By Mark Longyen

The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Memounatou Ibrahima, has called on the bloc’s member states to scale up funding for the institution to meet its challenges.

Ibrahima made this known while declaring open a meeting of the Parliament’s Joint Committee on administration, budget, finance, public account, macroeconomic policy and economic research on Monday in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

She noted that the subregion was currently facing financial difficulties and dangers, which threatened the execution and realisation of community projects and programmes.

“The current context is marked by the global repercussions of recession and inflation, provoked by international tensions, and the security threats within the region.

“These limited financial resources are under the important financing needs of the community.

“As you know, the community budget is supplied at 85 per cent by the community levy, which is a 0.5 per cent tax imposed on goods from countries that are not members of the CDAO.

“Unfortunately, the last report on the state of the community presented by the President of the Commission revealed a weak mobilisation of its resources during these last years,” the speaker said.

According to her, community raising is reflected in the solidarity and responsibility of its respective governments, aimed at building a prosperous and peaceful community environment.

Ibrahima reminded the participants that the meeting represented not only an opportunity for collaboration but also a moment of reflection on the strategies that member states must adopt in response to the region’s challenges.

She stressed that the meeting must address the role of the ECOWAS Parliament in the community’s budgetary process, especially against the backdrop of current challenges and realities.

“This will culminate in a peaceful and prosperous region with strong and respectful institutions of fundamental freedom working for a sustainable inclusive development.

Ibrahima added that Ivory Coast was the first high-performance ECOWAS member country based on certain dimensions of regional integration, namely: commercial integration, productive integration, and macroeconomic integration.

Speaking earlier, the Vice President of the Ivorian National Assembly, Diawara Mamadou, said that the parliament played an important role in the preparation of budgets both nationally and in international organisations.

He said that for ECOWAS, where Parliament plays a fundamental role in monitoring through budget preparation and oversight, it was important for constituents to be informed about parliament’s actions regarding budgetary matters.

According to him, parliament is responsible for preparing and overseeing the execution of individual national budgets, so it is fundamental to understand how the community parliament examines and controls its budget.

“The general debate provides a platform for sharing experiences and developing proposals, enabling participants to enhance their capabilities and propose improvements to the existing mechanisms.

“I am therefore pleased that this relocated meeting in Abidjan addresses such an important subject as the budget,” he said.

Rep. Benjamin Kalu, Chairman of the parliament’s Joint Committee on Administration, Finance, Budget, Public Accounts, Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research, assured that parliament would ensure the judicious and transparent use of all funds.

Kalu, Nigeria’s House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, said such was only achievable through meaningful engagements with critical stakeholders like the ECOWAS Commission and the Administration and Finance Committee.

“The Parliament has a critical duty to ensure that public resources are utilised responsibly and for intended purposes by the Executives.

“As Representatives of the people of the region, we must champion the promotion and practice of transparency and accountability.

“In other words, ‘oversight’ is an indispensable parliamentary tool that should be effectively deployed to secure the accountability of the Executive to the Parliament and the citizens in general,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by AbdulFatai Beki and Abiemwense Moru

By Mark Longyen

A Joint Committee of the ECOWAS Parliament led by Nigeria’s House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu is holding an oversight meeting in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

The five-day event comprises some of the parliament’s standing committees; Administration, Finance, Budget, Public Accounts, Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the event is: “The Role of the ECOWAS Parliament in Community Budget Formulation and Monitoring.”

The Joint Committee was constituted and charged with executing the very important oversight activities bothering on their aforementioned schedules as encapsulated in the outlined community policy.

The main objective of the delocalized committee meeting is for its Members to have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the issues in focus with a view to facilitating parliamentary deliberations on budgeting.

It also aims to equip Members in carrying out oversight functions over the programmes and activities of ECOWAS as mandated by the Supplementary Act on the Enhancement of the Powers of the Parliament.

It is expected that Members of the Joint Committee will be sensitised by resource persons and stakeholders drawn largely from relevant technical directorates of the ECOWAS Commission on recent developments in the sectors in focus.

Resource persons drawn from relevant organisations like the organised civil society, will also make presentations to the Joint Committee to equip the parliamentarians with all-round perspectives on the issues.

The Committee on Administration, Finance and Budget is responsible for matters relating to adoption of community budget; examining the draft annual budget of the Parliament; monitoring financial and administrative management in the parliament.

