Development

Experts give monkeypox virus variants new names

A group of global experts convened by WHO has agreed on new names for monkeypox virus variants, as part of ongoing efforts to align the names of the monkeypox disease, virus and variants—or clades—with current best practices. The experts agreed to name the clades using Roman numerals. The monkeypox virus was named upon first discovery in 1958, before current best…

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AfDB, partners discuss Africa’s potential to leverage green minerals for energy transition

A recent webinar hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB) brought together experts to examine how Africa can become a hub for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries to store energy and electrify the transport fleet. The webinar, which was held on 11th July 2022 under the theme, Leveraging Africa’s green minerals for the energy transition: The role of regional integration and the…

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China ratifies two ILO Fundamental Conventions on forced labour

China has ratified the instruments of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)  and the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105). This brings the number of ILO Fundamental Conventions ratified by China to seven and the total number of China’s ratified ILO Conventions to 28. With these ratifications, China, which is a founding Member State of the ILO,…

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Investing in youth key to Africa’s digital transformation, financial inclusion–AfDB

The youth will drive Africa’s digital economy; hence the need to invest in their skills development to accelerate innovations and growth on the continent, African Development Bank (AfDB) Director General for East Africa Nnenna Nwabufo said. Speaking at the 9th World Financial Innovation Series in Nairobi, Kenya, on 19 July, she noted that the youth are ambitious, enterprising, and eager…

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How to manage the world’s fertilizers to avoid prolonged food crisis

Hidden behind the worst global food crisis in a decade, fertilizer prices have skyrocketed and remain volatile . This poses a serious threat to food security, as the planting season starts this summer. So far, the war in Ukraine has mostly affected countries importing wheat and corn. But many countries, including some major food exporters, are net fertilizer importers. Persistently…

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WHO launches appeal to respond to urgent health needs in the greater Horn of Africa

WHO has launched a funding appeal for US$123.7 million to respond to the health and lives of people in the greater Horn of Africa which are threatened as the region faces an unprecedented food crisis. Over 80 million people in the 7 countries spanning the region – Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda – are estimated to…

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Nigeria lists benefits of open government initiative

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, listed the benefits Nigeria has derived from joining the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Support Unit in 2016. He made this known when he received a delegation from the transparency body led by the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Sanjay Pradhan. He said when he committed Nigeria to the membership of the Open Government Partnership at the…

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Ghana declares first-ever outbreak of Marburg virus disease

Ghana has announced the country’s first outbreak of Marburg virus disease, after a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre laboratory confirmed earlier results. The Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal received samples from each of the two patients from the southern Ashanti region of Ghana – both deceased and unrelated – who showed symptoms including diarrhoea, fever, nausea and vomiting. The…

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AfDB-supported trade credit guarantee project increases fertilizer access in Nigeria

In the middle of Kamba market in Nigeria’s north-western Kebbi State, hub agro-dealer Umar Sani points to a stack of fertilizer bags in Alhaji Musa’s retail shop, a sign to customers that the commodity is now available. Sani, a leading fertilizer distributor in Kamba, is, now more than ever, a dependable source of fertilizer following Covid-19 disruptions in global agricultural…

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World Bank responds to overlapping global crises

In its just-completed fiscal year 2022 (FY22), the World Bank Group responded with unprecedented scale to overlapping global crises, providing advice and financing in response to the sharpest economic slowdown in eight decades, rising inflation, deepening food insecurity, war and fragility, and the continued negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid these devastating crises, the World Bank Group deployed a…

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