.

“This is the 22nd Edition. We have over 400 kids from over 10 cities in Nigeria, already,” he said.

He said future leaders from other fields had emerged from the basketball camp, and that the Foundation would not relent in searching for more talents.

According to her, some of the members of the female national basketball team, D’Tigress passed through the camp and are doing very well in other fields.

She said Kaffy, a dancer and Rasheedat Sodiq, an Olympian and former Captain of the D’Tigress, and several other female celebrities passed through the camp 11 years ago.

“We have also seen lawyers, bankers and also pilots. We have also had over 100 junior and senior D’Tigers and D’Tigress players that have emerged from this camp,” he said.

There is no doubt that with institutional support, the girl child and, indeed, her male counterpart, can ‘breathe.’ Yes, they can!

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Kogi Government has constructed market infrastructure for farmers and women in the agrarian community of Oke-Ofin in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking at the inauguration on Thursday, the State Security Adviser, retired Cdr Jerry Omodara, who represented the governor, commended the state government for the kind gesture towards the people of the community.

Omodara noted that no other infrastructure would have been better for the community than the market infrastructure.

He described the people of the community as agrarians in nature with no suitable socio-economic infrastructure over the years.

Omodara, an indigene of the community, said people usually come from the Northern part of the country to load yams and other farm produce without the market infrastructure.

He praised the governor for what the State Government was doing through the International Fund for Agricultural Development and Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD/VCDP).

The security adviser stressed that the initiative had improved the well-being and livelihoods of the people of the state through its (VCDP) intervention programmes.

He commended the State Programme Coordinator of IFAD-VCDP, Dr Stella Adejoh, and her team for siting the market at Oke-Ofin, to improve the livelihoods of the people.

He congratulated the market women who were the main beneficiaries, urging them to utilise it and ensure proper maintenance of the facility.

Earlier, Dr Adejoh expressed gratitude to the governor for his full support for the implementation of VCDP programmes in the five benefitting local government areas of the state

She said that VCDP had immensely impacted the well being and livelihoods of the beneficiaries in the state, thereby reducing poverty among the rural farmers.

The SPC assured the people of continuous support of VCDP to improve their livelihoods , reduce poverty and ensure food security.

She commended the women for cooperating with the state government over years, and enjoined them to utilise the market for the common good of the people.

The programme coordinator encouraged the women folks not to relent in putting in their best to ensure that the objectives of the programmes are achieved.

She stressed that she would be more fulfilled seeing the market infrastructure properly utilised and maintained.

She emphasised that the VCDP objectives was to ensure that small holder farmers were empowered to stem the tide of poverty, hunger and starvation, thereby boosting their livelihoods.

The market women leader, Mrs Funke Joseph, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, thanked the governor, the Federal Government and the IFAD-VCDP for the gesture.

“Market infrastructure is one of our major needs in our community because we are farmers and business women but we have no suitable market infrastructure before the governor and VCDP’s intervention.

“We are very grateful to the governor and the VCDP for the gesture because it will improve our standard of living,” she said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has urged his friends and political allies to refrain from placing birthday wishes on Newspaper pages.

Shettima gave the advice in a statement he personally signed and issued by Mr Olusola Abiola, Director of Information, Office of the Vice President, on Thursday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Shettima will turn 57 on Saturday.

He also advised his friends to stop utilising paid channels to convey their greetings in their endeavours to commemorate his birthday.

Shettima stated that the decision was made in the spirit of national commitment to responsible resource management and responsive governance.

He said: ” Dear friends and well-wishers, as we approach the anniversary of my birth on Sept. 2, I am utterly grateful for the warm wishes and kind sentiments that many of you have expressed over the years.

” Your thoughtfulness has touched my heart and has been a source of immense joy. I would like to take this opportunity to humbly request that you consider celebrating this occasion in a different way.

” In the spirit of our nation’s commitment to responsible resource management and responsive governance.

“I kindly ask you to refrain from placing birthday wishes on newspaper pages or utilising paid channels to convey your greetings.”

Shettima further asked his friends to join him in channeling their collective efforts towards a nobler cause.

He said: ” Instead of spending resources on such messages, I encourage you to contribute to the betterment of our society by donating to charity organisations in need or your preference, in our collective pursuit of a humane and functional world.

“Thank you for your understanding and for being my all-weather friends and allies. Warm regards.”

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Angolan head of State left Thursday for Republic of the Congo on political consultations with his counterpart, Denis Sassou Nguesso, about the situation underway in Gabon.

At the Luanda Military Air Base, the Angolan Head of State was bid farewell by the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança Costa, and government officials.

A group of senior Gabonese military officers on Wednesday announced that they had taken power and detained President Ali Bongo, minutes after the state election body declared the winner of Saturday’s general election.

Appearing on state-run television channel Gabon 24, the officers said they represented all security and defence forces in the Central African nation.

They said the election results were cancelled, all borders closed until further notice and state institutions dissolved.

The announcement was made in a press release which was presented on the television channel “Gabon 24” by military personnel who decided to close the country’s borders.

Gabon is situated on the Atlantic coast of the Central African region.

It has land borders with Equatorial Guinea (335 km) and Cameroon (349 km) to the north and the Republic of Congo (2,567 km) to the east and south, and by sea it borders São Tomé and Príncipe.

Angola and Congo are also part of the Central African sub-region.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)