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Tag: Netherlands

  • Netherlands to support Nigerian entrepreneurs

    The  Deputy Ambassador, Netherlands Embassy, Lagos, Mr. Michel Deelen, has said his  country  is  ready  to support  Nigeria  to build  the capacities  of  start-ups.

    Speaking in Lagos, Deelen said his country had created an environment for start-ups to strive, having undertaken reforms to improve the investment climate and enhance policy clarity, consistency and predictability.

    Deelen said the Embassy was a broker between Nigeria and the Netherlands, and that it was more concerned with trade and industry as well as connection to markets.

    He said though Netherlands is a small country, with a population of 17 million, it has managed to develop a functional agric start-up ecosystem that has created jobs for its citizens.

    One programme the Embassy is supporting to achieve this is Food Connection Challenge (FCC), a business incubation initiative focused on solving post-harvest losses.

    FCC, supported by Netherland Government, has selected 17 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Republic of Benin and Nigeria to participate in the programme.

    In all, the FCC received 88 applications from Benin and 228 from Nigeria, with an independent jury selecting those SMEs they considered the most promising and the best fit for the programme.

    In Nigeria, 14 farms have been selected. The group engages in activities ranging from developing mobile solar-powered storage boxes to the processing of spices.

    The juries of the FCC Benin and Nigeria consisted of representatives of African Business Angel Network (ABAN), African Innovation Foundation, PUM, KIT, Aid Trade, NABC, the Dutch embassies in both countries, and other experts in the field of agribusiness and innovation in Africa.

    According to Deelen, FCC will take place throughout the year. In July, participants received a three – day business training. This month, the selected SMEs will be exposed to a day innovation session to improve business cases.

    Participants work on their ideas through (remote) coaching throughout this month and October.  According to Deelen, participants will receive pitch training in December. There will be a grand finale, where participants will present their ideas and winners will be selected.

    The winner of the challenge, according to him, will get to EUR20, 000 ($23,000) in matching seed funding to implement his post-harvest solution.

    FCC is organised by BoP Inc. and Crosswise Works for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of Agriculture.

     

  • Netherlands, Nigeria to develop cattle farming model — Envoy

    The Deputy Ambassador of the Netherlands to Nigeria, Mr. Michel Deelen, said yesterday that his country would partner Nigeria to develop cattle farming models.

    Deelen told reporters in Lagos that the partnership is a fallout of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the Netherlands in June.

    He said: “The issue of cattle farming among other things was discussed during President Buhari’s visit to the Netherlands.

    “We had a discussion with the Ministry of Agriculture on how we can develop the process of rearing cattle without having to walk through other people’s farms.

    “That is an issue that has to do with many things but basically cattle undertake those long journeys because they are in need of food.

    “If you can produce that food in one location, then there will be no need for the cattle to walk through other people’s farms to graze.

    “This is something that is basically an international effort because you need to find the right animal food that grows in the country,” Deelen said.

    He applauded the visit of the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Audu Ogbeh, to Kenya to explore ways of producing cow feed in Nigeria.

    “I understand they were in Kenya to see what can be done in terms of feed.

    “The Netherlands is also bringing all kinds of experts to see how we can develop the model of farmers who have their cows on one location.

    “Although it is not rocket science, it will require all sides to get it to work,‘’ he said.

    He also spoke on the investments done by the Netherlands in Nigeria’s agriculture.

    He said:”The Netherlands has basically invested around 35 million Euros on various aspects of Nigeria’s agricultural value chains which include company investments, technical training investments, exchange programmes investments and others.

     

  • France hopes for good home show against Dutch

    France manager Didier Deschamps believes they need to sharpen up when they play the Netherlands on Sunday in their first home match since winning the World Cup in July following their goalless draw away to Germany.

    The French seemed to be nursing a post-victory hangover when they faced Germany in Munich on Thursday in their first outing since the final, creating only a few chances in the Nations League game compared to their opponents’ half dozen.

    The Germans were eager for redemption after their shock World Cup group stage exit while France at times looked content with a draw.

