FG gives Dana Airline 6 months ultimatum to pay claims of crash victims or face sanction

The Federal Government on Thursday gave Dana Airline six months’ ultimatum to pay the claims of the families of the victims of the June 3, 2012 plane crash or face sanctions.
The Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, gave the ultimatum at the 2013 Ministerial Platform in Abuja.
She said the airline had paid up to 60 per cent of the claims to the victims’ families but experienced a delay due to double claims that needed to be clarified.
“Dana has actually done very well in terms of compensating accident victims. The challenge Dana has is that of multiple claims, the multiple claims made it difficult to ascertain who should collect.
“And until they are able to do that, they will not pay multiple claims and we will continue verifying and re-verifying to ascertain who should be the next of kin to claim the money but I know Dana has done up to 60 per cent.
“However, Dana is giving to December, if they fail to pay completely, we would have to sanction them, they are aware of that so I am sure they are accelerating the process.“
She said the sector had put up some strategies to ensure that air accidents became things of the past in Nigeria.
Oduah said the government was rendering additional assistance to families of victims of aircraft accident, adding that the approval of the Victim Family Insurance Package (VFAP) had been secured from the Nigerian Insurance Commission (NAICOM).
She said discussions were in progress between NCAA and Zenith Bank on the implementation of the VFAP, while family assistance centre would be established to take care of emergencies.

Senate to UK: We'll retaliate your new visa policy

The Senate says Nigeria will not accept the visa regime proposed by the United Kingdom seeking to compel Nigerian visitors to deposit 3,000 pounds bond before travelling there.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Matthew Nwagwu, said this in Abuja on Tuesday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria.
Nwagwu said Nigeria would take reciprocal action against British citizens once it received formal notification of the policy from the UK immigration authorities.
He pledged that the Senate would deploy necessary legislative action to ensure that Nigerian immigration authorities embarked on action commensurate with the “obnoxious” UK policy.
Nwagwu said that Nigeria was still awaiting a formal communication from the UK Government on the new visa policy.
He said: “When they inform us officially on this policy, we will respond to them officially.
“We will not accept it if Nigeria is branded among the countries they are targeting.
“Reciprocity implies that, for example, if the UK Government imposes this obnoxious policy on Nigerians, Nigeria also has the right to find a way to reply.
“If your friend smiles at you, you too will smile at him.
“If he frowns at you or decides not to love you anymore, it is up to you to decide how you will respond to him.
“Normally, if Nigeria is treated in a shady way and are excluded from a country, then Nigeria must find a way to respond.
“It is up to the Government to decide.”
Nwagwu called on the Nigerian Government to make effort to find out the rationale for the policy.
The chairman also urged Nigerians who planned to travel to UK to seek alternative destinations to fulfill their purpose for such trip.
He said: “If the policy comes into effect, it is left for Nigerians also to begin to find alternative travel destinations.
“If somebody tells you not to go to his place again for any reason, you don’t have to impose yourself on him.
“So, Nigerians should think whether it is worthwhile to go to deposit 3,000 pounds to enable them visit the UK.
He said in spite of the security challenge in some parts of the North, Nigeria was generally peaceful with many foreigners, including Britons, going about their normal businesses without harassment.
According to him, the current situation makes it necessary for Nigeria to review its relations with Britain, a country he says was expected to assist the country to deal with its problems.
“You have to look at your friend properly to know whether he is the friend you know or not,” he said.
Nwagwu said that Britain should understand Nigeria properly with a view to helping the country solve its problems in whatever way it could.
Senator Chris Anyanwu (APGA-Imo) described the proposed policy as “extremely offensive”, especially coming from a country that has strong historical links with Nigeria.
Anyanwu said Nigeria had every reason to respond emphatically to the “unfriendly policy.”
She said: “This is an extreme and offending action and it is rather surprising that it is coming from Britain that has a very special relationship with Nigeria.
“The onus lies on Nigeria to respond.
“We have to find ways of protesting, perhaps by reducing patronage against things brought from Britain.”
Senato Magnus Abe (PDP-Rivers) said Nigeria had forwarded a message to the British High Commissioner, that Nigerians would not accept such a “discriminatory” policy.
Abe said: “As a country, we would be opposed to anything that is discriminatory to Nigerians and I have sent that message to the High Commission.
“All Nigerians should let Britain know that that kind of policy is unacceptable.”

