By Cecilia Ologunagba

The Federal Government has launched a national talent export programme, tagged “National Talent Export Programme (NATEP)’’, designed to create at least one million jobs over the next five years as a special purpose vehicle.

The Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, announced this on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at an event tagged “Positioning Nigeria as a Global Talent Hub in New York”.

According to her, the initiative is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to diversify the Nigerian economy, create sustainability opportunities and generate about 50 million jobs for the youths.

“NATEP is a key national initiative that will serve as a special purpose vehicle to position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service export, talent sourcing and talent export,” she said.

“As part of our strategy towards achieving this, His Excellency President Bola Tinubu, whose agenda for job creation, we have initiated a national talent export programme for Nigeria, which targets the creation of one million jobs across Nigeria over a five year period.

“NATEP is a key national initiative that will serve as a special purpose vehicle to position Nigeria as a leading global hub for service exports, talent sourcing and talent export.”

The minister said that Nigerian government under the leadership of Tinubu as part of the renewed hope agenda was committed to diversifying the economy and creating sustainable employment opportunities, especially for youths by creating 50 million jobs.

“This is in tandem with the theme of this year’s UNGA, rebuilding trust and igniting global solidarity, accelerating action on the 2030 agenda and the sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”, Uzoka-Anite told a gathering comprising officials of the World Economic Forum and the Microsoft group.

According to her, NATEP will be dedicated to addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by the talent and service sector export industry, laying emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation and driving sustainable growth through trade in services.

Available data indicate that the global talent sourcing industry is valued at $620 billion as at 2020 and it is forecasted to be valued at about $904 billion by 2027.

Uzoka-Anite said Nigeria has the ability to supply top talent for the global service export and outsourcing business, with over 1.7 million graduates from higher education institutions entering the workforce annually.

“NATEP will serve as a dedicated entity to address the unique needs and challenges faced by talents and service export industry. The programme will lay special emphasis on enhancing competitiveness, fostering innovation and driving sustainable growth through trade and services.”

While stating that Nigeria is ready to become a global hub for talent export, Uzoka-Anite said that government would take full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACfTA) to penetrate the continent’s huge market and target job opportunities in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, among others.

“As a country we have a significant value proposition for regional and global markets for the export of services. We will actively target Greenfield and Brownfield job opportunities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, among others.

“The four pronged objectives of the NATEP initiative as follows: One to deliver one million service export jobs over the next five years; to increase foreign exchange earnings and revenue for Nigeria; to create economic growth and to stimulate the growth of ancillary industries and support services, and to improve skills and strengthening the Nigerian brand.”

The Managing Director of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Dr Saadia Zahidi, who also spoke at the event, promised to support Nigeria’s effort in the new talent export programme.

“The World Economic Forum in Nigeria has a long standing partnership and we are very happy to support this particular effort.

“The forum established some months ago, a skills accelerator in Nigeria and under the leadership of Her Excellency, the minister and others, we hope that we will be able to provide support to NATEP through the continuous rescaling and upskilling of the workforce that will be a part of this initiative.

“The way these accelerators work, we bring in some of the learning and training providers, we bring in some of the companies that have the most to teach very often to the youth that are part of these programmes.

“And of course, bringing together the public sector as well, to then ensure that in a rapid 18 to 24 month period, there’s a rapid setup of not just the learning for those that will be part of this workforce.

“But that there is ongoing systems, change ongoing upskilling, ongoing rescaling so that those skills are not redundant at some point in time,” she said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

By Cecilia Ologunagba

A non-governmental organisation, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has presented the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) goal 16 Shadow Report to First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oluremi received the report at the First Ladies High Level Forum on the margins of 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The Report focuses on measuring Nigeria’s progress on SDG 16, targeting 16.4 (anti-money laundering), 16.5 (beneficial ownership), and 16.10 (access to information).

The Report, the sixth edition in a series of annual shadow reports, was prepared using a Transparency International global template to enable cross-chapter comparison among countries.

NAN reports that the launching of the report coincided with the 2023 UN Day of Peace, with the theme “Gender Actions for Peace: Ambition for Women Leaders as Key Players on Global Peace’’.

In her remarks, Oluremi spoke on ways to promote peace in Africa through the vision of the First Lady Forum, noting that its their vision for committed leaders and key players in global peace

“Our continent today is rift with conflict, uncertainty and revision, and therefore it is our collective responsibility. Peace is not merely the absence of war but the presence of justice, equity, and harmony.

“Every individual, regardless of their agenda should be able to thrive in an environment free from violence and discrimination.

