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Tag: Sustainable Development Goals

  • ‘Human capital key to SDGs’

    ‘Human capital key to SDGs’

    Head of Sales and Business Development at System Specs Technology Services Limited (STSL), Tereigh Ozakpo, has underscored the centrality of human capital development to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stressing that the goals lose their significance without a focus on people.

    Ozakpo made this statement while speaking at the Industrial Trust Fund & Trinity University Conference/Workshop 2024, held recently, at Drapers Hall, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan.

    The conference, themed “Exploring the Prospects of Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa: Imperatives for Human Capital Development,” convened experts to discuss innovative strategies for addressing Africa’s socio-economic challenges through human capital development. The event was proudly sponsored by STSL and HumanManager Limited.

    In his address, Ozakpo He remarked, “If you take the humans out of the SDGs, they mean nothing. These goals are all about addressing human challenges, and the most effective way to tackle those challenges is to invest in improving the human being. A ripple effect begins with just one person or one effort, ultimately transforming entire communities.”

    Echoing the emphasis on human capital development, the Vice-Chancellor of Trinity University, Prof. Clement Olusegun Kolawole, highlighted the indispensable role of education in achieving sustainable development during his welcome address. He stated: “Without investing in human capacity development and leveraging education, sustainable development remains unattainable. The inability of many African countries to achieve the SDGs in 2015 was largely attributed to the failure to deploy education as a driving force. This realization must serve as a clarion call for nations to prioritize human capacity development as the cornerstone of progress.”

    Prof. Kolawole’s remarks reinforced the need for strategic investment in education to address Africa’s developmental challenges and accelerate progress toward achieving the SDGs.

    Showcasing SystemSpecs’ contribution to advancing the SDGs, Ozakpo highlighted the transformative role of technology in creating sustainable systems: “At SystemSpecs, we are digitising communities, helping them move from manual to digital systems. Starting with schools like Trinity University, we are enabling seamless interactions between students, and management, and creating inclusive, safe, and sustainable environments aligned with SDG 11.” He noted that digitisation is not just a tool but a catalyst for innovation, creating opportunities for more efficient systems and inclusive growth.

    Read Also: Nigeria risks missing SDGs, UHC 2030 target

    He further underscored the transformative role of the organisation in bridging gaps across sectors and highlighted the use of innovative solutions like Remita, HumanManager, Pouchii, and Deelaa to digitise processes, enhance financial inclusion, and improve resource management. “By empowering individuals and institutions with these tools, SystemSpecs is creating inclusive and sustainable systems that align with global SDG targets,” Ozakpo noted.

    Addressing the evolving needs of the tech-savvy Gen Z demographic, Ozakpo stressed the importance of academia embracing technology to ensure education remains relevant. “With 90% of students on campuses today being Gen Z, academia must embrace technology to engage them. If we fail to meet them where they are, we risk making education irrelevant to their lives and aspirations,” he remarked.

    Ozakpo also reflected on the broader implications of leveraging innovation to tackle critical challenges in healthcare, governance, and agriculture. He called for unified action among academia, industry, and policymakers to unlock Africa’s potential, asserting that human capital is the continent’s greatest resource.

    The Industrial Trust Fund & Trinity University Conference/Workshop 2024 provided a platform for thought leaders, academics, and policymakers to explore strategies for human capital development and sustainable progress. Ozakpo’s presentation reaffirmed that Africa’s development requires the collective effort of academia, industry, and government to create partnerships that drive lasting change. By working together and leveraging technology, innovation, and education, we can achieve the SDGs and build a sustainable future for the continent.

  • How AI is accelerating Africa’s pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals

    How AI is accelerating Africa’s pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals

    By Alex Okosi

    With Unstoppable Africa 2024, the Global Africa Business Initiative’s (GABI) flagship event holding this week, there is no better time to take a look at African nations’ progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    While much remains to be done globally in accelerating progress against the SDGs, Africa, as a continent rich with potential; is starting to embrace the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) that will help it achieve the SDGs. To bolster these fledgling efforts, two things are needed: collaboration between stakeholders, and access to the necessary skilling and infrastructure.