    “We can do it better. “We are returning home (for Sunday’s game in Paris) but we need to be more efficient.

    “We ran out of steam towards the end and obviously the entire squad is not yet at the peak of their form. Not at this time of the season,” Deschamps said.

    France’s passing was far from accurate and they seemed to lack pace, with forwards Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud, who were so dynamic at the World Cup in Russia, posing no real threat for most of the game.

    Read Also: LaLiga leads the way as France top the world

    It was unlikely, however, that France would instantly pick up where they left off in July, with their players having had limited pre-season preparation following their lengthy World Cup campaign.

    Deschamps’ team can expect days of festivities when they return to Paris but the players will know they need to pick up three points from their next Nations League match as well as put on a show for the French fans.

    “It will be a great feeling because it will be our first match in France since we won the title.

    “But we know we have to get the three points against the Dutch to stay in contention in the Nations League,” Giroud said.

    The Nations League, brainchild of European soccer body UEFA, aims to boost interest in international football.

    It also features all 55 of Europe’s national teams divided into four divisions split into four groups, with games played between September and November.

  • President lauds Nigerian professionals in Netherlands

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday hailed the quality of Nigerian professionals residing in the Netherlands.

    He made the remark when he met with members of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), the Netherlands Chapter, on the sidelines of his official visit to The Hague, Netherlands.

    This was contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.

    He said: “I am pleased with the quality of people I am seeing. You are high quality people. Congratulations on your personal achievements.”

    Stressing that he was quite pleased with their intellectual and professional achievements, the President lauded them for representing Nigeria well and for always being in touch with their motherland.

    Among those who met President Buhari were Julius Nnamdi Nwankpa, Chairman NIDO, Dr. Mustapha Gidado, a specialist in tuberculosis, having oversight over management of the disease in 22 countries, Lola Visser Mabogunje, a performance monitoring expert, Dr. Peter Ngene, a research scientist and Assistant Professor at Utrecht University, Engineer Cornelius Obot, a software expert, and Toyin Loyo, an artist and culture enthusiast of international repute.

    Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Nwankpa hailed Buhari for the war against corruption, “for which you have earned respect around the world,” high improvement in infrastructural development, and for signing into law the Diaspora Commission Bill, which he hoped would “become effective as soon as possible”.

  • Buhari lauds quality of Nigerian professionals in Netherlands

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday hailed the quality of Nigerian professionals residing in the Netherlands.

    He made the remark when he met with members of Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO), the Netherlands Chapter, on the sidelines of his official visit to The Hague, Netherlands.

    This was contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina.

    He said “I am pleased with the quality of people I am seeing. You are high quality people. Congratulations on your personal achievements.”

    Stressing that he was quite pleased with their intellectual and professional achievements, the President lauded them for representing Nigeria well, and for always being in touch with their motherland.

    Among those who met President Buhari were Julius Nnamdi Nwankpa, Chairman NIDO, Dr Mustapha Gidado, a specialist in tuberculosis, having oversight over management of the disease in 22 countries, Lola Visser Mabogunje, a performance monitoring expert, Dr Peter Ngene, a research scientist and Assistant Professor at Utrecht University, Engineer Cornelius Obot, a software expert, and Toyin Loyo, an artist and culture enthusiast of international repute.

    Read Also: Stop blaming Buhari for Killings, MURIC tells Nigerians

    Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Nwankpa, the NIDO Chairman, commended President Buhari for the war against corruption, “for which you have earned respect around the world,” high improvement in infrastructural development, and for signing into law the Diaspora Commission Bill, which he hoped would “become effective as soon as possible.”

    On the security situation in Nigeria, the NIDO Chairman urged the government and security team to accelerate stoppage of unfortunate killings, while also calling on Nigerians “to play their roles in breaking the cycle of violence, which usually has no winner.”

    The delegation presented the gift of an artwork called Light to President Buhari, with Toyin Loyo, the creator of the work saying: “The work is illuminating. You bring light, which will never go out, and which will shine round the clock.”

  • Buhari leaves for Netherlands today

    President Muhammadu Buhari is due to depart Abuja today to The Netherlands to participate in activities commemorating the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, at The Hague.