“The journey towards lasting peace requires dialogue, the engagement and empowerment of all members of society, in particular, women in leadership roles.

“Women bring unique perspectives, qualities, compassion and experience to the table, which can play a transformative role in conflict resolution, peace-building and sustainable development.

“Women, as activists and advocates of peace, deal with conflict, non-violently pursuing democratic and human values,’’ she said.

The first lady said women as educators and as humans in development process should continue to build the capacity of their communities and nations to preventing violence conflicts.

According to her, the year 2020 marked the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution 25 on Peace and Security.

Oluremi said that the African Union as member states had promoted the peace security agenda through several of the guidance frameworks.

“Despite the meaningful progress that has been made, women’s meaningful participation in peacebuilding, efforts at implementing agenda equality in peace and security has been slow.

“As First Ladies in Africa, we play a pivotal role in driving the agenda for peace in our respective countries. As mothers of our nations, we must strive to make an impact through our various programmes to ensure justice and equality prevail.

“We have a soft power to make the impact and we must not shy away from using that power.

“We must try to promote gender equity, promote and enforce policies that ensure equal opportunities for women in all spheres of life from education to politics to business,’’ she said.

The first lady, however, called for support from women in leadership, provide mentorship, training and resources to empower women to assume leadership roles and competences.

Oluremi also said the Forum should work to end violence against women, which often serves as the barrier to their full participation in society.

“We must engage men as ally, encourage men to actively support gender equality, and advocate for women’s inclusion in leadership. Also revive the voices of women leaders, peace process, and decision-making bodies,’’ she said.

Speaking on the report, Auwal Rafsanjani, the Executive Director of CISLAC, said it was important for Nigeria to achieve the SDG 16  on strong institutions, peace, justice, and anti-corruption.

“So, we have come up with this shadow report to remind our governments of the commitments they have made to attaining sustainable development goal.

“You can only achieve this when you are able to follow through those indicators, and for this goal, we have issues around money laundry, we have issues around access to recovery, we have issues around beneficial ownership, we have issues around access to information.’’

Rafsanjani said goal 16 could be achieved by blocking  leakages, stopping corruption, creating necessary avenues for information to be accessible, and ensuring that beneficial ownership register is established.

“But more importantly, you can only achieve peace and stability, when you have strong institutions, when you have stopped corruption, which undermines progress, which undermines peace and stability.

“In many countries, especially in Africa, insecurity is a major challenge. It has been a stumbling block to consolidating democracy, to having sustainable development, and to also ensure that you build a vibrant economy.

“If you do not stop corruption, insecurity will continue. If you do not stop corruption, you will continue to drain the country and a lot of problems will continue to happen.

“So that is why our organisation is reminding our government because we are civil society, there’s a limit to what we can do. Our government is responsible for ensuring that it creates an enabling environment for even the peace and stability to happen,” he said.

This Report is produced by CISLAC, TI Nigeria under the project which seeks to improve democratic accountability of public institutions and anti-corruption deficits by Strengthening Accountability Networks among Civil Society (SANCUS) which is supported by the European Union.

This Report is an updated assessment of the previous editions of the SDGs Shadow Report published by CISLAC in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.  (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz

By Oluwafunke Ishola

Melinda French-Gates, Co-chair, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, says investing in women’s healthcare, particularly in high quality, affordable, equitable healthcare is a sure way to build a better future we all imagine.

French-Gates said this during the 2023 Goalkeepers Conference held on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York.

According to her, there is  a widening health gap and declining prospects for women globally.

“Maternal mortality is highly preventable, but sadly 800 women die from childbirth daily.

“Statistically, the day a woman gives birth is the most likely day she is to die.

“For every woman who loses their lives in childbirth, 30 more faces long-term consequences- heart failure, stroke, economic consequences, missed pay cheques, lost businesses,” she said.

She noted that most common causes of maternal death like postpartum hemorrhage and infections were often treatable, however, access to treatments depend on the woman’s location.

“Women in two regions of the world, Africa and South-East Asia bear a large number of these burdens accounting for 90 per cent of the maternal deaths.

“That’s more than 250,000 women dying every single year. It’s enough to fill a World Cup stadium four times over.

“Improving maternal health also means improving infant health and survival. It means stronger families, more vibrant communities, and more prosperous societies,” she said.

French-Gates noted that the disparities affecting women’s health were not  limited to maternal mortality but also reflected in other issues from HIV/AIDS to healthcare screening.

She said  that some researchers supported by the foundation had developed innovations that would reshape maternal health, calling for support to scale the innovations.