    As a GABI Circle member, we are thrilled to see how AI-driven initiatives from a wide variety of players are supporting countries on the African continent in their quest to reach the SDGs.

    AI’s role in Africa

    The opportunities inherent in the use of AI in Africa can be viewed from several perspectives; the first of which is the role it will play in bringing cutting-edge healthcare to people who previously did not have access to these.  In addition to our own solutions, Google is also teaming up with local organisations such as Jacaranda Health in Kenya, and OnTime Consortium in Nigeria, which use AI to give access to life-saving information.

    This not only supports SDG 3 but also empowers women to take control of their maternal and child health through AI-driven solutions that help monitor pregnancies and predict complications, allowing for timely interventions that save lives.

    AI’s role also extends to advancing food security; and addressing environmental and climate-related challenges affecting agricultural productivity and livelihoods. By predicting flood zones and alerting residents in advance, Google’s AI-enabled flood forecasting  system directly contributes to increasing disaster preparedness by providing flood forecasts and alerts up to seven days in advance. Since its launch last year in two countries, the service has been expanded to 80 countries, 23 of which are in Africa.

    Secondly, AI has the potential to help power economic growth. What makes this even more exciting is that it is not just an opportunity for big businesses, it also creates incredible opportunities for startups and entrepreneurs. The AI Startups Mapping in Africa report by AfriLabs  reveals that Africa’s AI readiness index is at an average of 26.91, emphasising the need for greater investment in AI infrastructure.

    Initiatives such as the recently adopted Africa Union Startup Model Law Framework  set out guiding principles, a common vision and key recommendations for Member States in developing their national startup legislative and regulatory systems and capabilities to derive maximal value from the innovation ecosystem.

    The private sector is a vital player in this ecosystem and Google, alongside other partners, continue demonstrating our commitment to fostering a thriving startup environment through initiatives like the Google for Startup Accelerator for Africa, the Hustle Academy that has empowered more than 10,000 graduates to date, and Google’s USD 50 million Africa Investment Fund underscore the private sector’s dedication to supporting African startups.

    Thirdly, strategic partnerships between African governments and the private sector are crucial to harness AI effectively. By investing in infrastructure such as connectivity and data centres and providing educational frameworks to empower Africa’s next generation of AI-savvy users, the continent can position itself for inclusive growth and development.

    Unlocking opportunities and breaking barriers

    While global progress has been slow in many areas, AI presents a unique opportunity for African nations to overcome challenges and achieve these goals.

    AI isn’t just another technology; it is an enabler, reducing the barriers that stand in the way of realising Africa’s potential. There’s been a lot of talk about the fundamental importance of skills like STEM and coding, which create a vital foundation for understanding the digital world. These are still essential, and when augmented with AI, access to learning and using these technologies becomes even easier.

    How Africa can catch on to the AI train

    For Africa to catch up in the global AI race, a multi-faceted approach is required. This involves not only investment in infrastructure and education but also cultivating a culture of learning, innovation and entrepreneurship amongst the civil service who are core to the transformation of the continent.

    Governments should work toward creating clear policies and regulatory frameworks that encourage AI innovation while ensuring ethical standards and data privacy. At GABI, Google will share an AI blueprint, that has been months of research and inquiry, that highlights model laws and strategies governments and institutions in Africa can adopt in order to gain this AI opportunity. And to complement this, with partners, we´ll kick off an AI Printers  course offering the  ´Foundations of AI and Cloud policy making in Africa´ for policymakers and policy implementers on the continent.

    Africa’s AI journey does not have to be traveled alone. Collaborative efforts between African countries can accelerate the adoption of AI across the continent. Regional and local organisations, for example, could play a role in coordinating AI strategies across African countries, sharing best practices, and facilitating cross-border AI projects.

    Africa must also continue to build partnerships with global tech leaders and AI pioneers. These partnerships can provide African innovators with access to the latest AI research, technologies, and expertise.