Pensioner, 60, slumps as others protest non-payment of arrears, death of 600 colleagues

A 60-year-old pensioner slumped at the protest ground in Obalende, Lagos State on Tuesday.
He and hundreds of other pensioners of the Nigeria Postal Service besieged the NIPOST office, Obalende, Lagos State, protesting the non-payment of 72 months arrears and death of over 600 colleagues, with 105 in hospitals suffering from stroke.
The Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Lagos State chapter, Abayomi Akinture Elijah, said they were also protesting the death of another of their colleague, Augustine Railway, who died in a vehicle accident as they were driving towards Abuja to have a confab with President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to them, an agreement was reached during the confab that they would be paid by February 2013, but Federal Government allegedly reneged on the agreement and had not paid till date.
Elijah’s words: “The agreement is that we would be paid by February, but they failed to fulfil the promise.
“That is why we are back here to protest.
“WWe’re ready to die here.”
Olusola Omisore, Vice Chairman Lagos State chapter of the NUP, said: “Since 2006, we’ve lost over 600 pensioners, 105 are on sick beds, having stroke.
“They owe us arrears of 72 months.
“We heard some of them who are supposed to pay us our money, are using our money to prepare for political campaigns in their states.
“Many of us are homeless.
“We don’t even have money to buy drugs.
“Without seeing our alerts, we won’t leave here and we won’t stop this protest.”

Tinubu’s mother dead

The mother of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, is dead.

Sources close to the family said Alhaja Mogaji died on Saturday evening.

Details later.

PDP suspends Sokoto State Governor, Dr. Aliyu Wamakko.

The Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday suspended another governor elected on its platform.
This time, it was the Sokoto State Governor, Dr. Aliyu Wamakko.
The party less than two weeks ago suspended the Rivers State Governor, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi.
A statement on Wednesday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said Wamakko was suspended because of his repeated breaches of the party’s constitution.
Metuh said the governor had failed, several times, to honor the invitations and lawful directives of the NWC, which suspended him on Wednesday.
The statement by Metuh reads in full: “The National Working Committee at its 338th meeting held on Wednesday, June 5, 2013, extensively discussed the state of the Party across the nation and its members as well as the repeated breaches and disregard to the Party’s Constitution by his Excellency, Dr. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, the Executive Governor of Sokoto State.
“The NWC notes that on several occasions, Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko had ignored invitations and lawful directives of the NWC in this regard and has continued to show complete apathy to the affairs of the party and contempt to an organ of the Party.
“Consequent upon the refusal of the Governor to honour yet another invitation by the NWC to appear before it today, Wednesday, June 5, 2013 without any reason, the Committee, in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 57 (3), 57 (7), 58. 1(c ),(h), (f) and 59 (1),(2), hereby suspends the Executive Governor of Sokoto State, Dr. Aliyu Magatakarda
Wamakko as a member of the party and refers the matter to the appropriate disciplinary committee of the Party.
“This is in furtherance of the determination of the leadership of the Party to enforce discipline at all levels within the Party.”

'How my mother donated her kidney to me'

She never thought she could have any problem with her kidneys, but a Christmas Eve headache turned out to be the harbinger of the disease, which she managed for three years before her mother gave her kidney. Stella Emmanuel tells 'Nonye Ben-Nwankwo and Anna Okon her story, the reason she is launching a foundation to help indigent kidney patients.

