The Nation Newspaper

Tag: poverty eradication’

  • ILO, AEA, SMEDAN partner on youth empowerment, poverty eradication

    A mission to boost youth empowerment and eradicate poverty through entrepreneurship is being championed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA), and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN).

    The partnership will provide sufficient support in material and human resources to the AEA, which, in turn, will scale up its numerous empowerment schemes to accommodate more persons.

    At an exhibition in Abuja, in honour of the visiting ILO Director-General, Mr. Guy Ryder, AEA Managing Director Mr Arabi Muhammad Tukur said the agency was established in 2006 as the Federal Capital Teritory’s administration’s vehicle for entrepreneurial development, poverty reduction and wealth creation.

    He said the agency, in the last 10 years, has supported 73,450 persons and businesses (90 per cent of whom were youths), in critical entrepreneurial areas like business clinics, access to finance, counselling, sensitisation, workspace and market linkage among others.

    He added that AEA had supported 31,100 rural entrepreneurs in 160 communities of the FCT with capacity-building training, access to finance, equipment and other critical areas.

    These are just some of the few achievements the Agency has attained over the years.

    He said: “The agency has designed to expand its grants programme to support the provision of work tools which will eliminate drudgery, share new technology to rural entrepreneurs and finance Start-ups, who are confronted with inadequate access to finance.

    “We are also focused on youth and women development. We have in the past three years trained over 800 youths and women on ICT, skills acquisition programmes covering areas such as shoes production and other leather works, cosmetology, confectionary and entrepreneurial training.

    “Plans are under way to undertake a financial literacy sensitisation programme to increase the number of entrepreneurs who have access to financial services to understand how to properly use the funds they received for their business.”

    Earlier in his remarks, Ryder assured that the body will assist AEA scale up its entrepreneurship drive.

    He said: “It was good listening to the beneficiaries of the training. All suggestions have been taken. The idea of working with the NLC, other bodies in the future is noted. The energy, vibrancy of Nigerians is excellent”  he said.

    The representative of the Director-General of SMEDAN, Mr Monday Ewang described AEA as its baby.

     

    “We’ve partnered them ever since they took off. We’re ensuring they deliver their mandate and on ours too.

    “We’re happy to welcome the DG of ILO. SMEDAN will ensure it works closely with ILO”, he noted.

  • Atilade seeks inclusive policy for poverty eradication

    The Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) South West region, Archbishop Magnus Atilade, has called for more inclusive and balanced approach for poverty eradication through economic growth and development that promotes happiness and well-being of all people.

    He spoke at the inauguration of The Way to Happiness Foundation International (Nigeria) in commemoration of the United Nation International Day of Happiness in Lagos.

    The Way to Happiness Foundation is a non- governmental organisation with a common sense guide to better living to capture the essence and quest of Life.

    He said that the growing discontent between government and the people originated from government’s failure in fulfilling the social contract with the governed.

    He noted the major responsibilities of government were provision of security and welfare services.

    Atilade argued happiness in any country is not just a cliché but a process of constant engagement with the people on government programmes and its implementation which must be transparently carried out for the people to see.

    The cleric, who is also the President of the foundation, tasked Nigerians to continue to demonstrate love and mutual respect no matter the differences.

    “Keep your mind free from hate, keep your mind free from worry,  live simply, expect little, give much, sing often, forget self,  thinks of others, and be happy always,” he said.

  • Obaseki, Indonesian, Malaysian envoys, brainstorm on poverty eradication

    …seek removal of trade barriers in oil palm trade

     

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday joined the Ambassador of Indonesia to Germany Arif Havaz Oegroseno, Maritime Coordinating Minister of Indonesia, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Malaysian Ambassador to the Vatican, Tan Sri Bernard Gilgal Dompok, at an international conference on poverty eradication in Rome, Italy, to proffer solutions to the myriad of factors bedeviling  efforts to fully harness the gains in the agricultural sector to eradicate poverty in developing countries.

    According to Obaseki, there is a strong correlation between poor agricultural policies that inhibit growth and development and poverty, urging stakeholders to come together with broad minds and adopt policies that are not discriminatory.

    He showcased the growing confidence of investors in Edo State, which accounts for the expansion of plantations by Presco Plc, Okomu Oil Plc and other companies in the state.

    The governor commended the organisers of the conference and reinforcing the nexus between agriculture, specifically, the plantation industry and poverty eradication with the conference themed: “Eradicating Poverty through the Agriculture and Plantation Industry to Empower Peace and Humanity.”

    Read Also:Poverty Eradication: Obaseki calls for global consensus on strategy

    The Indonesian delegation noted that the European Union’s discrimination against Indonesia’s crude palm oil (CPO) products has prompted the industry and government to synergise intensively with governments and communities in the European region.

    Coordinating Minister of Agriculture in Indonesia, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, explained that the Government of Indonesia is very transparent in addressing environmental issues associated with the development of oil palm plantations and CPO derivatives industries.

