Burdened by the glaring failure of leadership in the Niger Delta, Nigeria’s habitat of ‘’Oil Curse’’, some concerned stakeholders have started pressing for a new code of ethics for public officials. This is coming as 6.5 million local people whose livelihoods depend on fishing, and many others who survive on farming, have watched their futures drain away with oil pollution. At a summit convened by former Bayelsa State Commissioner for Environment, Iniruo Wills, serious concerns were expressed over issues of poor leadership and bad governance by public office holders in the environmentally degraded oil region over the years. The concerned…
Author: Akanimo Sampson
Peru’s Association of Exporters (ADEX) says the country last year consolidated itself as the world’s second-largest table grape exporter. This is coming as EU lowers limits for toxic metals in fruit and vegetables. Coordinator of Trade Intelligence at the CIEN-ADEX Global Business and Economics Research Center, Lizbeth Pumasunco Rivera, who broke the news says “thanks to the trade agreements signed and the work of businessmen and Senasa (the National Agricultural Health Service), grapes gained access to more markets and in 2020 Peru became the world’s second-largest exporter, after China.” Last year China’s grape exports totaled $1.21 billion, achieving a global…
Facts have emerged why the Libyan parliament failed to pass the country’s much awaited presidential election legislation. An intelligence report by Menas Associates, a political risk consultancy says discussions of the lawmakers focused on two central issues. According to Menas, the Libyan House of Representatives failed to complete its debate on amending the draft presidential election law because its discussions focused on two central issues that impact the head of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), Khalifa Haftar: whether a candidate can be a dual national; have a criminal record; or hold an active military position. ‘’The deadlock in the…
Tens of thousands of families are fleeing Afghanistan in search of a safer place since the use of explosive weaponry in cities is having an indiscriminate impact on the population. Worried humanitarian aid workers say many families have no option but to flee. There are disturbing reports of Taliban violence against communities currently under their control in Afghanistan. This is being strongly condemned by UN rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, who earlier this week backed a return to peace negotiations in Doha. The High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement that there was “fear and dread” across Afghanistan, which…
A two term Chairman of Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State, Obol Ubi Itam Ettah, was like all the recent high profile cases, kidnapped by heavily armed gunmen. Ettah is an oil baron known also as Bomboi. He served as council chairman from 2007 to 2013. Reportedly, he was violently abducted on Tuesday at his fueling station, Wenwon Muka in Ugep a few days to the annual Leboku festival. Local sources say he was whisked away by five gunmen wielding AK 47s. The kidnapped businessman is a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). We are informed that he…
Lack of a stronger international cooperation has been identified as the reason why piracy and armed robbery of ships. During the first half of last years, these worrisome incidents rose by 20 per cent. This is even in spite of an overall decrease in maritime traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing a high-level debate on enhancing security for seafarers, UN Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, drummed loudly on the need for stronger international cooperation. While addressing the Security Council, the top UN official said incidents in Asia have nearly doubled, while West Africa, the Straits of…
Recognizing that TPP providers are continually seeking to reduce the risks of payment fraud, the International Standard Organisation (ISO) has developed a standard that will act as a solid complement to the existing measures of Third Party Payment (TPP). This is coming because as payment trends move away from cash and towards online financial transactions, TPP providers such as PayPal are projected to grow. But, their convenient way to pay, is bringing with it greater security risks. A new standard for the information systems that provide TPP services is out to facilitate a safe development of the technology. Meanwhile, ISO…
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says it is extremely alarmed by last Thursday killing of over 200 people, including more than 100 children, in attacks on displaced families sheltering at a health facility and a school in Afar, northern Ethiopia. UN agencies have continued to sound the alarm over the growing “humanitarian catastrophe” in the troubled African country, sparked by the conflict in the Tigray region, now in its ninth month. UNICEF’s Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, in a statement says a recent escalation in fighting in Afar and other neighbouring regions, has been disastrous for children, Ms. Fore added that…
Uganda is still grappling with mass forced evictions being allegedly aided by International development financiers hosted and protected by big countries. This is even as the United Nations is striving to end hunger, achieve food security through sustainable agriculture of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Those who know better say in Uganda, the ‘development financing’ has exacerbated poverty, hunger among the local populations, threatening food security, and forcing inhabitants to migrate to urbanised cities or working as labourers on large plantation farms established formerly on their land as the only means of looking for survival. It appears,…
A food technology start-up in the United Kingdom, Foodsteps, has unveiled a food impact database that allows businesses to easily calculate, reduce, and label the environmental impact of their food. Foodsteps is the first UK-based tech firm to provide carbon tracking and impact labeling to restaurants and caterers as well as food businesses. Founded by Cambridge University alumni, Anya Doherty, the firm was created in response to the challenges facing food businesses looking to improve their sustainability and reach net zero. Anya Doherty developed the labels following the world’s largest study into carbon labeling conducted by Cambridge University, which she…