Stella Emmanuel  advertisement

So many people love their mothers because they brought them into this world and nurtured them till they attained the age of accountability. But for Stella Emmanuel, a Lagos State-based banker and founder of True Health Foundation, she loves her mother for the above-mentioned reasons and more -for giving her another lease of life when she had chronic kidney failure.

In a society where kidney donors do not come at the snap of the fingers, where so many die due to the fact that they didn't see anybody who was pathetic enough to donate one of their kidneys for the survival of somebody in dire need of one, Emmanuel has so many reasons to thank her mother for coming to her aid by giving her one of her kidneys.

Prior to her healing, Emmanuel told Saturday Punch that she went through three years of trauma and illness. Her situation came unannounced four years ago, when she least expected it. The banker said she had severe headache which she never expected could be as a result of kidney failure.

"It was actually on a Christmas Eve. I had a terrible headache. It was so bad that I thought this could be what people who have migraine go through," she said.

And because the headache was so unusual, Emmanuel said she had to go to the doctor who found out that her blood pressure was high.

"And because my blood pressure was very high, they said I had to stay back in the hospital to do some further tests but I had to come back home. I had to go back to work. Even when I went back to work, I still wasn't myself. I was always tired. If I climb the stairs, I would be out of breath. I started bloating."

Of course, with the way she was getting bloated, Emmanuel said she didn't need anybody to tell her to return to the hospital.

"They gave me malaria treatment. I was also treated for typhoid which I was convinced I didn't have."

But Emmanuel said even with all the malaria and typhoid treatments, she didn't get any better and so more and more tests were conducted before it was finally discovered that she had kidney failure.

"The kidney helps to remove excess fluids in the body. It also helps to eliminate toxins in the body. When those toxins are not eliminated, they remain in your system and you will have nausea. That was exactly what happened to me," she said.

Emmanuel said she still didn't know how she came about the sickness.

"I still don't know how I got the sickness. In my case, the cause of the failure still remains unknown. We all need to take better care of ourselves. I don't know how many of us will, ordinarily, do an annual medical check up. As individuals, just don't wait for something to happen to you before you go for a check up. Who knows, I might have had a problem until it got to this point," she said.

And since she discovered her kidneys weren't performing their natural functions, Emmanuel had to go for dialysis.

"I had to be on dialysis for three years. Each dialysis cost N35, 000 and I had to have three sessions in a week. If you do the mathematics, you will find out it is quite high. But I had no choice. I was doing the dialysis and as such, what my kidney couldn't do, the dialysis machines were doing them," she said.

Talking about what she went through during those years of trauma, Emmanuel said it wasn't a great experience.

"It wasn't a good experience. I was generally tired. I put on so much weight. It wasn't fat but just as a result of the fluid that I was retaining. I might have had to travel for work and if I did have to travel, I had to make arrangement to have dialysis session wherever I was. I missed the session once or thereabout and I felt sick. I had to go back and have my session. To be honest, you don't even need a doctor to tell you that you ought not to miss your session. You would find out that you would be throwing up. Your eyes gored. It is not a pleasant experience at all. Your body will certainly demand for dialysis. For the people who were not having their regular sessions, it is simply because they cannot afford it. These people are so bloated and they are always panting. Their families go around trying to get money."

"At times, late in the night, I would ask myself why I was going though all that. I always say why me. But then, if not me, who would I have wanted it to be? Who deserves to have such sickness? But when you are confronted with issues like this, your mental health is actually what drives your physical health. The fact that I had to go through with the ordeal was a burden. The sessions are not painful but they are very tiring. I had employers who were supportive. I would go to work and they were lenient enough to allow me go for my sessions from work. There is no nice way of putting it, if I hadn't been able to afford the dialysis and if I hadn't found a donor, I wouldn't have survived it. The matter-of-fact is if you have renal failure, and you are not dialysing and you don't have a transplant, you will die," she said.

And such would have been her lot if not for the love of her mother, who Emmanuel said, gave her another shot at living.