    He added that his country has adopted sustainable palm oil standards and adheres to certification schemes in export destination countries.

    Experts at the conference held inside the Auditorium of the Pontifical Urban University in the Vatican, Rome, shared experiences of their home countries and states, citing the roles of oil palm plantations and the agricultural sector in poverty reduction.

    The well-attended event, attracted policymakers, heads and representatives of governments, members of the diplomatic community, the academia and industry players.

     

     

  • ICT tool for poverty eradication, says NCC chief

    ICT tool for poverty eradication, says NCC chief

    The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Dmabatta has identified the deployment of information communication technology (ICT) tool as a veritable weapon against mass poverty in the country.

    Dambatta, who addressed participants of the Senior Executive Course No 38 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, said the ICT industry is the next frontier for poverty eradication, especially now that the fortunes of oil and gas have crashed.

    “The poverty level in Nigeria is not a true reflection of our population size, natural and envionmental endowments. This is because the poverty level in the country contradicts the country’s immense wealth.

    “The challenge encountered by developing nations is no longer poverty in its traditional sense, but a lack of access to ICT tools and the vast potential derivable from ICT. ICTs have the potential to combat poverty, be it rural or urban poverty,’’ he was quoted to have said in a statement endorsed at the weekend by the Special Assistant (Media) to the EVC, Yakubu Musa.

    The NCC chief said one of the major challenges for the poor is inability to access information due to inadequate infrastructure, ignorance or illiteracy, lamenting that the nation currently has a broadband penetration level of about seven per cent.

    “For most developing countries, particularly those with large populations, inadequate infrastructure has made it difficult to participate as equal partners in the worldwide enterprise of knowledge production and dissemination,” he said, arguing that the effects are: “unequal distribution of access to resources and opportunities in the new economy.”

    Dambatta added: “In Nigeria, ICT must be considered a critical key driver for social development and economic growth. To stimulate the economy particularly in production, agriculture and intellectual property, we should aim to improve ICT penetration in both mobile telephony and broadband services to all parts of the country no matter how remote.”

    He further maintained that ICT interaction and usage in critical sectors such as agriculture, health, trade, finance, insurance and transport should be increased since it would automatically affect the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), improve quality of life, reduce dependency on forex and improve the value of naira.

     

     

     

    He, however, noted that, ICTs are not simply a connection between people, but a link in the chain of the development process; and its contribution to socio-economic development cannot be over-emphasised. “It goes without saying that ICTs have the potential to combat poverty, be it rural or urban poverty. It will also foster sustainable development if appropriately deployed and made to address the diverse discrepancy in the ICT needs of people of all locations, age group and economic status,” he said.

    He said investment in ICT alone was not enough for development to occur and be sustained or for poverty to be eradicated, noting that successful ICT poverty reduction interventions could only be achieved with an enabling environment, participation of the private sector and non-governmental organisations, free flow of information, access to ICT by women and youths, and capacity building.

    “Consequently, ICTs may be regarded as an enabler of other developmental efforts and infrastructure required for sustainable development. Only a banquet of strategies duly implemented can attempt to resolve the global menace of poverty.

    “For most developing countries, particularly those with large populations inadequate infrastructure has made it difficult to participate as equal partners in the worldwide enterprise of knowledge production and dissemination.”

    Danbatta argued that ICTs are critical resource in the promotion of socio-economic development, with a potency to alleviate poverty which is caused as a result of lack of access to ICT tools and know-how.

     

  • ‘Lagos is committed to poverty eradication’

    The 2013 budget of Lagos State is to eradicate poverty, Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Poverty Alleviation, Ms Idowu Sebanjo said.

    Sebanjo, who spoke at a press briefing organised by a Turkish firm, Meridyen International, at Eko Hotel and Suites, said the flagship tool, which the government would use is skill acquisition. She warned that child labour remained a crime in the state, urging parents to stop sending their children to hawk on the streets.

    “Every programme Governor Babatunde Fashola is doing this year addresses poverty at the grassroots. We believe that eradication of poverty in the state is key to development, which is why His Excellency initiated various skill acquisition centres to engage idle youth and adults to learn and make a living from the skills,” she said

    The exhibition, tagged: “2013 Nigerian International Cosmetics Exhibition (NICEX)”, will showcase various kinds of cosmetic and skincare products from international and local markets.

    Sebanjo said some of the trainees, who graduated from the Lagos State skill acquisition centres, would be part of the exhibition, adding that the Fashola administration will continue to support artisans using local raw materials to produce for local and international consumption.

    The firm’s International Project Director, Mr Ayodeji Olugbade, said the exhibition would provide dynamic and interesting flair in the makeup and beauty industry.

    He said: “The fair, which will showcase series of beauty products, is intended to give makeup and beauty professionals a good platform to create and entrench businesses and relationships. The NICEX grand show will have exhibits from top business houses located in different parts of the world.”