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Health risks related to climate change rising – UN

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Health risks related to climate change rising – UN

A new UN report says that health risks related to climate change are on the rise worldwide. At the same time, coordinated international responses can help prevent some of the worst impacts of climate change on health.

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Youssef Nassef, Director of the Adaptation Programme of the UNFCCC secretariat

Youssef Nassef, Director of the Adaptation Programme of the UNFCCC secretariat, says: “The report clearly highlights the need for the UN and partners to continuously strengthen their actions to support governments to build climate resilience, including measures to protect human health.”

The report will be presented to governments during the next round of climate change negotiations to be held in Bonn from May 8 to 18, 2017.

It was prepared in collaboration with countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other relevant expert organisations, under the Nairobi work programme − UN Knowledge-for-Action Climate Resilience Network. Below follows an overview of the report’s main findings.

The report shares at least five major insights:

  1. Certain groups have higher susceptibility to climate-sensitive health impacts owing to their age (children and elderly), gender (particularly pregnant women), social marginalisation (associated in some areas with indigenous populations, poverty or migration status), or other health conditions like HIV. The socioeconomic costs of health problems caused by climate change are considerable.
  2. Many infectious diseases, including water-borne ones, are highly sensitive to climate conditions.  A main concern in both developed and developing countries was the increase in and increased geographical spread of diarrhoeal diseases, the report found.
  3. Climate change lengthens the transmission season and expands the geographical range of many diseaseslike malaria and dengue. For example, the conditions for dengue transmission are likely to expand significantly across the globe
  4. Climate change will bring new and emerging health issues, including heatwaves and other extreme events. Heat stress can make working conditions unbearable and increase the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and renal diseases. Additionally, it is estimated that 22.5 million people are displaced annually by climate or weather-related disasters, and these figures are expected to increase in the future. Climate-induced human mobility has a socioeconomic cost and can affect mental and physical health.
  5. Malnutrition and undernutrition were highlighted as a concern for a number of developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, which discussed the impacts of climate change on food security, particularly in relation to floods and drought.

The report highlights inspiring examples of adaptation solutions for health worldwide:

  • The Climate Adaptation Management and Innovation Initiative of the Word Food Programme develops climate-induced food insecurity analyses and practices to inform programming and decision-making. The initiative focuses on16 countries across Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern, Central and Northern Africa.
  • In France, the Tiger Mosquito Surveillance Network monitors the tiger mosquito’s movements.
  • The Smart Health Facilities Initiative and Smart Hospitals Toolkit is being implemented through the Pan American Health Organisation in the Caribbean with the aim of supporting the governments of the selected countries to assess and prioritise vulnerability reduction investments in their health facilities.
  • Some countries integrate health into their national adaptation plans (NAPs) and programmes. For example, Macedonia and six additional countries are part of an initiative of WHO and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety that brings health into adaptation plans.
  • There are also a number of training and awareness-raising activities, including the Self-Learning Course on Climate Change and Health, developed by Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health in line with the joint Pan American Health Organisation/WHO Strategy and Plan for Action on Climate Change. The training aims at raising awareness and improving knowledge on the health effects of climate change among the general public and other sectors.

Dangote Flour Mills posts N12bn profit

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Dangote Flour Mills posts N12bn profit

Dangote Flour Mills has posted a profit before tax of N11.82 billion for its financial year ended December 31, 2016. According to the results released on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the company has returned to profitability after four years of losses.

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Thabo Mabe, Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Flour Mills

Review of the results indicated that the group’s operating profit went up to N16 billion compared to a loss of N8.6 billion posted at the preceding year. Profit after tax went up to N10.6 billion in contrast to a loss of N12.5 billion in 2015.

Revenue went up by 120 percent from N48 billion to N105 billion, while gross profit increased by 556.8 percent to N29 billion compared to N4 billion in 2016. Capital market analysts described the company’s performance as heartwarming given that the company had recorded losses in the past.

Dangote Flour Mills consist of Dangote Flour, Dangote Pasta, and Dangote Noodles. It was sold to Tiger Branded Consumer Goods, but later reacquired and re-positioned for good results.

Having reacquired the flour mills, the new board of directors and management started a restructuring process.