Federal Inland Revenue Service’s (FIRS) optimism that this 2021 fiscal year will be better than 2020 has suffered a major setback in Rivers State as a Federal High Court has declared that it is the state government and not FIRS, that should collect Valued Added Tax (VAT) and Personal Income Tax (PIT) in the big oil and gas state, and indeed, all the other states of the federation.. FIRS announced a total tax revenue of N4,952,243,711,728.37 for the year 2020. The service explained that the landmark achievement represents approximately 98% of the national tax target of N5.076 trillion set for…
Recognizing the importance of removing unnecessary barriers to tourism, International Standard Organisation (ISO) has published a standard to help the industry make travel accessible to everyone. This is coming largely because travelling has been a challenging affair for the more than one billion people in the world who live with some kind of disability. ISO 21902, Tourism and related services – Accessible tourism for all – Requirements and recommendations, provides requirements and guidelines to facilitate equal access and enjoyment of tourism by people of all ages and abilities. This includes anyone who might face accessibility issues or have specific access…
A damning intelligence report has uncovered why Iran is investing substantially in the transit sector over the past decade. A political risk consultancy, Menas Associates in the report says it’s in part because of its location as a hub connecting various regions and in part to focus on trade with immediately neighbouring countries. Expanding regional trade requires investment in transportation and transit infrastructure, and Tehran has ambitious goals in this regard. ‘’One is a planned transit corridor to link the Persian Gulf and the Black Sea. The initiative would involve Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Bulgaria’’, the intelligence report says,…
AgDevCo, a UK-based social impact and sub-Saharan-focused investor says it has invested $3 million in Quinta da Bela Vista Limitada (QBV), an irrigated banana estate in Mozambique’s Boane area. As a specialist investor in African agriculture, AgDevCo envisions a thriving agri sector benefitting both people and planet. The firm says it is working towards this goal by supporting agribusinesses to grow, create jobs, produce and process food, and link farmers to markets, while striving for greater climate sustainability, and possible regenerative solutions. Currently, the firm has committed $149 million into 46 companies across its targeted geography, and by reinvesting its…
Rattled by litigation risk, herbicide and pesticide giant, Bayer, says it will be replacing glyphosate-based products in the US residential lawn and garden market with alternative formulations in 2023 as part of a five-point plan to contain legal actions. The company’s shares dropped as much as five percent after a US judge rejected its plan to try and limit the cost of future class action claims that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. Apparently shaken, Bayer is questioning the future sale of glyphosate-based products to consumers in the US and plans to settle around 30,000 legal claims, according to Reuters. This…
Ahead of France’s partially withdrawal of its Operation Barkhane forces in the first quarter of 2022, there is a simmering unease in Libya about a renewed Jihadist activity. This is even in spite of the fact that the Islamic State has been largely eliminated from the North African country, yet there are growing worries about the potential for increased jihadist activity in the southern axis. France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced the planned troop withdrawal from the Sahel after: Paris’ ally, Chad’s President Idriss Déby was assassinated; and there was a second coup within a year in Mali. In its latest…
Conflict and displacement have produced a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, and a grim set of numbers. More than four million Haitians, 60 per cent of them women and girls, are currently in need of emergency assistance. Like the raiding COVID-19 pandemic, the raging conflict in the Caribbean country is limiting movement and accessibility. For the Assistant Director of medical institution GHESKIO, Dr. Marie Deschamps, women “are caught in the crossfire between COVID-19 and violence.” According to her, “victims are locked in their homes or temporary shelters and cannot ask for help. Another weakness is the lack of legal support for…
The rampaging COVID-19 pandemic has sparked an alarming rise in gender-based violence in Peru. a A female psychiatrist is currently treating survivors of the violence. Before the outbreak of the pandemic, Dr. Gabriela Gonzalez has been going to the Honorio Delgado Community Mental Health Centre (CMHC) in the Jesús María neighbourhood early every morning for the past six years. Her first patients of the day are usually new to the recovery process. They come to see her after an initial health examination. Later she will review medical histories with specialists from the multidisciplinary team, which includes other psychiatrists, psychologists, family…
GrubMarket that is concerned with making fresh and healthy food accessible to everyone says it has acquired Grant J. Hunt Company, a produce wholesaler on the West Coast of US, with offices in Northern California and Washington. On its website GrubMarket says ‘’we firmly believe that you, your family, and your friends should always have the opportunity to eat well, and that price should never be a barrier between you and healthy, delicious, and freshly-harvested food. ‘’GrubMarket is committed to providing you with the best grocery experience possible, by regularly offering you a spectacular array of farm-fresh foods at prices…
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its concerned partners are currently battling to curb the worrisome deaths of pregnant women in Kenya. To this end, they are empowering midwives to save lives. This is because for years, pregnant women on Mfangano Island in Kenya have had to travel to the mainland not only for emergency obstetric care, but also for diagnostic services as simple as an obstetric ultrasound screening. Such tools are often only available at specialist health facilities located in major towns and urban areas. As a result, pregnancy complications are often only identified at great effort and expense,…