    Special Adviser on  Media and Publicity  to the President, Femi Adesina, said  Buhari is the  only world leader invited to deliver a keynote address during the Solemn Hearing to commemorate the anniversary at Courtroom 1 of the ICC’s Headquarters at The Hague.

    The president is expected to use the platform to reaffirm Nigeria’s support for the fundamental values of the Rome Statute and to the ideals of the ICC. He will also highlight his administration’s campaign against corruption.

    After the event at the Courtroom, the President will have a bilateral meeting with the ICC Prosecutor, Ms Fatou Bensouda.

    President Buhari will attend a dinner hosted by Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, the president of the ICC who is a Nigerian.

    The Nigerian leader, while in The Hague, will meet with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, to discuss bilateral issues such as migration, peace and security, and economic cooperation.

    The President and his delegation will have a separate roundtable with some Dutch Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of companies based in Nigeria with a view to urging them to expand their investments, especially in agriculture, oil and gas.

    On Buhari’s delegation are Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State; Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (Ondo); Foreign Affairs Minister  Geoffrey Onyeama; and Justice Minister and Attorney-General of the Federation  Abubakar Malami.

    Others are the Agriculture Minister  Audu Ogbeh; Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar; the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Maikanti Baru; and the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala-Usman.

     

  • Van Dijk ready to spur Liverpool to silverware

    Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is confident the team can step up another level in the upcoming campaign.
    The Premier League side looks to end their trophy drought after coming close in recent seasons, especially last season when they fell to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
    The Merseyside outfit’s most recent triumph was a League Cup win in 2012.
    And despite showing improvement under Juergen Klopp, the German manager has seen them lose three finals since he joined the club in 2015.
    “We’re going to work our socks off and do everything possible to make it happen this season.
    “We were very close to silverware but obviously not close enough,” Netherlands international Dijk told Liverpool’s website.
    “I can improve in any aspect of the game. At the moment, it’s getting back to full fitness, making sure I’m getting better and stronger than I was before.

    Read Also:‘ Southampton’s initial refusal to sell Van Dijk cost Pellegrino his job’

    “I will work every day and do everything possible and no doubt it will happen,” said Dijk.
    The 27-year-old made 22 appearances for Liverpool after he joined them in January.
    He helped the club finish fourth in the league and reach the Champions League final, which they lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in May.
    Dijk missed Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly on Saturday, when Klopp’s men recorded a crushing 7-0 win over non-league Chester.
    However, he is expected to take part in several fixtures leading up to next month’s Premier League kick-off.

  • Lagos, Netherlands mull exploiting water transportation

    Modern water transportation system was the focus at Monday’s meeting between the Lagos State government and the Kingdom of Netherlands.

    Both agreed to develop the sector and boost its patronage.

    The Head of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Lagos, Michael Deelan, who visited the Commissioner for Transportation in his Alausa, Ikeja office, expressed his country’s interest in Lagos waterways.

    He said the state is sitting on vast resources that it would help to exploit.

    According to him, Netherlands shares a lot of things in common with Lagos in geography and proximity to the coast.

    The Dutch said Netherlands has an ICT-controlled waterway system.

    Deelan, who is also Netherlands’ Deputy Head of Mission in Abuja, said his country’s waterway was demarcated in such a way that operators could be monitored and the whereabouts of any boat would be known any time through the deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

    Transportation Commissioner Ladi Lawanson said Lagos was looking at the possibility of working with Netherlands in water transportation.

    He said: “The Dutch are very good mariners. We can leverage on this to build a world-class water system policy.”

    The commissioner said Governor Akinwumi Ambode was planning to launch the state’s water master plan.

    Lawanson added that the state government was looking at the possibility of getting manufacturers in Netherlands for partnership with Lagos in water transportation.

    He said Lagos, being the commercial nerve centre of the country, had a huge population that is still growing, saying that this had put a lot of pressure on the road transportation.

    He noted that even though the government was investing in rail transportation, it would still not be enough to cater for the transportation needs of the huge population, which he said, informed the decision of government to look at ways of revamping its waterways system.