    Finally, Africa needs to promote a culture of innovation, where entrepreneurs and innovators feel empowered to explore AI-driven solutions. This involves providing the necessary resources and highlighting many success stories.

    Strategic partnerships and infrastructure development are key to success

    Strategic partnerships between African governments and the private sector are crucial to harness AI effectively. By investing in infrastructure such as connectivity and data centres and providing educational frameworks to empower Africa’s next generation of AI-savvy users, the continent can position itself for inclusive growth and development.

    The journey toward achieving the SDGs is complex, but with AI as a catalyst, Africa can make significant strides. At Google, we are excited to be part of this transformative journey, working alongside GABI Circle members to accelerate progress toward a sustainable and prosperous future for Africa.

    .Okosi is the Sub-Saharan Africa Managing Director  at Google

  • ‘Tax reform, digitalisation key to financing development’

    Nigeria and other African countries must digitalise their economies, broaden their tax base, prevent further deterioration of fiscal and debt positions, and aim for double-digit growth to achieve the United Nation (UN) 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.

    These were the key highlights of the “2019 Economic Report on Africa,” released at the Conference of Ministers in Marrakech, Morocco.

    This year’s report, a flagship publication of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), focuses on fiscal policy. The report, which said the government revenue, which account for 21.4 per cent, was insufficient to meet countries’development financing needs, identified several quick wins in Africa’s pursuit of additional fiscal space to finance its accelerated development.

    ECA’s Executive Secretary Vera Songwe stated this at the launch of the document.

    She said: ‘’The report also focused on the  role of fiscal policy in crowding-in investment and creating adequate fiscal space for social policy, including supporting women and youth-led small and medium enterprises.”

    She added that a decade away from the SDG. “African countries continue to search for policy mixes to help accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. However, for many countries, financing remains the biggest bottleneck with implementing capacity a close second.”

    Analysing and highlighting both challenges and opportunities, the Report also recommends comprehensive macro-economic reforms aimed at building financial resilience, placing emphasis on the need for Africa to accelerate growth to double digits by 2030 and to boost investment from its current 25 per cent of GDP.

    While economic growth in Africa remained moderate at 3.2 per cent in 2018 – due to solid global growth, a moderate increase in commodity prices and favourable domestic conditions, the report emphasised that Africa needs to do more and work towards achieving a fine balance between raising revenue and incentivising investments, in order to boost growth.

    In some of Africa’s largest economies—South Africa, Angola and Nigeria – the report revealed, growth trended upwards but remained vulnerable to shifts in commodity prices. East Africa remained the fastest growing, at 6.1 per cent in 2017 and 6.2 per cent in 2018, while in West Africa, the economy expanded by 3.2 per cent in 2018, up from 2.4 per cent in 2017.

    Central, North and Southern Africa’s economies grew at a slower pace last year compared to 2017. On the issue of Africa’s debt burden, the report revealed that debt levels remained high as African countries increased their borrowing, to ease fiscal pressures most of which have been precipitated by the narrowing of revenue streams that has gone on since the commodity price shocks of 2014.

    It argued that African countries can increase government revenue by 12–20 per cent of GDP by adopting a policy framework that strengthen revenue mobilisation, including through digitalising African economies, stating that digitisation could enhance revenue mobilisation by up to six per cent.

    It said: ”Digital identification can broaden the tax base by making it easier to identify and track taxpayers and helping taxpayers meet their tax obligations.

    “By improving tax assessments and administration, it enhances the government’s capacity to mobilise additional resources.’’

    Digital ID systems yield gains in efficiency and convenience that could result in savings to taxpayers and government of up to $50 billion a year by 2020,” the report said.

  • ‘How to achieve sustainable development goals’

    Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved unless the people hold their leaders accountable.

    This is, according to activist lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) Executive Director Adetokunbo Mumuni  and lawyer and social commentator, Dr Fassy Yusuf,  among others.

    They spoke at a “Public Hearing on Building Capacity of Citizens on the use of Freedom of Information Act in Promoting Transparency and Accountability in the Water Sector” in Lagos.