It is also responsible for assessing the effectiveness of various community financing mechanisms, notably the implementation of the protocol relating to the community levy; the coordination of various financial instruments.

The committee is also charged with the task of evaluating the cost and effectiveness of implementing policies financed by the Community and controlling the execution of the Parliament’s budget.

It is also tasked with verifying accounts and balance sheets relating to decisions concerning the closure, presenting and auditing of the parliament’s revenue and expenditure and measures accompanying or implementing these decisions.

The ECOWAS Parliament has 115 seats and 14 Standing Committees; each of the 15 member states is guaranteed a minimum of five allotted seats.

The remaining 40 seats are distributed in proportion to the population of each country.

Nigeria has a total of 35 seats followed by Ghana with eight seats.

Côte d’Ivoire is allotted seven seats, whereas Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Senegal have six seats respectively.

The remaining ECOWAS Member States, namely Benin, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo, have five seats.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz

By Sarafina Christopher

The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) on Friday in Abuja unveiled a cutting-edge  application aimed at improving early warning and early response to conflicts.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the platform was unveiled during a dialogue with stakeholders on the use of ICT devices and the Early Warning Early Response (EWER) application in conducting early response meetings.

The other party to the unveiling of the EWER application is Peace Action for Rapid and Transformative Nigeria Early Response (PARTNER) Project.

Dr Joseph Ochogwu, Director General of the institute, said the early warning system in Nigeria had been disjointed, less collaborative, and with many agencies working in an environment that has created noticeable gaps for effective response to early warning on potential conflicts.

Ochogwu, represented by Dr Emmanuel Mamman, Director of Internal Conflict and Prevention at the institute, added that in today’s interconnected world, “we must harness the power of technology to monitor, predict, and respond to conflicts before they escalate.

“To achieve a robust, effective, and coordinated response to early warnings, IPCR and PARTNER have adopted the use of technology to enhance our conflict-prevention strategy in EWER.

“The EWER application will be a tool that will assist us in working better at integrating our responses from community, state, and national environments.”

Mr Danjuma Dawop, the Chief of Party PARTNER, Mercy Corps said  the unveiling of the technology was timely given the increasing global concerns over rising tensions and violence in various regions.

He said the platform would aggregate data from various sources, including social media, news reports, and local intelligence, to identify patterns and warning signs of potential conflict.

“It employs machine learning algorithms to assess risk levels and generate alerts, which can be disseminated to stakeholders via mobile applications and other communication channels.

“We believe that early intervention can significantly reduce the likelihood of conflicts escalating into a full-blown crisis.

“Our new platform will empower local communities, governments, and organisations in taking proactive measures aimed at preventing conflicts,” Dawop said.

NAN further reports that the PARTNER Project is a 5-year USAID-funded programme implemented by Mercy Corps in Plateau, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa, Zamfara states, among others. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

(Edited by Emmanuel Yashim)

By Sarafina Christopher

Mr Shen Haixiong, Director-General of China Media Group (CMG) said Nigeria could replicate China’s media approach to driving modernisation.

He said this on Friday in Abuja at a seminar organised by CMG with the theme: “Global Opportunities in Deepening China’s Reform in the New Era.”

According to Haixiong, a strategic media approach could help bridge the gap between government initiatives and public understanding.

He noted that CMG has been striving to tell the story of China’s reform, it’s opening up, and the process of its modernisation as well as how it is actively building bridges and ties for exchanges, dialogue and mutual learning with the rest of the world.

“We are actively fulfilling our media responsibilities, producing a large number of high-quality features and documentaries like “Charting the Decade,” and “Our Journey,” – in order to present to the world the vitality and impressive practices of Chinese modernisation.

“We actively promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges through brand projects such as the CMG Forum, the CMG media partners mechanism, and the “Opportunities in China” Global Media Dialogue.

“We believe in promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilisations, and establishing platforms for collective wisdom and discussion.

“We are actively expanding our international ‘circle of friends,’collaborating extensively with cultural institutions, international organisations, and think tanks from various countries.

“We are jointly exploring and sharing the global opportunities arising from China’s deepening reforms in the new era, and contributing greater efforts to achieving a world of peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and shared prosperity,” he said.