"My mother donated her kidney. A friend of mine had also offered. But my mum did some tests and found out that she and I were compatible. She wanted a permanent solution to what I was going through. Sometimes, I felt she was even more worried and perplexed about the situation more than me. I found out that if I was in pains, I would try to pretend so that she would not know the enormity of the situation. I am so thankful to her for she eventually gave me a second lease of life. I don't even feel like somebody who has just one kidney. I can't tell the difference again. Somebody asked me if I would donate a kidney but I said, sorry, I only have one. I am very strong. You just need one kidney to survive. God in His wisdom gave us two. It didn't occur to me that my mother would be my match. She offered and I am glad. I will always be grateful to her," she said.

Now, Emmanuel doesn't look like somebody who has had a near death contact with kidney failure all thanks to her being able to afford the dialysis and getting a donor.

But from her experience, the banker said she discovered that so many people she met during the dialysis session died along the way.

"I found out that some of the people who were dialysing as at the time I was are no longer alive. Some of them could not continue with the requirement. It is very expensive and not everybody had the opportunity I had."

And based on that, she birthed her foundation, True Health Foundation.

"Having had to deal personally with chronic kidney failure, I was awakened to the fact that though having passed through quite a distressful experience, I was indeed more fortunate than others around me who had even passed on due to their inability to afford the required medical care," she said.

As such, she told Saturday Punch that her foundation, alongside Virtual Xchange, is bringing an international gospel art, Chante Moore, to headline a concert aimed at raising funds for the less privileged who have renal failure and who cannot afford dialysis sessions.

The charity concert, which will take place today in Lagos, will also have some Nigerian acts including pop sensation, Whiz-kid and label boss, Banky W, performing.

JTF uncovers additional weapons in Kano

The Joint Security Task Force on Wednesday said it discovered additional weapons in Kano.

The Task Force said the weapons were found at the house it uncovered large arms and ammunition on May 28.
A statement issued by the JTF’s spokesman, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, in Kano, said the weapons were discovered following further search in the house by the JTF operatives.
“On further search of the property, a cooler was recovered buried under the wardrobe, which had in it some arms and ammunition,” Iweha said.
The statement said items discovered were 80 indicators, five PPK pistols, 334 rounds of 7.62mm special and nine magazines.
The others included four pistol silencers, 1,836 hand grenades caps, four explosive fuses and two explosive devices.
The JTF assured the people of its commitment in returning peace to the state, and urged them to support the security agencies to enable them discharge their duties.
The statement added: “We will continue to count on the support and cooperation of the good people of Kano in the effective discharge of our duties.
“We assure you of our utmost commitment in ensuring that peace return to the state.”

Chimpanzee chops off 10-year-old boy’s buttocks in Uganda

A 10-year-old boy is battling for his life at Kamwenge health centre, Southwest Uganda, after a Kibale National Park chimpanzee bit off his buttocks, the media reported on Wednesday.

The boy identified as Paddy Ankunda, was attacked by the chimpanzee on Saturday June 1, as he was walking along the forest in Kibale National Park in the afternoon with a friend identified as Amos Tukundane, 13.
According to his friend, who escaped, the chimpanzee attacked him from behind as he was moving from his home in Kahungye Parish and when he tried to escape, it over powered him and grabbed him before eating off his buttocks.
Mary Katusiime, Ankunda’s mother, currently taking care of him in the hospital, said that she was shocked when she heard that her only son had been eaten by the chimpanzee.
“I was shocked when I was called by a neighbour who broke the bad news to me.
“At first, I thought that he had died, but when I reached the health centre where he had been admitted, I realised that he had lost all the buttocks,” Ms. Katusiime told newsmen.
She appealed to the government to take measures to guard people living near the protected areas from the animals.
“We have a very big challenge here as neighbours to the protected area because the animals attack us,” Ms. Katusiime said.
The Kibale National Park in Southwest Uganda is a protected evergreen rain forest, covering 766 square kms and located between 1,100 and 1,600 metres.
NAN.