    It was organised by SERAP in collaboration with OMIDYAR Network to  educate  citizens on how to use the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2015 to seek for information from the governments and agencies on expenditure on water projects.

    Speakers lamented the failure of the three levels of government to provide water to the people in spite of yearly huge budgetary allocation.

    They, therefore, urged the civil society to mobilised the masses to demand for accountability from the three levels of government about their expenditure on the provision of potable water.

    Mumuni, represented by Senior Legal Adviser, Ms Bamisope Adeyanju, said access to potable water and sanitation were key parts of the SDGs.

    According to him, SERAP had sued the Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources to explain why in spite of the huge budgetary allocations, millions of Nigerians still don’t have access to drinking water but have had to resort to using contaminated water.

    Based on the suit, he said the Ministry of Water Resources complied and furnished SERAP with information regarding the 292 water projects and their locations in Nigeria.

    He said that so far, 19 of the projects have been verified, using their team of investigators while investigations also revealed that most of the projects are uncompleted and work on-going in some of them.

    Falana, represented by Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, urged the civil society to mount  pressure on state governments to adopt the  FOI Act.

    “Since the law is designed to improve transparency in the conduct of public affairs by making it easier than hitherto to access public records and information that are deemed to be in the public interest, sufficient pressure ought to be mounted on state governments to adopt the Act.

    “With guaranteed access to information I am confident that Nigerians will continue to challenge the quality of governance and use of public resources”, he said.

    Falana said the FOI Act had removed secrecy from the affairs of the government at all levels.

    “So far, the FOI Act has enhanced the legally enforceable rights of Nigerian citizens to official records, documents and information held by the federal government, public institutions and private bodies performing public functions subject to certain exceptions.

    “By virtue of the FOI Act, there is no more secrecy in the affairs of the federal government, as information can be requested for on any aspect of the management and operations of public institutions.

    “Any public officer, who withholds information, is liable to be prosecuted, apart from being ordered to disclose the withheld information,” Falana said.

    He charged the human rights community to ensure that the masses were mobilised to take advantage of the provisions of the FOI Act adding that this would assist them to demand accountability from the public officers and officials of private institutions that render public service.

    Yusuf,who was the chairman of the Public hearing,  in his address, also emphasised the need for Nigerians to make governments accountable for absence of portable water.

    Describing water as a basis necessity, Yusuf remarked that man and livestocks need water to survive emphasising that lack of it threatens human existence.

    “We need to develop our skills to probe into management of water in the country by governments. Water is life, we need it for sanitation if we must live in good environment”, he said.

    He noted that in Lagos for instance, 75 per cent of available water is provided by individuals, saying that this is a matter of concern that should be addressed as quickly as possible.

     

  • IMO to empower more women

    With “Empowering Women in the maritime community” as the theme for 2019, World Maritime Day, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), is working to expand female participation in the industry. To this end, IMO has unveiled a new logo to boost the move.

    “IMO has a strong commitment to helping achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and continues to support the participation of women in both shore-based and seagoing posts, in line with the goals outlined under SDG 5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls,” Kitack Lim, IMO Secretary-General, said.

    “This theme will give IMO the opportunity to work with various maritime stakeholders towards achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG 5, to foster an environment in which women are identified and selected for career development opportunities in maritime administrations, ports and maritime training institutes and to encourage more conversation for gender equality in the maritime space,” Lim continued.

    He noted that in 1988, few maritime training institutes opened their doors to female students. However, the United Nations (UN) specialised agencies forged a global programme known as the Integration of Women in the Maritime Sector. This initiative helped to put in place an institutional framework to incorporate a gender dimension into IMO’s policies and procedures, with resolutions adopted to ensure access to maritime training and employment opportunities for women in the maritime sector.

    “Today, IMO’s newly renamed, Women in Maritime programme is going strong. Empowering women fuels thriving economies across the world, spurs growth and development, and benefits all of us working in the global maritime community as we strive towards safe, secure, clean and sustainable shipping,” Lim further said.