Speaking on the repositioning, the chairman, Dangote Flour Mills, Ighodalo Asue, said, “We bought back Dangote Flour Mill from Tiger Branded Consumer Goods and, by this move, it means we have a stronger, better, sophisticated and more focused Dangote Flour Mills.

“Since the takeover, we have taken a lot of steps to reposition the company through expansion to drive growth. We are also using this medium to restate our commitment to increasing our shareholders.”

The group chief executive officer, Dangote Flour Mills, Thabo Mabe, attributed the return to profitability to several strategies adopted by the company to increase market share and create value for shareholders.

He noted that the Dangote Flour Mills was driven by the vision of putting its products on the table of every Nigerian.

Tunisian NAMA proposal secures funding

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Tunisian NAMA proposal secures funding

The NAMA Facility has pre-selected the Tunisian Building NAMA proposal “Scaling-up Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in the Building Sector” to receive funding for the Detailed Preparation Phase as its part of its 4th call for projects funding.

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The proposed Tunisian NAMA aims to increase the uptake of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures across the building sector

The Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) proposal was developed by Ecofys for the Tunisian Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME). Ecofys developed the detailed proposal, financed by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German government and GIZ, in collaboration with local partner Alcor.

NAMAs refer to any action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries, implemented in the context of sustainable development. They can be policies directed at transformational change within an economic sector, or actions across sectors for a broader national focus.

The NAMA Facility supports developing countries and emerging economies in tackling climate change by funding the implementation of ambitious country-led NAMAs. The proposed Tunisian NAMA aims to increase the uptake of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures across the building sector. The NAMA will address barriers such as insufficient access to capital, insufficient technical and institutional capacities and low awareness of energy efficient options.

The NAMA support project is expected to leverage direct funding of at least EUR 154 million of additional private financing in the form of commercial loans which could rise to 166 million when including customer investments. A further EUR 36 million of public funds will be leveraged through a government investment subsidy, which will be phased out gradually.

The NAMA support project will result in the installation of 134 MW additional PV in the building sector and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 390,500 tCO2e over the implementation period (2019-2023) below business-as-usual levels.

By Noémie Klein, Ecofys

UNFCCC seeks partnerships for COP23

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UNFCCC seeks partnerships for COP23

The secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has said that it is seeking partnerships with all stakeholders, including the private sector, in support of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) to be held in Bonn, Germany, on November 6-17, 2017.

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Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

“During these two weeks of November, the world’s eyes will be on Bonn, where thousands of government delegates and leaders from all sectors of society will gather to move forward on implementing the Paris Agreement and to increase ambition for successfully achieving sustainable development for all,” says the UN body.

As host of COP23, the secretariat is organising the conference in close collaboration with the Government of Fiji, who will serve as the President of the COP, the Government of Germany, as the host country of the secretariat, along with the City of Bonn and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

“This is an exciting opportunity to join forces with the secretariat as partnerships will be formally recognised and given high visibility through the UNFCCC’s websites and social media channels, conference branding, and media engagement activities, among many other opportunities to reach a global audience,” the UNFCCC adds.

The UN Climate Change secretariat is seeking to establish partnership under the following categories:

 

General public outreach

  • Public outreach activities to support the conference branding, marketing campaigns and issue-driven competitions.
  • Production of marketing materials from flyers and posters to public advertisements and TV spots.
  • Media partnerships, including collaborations to promote content via TV programming and social media networks, as well as tools to analyse media content.

 

Enhanced stakeholder engagement

  • Financial support to ensure the presence of non-Party stakeholders such as civil society from developing countries.

 

Virtual participation

  • Increasing or facilitating virtual participation through any technology that could help those who will not be at the conference to follow the UNFCCC sessions and meetings remotely; projects comprising but not limited to, making information accessible to people with disabilities including auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual disabilities.

 

Sustainability

  • Measuring and reducing the climate and overall environmental footprint of the conference: any technology or initiative that can help measure and reduce the event’s footprint.

 

Other in-kind and or financial contributions

  • Proposals for partnerships outside of the categories indicated above can also be addressed by interested stakeholders.

 

A new, more comprehensive framework for partnering with the secretariat, including new guidelines for partnerships, is also now in place and accessible on the UNFCCC website: http://unfccc.int/secretariat/partnerships/items/10110.php

Shell trains medical workers in emergency care

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Shell trains medical workers in emergency care

Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) has facilitated the training of medical workers from hospitals in Anambra State on emergency resuscitation, delivering a critical component of its commitment to provide skilled and timely response to medical emergencies in the state. The training of the 70 staff on Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support which took place at the Iyi-Enu Mission Hospital, Ogidi, was delivered by Emergency Response International, a body accredited by the American Heart Association for this specialised skill building.