CAN demands Buhari's arrest over inciting statements

The Christian Association of Nigeria has demanded the arrest of a former Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari, over alleged inciting statements.
CAN, in a statement by its President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, signed by his Media Assistant, Kenny Ashaka, said with Buhari’s justification of the actions of Boko Haram, he must be their leader.
Oritsejafor therefore described Buhari as a security threat to the country, demanding his arrest.
The statement reads: “The retired General was widely reported by several National Dailies, who monitored the Liberty Radio programme “Guest of the week”, to have questioned the “special treatment” given to the Niger-Delta militants by the Federal Government while the Boko Haram members were being killed and their houses destroyed by government.
“They (the Niger-Delta militants) were trained in some skills and were given employment, but the ones in the north were being killed and their houses were being demolished. They are different issues. What brought this? It is injustice”, the former Head of State was quoted to have said.
“I cannot wish away the outburst of harshly critical statements, especially as some of them are directly related to the defence of the Boko Haram sect whose members have continued to kill, maim Christians and burn Churches. I feel the pain inflicted on Christians living in the north is too deep for us in CAN to ignore any unsavoury statement that tends to portray innocent Christians who have been killed by the sect members as the aggressors.
“It is shocking that at a time well-meaning Nigerians are praying for the success of our soldiers, Buhari, rather than reflect the mood of the nation in his statements and conducts is indulging in careless statements without regards for victims of the sect’s violence who are mostly Christians.
“I have, several times been vindicated that Boko Haram is not inspired by pecuniary motives, the latest of which is the statement by Robert Fowler, the released former United Nations’ envoy to Niger Republic who said in a BBC programme, “Hard Talk”, aired on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, that his captors never talked of poverty, but islamisation of Africa.
“Spent and defeated politicians with outburst of temper and elders like Buhari who take delight in inflaming religious and ethnic passions should, therefore, be arrested and made to explain some of the issues raised by them. This is why I call for the arrest of Buhari now. Buhari is a big security risk to Nigeria’s corporate existence.
“It is laughable that Buhari, an ex-Head of State, a General in the Nigerian Army who has served this country in different capacities would support Islamists who are confronting those in his constituency who are fighting to keep the nation from dismemberment.
“For Buhari who has led a brigade of troops in 1982 to repel invading Chadian troops from the same north-eastern borders of Nigeria, the first major foreign invasion, to oppose a state of emergency when some parts of Borno and Yobe states had been occupied and the Nigerian flag replaced with theirs, burnt churches, schools, government institutions, killed innocent Christians, attacked traditional rulers and others not sympathetic to their cause, speaks volume.
“The retired General’s sad commentary has not portrayed him as a national leader. As a retired General, he should have known that fights against terrorists are not mere child’s play. They are much more difficult than conventional war which he fought in 1982. If Buhari is a national leader, he should have been more concerned about the killings of innocent ones by the sect members and the success of the troops and not that of terrorists as he has been doing.
“Therefore, Buhari’s comments, coming at a time Nigerians have been quite appreciative of the bold steps taken by President Goodluck Jonathan to rid the north of Nigeria’s enemies can only mean that the retired General is a fanatic.
“He is, therefore, the prime leader of this religious and blood thirsty sect called Boko Haram, a movement that is based on a warped interpretation of a strict adherence to force people of other religions into Islam. This kind of fundamentalism is the driving force behind his failure of each election in the country.
“I intensely dislike to believe that Buhari is making these distasteful and unacceptable comments only as a way of escaping from the wrath of the sect members after their attack on his native Daura town. It is not enough to oppose positions that have been applauded by majority of Nigerians. Constructive criticism dictates that alternative solutions are given.
“Having explored all the windows of opportunity and commitments in its search for peace in the north-east, what I expect from Buhari is a suggestion as to the way forward and not comments that are divisive. Buhari should know that no injustice can justify the wanton destruction of churches and the widespread massacre of innocent Christians. Why are Christians more of the victims of this orgy of terror unleashed by the Boko Haram sect?
“Buhari and others of that ilk should rather than exacerbating the problem at hand aim to convince the sect members of the wrongfulness of their islamisation plot. If the retired General is now crying out that the Boko Haram members are being killed, it can only mean that the boys he intended to use to spill the blood of monkeys and baboons on the land are being decimated by the gallant Special Forces.
“For now, Buhari should be told that the time to grandstand for 2015 is not now. I, therefore, call on him and his fellow travelers to remember that we are all Nigerians, our religion and regional leanings notwithstanding.”

