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Tag: UNDP

  • UNDP trains IDPs on entrepreneurship in Adamawa

    UNDP trains IDPs on entrepreneurship in Adamawa

    A total of 50 youths, mostly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Adamawa, have completed entrepreneurship training organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

    Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Yola, the Country Director of UNDP, Dr Samuel Bwalya, represented by Dr Robert Asugwa, the Team Leader, said the training was part of UNDP’s intervention in promoting development.

    Bwalya said such programme of training people to be employable handled by UNDP had been successful in many states.

    He cited Lagos where he said companies had been employing such trainees.

    “For us to develop we need entrepreneurship development and that is the essence of this training,” he said.

    He tasked the trainees on challenges they would face at the initial stage of their businesses and urged them not to hesitate in seeking help and information which he said, were key to progress.

    “We will monitor you to find out how you are doing; the challenges you are facing or the progress you are making,” the country director said.

    The Executive Secretary of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), Mr Haruna Furo, lauded UNDP for the gesture and urged the beneficiaries to make maximum use of the training in order to improve their lives.

    He reiterated the commitment of the State Government to continue to collaborate with UNDP and other stakeholders in job creation, particularly for those willing to be self employed.

    Speaking of behalf of the graduating trainees, Jimmy Elot, thanked UNDP for giving them hope and a lifeline to build a future.

    “We will make sure that the resources expended on our training are not wasted,” Elot said.

     

  • Two senior UN officials in Somalia to help tackle food insecurity

    Two senior UN officials in Somalia to help tackle food insecurity

    Two senior UN officials arrived in Mogadishu on Tuesday to underline the immense challenge of persistent food insecurity and the new approach to addressing it.

    Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner will also meet with senior government officials, humanitarian and development partners.

    “The UN principals will highlight the need to continue life-saving humanitarian assistance as an urgent priority,

    while simultaneously addressing the root causes of Somalia’s recurring humanitarian crises and encouraging investment in the untapped potential of the country,” the UNDP said in a statement on Tuesday.

    Read Also: 13,000 UN  employees in Gaza protest amid Trump funding freeze

    The Horn of Africa nation averted a famine in 2017 when the government and partners heeded early warning reports and ramped up the response.

    “The drought and ongoing conflict, coupled with the resultant displacement of a million people last year, has left six million people in need of humanitarian assistance,” said the UNDP.

    The UN agency said recurrent drought and subsequent famine risk have become a devastating and unsustainable cycle in Somalia, noting that 4.5 billion dollars have been spent on emergency responses to save lives in the years since the 2011 famine.

    NAN

  • Hydro-power: Edo to dam Ikpoba, Ovia Rivers, partners UNDP

    Hydro-power: Edo to dam Ikpoba, Ovia Rivers, partners UNDP

    …to support bill on Maritime Security Agency

     

    The Edo State Government has disclosed that it is in talks with the United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ) to harness the state’s water resources to generate electricity.

    This was disclosed by the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, when he received the Coordinator and Officers of the Maritime Security Agency (MSA) during the group’s courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House in Benin City, Edo State.

    Obaseki said the partnership talks with the UNDP on electricity generation is to strengthen the state government’s efforts to promote economic activities.

    He said, “We are currently working with the UNDP to develop a mini-hydro project from the water resources in the state, specifically from Ovia and Ikpoba Rivers.

    “We have identified two major projects. The state government will take advantage of the opportunity provided by these water bodies to generate electricity to boost economic activities in the state.”

    According to Obaseki, “this administration is open to collaboration with relevant groups and agencies to complement government policies designed to grow the economy of the state and secure our internal waterways.”

    The governor added that his administration supports the bill for the establishment of the Maritime Security Agency as the creation of the agency will safeguard internal waterways across the country.

    Coordinator and facilitator, Maritime Security Agency, Bishop Goodluck Akpore, commended the governor for his drive in promoting economic development in the state, noting “your effort in promoting economic development in the state is visible to all.”

    Akpore said the objectives of the agency include to provide security, information and mechanisms to protect national maritime zones in the country, coordinate Nigeria’s Maritime security in collaboration and consultation with the relevant agencies.

  • Buhari, Gambian President meet in Aso Rock

    Buhari, Gambian President meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed-doors with the Gambian President, Adama Barrow at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The Gambian President after the meeting told State House correspondents that he was in Abuja to thank Nigeria for the support given to his country during and after the impasse.

    He said “My visit is very important to us. We have always wanted to say thank you when Nigeria gave us all the support during and after the impasse. Nigeria has been supporting

    “The Gambia for a long time in different areas like technical assistance in the area of education, judiciary. We are really happy to come.

    “When we met in Mali, he (Buhari) took a decision as a leader in a closed door meeting, he made one statement that changed everything, that if The Gambian President wants to challenge the subregion, he is welcome.

    “This was his words and that make a big difference as a leader. And that leadership role was very important not just for The Gambia but for Africa because the problem was an Africa problem with an Africa solution.

    “So we are very grateful and that was why we wanted to come and say thank you. There is a saying in my country that if you want to thank a farmer for a good job, you have to visit him at his farm and that is why we are here.” he said

    Asked what was the deal he struck with the former president that led to the smooth transition, he said “Basically, the deal was ECOWAS was involved, UNDP and the international community was involved to mediate and this mediation, Nigeria was involved and Liberia as the chair was involved, the Guinean President and the Mauritanian President were also involved. the Guinean President and the Mauritanian President were physically on the ground, for him to accept the will of the people, exit to allow us assume office.

    “This was the deal, he accepted to go on exile which we couldn’t guarantee his security. This was the deal.” he said

    On what role Nigeria will continue to play to help The Gambia overcome its challenges including security, President Buhari said “Well, your President has virtually answered the question. We did our best in the most critical time, hopefully now the president will raise his team and we will raise a corresponding team and we will seat together and see how we can draw a political programme that will complements each other’s effort on development. So this is the next time we are going.”

  • Liberia’s NEC presents certificate of return to Weah

    Liberia’s NEC presents certificate of return to Weah

    Liberia ’s National Elections Commission ( NEC ) has presented certificate of return to the President-elect, George Weah; Vice President-elect, Jewel Howard-Taylor, and the newly elected members of the House of Representatives.

    Chairman of NEC, Mr Jerome Korkoya, performed the ceremony at the commission’s headquarters in Monrovia on Thursday evening.

    According to local media, 66 out of the 73 elected lawmakers were certificated, leaving out seven who are facing legal challenges over their election in the October 10 general polls.

    The new leaders will be sworn in on January 22, which is the third working Monday of January as stipulated in the Liberian Constitution.

    Speaking at the occasion, the NEC boss reminded the newly elected public officers of the huge responsibility that comes with the mantle of leadership entrusted to them.

    “The certificate we are presenting to you represents conferral of legitimacy to pronounce you to the world as the duly elected officials.

    “”It is also an embodiment of the power, trust and aspiration reposed in you by your various constituents and the people of Liberia as a whole.

    “Expectations are high to change the people’s living conditions through the laws, policies and programmes of the incoming government.

    He acknowledged the contributions of international partners including ECOWAS, AU, USAID, EU and UNDP, which led to the successful conduct of the elections.

    Korkoya expressed appreciation to all contestants in the elections for respecting the rule of law by exploring judicial means to seek redress after the elections.

    The president-elect, George Weah, described his election as a unifying factor in the country.

    Weah pledged to fulfil his campaign promised of improving the lives of Liberians, calling on members of the legislature to put aside politics and work in the interest of the country.

    “I went to Boakai (outgoing Vice President) not to make news but because campaign is over and it is time to do the Liberian people’s work.

    “Our quest is for all Liberians to work together to move our country forward; in the interest of the people let’s work,” he said.

    The president-elect reiterated his assurance of greater freedoms, saying he would not interfere with the tenants of democracy, especially political dissent.

    “I am your friend but my interest is the Liberian people.

    “Any attempt to promote clampdown on the political rights of fewer Liberians has the propensity of disuniting the country,” he said.

    Speaking on behalf of the elected lawmakers, the current Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hans Barchue, promised to work with the CDC-led government.

    Also Read: ‘Change is on,’ says George Weah

    In separate remarks, members of the international community present at the occasion restated their commitment to support the incoming administration.

    The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Farid Zarif, lauded Liberians for their peaceful participation in the electoral process.

    Zarif called on the new administration to build on the gains made under the leadership of outgoing President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

    He urged the new government to properly manage the country’s abundant natural resources to improve the lives of Liberians.

    “Let me quote you Mr. President-elect that it doesn’t make sense that Liberia is so rich, yet its people are so poor.

    “That is the beginning of another vision. Let’s bring the two things together,” he said.

    NAN

  • LSETF, UNDP, Arc Skills host entrepreneurs in Lagos

    The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), in partnership with the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) and Arc Skills, a global skills training provider have hosted entrepreneurs and business leaders in Lagos.

    The three-day ‘Industry Engagement Forum’, which cuts across key sectors in the economy, was meant to ensure the realization of the objectives of the recently-launched Lagos State Employability Support Project.

    The forum was attended by industry executives in construction, manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare, entertainment and fashion sectors. It provided an effective platform to identify, analyze, and discuss opportunities to improve skill acquisition and employment in the state, while leveraging on recommendations and feedback from stakeholders.

    Executive Secretary, LSETF, Akinwale Oyebode, said the industry engagement will help address issues of capacity building in Lagos, while providing skilled and trained workers to meet job demands in both the public and private sectors.

    “Through the feedback and recommendations gathered from this event, we hope to understand the challenges faced by key stakeholders in the economy and also get suggestions that will ultimately build the scope of the initiative,” he said.

    Giving a speech at the opening event, the Chief Executive Officer, Arc Skills Nigeria, Amit Washington, acknowledged the urgent need for an innovative learning approach that will motivate young people in the society, which the organization will implement over eighteen months.

    Team Leader, Inclusive Growth Unit, UNDP, Robert Asogwa said, “As the continent’s most populous country and biggest economy, there are opportunities to improve earnings and income through skills that affect people’s economic and social wellbeing in many ways. By working with industry groups and organizations, we can easily implement recommendations that will tackle insufficiency of skilled labour and ensure social mobility.”

  • Oil spills: UNDP, group seal plan to clean up impacted communities

    Oil spills: UNDP, group seal plan to clean up impacted communities

    The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in conjunction with the Foundation for Youth Development (FYD) has carried out an evaluation of soil sampling and analysis test results in two oil-spill impacted communities in Ohaji – Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.

    The programme was conducted under an on-going community based intervention project, which seeks to clean-up and remediate hydrocarbon impacted farmlands in the communities through sustainable bio-remedial and agro-forestry programs.

    A statement by the coordinator of the UNDP/FYD bio-remediation programme, Ugo Amadioha in Abuja said that the soil sampling and analysis was conducted at Ogada and Etekwuru in Egbema LGA of Imo State, as part of FYD’s community empowerment project.

    He said that the project is in line with a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) which is co-sponsored by the Global Environmental Facility – Small Grant Program (GEF-SGP).

    The statement said that “the UNDP/FYD bio-remediation project involves the reclamation of oil spill degraded farm lands through sustainable agro-forestry in Etekwuru-Egbema, Abacheke-Egbema and Ogada-Egbema all in Ohaji-Egbema LGA, Imo State.

    It said that “FYD is implementing the project in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and on behalf of other GEF-SGP partners.”

    It added that the project highlights included – Impacted Site Investigation (sampling and analysis), free phase oil recovery (utilizing international best practices), bio-remediation of impacted farmlands/ground & surface-water and bio-remediation training for members of affected communities.

    The Foundation, it said, will also establish tree planting nurseries (re-introduction of economic trees for poverty alleviation and non-economic plants for short term phytoremediation of impacted farmlands).

    According to the statement, “This project is designed not only to remediate impacted soils and restore them to full agricultural utilization, but to also impart remediation skills to the youths and engage thousands of them in the process, thereby reducing the restiveness in the region.

    “The Foundation equally carried out compost training exercises in the communities, as a way of creating integrated waste management awareness in the state and also empower the youths with requisite skills to enable compost making from communal waste.

    “The compost training exercise further metamorphosed into an essay competition organized for secondary schools in the Ohaji-Egbema local government area (writing as teams) on the topic: “The Use of Organic Fertilizer vs Chemical Fertilizer”. Cash prizes were further presented to the three schools that turned in winning essays.

     

  • UNDP, Lagos Employment Trust Fund sign $4m MoU

    The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) have signed $4million Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support artisans to grow their businesses.

    UNDP Deputy Country Director of Programme Mrs. Mandisa Mashologu, signing the MoU in Ikeja yesterday, said the partnership required LSETF to provide $3million, while UNDP would support with $1million.

    She said the agencies had confidence in what the LSETF had done, adding that the initiative would serve as a model on how Nigeria could solve unemployment.

    Mashologu said the fund will target people in sectors, such as manufacturing, tourism, health care among others, noting that women and youths between 18 and 35 years are expected to key into the programme.

    She said the fund provided the needed platform to tackle UNDP development goals, adding that this would be demonstrated in its effort to strengthen public and private sector relationship.

    LSETF Executive Secretary Mr. Akin Oyebode said the state and the rest of the country suffered from skilled deficit, adding that the government will get the people at the right skill level to ensure they start businesses.

    “We expect the programme will provide employment for 10,000 people. To us, it is an exciting journey. We look forward to calling the public and informing them of the success that will come out of this.”

     

  • Economic Plan: UN commends FG

    Economic Plan: UN commends FG

    The United Nations on Tuesday commended the Federal Government for its Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) launched recently in Abuja.

    United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, made the commendation in Abuja on Tuesday at the launch of UNDP 2016 Human Development Report (HDR).

    Kallon expressed optimism that Nigeria had what was needed to surmount her challenges and pledged the support of the world body in this regard.

    He said that plans with its several medium-term policies and programmes were capable of keeping Nigeria on a positive development trajectory.

    According to him, this is because the ERGP focuses on restoring growth, investing in people and building a globally competitive economy.

    The UNDP boss also expressed satisfaction on the feat recorded by Nigeria in the Human Development Index (HDI) where it garnered 13.1 percent increase between 2005 and 2015.

    He called for tougher policies to enable the country to sustain gains made in human development.

    Kallon said that insecurity and the drop in prices of export commodities which were major earners in sub-Saharan Africa were fast eroding the gains.

    He said that Nigeria was faced with two major problems of economic recession and humanitarian crisis.

    “We are all aware of the humanitarian crisis in the North-East of the country and the looming famine in that region although efforts by humanitarian development actors, under the leadership of government, have yielded significant results.

    “Many challenges remain as an estimated 8.5 million people in that region are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

    “And, some 50,000 children are at ‘IPC level 5’ of food insecurity. The need for action, especially for the children, couldn’t be more urgent,” he said.

    The envoy advised the government to utilise the opportunity provided by the launch of the UN report to address the twin problems of economic recession and humanitarian crisis in the country.

    According to him, the nation should utilise the opportunity provided by the report to promote policy dialogue at national and sub-national levels.

    He called on Nigeria to as a matter of urgency find a lasting solution to the challenges in order to bring enduring development in the country.

    “The report shows that between 2005 and 2015, Nigeria’s HDI increased from 0.466 to 0.527, a 13.1 percent increase.

    “This is encouraging, but given the humanitarian challenges already alluded to, and economic recession witnessed in 2016, there is urgent need to design policies and programmes to ensure that upward trend in human development is not reversed.”

  • UNDP to boost rice production

    UNDP to boost rice production

    Concerned about rice production, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has moved to enhance local production and boost international acceptance in the global market.
    Agribusiness Specialist, Agribusiness Supplier Development Programme (ASDP), Inclusive Growth Unit, UNDP, Dr Nelson Abila, said the organisation was determined to make local farmers adopt improved and adapted rice varieties, enhance availability of certified seeds and transfer of knowledge.
    He said UNDP was in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) to ensure that rice was produced to boost yields for commercial farmers.
    The JICA Nigeria, he explained, has evolved the standard for paddy quality checking on the fields, aggregation centres and at the reception points and laboratories at the integrated rice mills.
    This involves the use of kits and go through some processes for checking rice quality. Bringing this innovation to the awareness of rice farmers, paddy dealers, rice millers, extension agents among other actors in the value chain is critical towards ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth of the rice sector in the country.
    To sustain the tempo, stakeholders must have the knowledge of paddy and ensure compliances, he said.
    According to him, the intention is to provide opportunities for promoting resource use efficiency, business flows throughout the value chain of the rice sector and deliver real results to the lives of rice farmers.
    The organisations will seek to strengthen partnerships for post-harvest handling, and help farmers and other rice producers add value by developing and marketing rice by-products rich in proteins and micronutrients, and explore the appropriate use of rice by-products to generate energy, animal feed and other agricultural products.

    In addition, they will work together to ensure that farmers can participate in viable, safe and dignified entrepreneurial opportunities in the rice value chain, and that there is an improvement in work conditions in the rice sector.