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Cross section of participants performing Oropharyngeal examination at the Basic Life Support Training for medical workers in Anambra State, sponsored by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo)

“SNEPCo is pleased to carry out these important trainings in Anambra State,” said Regional Community Health Manager, Dr. Akin Fajola. “Timely response to emergencies is a matter of life and death, and even then, deploying an unskilled medical staff to an emergency is itself an emergency. We now expect the 70 skilled responders to positively impact their areas of work in the state.”

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Commissioner of Health in Anambra State, Dr. Josephat Akabuike, thanked SNEPCo for helping to save lives in medical emergencies by improving the skills of healthcare professionals.  A participant at the training, Dr. Nathan Elochukwu Ojekwu, said: “This initiative requires a lot of resources, but SNEPCo did it for free. I promise to put this training to good use by saving lives.”

The training is a key aspect of the intervention of SNEPCo – with the active support of NNPC and co-venture partners – in strengthening the quality of healthcare services at the Iyi-Enu Mission Hospital and emergency skills in Anambra State, which began in 2013. The intervention has also seen the commencement of breast cancer and dialysis services and the donation of medical equipment worth over N 120 million.

In addition to the project at Iyi-Enu Mission Hospital, SNEPCo developed the capacity of health workers in seven states in the South West and South South regions, and supported the BEARS Foundation for the repair of congenital cleft lip and palate. Late last year, thousands of residents in Lagos benefitted from a health outreach organised by SNEPCo which offered free medical services and education at strategic areas in the mega city. In the past four years, SNEPCo worked with an NGO (Extended Hands) to undertake corrective surgery and treatment of over 150 women suffering from Vesical Vaginal Fistula (VVF) across the six geo-political zones.

LMC announces sanctions, arrest made over Dortmund blast

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LMC announces sanctions, arrest made over Dortmund blast

The League Management Company (LMC) on Tuesday, April 11, 2017 announced several sanctions imposed on clubs and players to ensure sanity, and curb fans and players’ excesses.

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Enyimba and Black Stars goalkeeper, Fatai Dauda

Three clubs – Kano Pillars, Katsina United and Remo Stars – are to pay several fines, totalling over N12 million and they can also have their points deducted later in the season if there was a repeat offense.

There were also sanctions such as playing behind closed doors and fans restrictions, while Enyimba’s goalkeeper, Fatai Dauda, and two Kano Pillars players were handed one match suspension each.

The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has commended the prompt action by the LMC to improve safety at match venues by sanctioning the three clubs and players.

In a chat with newsmen, the Secretary General of SWAN, Olawale Alabi, lauded the steps taken by the Premier League organising body.

“With this warning, the LMC has sent a message to the clubs that they can’t continue to flout the rules and regulations guiding the League.”

Meanwhile, federal prosecutors revealed on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 that an Islamist suspect has been arrested in connection with Tuesday’s explosion that damaged the Borussia Dortmund bus, in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg against Monaco, in Germany.

The bus was damaged 90 minutes before kick-off, about six miles from the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund.

Police say there were three explosives hidden in a nearby hedge. They called it “a targeted attack” and found a letter at the scene claiming responsibility for the attack.

Police prepared for a “large deployment” at the rescheduled game and security at Wednesday’s other Champions League ties – Atletico Madrid Vs Leicester City and Bayern Munich Vs Real Madrid – were stepped up.

The rescheduled Borussia vs Monaco match was played on Wednesday, and the French teams stunned their German counterpart 2-3.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino condemned the incident, while his Uefa counterpart, Aleksander Ceferin, said he was “deeply disturbed” and praised the decision to postpone the game.