    Female graduates of the World Maritime University (WMU) and the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), Lim said, are today working as maritime administrators and decision makers, with a positive impact as role models in encouraging new female recruits. He said the empowerment of women has been supported through gender-specific fellowships by facilitating access to high-level technical training for women in the maritime sector in developing countries.

    The selection of the theme: “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community” will ensure a renewed focus on the IMO women in the maritime programme, and on achieving the goals of SDG 5, throughout 2019, the UN agency said.

  • Nile varsity training 70 students

    The International Climate Change Development Initiative, through her SDGs4Universities programme, trained 70 students of the Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja Wednesday last week.

    The programme which held at the Conference Hall of the University exposed the students to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework and how to take innovative actions in their local community that promote the 17 goals.

    Director of Student Affairs, Nile University, Mrs Fausat Aleshinloye, said the institution welcomed the training as a platform to empower its students to do more in their communities.

    “We believe the Sustainable Development Goals will expose our students to understand how they can make social impacts beyond educational knowledge, as well as, interact with other young people doing amazing things in their communities. Our university will always welcome opportunities like this that helps us to amplify our efforts towards sustainability and sharing best practices to inspire students to implement their own plans.”

    In a presentation at the SDGs4Universities, Semiye Michael, one of 2018 United Nations Goalkeepers and co-founder of DEAN Initiative shared some of his solution-based actions towards driving the SDGs in Nigeria with the students.

    Another speaker, Rita Idehai, explained how students could identify some social challenges prevalent in Nigerian universities and measures they could take to solve them.

    Rose Keffas, a special adviser to Princess Adejoke Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President Muhammadu Buhari on the SDGs inaugurated a 20-man SDGs Ambassador group who would undergo further training on ways to advance the SDGs in the university, demanding accountability from government and creating solutions to social challenges.

    SDGs4University project coordinator, Olumide Idowu, said the project would expand to other universities.

    “We are taking this project to many other universities across Nigeria to promote knowledge and action about the Global Goals among young people in universities across Nigeria – private and public,” he said.

  • How photography lifted 10 young Niger Delta women

    Seven young women from the Niger Delta were, in Lagos, on Saturday to exhibit photographs they had taken under the Street Dreams Project–a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) initiative to empower them and draw attention to environmental issues. Initiator of the project, Jennifer Uchendu and some of the girls shared their experiences with KOFOWOROL

    It all began with Maria Okese needing a camera.  The 26-year-old hearing-impaired woman had been practicing photography for about six years before she met Jennifer Uchendu, founder of Susty Vibes, at an event in Port Harcourt last year.

    Jennifer was there to speak at a conference on youth development as a result of her work for Susty Vibes, the social enterprise she founded in 2016 to promote action on the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which included educating young people about the goals, promoting gender equality, a cleaner environment and seeking partnerships to achieve the goals.

    Jennifer said she was attracted to Maria when she saw her taking pictures at the event and wanted to help her get a camera to boost her passion for photography.

    “I was in Port Harcourt to speak at a conference when I met Maria.  She was taking photographs at the event. I asked if she was a photographer and they told me she was an enthusiast but did not have a camera. I was committed to getting a camera for her.  So, I began a crowd-funding project.  I began telling people to solicit and get her a camera,” Uchendu said.

    The programme that followed, the Street Dreams Project, did more than provide Maria with a camera.  It benefited nine other young women who, together with Maria, learnt about photography, and got to take photographs of the environment that are now on sale.

    “An organisation, Lensational, picked up the project and decided to provide Okese and nine other girls with cameras. So, we decided to have training for the girls. We put out a call for young people in Port Harcourt to apply and worked with Global Shapers and Partnership in Niger Delta Foundation.  We did the selection based on their previous history with photography and their passion for it.

    Seven of the girls were in Lagos on Saturday for an exhibition tagged “Arts for SDGs” that Susty Vibes organised in partnership with the African Artists’ Foundation, Victoria Island.

    The photographs on display were focused on women and environmental issues in the Niger Delta. Each photograph sold for N15, 000 and Uchendu said the money would go to the girls for keeps.