For ethnic nationalities and regional blocs in Nigeria struggling for self-determination, the resistance struggle of the Ainu peoples of Japan may be a further inspiration. Like some of the oppressive state policies/legislations and the Jihadists’ offensive in Nigeria, the Ainu peoples have faced centuries of discrimination and pressure to assimilate. Like the Fulanisation programme in some of the Middle-Belt states, the overt Jihadist terror in the Yoruba states of Western Nigeria, the Igbo states of Eastern Nigeria, and the minority peoples’ states of Southern Nigeria, in 1899, the Japanese parliament enacted the Hokkaido Former Aborigines Protection Act in an attempt…
Going by a benchmark United Nations report released on Thursday, global food commodity prices fell in July for the second consecutive month, except in Nigeria where traders are still basking in the refrain of ‘’things don cost’’. The citizenry are witnessing rising prices of food items. For instance, the prices of foodstuffs like meat, eggs, and beans are rapidly increasing as the COVID-19 pandemic and flooding have worsened the poor agricultural and farming conditions across the country. Prices of food for families in the country have grown astronomically high, and market experts have warned that these high prices of food are here…
E-naira, Nigeria’s proposed digital currency is currently being promoted as a welcome boost to ongoing efforts of the Buhari administration to reduce the number of the citizenry that are financially excluded. President of Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria (SIBAN), Senator Ihenyen, however says the success of such a digital currency will depend on its design. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is proposing a digital currency, whose piloting phase is set to commence on October 1. Those who tend to know better say it will be a hybrid Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). This implies that the e-naira will…
A group of legislators in Spain are fashioning a legislation that will introduce the possibility of paying mortgages with cryptocurrency. A draft proposal of the Digital Transformation Law is giving different incentives for companies and organisations using, and developing solution technologies, including tax cuts. Banks are also included in the regulation, and the draft includes the use of smart contracts for managing some processes in these organisations. The legislators who are from the Popular Party in Spain, want regulate and legalise several new technologies like cryptocurrency, blockchain, and AI in the country. Among its numerous proposal the draft bill contemplates,…
Morocco has perfected plans to have better access to European markets. To this end, it has created a logistics platform, Morocco Foodex, in Poland. The agency which is under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water, and Forests, is a food export control and coordination organization. It is dedicated to the service of the Agri-food and maritime products sector, one of the levers of the country’s economic growth. The food export sector is evolving in an international environment marked by increased competition and ever higher technical and commercial requirements. With the vision and goal of meeting the regulatory requirements…
Prospects for a global cryptocurrency adoption are rising very strongly. As demand for cryptocurrencies grow, Paypal, a payment giant is hiring more than 100 crypto-related positions. A US federal legislator has already introduced a Digital Asset Market Structure and Investor Protection Act. The legislation will “provide the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with authority over digital asset securities and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) with authority over digital assets.” Last week, lawmaker, Don Beyer, introduced the bill for an Act that will incorporate digital assets into existing financial regulatory structures, according to an announcement posted on his official website.…
Nigeria’s economy is not still a major destination for foreign investors. They are actually dumping the country due to the rising inflation and unimpressive yield in the fixed income market among other issues causing a marked rise in greenback shortage. As a result, dollar inflow into the country has dropped by 54% due to unattractive developments in the local economy. Already, National Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS) capital importation data is showing that the country’s economy attracted a meager $875.62 million in the second quarter of this year over a gross domestic product size above $400 billion. The data, according to…
Technological advances aimed at making farming much easier and productive are breaking forth in parts of the world. Now, self-driving electric tractor is bracing to become a major agric tool. Monarch Tractor, a California-based company in the US will soon begin field trials in Oregon of its new self-driving electric tractor. Electric tractors, according to Capital Press, are a new frontier in US agriculture. So, researchers, farmers and Monarch Tractor staff will be teaming up to test the new vehicle across California, Washington and Oregon with US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Innovation Grant funding. The Oregon portion of the…
After its price plunged significantly in most part of the second quarter of this year due to selling pressure, bitcoin price has crossed the $41,000 mark as the largest digital asset traded a breakout in a fresh cryptoassets rally. Investors sentiment were down and selling rallies had persisted with price plunged below $30,000. Market data shows BTC continued to fighting resistance levels for longer than usual following crackdowns in China, increased demand for regulations in the United States and regulatory indifference in the United Kingdom. Data from Coinmarketcap.com indicates that bitcoin is seeing trading at $41,200 after gaining more than…
European Democracy Youth Network (EDYN) is opening its office headquarters in Bratislava, Slovakia, two and half years after it was launched with support from the US Agency of International Development (USAID). EDYN supports young pro-democracy leaders, politicians, and journalists, ages 18 to 32, in 23 countries who are committed to advancing democratic dialogue and sustaining democratic values through their political and civic activities while growing their professional skills and experience. EDYN’s Executive Director, Michal Kovács, says “by incentivizing cooperation across the ideological spectrum and steering attention to real problems young people face, we believe we can soften the edges and…