By Felix Simire

CODE project wins ONE Africa Award as continent’s best SDGs initiative

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CODE project wins ONE Africa Award as continent’s best SDGs initiative

The Abuja-based Connected Development (CODE) has won the ONE Africa 2016 Award recognising, rewarding, and advancing the exceptional work of organisations founded by Africans and based in Africa, dedicated to helping Africa achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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L-R: Emir of Kano, HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi; Hamzat Lawal, CEO, CODE & Co-Founder, Follow The Money; United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Amina J. Mohammed; and Africa Development Bank President, Akinwunmi Adesina, during the awards ceremony

It’s initiative, “Follow The Money”, believed to be the largest volunteer grassroots movement on transparency and accountability in Africa, emerged winner among three finalists, presented by Bono, the lead singer of the UK group U2, and co-founder of ONE Campaign, during the just concluded Mo Ibrahim Foundation Governance forum, held in Marrakech, Morocco.

CODE has walked away with the ninth ONE Africa Award. The Award is granted to civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations and other groups based in Africa, that have demonstrated commitment and success in advocacy to promote the attainment of one or more of the SDGs. CODE provides marginalised and vulnerable communities with resources to amplify their voices with independence and integrity while also providing information that ushers social and economic progress. With global expertise and reach, CODE focuses on community outreach, influencing policies, practices, and knowledge mobilisation. CODE’s commitment to participatory capacity and community building, monitoring and evaluation creates effective and sustainable programmes even within the most challenging environments.

Chief Executive of CODE and Co-Founder of Follow The Money, Hamzat Lawal, on behalf of the organisation, received the award, which highlights the dynamism and achievements of African groups and organisations that are building a better future for their communities, countries and continent.

“We are super excited to be the recipient of this award and also thankful to ONE Campaign for this great opportunity. This Award restates the continental belief in our rural development works. This we warmly appreciate. And ultimately, this is timely and will be exceedingly utilitarian in broadening our continental impacts through facilitating development in marginalised communities, as well as empowering them to stand up and hold their leaders accountable.” said Lawal.

He added: “This has come as a pleasant surprise considering the remarkable profiles and developmental work of other finalists. We are very excited to be the recipients of this award, and we are thankful to the ONE Campaign as this reaffirms the continent’s belief in our rural development work. The award will be useful in broadening our impact through facilitating change in marginalised communities, as well as empowering them to hold their leaders accountable.”

Congratulating the 2016 ONE Africa Award recipient, Nachilala Nkombo, ONE Africa interim Executive Director, said: “Africa has enormous resources and it is inspiring to see African-led organisations leading the change. Progress on our continent is held back by a lack of accountability and transparency, among other things. It gives me great honour to present the award to an organisation such as CODE, which has been working tirelessly to curb corruption and increase transparency in Nigeria.

“The ONE Award is an opportunity for ONE to highlight some of the innovative Africa-led and driven initiatives that are building a better future for the continent every day. Africa is developing because of the dedication of civil society organisations such as CODE that are doing incredible work in every town, village and community. What I must acknowledge is that none of what we do would be effective without the essential role of African civil society organisations in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. We are therefore proud to support local civil societies on our continent, and it is for this reason that the ONE Africa Award was initiated.”

CODE’s impact in advocacy stood out from a pool of 123 impressive applications from 10 countries across Africa. CODE’s most successful campaign, Follow The Money (FTM), is an action advocacy-based project used to track, visualise and advocate for transparency in government and international aid spending by making sure that the government works for the people. Their list of accomplishments includes: effectively wielding small gains and wins in the fight against corruption through FTM while developing a robust online presence to track its campaigns and projects, badgering the government to produce funds where it has promised.

President and CEO of the ONE Campaign, Gayle Smith, said: “In the fight against poverty in Africa, corruption and the lack of transparency in the governance system is our ultimate opponent. Therefore, we at ONE are delighted to announce CODE as the winner of the ninth annual ONE Africa Awards, as they empower and equip rural communities to keep their local government’s representatives transparent and accountable.”

On the sideline, Mo Ibrahim said: “Nigeria and Africa at large needs people and organisation like yours to ensure sustainable development and value for money.”

The $100,000 prize money is underwritten by an endowment from The Howard G. Buffet Foundation and recognises innovative African efforts to fight poverty and incentivise more of such efforts.

The 2017 Governance Forum which focused on violent extremism and migration, participation and democracy, inclusive economic growth and jobs for youth  brought together various thought leaders in Africa and the World at Large including the Emir of Kano, HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi; the United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Amina J. Mohammed; former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan; Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; former Finance Minister, Okonjo Iweala; and Africa Development Bank (AfDB) President, Akinwunmi Adeshina.