    After the exhibition, Uchendu said Susty Vibes would continue to market the unsold photographs to firms that “do things around the environment.”

    Two out of three of Maria’s works were sold at the exhibition. Maria is very happy that the programme gave her the needed exposure to grow in her career despite her disability.

    In a chat with Niger Delta Report, she said she met Uchendu while working with Lensational.

    “I started photography after my secondary school education. I did it for four years before I worked with KIR and Lensational for two years. I was working with Lensational when I learnt of this programme.

    “I have learnt a lot from this project. I am happy that the platform is giving me better opportunities to get established,” she said.

    The 22-year-old Victoria Akeere is another person grateful about the value which Street to Dreams Project has brought to her life.

    She has been into photography since 17 after her secondary school education.  A combination of health (mastoiditis-disease of the ear bone) and financial challenges robbed her of the opportunity to continue her education as she had to work to survive.

    “A combination of my health and finances are the reasons I am not in school. It (mastoiditis) started since childhood.  I visited government hospital in my state; I tried to get drugs and was told it is either I undergo surgery which the chance of survival is 50-50 or get a hearing aid which cost about N300,000, which I could not afford.

    However, with the Street Dreams Project, Victoria’s ambition to become a photojournalist may be fulfilled.

    She said the project had nurtured her interest in documentary photography given all that she has gone through in her young life.  She now likes taking photographs that tell people’s stories and celebrate their efforts.

    She said: “I have been into photography since 17.  When I finished my secondary education, I was looking for what to do. So, I ventured into photography. I worked with two photo studios in Port Harcourt; I focused on studio photography, kids, maternity photography. Now, I have ventured into documentary photography. I love traveling and I needed something that would take me out.  I also want to be a photojournalist.

    “I saw this project as an opportunity to tell stories about the environment aside other parts of photography.  I learnt how to take pictures on the phone, edit them and get good composition. I am able to tell stories about the street. I have an Instagram page where I post my photographs.  At first, I took all kinds of photographs. But at a point, I had to ask myself what interests me and I discovered I am attracted to stories about people, more of their struggles and hustles.

    “So, on my Instagram page, I have pictures of people who are on the street-inspiring stories. I was once hawking on the streets. I have sold periwinkles, moimoi (bean cake) sugarcane when I was in school.

    “After my secondary school education, I still did some odd jobs before I got into photography.  And I still do. I have done cleaner jobs, fabrication (welding). Right now, I am thinking of venturing into tailoring and shoemaking. That was the attraction to my picture storytelling.”

    Violet Maxwell-Benjamin, a 200-level student in the Department of Applied and Industrial Chemistry at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) said participating in the Street Dreams Project enabled her to develop skills in a field that had always fascinated her.

    “I was doing a volunteer work in Port Harcourt and my boss then wanted me to take pictures of an event. I didn’t have a camera then so I used my phone.  He saw the flyer online and asked me to apply.

    “The training was for three days.  But it was really intensive. They brought in tons of photographers, even President Buhari’s photographer, Bayo Omoboriowo, Bernard Kalu.  It was really interesting. They did a refreshers’ course this year too,” she said.

    She captured the level of environmental degradation in her environment in some of her photographs, particularly one that showed a refuse dumpsite at the edge of a water body – with boats and ships on it.

    She seeks to educate people about the damage they are doing to the environment through their activities.

    The Applied and Industrial Chemistry student said: “The whole thing about the environment is how people are living every day.  They don’t know that this is actually affecting them; they are not mindful of their environment and the damage they are causing to it. Like the picture of my backyard, the people living there have shacks and they even dump out and they don’t know it is harmful to them.

    “One day you hear snake bit a child; another day you hear of malaria. But this is just at your backyard.  You guys dump refuse; you don’t go to dump them where they are supposed to be dumped.  People need to be educated about all these things. Most people don’t know that plastic takes about 100 years to decompose. It is sad.

    “When I was going to take that picture, the boys involved in bunkering were pushing their trucks. I told them ‘bros no vex, I know say this na your hustle, but you know say this thing no too good for the environment. We dey live for here, when you finish you go comot’.