Similarly, Bill Gates, Co-chair, Gates Foundation, noted that the work should invest more in humanely driven interventions such as saving mothers, despite political differences.

Gates said that the world had advanced in its understanding of how to save the most fragile lives, noting that with collaboration the knowledge could translate into tangible progress.

Also, Dr Hadiza Galadanci, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Health Sciences, Bayero University Kano, said that data had shown that Nigeria has the highest maternal deaths globally.

Galadanci said  that there was a critical flaw in the way postpartum hemorrhage, (a leading cause of maternal death) was diagnosed.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) means losing more than half a litre of blood within 24 hours of childbirth, affecting  14 million women yearly, and causing the death of over 70,000 in low-income countries.

Galadanci said, “When PPH is identified, doctors, nurses, and midwives have long relied on a series of five treatments to stop the bleeding: uterine massage, oxytocic drugs, tranexamic acid, IV fluids, and genital-tract examination.

“But those interventions were being delivered sequentially—and far too slowly.

“We asked ourselves, why don’t we bundle the interventions together, administering all five at once. We tried it and we decreased cases of bleeding by 60 per cent.”

She noted that scaling the innovation to every clinic, labour ward, hospitals would save more lives, saying it is the next task to be accomplished.

Galadanci said that the world must do more by investing in new lifesaving tools to achieve a healthier and inclusive world. (NAN)

Edited by Folasade Adeniran

By Joshua Olomu

Former PresidenT Goodluck Jonathan has been awarded the ‘Symbol of Peace’ among recipients of the maiden edition of the ‘100 Most Notable Peace Icons in Africa’ honour.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that he was presented the award by the ‘100 Most Notable Peace Icons in Africa’ project team at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation on Thursday in Abuja.

Amb.Kingsley Amafibe, Project Director Africa, for the 100 Most Notable Peace Icons in Africa, said the award was in recognition of Jonathan’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s peace and unity, despite predictions of disintegration.

He said although the 100 peace icons were people who have used their talents, positions and resources to build and promote peace across Africa, Jonathan stood out as the ‘Symbol of Peace’ for the continent.

According to him, the choice of Jonathan for the prestigious honour was made after painstaking consultations across the continent by the ‘100 Most Notable Peace Icons in Africa; team.

“Goodluck Jonathan is a symbol of peace, a symbol of sacrifice for fatherland and an example of true leadership who is a role model to young people, not just in Nigeria, but across Africa.

“He made an unprecedented sacrifice by his decision to accept the result of the 2015 Presidential poll, true to his words that his political ambition does not worth the blood of any Nigerian.

“That act of patriotism, which guaranteed a peaceful civilian-to-civilian transition, saved our dear country and the continent from imminent chaos and predictions of Nigeria’s disintegration.

“He therefore stands tall today among the 100 most notable peace icons, earlier announced, who have dedicated their lives to promoting peace and justice in their communities, countries, and the world at large.

“As we honour these remarkable individuals, we are reminded of the importance of their work and the impact it has had on the world,”Amafibe said.

In his acceptance speech, Jonathan commended the organisers for the honour and reiterated his commitment to the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria.

He therefore urged leaders at all levels in Africa to embrace democratic principles towards building a better continent for all.

NAN reports that Jonathan made history when he conceded defeat in the March 29, 2015 presidential election by swiftly calling to congratulate his opponent,Muhammadu Buhari.

The step halted predictions of violent bloodshed in Nigeria, and keeping his word that he would not allow the blood of a Nigerian to be shed to further his political ambitions.

That display of selflessness has continue to resonate across the globe over the years, bringing both local and international awards to the former president, including, the African Sun Times’ International Person of the Year 2015.

Others include the Peace Loving Global Citizen, African Democracy and Peace Icon Award and the Martin Luther King Human Rights Award, making him the first African leader to win the award.(NAN) (nannews.com.ng)

edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Yusuf Yunus

Canada (Calgary), Sept. 20, 2023(NAN) Mr Gabriel Aduda, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, has expressed concern over the failure of global leaders to invest approximately 10 billion dollars in Nigeria’s net-zero and energy transition plans by 2060.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Aduda said this during a Ministerial Roundtable at the ongoing World Petroleum Congress(WPC) on Wednesday in Calgary, Canada, with the topic ‘What Does The Energy Transition Mean for your Country’.

Aduda said various global leaders at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021, made various commitments, which stood at 10 billion dollars.

According to him, this is to aid Nigeria’s agenda on commitments to attain net-zero by 2060 but with conditions.