  • Buhari seeks support from international community to tackle climate change

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday reiterated the need for sustained financial, technical and capacity building support from the international community to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change in the country.

    The President made the call when he received Letter of Credence from Mr Robert Jan Petri, the Ambassador of Netherlands to Nigeria.

    President Buhari said Nigeria would continue to vigorously pursue the replenishment of the Lake Chad Basin, which had dried up to 10 percent of its original size.

    ”With the population growth in Nigeria and the drying up of the Lake Chad, we have to move faster and adapt to the impacts of climate change through technological solutions, ” he said.

    The President told the Dutch Ambassador that following Nigeria’s active participation in UN-organized Climate Change conferences in 2015, 2016 and 2017, the Nigerian government successfully hosted a high-level international conference on Lake Chad in February 2018.

    He noted that the high-level conference provided an opportunity to push further options to restore the Lake Chad, including the inter-basin water transfer project from Ubangi River in Central Africa to the Lake.

    On agriculture, the President welcomed the interest by some Nigerian doctoral students studying in the Netherlands on developing the sector through research and innovation, particularly the livestock sector.

    Read Also: Killings meant to instigate war, says Buhari

    In separate remarks, while receiving the Letter of Credence from the High Commissioner of the Republic of Botswana, Mr Pule Mphothwe, Buhari commended the Southern African country for its consistent support to Nigeria in the international fora.

    While recounting Nigeria’s leadership role in the liberation of African countries from colonial domination, the President expressed the readiness of Nigeria to continue to support fellow African nations in their time of needs.

    ”It is a national duty to support our African brothers in their time of need.”

    The President who also received Letter of Credence from Mr Houssam Diab, Ambassador of Lebanon to Nigeria, commended Lebanon for successful parliamentary elections, commitment to stability and security in the Middle East, as well as assistance to Syrian refugees.

    In their separate remarks, the Ambassadors while highlighting the existing and cordial relations between Nigeria and their countries, called for increased trade and economic cooperation.

    The Dutch Ambassador said: ”We are in the process of intensifying our cooperation, particularly on agriculture where we can offer our expertise, being the second largest exporter of food after the United States.”

    Also in his remarks, the Botswana High Commissioner told President Buhari that several companies from his country had indicated interest to invest in Nigeria’s mining, agriculture, sports and creative arts sectors.

    ”Sequel to the visit to my country (Botswana) by your predecessor in 2011, there is a great desire for my President to visit Nigeria,” Amb. Mphothwe said.

    NAN

     

  • FIFA women’s rankings: Germany drop to third, Nigeria now 38th

    Germany dropped out of the top two in the FIFA women’s rankings for the first time since 2009 after a poor run of results while the U.S. retained top spot.

    The U.S. team was unbeaten as they won this month’s She Believes Cup on home soil, while Germany failed to register a single victory at the annual invitational tournament.

    England’s second place in the tournament under new manager Phil Neville secured those No.2 spot in the rankings for the first time.

    France rose to fifth after finishing third in the She Believes Cup.

    Netherlands remain at No.7 while Sweden rose to ninth after being named joint winners of the Algarve Cup.

    Canada, who finished fifth at the event, climbed to fourth in the rankings.

    Japan, who won the World Cup in 2011 and finished runners-up in 2015, has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 2007.

    They lost two of their four matches this year.

    Cyprus Cup champions Spain rose to 12th, their best yet.

    Read Also: Nigeria’s U-20 arrive Polkwane For FIFA Women’s W/Cup Qualifier

    Nigeria dropped one step to 38 on the rankings, after amassing 1608 points, five less than the 1613 it gathered a month earlier.

    But Nigeria is still Africa’s number one on the CAF rankings; with Ghana and Cameroon maintain their second and third places respectively.

    Top 10 FIFA women’s rankings (previous positions in brackets):

    U.S. (1)

    England (3)

    Germany (2)

    Canada (5)

    France (6)

    Australia (4)

    Netherlands (7)

    Brazil (8)

    Sweden (10)

    Korea DPR (11)

    NAN