Jonathan moves against Boko Haram, approves members' trial for terrorism

President Goodluck Jonathan has formally approved the proscription of Boko Haram and authorized the gazetting of an order declaring the group’s activities illegal and acts of terrorism.

The order, which has been gazetted as the Terrorism (Prevention) (Proscription Order) Notice 2013 and affects both Boko Haram (Jamaatu Ahlis-Sunna Liddaawati Wal Jihad) and another group, Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan, was approved by President Jonathan pursuant to Section 2 0f the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (As Amended).
It officially brings the activities of both groups within the purview of the Terrorism Prevention Act and any persons associated with the two groups can now be legally prosecuted and sentenced to penalties specified in the Act.
The proscription order warns the general public that any person “participating in any form of activities involving or concerning the collective intentions of the said groups will be violating the provisions of the Terrorism Prevention Act”.
Section 5 (1) of the act prescribes a term of imprisonment of not less than 20 years for any person who knowingly, in any manner, directly  or indirectly, solicits or renders support for the commission of an act of terrorism or to a terrorist group.
For the purposes of subsection (1) of section, “support” includes -
(a) incitement to commit a terrorist act through the internet, or any electronic means or through the use of printed materials or through the dissemination of terrorist information;
(b) receipt or provision of material assistance, weapons including biological, chemical or nuclear weapons, explosives, training, transportation, false documentation or identification to terrorists or terrorist groups;
(c) receipt or provision of information or moral assistance, including invitation to adhere to a terrorist or terrorist group;
(d) entering or remaining in a country for the benefit of, or at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group; or
(e) the provision of, or making available, such financial or other related services prohibited under this Act or as may be prescribed by regulations made pursuant to this Act.

