THE UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, said young people were usually confronted with life-threatening risks while trying to access quality education. Speaking at a virtual conference organised by Covenant University and United Nations Information Centre to mark the United Nations 75th anniversary, Kallon said with the agenda 2030, they were working at a world with equitable and universal access to quality education at all levels. The theme of the conference was, ‘The future we want, the United Nations we need: Reaffirming our collective commitment to…
Read MoreAuthor: Sustainable Nigeria
Open defecation: Kwara flags off SDGs decade of action
Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq of Kwara, on Monday, flagged off a decade of action against open defecation in the state to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The governor, who spoke at the inauguration of the Committee on Kwara Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (KW-WASH) in Ilorin, said that the flag-off of the campaign, tagged “Clean Kwara”, coincided with the fifth anniversary of the SDGs. He said that the project was a key part of the goal six of the SDGs bordering on general access to safe and…
Read MoreOil demand decline to persist – World Bank
Measuring sectoral impacts of COVID-19 pandemic continue to suggest that oil demand decline will persist through 2021. While metal and agricultural commodities recouped their losses from the COVID-19 pandemic and expected to make modest gains in 2021, energy prices, despite some recovery still stabilize below pre-pandemic levels next year, the World Bank said Thursday. Oil prices Oil prices fell dramatically in the early stages of COVID-19. And they have only partially regained pre-pandemic price levels. The World Bank’s semi-annual Commodity Markets Outlook report revealed this. The prediction for oil prices…
Read MoreFG flags-off N140b grant for rural women
FG has kicked-off a N140b grant that will see over 700,000 rural women benefitting N20,000 each. The Federal Government of Nigeria has commenced the Special Grant Project for Rural Women which will see that over 700,000 women receive grants of N20,000 each to make them financially empowered members of the society. This was disclosed by the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Ms. Sadiya Umar Faroq, through her verified Twitter handle. Miss Sadiya revealed that the special grant project kicked off in Jos, Plateau State on Thursday,…
Read MoreWorld Bank to support Nigeria’s essential sectors
World Bank to support the Nigerian government to strengthen the health and education sectors. The President, World Bank Group, David Malpass, said this during a press briefing at the 2020 annual general meeting on Thursday. Pointedly, the World Bank support for the country in the cause of the pandemic continue to reduce public fiscal constraint He said: “For Nigeria, the vital steps are to strengthen the health system and the education system, and we try to work in those areas. “Also, the governance system and transparency are vital in order…
Read MoreWorld Bank Approves $12bn for COVID-19 Vaccines
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved an envelope of $12 billion for developing countries to finance the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments for their citizens. The financing, which aims to support vaccination of up to a billion people, is part of an overall World Bank Group (WBG) package of up to $160 billion through June 2021 to help developing countries fight the COVID-19 pandemic. It adds new financing to the World Bank’s COVID-19 emergency response programs that are already reaching 111 countries. This…
Read MoreOlasunkanmi Opeifa in final race for $1m Global Teacher Prize
A Nigerian teacher Olasunkanmi Opeifa has been named a top 10 finalist for the Global Teacher Prize 2020, in partnership with UNESCO. Opeifa is an English teacher at Government Day Secondary School, Karu, Abuja. He was shortlisted for the finals from over 12,000 nominations and applications from over 140 countries around the world Now in its sixth year, the US$1 million award established by the Varkey Foundation is the largest prize of its kind. In a special video message announcing Olasunkanmi Opeifa as a top ten finalist, comedian, actor, writer…
Read MoreIITA, Cassava Growers sign MoU to improve Seed Varieties
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has signed a pact with the Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) for the second phase of the Building of Economically Sustainable and Integrated Cassava Seed System (BASICS-II) project, AgroNigeria reports. The move will improve cassava seed varieties and will birth a new role for cassava seed producers and root farmers in Nigeria, IITA said. Director-General of the Institute, Nteranya Sanginga, was represented by the officer in charge of IITA Abuja, Gbassey Tarawali, during the signing. According to him, the project will provide an…
Read MoreCOVID-19: UNECA says remittances to Africa shrinks by $18billion
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has said that COVID-19 pandemic is likely to cost the African continent $18 billion in remittances. A new report launched by UNECA on Wednesday, entitled “Preserving Remittances in the Time of COVID-19”, highlighted the “severe impact” that the global COVID-19 pandemic has had on remittance inflows to Africa, mainly due to the situation of migrants in most affected countries. The report was launched by UNECA, in partnership with the anti-poverty organization ONE. The report noted that remittances have steadily increased over the…
Read MoreCOVID-19: UK to sponsor digital literacy training in northern Nigeria
As part of Nigeria’s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020-2030) vision to transform the country into a leading digital economy that would provide a quality life for all Nigerians in 10 years, the United Kingdom Government, through its Prosperity Fund Digital Access Programme, has signed a resilience training agreement with Tech4Dev, to carry out Basic Digital Literacy Training for rural clusters in northern Nigeria to enhance pandemic resilience. The agreement was signed on October 5, 2020, by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and the Nigerian non-profit organisation,…
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