Government to resuscitate national mortgage firm with N500bn

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Government to resuscitate national mortgage firm with N500bn

The Federal Government says it has made a provision for some N500 billion to resuscitate the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to make mortgage facilities easily available to Nigerians.

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Alhaji Mustapha Baba-Shehuri, the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing

Alhaji Mustapha Baba-Shehuri, the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, announced this in Lafia, Nasarawa State on Monday, April 10, 2017 when he called on the state’s Deputy Governor, Silas Agara.

The minister visited the site of a National Housing Project in Lafia.

Baba-Shehuri said: “The resuscitation of the bank with N500 billion will provide the institution with adequate funds to provide mortgage facilities to interested Nigerians.

“The Federal Government, in its quest to provide shelter to Nigerians, has recently directed the FMBN to waive the payment of 10 percent equity on mortgages below N5 million.

“This will greatly enhance the transition of low income earners from tenants to home owners.”

Baba-Shehuri explained that the project would provide houses and jobs for low income earners.

The minister said the houses would be built based on Nigerian housing design with 100 per cent local content.

He said: “The housing project came up with a 100 per cent Nigerian housing design and local content.

“This is done because government wants to create employment for Nigerian youths.”
The minister commended the state government for providing land for the National Housing Project, saying that it was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s promise of providing infrastructure.

Baba-Shehuri said the ministry would leave no stone unturned in tackling the challenges of housing shortage in the country, which was about 16 million to 17 million.

He disclosed that the government had commenced plan to construct mass housing units in every state for public and private workers over the next three years.

Responding, the deputy governor thanked the minister for the visit and commended the Buhari led administration for initiating the project.

Agara said: “We assure you as a state that we will partner with your ministry to ensure that the project is successfully completed.

“As you are aware, we have fulfilled our part by providing a good location in Akruba in the outskirts of Lafia metropolis for the project.”

The minister visited the ongoing project in Akruba in Lafia Local Government Area comprising 76 houses of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.

Doubts over story of girl living with monkeys

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Doubts over story of girl living with monkeys

The “Jungle Book”-like tale of a young girl said to have been found living with monkeys in an Indian forest was shocking, disturbing and fascinating. It might also have been untrue.

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The Indian girl sits on a bed in a hospital

The story of the girl circulated among news outlets around the world in recent days, including The Washington Post, after reports by the Associated Press and the New Indian Express. The girl, according to those reports, was rescued earlier this year by police who found her surrounded by a pack of protective monkeys in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. One police officer speculated that she might have been raised by primates from infancy. She has since been living at a hospital in the city of Bahraich, where the chief medical officer told the AP in a recorded interview that she arrived crawling, eating and screeching like an animal.

But other officials cast doubt on some of those details on Saturday, April 8. JP Singh, the district chief forestry officer in the Katarniya Ghat area, told the Guardian that the girl was located on a roadside, not in the forest. Sarbajeet Yadav, a police constable who participated in the rescue, told the Hindustan Times that “there were no monkeys around.” What’s more, many cameras in the area – used for both security and animal-tracking purposes – would have detected the girl had she been there, forest department officials said.

Officials involved in helping the girl stressed from the start that they were not certain how long she had been living outdoors and on her own, and they said they were scouring missing children reports in an attempt to identify her.

But Singh, the forestry officer, told the Guardian that he suspected the girl’s inability to communicate was the result of a disability, not a childhood among apes, and that she had been recently abandoned by relatives who did not want to care for her. Her age is still unknown.

“I think the family members of this girl had been aware that she is not able to speak, and they may have abandoned her near the forest road,” he said. “It is clear from first-time view, if you see the girl, that she is only 8 or 9 years old, but her facial expressions show that she is disabled, not only mentally but also physically.”

The hospital’s chief medical officer, DK Singh, echoed that, and said the girl might also have been cast off because of another perceived handicap: being a girl in a society that prizes boys.

“Some families value girls less than boys,” Ranjana Kumari, an advocate for young girls, told the Guardian. “They would rather get rid of the girl than spend money on her. It is a lot more responsibility because of the social environment we live in.”

As The Post reported Friday, stories of feral children have long been told in both legend and well-documented reportage. It seems this one might exist somewhere in between – less like “The Jungle Book” and more like a tragedy of neglect and desertion.

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