MDGs: Nigeria not listed among 15 African nations on track

Converting Africa’s impressive economic performance over the past decade into greater gains in the Millenium Development Goals has remained a primary challenge for Africa, according to the MDGs 2013 report.
The report, released by the African Union Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa on Sunday, said that the 2012 MDGs rating had placed 15 African countries ahead of the 20 countries that made the greatest progress globally.
Nigeria was not listed among the 15 African countries.
Rather, the report, tagged: “The MDG Report 2013: Assessing Progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development Goals”, said that countries such as Benin Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Malawi and Rwanda had made impressive progress on a number of goals and targets.
It, however, said that “while Africa is the world’s second fastest growing region, its rate of poverty reduction is insufficient to reach the target of halving extreme poverty by 2015.”
The progress report, prepared by the AUC, UN Economic Commission for Africa, UN Development Programme and the African Development Bank Group, was launched as part of the year-long celebration of OAU-AU golden jubilee.
On food security, the report provided insights into how food security would impact on other MDGs, particularly health-related goals and how concerted efforts to improve agriculture, food distribution and nutrition would fast-track progress toward achieving other MDGs.
The report revealed that climate-related shocks, induced by extreme weather conditions, had destroyed livelihoods and worsened Africa’s food insecurity, resulting in a high incidence of underweight children, widespread hunger and poor dietary consumption patterns.
With fewer than 1,000 days to the 2015 MDGs target date, the report took stock of Africa’s overall performance in attaining the MDGs and identified the best performing countries via indicators, based on progress relative to each country’s initial conditions.
The report said that countries continued to learn from one another “as the countries that have sustained, equitable growth, with political stability and human development-oriented policies, are doing well in most of the goals.”
The report came up with its results after assessing four goals on track and another four off-track in the best performing African countries.
It said that MDG 2, aimed at achieving universal primary education; MDG 3, aimed at promoting gender equality and empowering women; MDG 6, aimed at combating HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and other diseases; and MDG 8, aimed at forging global partnership for development, were on track in many African nations.
It, however, said that MDGs 1, aimed at eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; MDG 4, aimed at reducing child mortality; MDG 5, aimed at improving maternal health; and MDG 7, aimed at ensuring environmental sustainability were off track in most of the countries, even as some countries recorded appreciable progress.
The report particularly underscored the need for Africa to put structures in place to sustain its development well beyond the MDGs’ timeline.
“We hope that this report inspires and energises member states to accelerate efforts toward the MDGs. Further, we recommend that the post-2015 development agenda consider the initial conditions of nation-states and recognise countries’ efforts toward the goals, as opposed to just measuring how far they fall short,” it said.
The report stressed that Africa must commit “to inclusive, transformative development that would reduce poverty, create decent jobs, enhance access to social services, reduce inequality and promote resilience to climate-related hazards”.
The report, co-signed by the AUC Chairperson, Dr. Dlamini Zuma; ECA Executive Secretary, Carlos Lopes; AfDB President, Donald Kaberuka; and UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark, covered various issues and policy recommendations, revealing mixed pattern of successes, challenges, innovations and obstacles.
It said that most African countries had achieved universal primary school enrolment, with rates above 90 per cent, while the continent as a whole was expected to achieve certain aspects of MDG 2 such as school food programmes and access to pre-schools.
The report noted that women across Africa were becoming more empowered, with more girls attending primary and secondary schools and more women in positions of political power.
It, however, noted that cultural practices such as early marriage and low economic opportunities for women were slowing the progress.
It said that Africa had halted the spread of HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB, “thanks to strong political leadership, targeted interventions, the availability of AIDS medicine to the majority of people, and improved prevention and treatment efforts for TB and malaria”.
The report, however, noted that hunger and malnutrition among children remained a major challenge on the continent.
The report said: “In 2012, most of Africa was identified as having serious to alarming levels of hunger on the Global Hunger Index. Food insecurity has played a large role in slowing progress on the health MDGs, especially for children and mothers.
“Climate change, political instability and population growth are among the contributing factors. The continent’s population is increasing so rapidly that countries might not be able to produce all the food they need.”
The report also said: “Africa still has the greatest burden of child and maternal deaths, although significant progress has been made; under-five child deaths fell by 47 per cent across Africa between 1990 and 2011.
“To fast-track progress, this year’s MDGs report highlights the importance of integrated maternal and child health interventions, focusing on infant mortality and the need for holistic policies that address the underlying causes of maternal and child deaths.”
It said that Africa as a whole was doing well in terms of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and ozone-depleting substances, adding, however, that the continent’s forest cover was decreasing.
“African governments need to put in place afforestation strategies and programmes,” it said.
The report also advised African governments to expand the agricultural-productivity frontier through policies that would support the application of local knowledge, infrastructure investments and the development of financial markets.
It said: “Africa should also accelerate the creation of decent jobs, which would require bold policy changes that promote value added activities, economic diversification and investment in infrastructure.”
The report urged policy-makers to pursue inclusive growth strategies to promote broad participation of the active labour force, while ensuring that the returns from growth are invested in programmes that would enhance the productive capacities of broad segments of society, particularly women, young people and the vulnerable.
“To transform Africa’s agriculture for improved livelihoods and economic empowerment, African governments need to keep expanding agricultural productivity through better policies and heavy investment in improved seedlings, irrigated farming, use of fertilisers and increased access to finance,” the report said.