‘‘The truth of the matter is that promises were made as to how the initial injection of 10 billion dollars was going to be done. But, l sit here to tell you that not a cent has been moved,’’ he said.

He explained that part of the conditions was that transition to renewable does not come cheap.

Aduda said,”one of the things that Nigeria is not shy to say is that ‘‘we do not have the finances to get it done.’’”

He maintained that if Nigeria was going to achieve net zero by 2060, it meant that there would be significant financial injection into the system from the country.

He noted that there would also be support across the world, especially those that were responsible for heavy emissions.

‘‘Now these issues were agreed to and promises were made at COP26, but how much of these promises have been fulfilled?

“The truth is that Africa still sees huge financial exclusion when it comes to the issue of climate change and we have always said it and the numbers are clear.

“In 2021, 2022, 600 billion dollars of green burns were generated but less than 0.26 per cent came to Africa.

“When we made this commitment at COP26, His Excellency, the then president, said we would need at the very beginning about 10 billion dollars with a target of 410 billion dollars till 2060,’’ he said.

According to him, a larger chunk of these funds will be used for funding of infrastructure, especially gas infrastructure across Nigeria.

The permanent secretary said that Africa remains the most compliant continent when it comes to renewable.

According to him, this is because Africa has been able to prove that no other continent has been close to where it on renewables.

He maintained that out of the 54 countries in Africa, close to 30 use one form of renewable energy or the other.

He said, for instance,  Kenya has 70 per cent of renewables and quite a number of other countries could also boast at least 40 per cent.

‘‘But, what we have been able to put together across all the continent. No other continent is as compliant as African is, yet, Africa is the least emitter of this hydrocarbons or contributor to this climate issues that we are dealing with.

“More importantly, what does energy transition mean to us as a country? A lot. We totally understand that we are a very rich country in natural resources and our very strength is in gas, which in Nigeria is even much more than crude deposit.

“The proven quantum of gas that we have is about 260TCF with the potential for more. Now we have identified gas in Nigeria as our transition fuel.

“We have tried to rally round in all our policies, everything we need to see that would work within a framework, that allows us to push domestic injection of gas across Nigeria and of course across Africa.

“Because we have always exported gas,  NLNG, name it, and we are still working that we reach out with our deposit to other Africa countries and even beyond,’’ Aduda added. (NAN)

Edited by Olawwunmi Ashafa

By Busayo Onijala

The UN Women on Tuesday called for an increase in the private sector’s involvement in the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in Nigeria.

The call was made in Lagos, on the sideline of a Private Sector CEOs Meeting with Mr Maxime Houinato, UN Women Regional Director for Central and West Africa, who is on an executive visit to Nigeria.

Houinato lauded the established collaboration between Nigeria’s private sector and the government which he said had so far yielded a 25 million U.S. dollar fund to fight gender-based violence.

This, he said was possible because they acknowledge that gender equality is key for the promotion of the economy.

According to him, both the private sector and government are aware of the crippling effects gender-based violence has on the Nigerian economy.

“We are wasting a tremendous amount of money to address this issue and if it is put off the table, the funds will be available for other developmental projects,” he said.

Houinato also hailed women in business for realising that for them to rise to the top of the difficult environment of business in Nigeria, they need to be professional and collaborative.

“The women have realised that they are going to access spaces when they are professional, strong in business, and side with governments to influence the economic policy of this country.

“To do that, the level of professionalism that they need to demonstrate is very high because the economy in Nigeria is a very competitive place, and they want to earn that place,” he said.

On his part, Mr Lansana Wonneh, UN Women Deputy Country Representative in Nigeria, said gender inequality is one of the biggest challenges to development in Nigeria.

Part of its symptoms, he said, include limited participation of women in governance and gender-based violence.

He said changing the dynamic should not be left to the government or civil society alone, adding that the private sector also has a significant role to play.

“If we all see it as a national cause, then it is important that the private sector also invests.

“If they invest, it has business benefits for them as well,” he said.

Wonneh added that a reduction in gender-based violence would lead to an  increase in productivity of half of the population, considering that about 50 per cent of Nigerians are women.

“Eliminating gender based violence will only allow Nigeria to realise the full investment potential and full productivity potential of women,” Wonneh said. (NAN)

By Cecilia Ologunagba

President Bola Tinubu and some Nigerian political leaders were among world leaders that attended the opening of the General Debate of the 78th session of the General Assembly at the UN headquarters on Tuesday in New York.

The UN correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tinubu was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar and the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, Amb.Tijjani Muhammad-Bande.