In his remarks, Mr Raphael Oni, the Dean of Diplomatic journalists in Nigeria, said as Nigeria seeks to modernise its infrastructure and services, the insights from the seminar have provided a roadmap for leveraging media as a powerful tool for change. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

By Angela Atabo

The European Union (EU) has inaugurated the second phase of its education programme – “Expand, Integrate and Strengthen Systems (EISS),” to build the capacity of teachers in Nigeria.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Samuela Isopi, made this known at the inauguration of the Programme in Abuja.

Isopi, represented by EU’s Head of Human Development, Leila Mathieu, said that the second phase of the programme focused on teachers.

This, she said, complemented the first phase, Education and Youth Empowerment in North Western Nigeria, inaugurated in 2023.

“The funding for both phases amounts to 45.4 million euros, under the Global Gateway Strategy to boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors.

“It will also strengthen health, education and research systems across the world.”

According to Isopi, the EU under EISS will partner with six training colleges in Adamawa, Bayelsa, Enugu, Katsina, Plateau and Oyo. The beneficiary states are expected to in turn reach out to a wider pool of teachers.

“Why focus on teachers? Because teachers are the bedrock of education, they are the ones who inspire, nurture, and guide our future generations

“Investing in teachers is investing in our collective future. All over the world they play an essential role in shaping the minds and hearts of the next generation.

“However, in many countries, and in Nigeria in particular, teachers face numerous challenges, ranging from insufficient resources to the pressures of adapting to rapidly changing educational environments.”

Isopi said that recognising these challenges, the European Union identified with the government the critical need to support Nigerian teachers in their professional development and personal resilience.

She said that by empowering teachers, the quality of education would be enhanced as well as ensuring that students received the guidance and support needed to succeed in an ever-changing world.

“Specifically, the initiative will fund the development and review of education policies and career paths for the teaching profession in Nigeria.

“It will also ensure that teachers’ capacity and resilience are enhanced through pre-service and in-service teachers’ education programmes as well as strengthen teacher-student collaboration and learning teams at school and community levels.

“This programme’s implementation is entrusted to our partner, UNESCO,”she said.

The UN Resident Coordinator, Mohammed Fall, while commending Nigeria’s effort to meet up with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), expressed worry over the high number of inadequately trained teachers in schools.

“A 2021 report by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, states that Sub-Saharan Africa faces the biggest challenge, with the lowest percentages of trained teachers in pre-primary 57 per cent.

“In primary 67 per cent and secondary education 61 per cent among all regions.

“The UNESCO Global report on Teachers 2023, notes that teacher attrition is a global concern: between 2015 and 2022, attrition rates of primary education teachers doubled around the world from 4.6 to 9 per cent.

“Regardless of the country’s income level, and even remuneration, teachers are leaving the profession within the first five years of practice. We must halt this worrisome trend.”

Also speaking, the Minister of Education, Prof. Mamman Tahir, said that teachers represented a significant milestone in the collective efforts to transform the educational landscape in Nigeria.

Tahir, represented by the Director, Basic Education, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, commended the funding support from the EU, the technical support of UNESCO as well as the commitment of all the state governments involved in the programme.

He said the project was aimed at improving student attainment and to contribute to Nigeria’s human development through an increase in the number of qualified and resilient teachers.

He added that the project would help in addressing the challenges confronting teachers in the country.

“We understand the challenges our teachers face, especially in fragile and demanding environments, such as ours. This project will provide them with the tools and support they need to excel.

“By strengthening our teachers and the teachers’ education programmes and implementing robust teacher policies, we can ensure that our teachers are well prepared, they are adequately recruited, deployed and managed.”

He added that the six states benefiting from the programme would create models of excellence that would be replicated across the country.(NAN)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

Chinese researchers on Tuesday said they had discovered a new fern species in south China, and named it Cyrtomium adenotrichum.

The researchers found 10 wild Cyrtomium adenotrichum on a cliff in Nandan County under Hechi City, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

This is according to the Guangxi Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science.

The findings, recently published in PhytoKeys, an international journal of plant taxonomy, revealed that the new species belongs to the family Dryopteridaceae and the genus Cyrtomium.

The plant has a height ranging from 5 to 15cm.

The species features a sparsely glandular leaf axis, a unique structure that easily distinguishes it from other species in the genus Cyrtomium.

Due to its rarity, small population and fragile habitat, the researchers classified the species as critically endangered based on the criteria set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

Research on the biological, ecological and medicinal value of the species will be further conducted, according to the researchers. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Cecilia Odey/Tayo Ikujuni