    “They said they try to check that their barrels were not leaking but they just had to survive because ‘that is the kind of economy we find ourselves in.’ And they believe ‘last government go clean am (eventually, the government would clean the oil spill).’”

    Uchendu is glad that the Street Dreams Project was successful and hopes to empower more girls in future but lacks funds to do so.

    The 26-year-old Biochemistry graduate of Covenant University said: “I feel very happy about a project this novel and the fact that the girls are able to receive income through photography skills shows that we are doing a lot to promote SDG Five in Nigeria.

    “We want to train more girls in the Niger Delta. We are applying for grants to train more,” she said.

  • Nigeria population to increase by 68m with current fertility rate – Osinbajo

    Nigeria population will increase by additional 68 million by 2030 with the current prevailing growth rate, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has said.

    The Vice President who was speaking at the just concluded 5th National Family Planing conference in Abuja posited that with over 180 million population, the country’s fertility rate poses a problem.

    The Vice President who was represented by Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said “if Nigeria’s prevailing annual population growth rate 3.2 percent persists, we will have an additional 68 million people by 2030, and will be the third most populous country in the world by 2050.”

    He explained that apart from Federal Government’s economic policies aimed at making lives comfortable to the nation’s population, the administration is committed to making family planning commodities available to those who need them.

    The nation, he noted failed to plan for its future when it raked in fortunes from oil and other revenue sources in recent past.

    “In the absence of basic social safety nets, and pro-poor policymaking, tens of millions of our people were left stranded, observing the statistics of economic growth from a distance, completely untouched by it…The sad reality is that for most of our history as a country, periods of economic growth have somehow managed to leave out the majority of our population.

    “Between 2011 and 2015 when Nigeria enjoyed some of the highest revenues in history, and overtook South Africa to become the largest economy in Africa, there was no commensurate impact in poverty alleviation and improvement of wellbeing,” the Vice president said.

    Speaking on the theme of the conference: Investment, Innovation and Inclusiveness, he said: “This is how I see the three “I’s”: Investment, innovation and inclusiveness are three very critical keys for unlocking the very beneficial contributions of family planning to Nigeria’s ambition of reaping all of its potential demographic dividend.

    “This demographic dividend is of course the catch-all term for the benefits and potential realizable from attaining the optimal age structure in a population. In the case of Nigeria, this optimal age structure would mean a combination of declining fertility and a simultaneous rise in the working age population. Our main challenge, evidently, is with our current fertility rates.”

    Read Also: Osinbajo’s humility excites Lagos family

    He said investing in family planning has been proven to be smart, cost-effective, and life-saving; and is especially critical in a country like Nigeria with a very young and rapidly growing population.

    He added that estimated 63 percent of Nigeria’s population is below 25 years; with a significant segment of the population being sexually active and needing education and guidance to wisely navigate the issues of equality, choice and contraception.

    He argued further that achieving the SDGs and Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 depends significantly on how well sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and young people are prioritized.

    He said the nation must clearly insist on including young people at the very heart of its policies and its deployment of resources to achieve these policies.

    While urging participants at the conference to develop evidence-based approaches to population management, Osinbajo noted that time was no longer waiting for the nation. “We must act and move fast, because our challenges themselves are not simply sitting and waiting around to be solved. They are evolving and adapting in increasingly complicated forms, and our responses and solutions must keep up.

    “Family planning and population management generally are not just life-saving interventions but actually critical tools for economic and social development.”

    The three day conference has representatives of local and international organizations working on family planning, experts from medical field, government delegations among others.

  • Lead development, Buhari charges FUTA, others

    President Muhammadu Buhari has called on universities to lead the country’s drive for development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) through the production of critical manpower with demonstrable Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills.

    Buhari gave the charge on the final day of the 29th and 30th combined convocation of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) last Friday.

    The Visitor to the university, who was represented by the Director of Accreditation, National Universities Commission, Abuja, Dr. Noel Biodun Saliu, said: “In this age of ICT, we believe that our universities of technology are pivotal to the actualisation of our national development agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations in training and producing highly qualified manpower to solve the problems of unemployment, security and youth restiveness, thereby enabling them become self-reliant, entrepreneurs and job creators.”