Other Nigerian officials on the delegation are: Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate and Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anita.

Also on the delegation are: Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo; Minister of Solid Mineral, Dele Alake; Minister of Arts and Culture, Hannatu Musawa; and Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu.

Others are: Akwa Ibom Governor, Umo Eno; Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo; Gov. Uba Sani of Kaduna; Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe; and Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq of Kwara, among others.

In his welcome remarks, the President of the 78th Session of the General Assembly, Mr Dennis Francis, reiterated his deepest condolences to the Governments and peoples of Morocco and Libya.

The assembly president said the twin disasters of earthquakes and flooding had left thousands dead and untold more sufferings.

“It is my sincere hope that resources and relief can be expedited to support all those who now find themselves in desperate need.

“As a citizen of a climate-vulnerable region, I urge Member States to recognise the continued and escalating impacts of climate change – and to deliver real, transformative results.

“Let us work together to unlock the finances and resources required to support those most vulnerable in mitigation, adaptation, and resilience-building,” he said.

He called on Members States to continue to work on the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index – with the aim of moving beyond GDP to a measure of economic development that effectively captures a country’s true vulnerability to external shocks.

“Let us work together to unlock the finances and resources required to support those most vulnerable in mitigation, adaptation, and resilience-building,’’ the assembly president said.

Francis acknowledged several former Presidents of the General Assembly, including Han Seung-soo, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea who served as President of the 56th Session of the Assembly, and who now sits as Chair of the UN Council of Former Presidents of the General Assembly (UNCPGA).

NAN reports that no fewer than 145 world leaders are attending the largest diplomatic gathering, among who are the Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva, U.S, President, Joe Biden and Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

By tradition, Brazil was the first speaker that opened the General Debate, and has spoken first for over seven decades because, at the early General Assembly sessions, it volunteered to start when no other country did.

Also by tradition, U.S, has been the second speaker as the host country and Biden took turn to deliver his speech after Silva.

In his speech, Biden emphasised unity and global cooperation, saying  the global body must “continue to preserve peace, prevent conflict and alleviate human suffering.

“The United States seeks a more secure, more prosperous, more equitable world for all people, because we know our future is bound to yours.

“Let me repeat that again: We know our future is bound to yours. And no nation can meet the challenges of today alone.”

NAN reports that Nigerian President Tinubu is the 12th speaker in the afternoon session and he is slated to deliver his statement around 6pm local time, while Zelenskyy is 12th speaker in the morning session of the first day of the General Debate.

NAN also reports that this the first in-person appearance of Zelenskyy at the UN since the Russian Invasion of his country in 2022, the General Assembly voted to grant his special dispensation to submit a pre-recorded speech.  (NAN) (www.nannew.ng)

Edited by Julius Toba-Jegede

By Kadiri Abdulrahman

The managements of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), together with Moroccan authorities have agreed to hold their 2023 Annual Meetings in Marrakech in spite of  the recent devastating earthquake in the country.

This is contained in a joint statement signed by World Bank President, Ajay Banga; IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva; and Kingdom of Morocco Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Alaoui.

They, however, said that the meetings, scheduled between Oct. 9 and Oct. 15, would hold by “adapting the content to the circumstances”.

“Since the devastating earthquake in Morocco on Sept. 8, the World Bank and the IMF staff have worked in close coordination with the Moroccan authorities and a team of experts to thoroughly assess Marrakech’s capacity to host the 2023 Annual Meetings.

“In undertaking this assessment, key considerations were that the meetings would not disrupt vital relief and reconstruction efforts, and that the safety of the participants can be assured.

“Based on a careful review of the findings, the Managements of the World Bank and IMF, together with the Moroccan authorities, have agreed to proceed with holding the 2023 Annual Meetings in Marrakech from Oct. 9 to Oct. 15,” they said.

According to them, the meetings would be conducted in a way that does not hamper the relief efforts, and respects the victims and Moroccan people.

“At this very difficult time, we believe that the annual meetings also provide an opportunity for the international community to stand by Morocco and its people, who have once again shown resilience in the face of tragedy.

“We also remain committed to ensuring the safety of all participants,” they said.

NAN reports that the World Bank plays a key role in the global efforts to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity.

Working in more than 100 countries, the bank provides financing, advice, and other solutions that enable countries to address the most urgent challenges of development.

The IMF is a global organisation that works to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for all of its 190 member countries.

It does so by supporting economic policies that promote financial stability and monetary cooperation, which are essential to increasing productivity, job creation, and economic well-being. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed