FG To Collaborate With China On Technology Transfer, Intelligence Sharing

The Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, CON, mni has said that the Federal Government would collaborate with the Chinese Government on technology transfer, intelligence sharing and military training, in its quest to tackle insecurity in the country. The Minister stated this when he received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Nigeria on a courtesy visit to Ship House, Abuja. He said there has been a lot of working relationship with the Chinese companies on transfer of technology and talk on Military equipment production. According to him, the interest of the Government of China to cooperate with Nigeria in the areas of technology transfer and training was overwhelming. “I was in China to attend a forum which was very successful and we had a very good discussion centred on the transfer of technology, military training and the protection of the interest of China Corporations in Nigeria,” he said. Speaking further, he said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR is passionate with Private sector involvement in the renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu just signed the Defence Industry Act as a guide on the development of the Defence Industry. The Act provides a level playing grounds for all investors,” he said. He called on the Ambassador to encourage more investors into Nigeria economy. “We need serious investors in steel, power and energy to help actualize our defence industry technology. Mr President understand the need for development for private sector to prosper. We are open to power, steel and defence industry to have these investments actualized in the country. Chinese companies have the potential and technology to invest in our country,” he said. Earlier in his remark, the Ambassador of China to Nigeria, Cui Jian Chun said China has strategic interest on cooperation with Nigeria in areas of Military operations, economy cooperation and international cooperation.  He said China and Nigeria have investment in security, education and economy, adding that; “Nigeria has great potential to develop new economy.” He opined that Nigeria has abundant natural and human resources that can support China Corporations based in Nigeria. “Nigeria is a large country just like China and we are willing to build our Military Industries in Nigeria to support local production of Military equipment,” he said. According to him, the Chinese companies would not only boost the fight against insurgency and other related crimes in Nigeria, but would also boost the Federal Government’s drive on employment generation.

Counter-Terrorism: Nigeria To Deepen Collaboration With UNODC

The Honourable Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar CON, mni has commended the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on their Counter- Terrorism Project work with Nigerian Armed Forces. The Minister made the commendation when he received the Representative of the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Mr. Oliver Stolpe, in his office at Ship House, Abuja.  Badaru stated that Nigeria welcomes any effort that would help in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. “Thank you for doing a good job in Maiduguri. We will give you maximum cooperation needed to sustain the fight against Boko Haram and other forms of criminalities in Nigeria. On the rehabilitation of the repentant Boko Haram members, the Minister said in addition to what they have done, there was the need for Tracking Mechanism to ensure that the released Boko Haram members are fully integrated back to the society. Badaru expressed gratitude for UNODC’s continuous support in enhancing Nigeria’s capabilities to combat terrorism.  In his remark, Mr. Stolpe pointed out that the UNODC is collaborating with Nigerian Armed Forces in area of counter- terrorism and Maritime security. He said UNODC in partnership with Joint Investigation Centre (JIC) in Maiduguri, Borno State has successfully reviewed over 2,900 case files leading to 2,400 prisoners released.

UNGA: Nigeria, Others Commit To Ending TB By 2030

Nigeria, some UN Member States, civil society representatives and other stakeholders have approved a declaration to advance efforts to end Tuberculosis (TB) by 2030. The document lays out ambitious new targets for the next five years that include reaching 90 per cent of people with TB prevention and care services, providing social benefit packages to those who have the disease, and licensing at least one new vaccine. TB is the second leading infectious killer disease worldwide after COVID-19, with some 1.6 million deaths in 2021 alone, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Also, the only available vaccine of TB is more than a century old. All the 193 Member States and stakeholders made the political commitment at a High-level meeting on the fight against Tuberculosis at the ongoing 78th of the UN General Assembly. “Why, after all the progress we have made – from sending man to the moon, to bringing the world to our fingertips – have we been unable to defeat a preventable and curable disease that kills over 4,400 people a day?” the President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, said. TB had afflicted humanity for millennia, going by several names including the white plague and consumption. It is caused by bacteria and mainly affects the lungs, and treatment is with antibiotics. A WHO council established to facilitate the development and equitable use of new vaccines met for the first time this week. Stamping out the TB epidemic is among the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the roadmap for a more just and green global future by the end of the decade. Five years ago, countries set the target of delivering TB treatment to 40 million people, reaching 34 million. They also aimed to provide 30 million with preventive treatment but fell short by half. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed called for action to tackle the main drivers of TB – poverty, undernutrition, lack of access to healthcare, the prevalence of HIV infections, diabetes, mental health, and smoking. “Stigma surrounding the disease also needs to be reduced so that people can get help without fear of discrimination,” she added, while urging governments to ensure universal health coverage that includes TB screening, prevention and treatment. Mohammed also shared her own reason for supporting the global fight. “My commitment is my personal story: losing my father to TB at 50, 37 years ago this week. “Today we have the tools to diagnose, treat, and what we need right now is a vaccine. Let’s end TB now. It is possible,” she said. Mongolian author Handaa Rea, who had survived the disease, urged world leaders to “treat TB not only medically but also socially.” She had written about her own experience of TB-related stigma, discrimination that she said is prevalent in many developing countries, resulting in “hundreds of thousands of people” delaying seeking treatment. Rea said: “The consequences of stigma are “more enhanced” for women and girls who are held to higher standards of health, well-being and beauty. “When society says things like ‘she’s too skinny, because she has TB, she’s unworthy of marriage because she has or had TB, or she continues to have TB because she’s irresponsible. “We as a society are bullying TB patients one step closer to death – a death that is fully preventable. And this has to stop.” WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus commended the “amazing” energy in the room, where participants frequently chanted “End TB, yes we can!” He welcomed the political declaration, which was agreed by consensus ahead of the meeting.  It will be presented to the General Assembly, the UN’s most representative organ, comprising all 193 Member States. The UN scribe said: “For millennia, our ancestors have suffered and died with tuberculosis, without knowing what it was, what caused it, or how to stop it,” he said. “Today, we have knowledge and tools they could only have dreamed of.  We have political commitment.  And we have an opportunity that no generation in the history of humanity has had: the opportunity to write the final chapter in the story of TB.”

AfDB, Korea Sign $28.6m Grant Deals

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Korea have signed a $28.6 million dollars grant to boost Africa’s development agenda. The AfDB in a statement on its website on Saturday, said the funding complemented 600 million dollars co-financing under the Korea-Africa Energy Investment Framework, agreed with the Korean government in 2021. According to the statement, the framework supports African countries to build human capacity and develop their energy sectors. The agreements were signed in Busan, during the 7th Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Ministerial Conference (KOAFEC), which is being co-hosted by the Bank and Korea. The statement said the new funding would primarily support energy access, agricultural transformation, and knowledge and capacity-building across a number of African countries. It said the amount would be disbursed to the AfDB Group in three instalments of 4.6 million dollars in 2023, and 24 million dollars in 2024 and 2025. The AfDB Group President, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, and Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, Kyungho Choo, signed the first agreement for 28.6 million dollars. Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, described Korea as “a true partner for African countries”. Choo further said that the government would do its best to contribute to Africa’s sustainable growth and development. Meanwhile, the AfDB president said Korea’s additional funding was timely, especially as the nation celebrated the 40th anniversary of joining the Bank. Adesina commended the government for its commitment to a strong partnership between the AfDB and Korea. “Korea’s relationship with Africa is unique. There is a lot to learn from Korea which moved from a poor country relying on aid, to a donor country within a single generation,” he added. The statement said the second agreement was signed by AfDB’s Chief Economist and Vice President, Kevin Urama, and Commissioner of Statistics Korea, Hyoung il Lee, on behalf of their institutions. It said under the agreement with Statistics Korea, the two institutions would collaborate to raise statistical awareness and share new data sources and methods to improve statistical quality, including big data. It said the agreement document identified areas for possible cooperation, such as AfDB’s Africa Information Highway for evidence-based decision-making. The Africa Information Highway is a mega-network of live open data platforms electronically linking all African countries and 16 regional organisations. The AfDB’s figures indicate that the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Trust Fund is the largest of the Bank’s active bilateral trust funds in terms of contributions received and portfolio size. The fund, which had received 108 million dollars in contributions as of Dec. 31, 2022, had financed 203 projects since its inception.

2023 UNGA: Tinubu to address global leaders Sept 19

President Bola Tinubu will address the 78th Session of the high-level General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, September 19. Tinubu, in his first outing to the Assembly, will be addressing world leaders in the evening of that day. The Nigerian President would be the fifth African leader to speak on day one of the gathering, according to the speakers list from the Office of the General Assembly President, According to the list, Tinubu will be the 14th speaker out of 20 leaders slated to speak on the first day. The South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the 10th speaker, will be the first African leader to speak in the morning session of the Assembly. In the Afternoon session, five African leaders are expected to address the gathering. The Nigerian president would deliver his statement around 6pm (11pm Nigerian time) to the world leaders during the afternoon session. The President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune will be the first African leader to speak at the afternoon session, followed by the Moroccan leader, Aziz Akhannouch and Mozambique President, Filipe Nyusi. The President of Senegal, Macky Sall will be the firth African speaker to address the gathering and the last leader on the first day. The President of Brazil, Luiz da Sliva would be the first world leader to present his address to the 78th session as it is tradition, followed by the U.S. President, Joe Biden, the traditional second speaker, being the host country. The 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) will open on Tuesday, Sept 5. with the inauguration of a new President, Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago, who will take on the mantle for the next 12 months The high-level General Debate will be held from   September 19 and to September 29. The Theme of the General Assembly including the general debate will be rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all. 

Int’l Atomic Agency wants more access to Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that it needs access to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant to confirm the absence of mines or explosives at the site. IAEA’s Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who said this on Wednesday, added that the Agency has been conducting regular walk-downs across the site without observing any visible indications of mines or explosives. The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant has been under the control of Russia, with both countries claiming that the other has plans to attack the power plant. According to Grossi, the Agency’s personnel should in particular be able to have access to the rooftops of reactor units 3 and 4 as well as access to parts of the turbine halls and some parts of the cooling system at the plant. The IAEA Director General Grossi stressed the importance of the Agency’s team checking all parts of the ZNPP to monitor full compliance with the five basic principles for protecting Europe’s largest nuclear power plant during the current military conflict, following opposing statements and allegations in recent days regarding the military situation at the site. “With military tension and activities increasing in the region where this major nuclear power plant is located, our experts must be able to verify the facts on the ground. Their independent and objective reporting would help clarify the current situation at the site, which is crucial at a time like this with unconfirmed allegations and counter allegations,” Director General Grossi said.