    He called on universities and other higher institutions to align with the Education 2030 Agenda which  aadvocates for “education for self-reliance, basic skills and competencies needed in the 21st Century” so that “graduates can be employers of labour rather than searching endlessly for white collar jobs which are not readily available.”

    On funding, the President assured universities of government’s readiness to improve, but also appealed to all stakeholders in the education sector not to rely on government alone for funding.

    “I strongly believe that FUTA is endowed with high quality and innovative researchers who can take up this task. I encouraged the leadership of FUTA to be forthright and focused with a view to faithfully upholding the confidence reposed in you by government and all other stakeholders.”

    To the graduating students, Buhari urged them to  apply the knowledge and skills acquired in school to contributing to the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria.

    The Chancellor, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu, and the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, Senator Joseph Waku , appealed for more government funding, especially for specialised universities.

    “As the needs of universities have been on the increase to meet the challenges of global competitiveness, I wish to crave the indulgence of the Federal Government for more financial support, especially on the release of the shortfalls in personnel grant to our University,”Senator Waku said.

    In his address, the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Joseph Fuwape called on the graduating students to hold firm the ideals and standards they acquired as students.

    He said FUTA had achieved a lot, particularly since he became VC.

    “Our academies have been positively engaged in high quality and impactful need driven research in globally relevant areas of technology, particularly renewable energy, food security and biotechnolog.The university has also embarked on various research activities and developed strategies to rebrand FUTA as a Centre of Excellence in research, innovation and product development.  The efforts of the research activities have yielded positive results, particularly in the area of renewable energy with the launch of solar powered generator,” he said.

    For 2016/2017 session, 2,767 graduated with 86 first class; and 2,033 graduated in 2017/2018 Session with 120 First Class in the undergraduate category.

    For Postgraduate, there were 1,401 Postgraduate Diplomas (PGDs), Master and Doctorate Degrees for the two sessions.

    Mr. Tope Adebodun of the Department of Applied Geophysics graduated as the best student with the highest Cumulative Grade Point Average of (CGPA) of 4.91 in the 20116/17 academic session; and Funke Olanrewaju of the Department of Food Science and Technology with the same CGPA emerged the best graduating student for the 2017/18 academic session.

    President, Impact Leadership Academy, Mr Akinwumi Odumakinde; former President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Dr Lawrence Olusegun Aina; and Oba Olufemi Olutoye, the Alani of Ido-Ani Kingdom, were conferred honorary doctorate degrees.

  • Gates Foundation to host 200 SDGs leaders in Johannesburg

    •Femi Kuti, Beyonce, Jay-Z to perform at Mandela concert

    TWO hundred emerging leaders from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and other African countries will gather in Johannesburg, South Africa this weekend to discuss progress being made on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Goalkeepers Conference.

    The Goalkeepers are people working towards the implementation of the SDGs in their various communities.

    The conference, holding Saturday for the first time in Africa courtesy of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will feature speakers such as Graça Machel, United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed; President of Global Policy and Advocacy at the Gates Foundation Mark Suzman and actor, director and philanthropist Tyler Perry alongside young leaders, including Minister of Investment Trade and Industry, Botswana Bogolo Kenewendo  and Chief Innovation Officer, Govt of Sierra Leone David Moinina Sengeh.

    A statement by the organisers also noted that Johannesburg will also host the Global Citizens Concert on Sunday to commemorate Nelson Mandela’s post-humous 100th year birthday at the FNB Stadium.

    Music stars like Beyonce, Jay-Z and Femi Kuti are expected to perform

    at the concert.

    Goalkeepers was launched by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2017 in partnership with Project Everyone to accelerate progress towards the global goals, using powerful stories, data and partnerships to highlight progress achieved.

    It was also design to hold governments accountable and bring together a new generation of leaders to address world major challenges.

    The U.S. event is hosted by Bill and Melinda Gates and takes place annually alongside the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).