54
Public Sector Forum
Daily Newswatch WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2014
Kofi Annan, OBJ, others to launch Africa Progress Report in Abuja ONYEKA AJUMOBI ONOCHIE, Abuja
T
he Africa Progress Panel chaired by former United Nations Secre„‚Ž†‰ }‹}Ž‚‡Œ Š ‹nan, will tomorrow release its annual African Progress Report : Grain, Fish, Money – Financing Africa’s Green and Blue revolutions, at the World Economic Forum on Africa holding in Abuja. This was coming on the heels of last year’s report: “Equity in Extractives – Stewarding Africa’s Natural Resources for allâ€?, which made tremendous headlines with its analysis of the oil, gas and minerals industries in Africa. Information made available by the African Press Organisation (APO) said this year’s report will argue that Africa can and must unleash green and blue revolutions in its ag-
„‚Žq‚„ Šq‡‡ ‚‡x  ‚3}‹  „|} Abuja WEF on Africa to €„‡q‹} Š‹ q‹Œx x|‚Ž}  q‹ the report. They include: Nigeria’s former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Peter Eigen, Founder of Transparency International and Founding Chair and Special Representative of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and Mr Bob Geldof, musician, businessman, founder and chair of Band Aid, Live Aid and Live 8, cofounder of DATA and ONE Advisor and Advocate. Others include: Caroline Kende-Robb, Executive Director, Africa Chief Obasanjo # $! 8_ 6!0 !4& ' *!*! &2 .#/ ^**&* Progress Panel and Max ÂŽq{€‡„€Ž} ‚‹  Šx|}ÂŽq}x¢ Africa engaged in these addition to outlining the ‚‹Â? ‡} ‚ŽŽ}3ÂŚÂ }ƒ€„† It will also highlight the sectors. urgent need to stop the Executive Director, Afopportunities for Africa, The report will also plunder of Africa’s tim- rica Progress Panel. of the world’s growing recommend related poli- Â…}Ž ‚‹  Šx|}ÂŽq}x¢ Meanwhile, the embardemand for food and the cies, including policies |} Ž}ƒ Ž„ { ‹ŠŽ`}  goed insights release and critical importance of ag- to scale-up Africa’s in- that other African ProÂŽq{€‡„€Ž} ‚‹  Šx|}ÂŽq}x ˆ ÂŽÂ frastructure and extend gress Panel members and 2014 progress report will two thirds of people in q„x Š‹‚‹{q‚‡ x}ÂŽ~q{}xÂŚÂ q‹ members of the secre- be sent out later today.
Nebo solicits huge international investment in power sector ONYEKA AJUMOBI ONOCHIE, Abuja
M
inister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo, has described the nation as a very ripe place for international investment, just as he said that if its current GDP growth of about 6.5 per cent is fully harnessed, can even surpass two digits, especially when the power sector is revamped to take its pride of place. The minister, who spoke at the weekend, when the Turkish Ambassador, Mustafa Pulat, led the Turkish Contractors’ Association on a courtesy {‚‡‡ „  |qx G{}Œ q‹ …€³‚Œ observed that there is a wide gap for investment in the power sector as more power generating plants will soon be constructed. This, he said, would be requiring more turbines, so also, other ancillary services such as the maintenance of equipment. Another area of investment opportunity in the power sector, according to Nebo, is in the area of expansion of the grid. This, according to him, will be requiring more investments in the manufacturing of transformers,
noting that “the existing demand is huge, which arose from the high consuming population made up of young Nigerians who will help out-shoot the existing demand statistics.� He emphasized, “For genuine Turkish interests, who want to invest
in the power sector, the opportunities abound in the three main electricity value chain and in other ancillary areas relevant to power,â€? adding that it would be a win-win situation, as they are assured of a friendly legal regime that allows reparation of „|}qŽ ƒŽ Š„x¢
Responding on behalf of the Turkish contractors, the Director-General for Free Zones Overseas Investments and Services, Ugur Ozturk, stated that the Turkish companies are highly experienced in power plant, power transmission lines, petrol chemical facilities, among
others. He, particularly, expressed interest in power projects in Nigeria, as notable contractors, and stressed the possibility of going into potential investor-operator relationship with the Nigerian government.
250 benefit from Trust Fund for women in politics rian Women Trust Fund, a fully registered and independent organisation limo fewer than ited by guarantee. 250 women This, according to her, is have drawn ‚‡x  ƒ‚Ž„ ˆ „|} }% Ž„x „  from the ‚3‚qÂ‹Â Â‚Â‡Â Â˝Â ÂˆÂ Â„|} ‹q„N100 mil- ed Nations development lion grant provided by the agenda, which, she said, Federal Government to has been met by the counsupport women to aspire try. to political positions, the She said that the fund Senior Special Assistant to was to provide technical the President on Millen- support and resources for nium Development Goals women who are interested (MDGs), Dr Precious Gbe- in leadership to contest for neol, has said. elective positions, stressing Stating this in a statement that the fund also provides by her Head of Informa- a mentorship scheme for tion and Communications, girls, while interfacing Dr Chris Otabor, in Abuja, with the Nigeria electoral Gbeneol said the Fund was commission and political launched by the Federal parties to create space for q‹qx„Ž† ˆ `}‹ %‚qÂŽx women to participate in in 2011 with support from politics. the MDGs Debt Relief According to her, even Gains (DRGs) to the NigeONYEKA AJUMOBI ONOCHIE, Abuja
N
though less than 10 per cent of the women who accessed the fund in 2011 Š ‹ }‡}{„q ‹x ‹  q%}Ž}‹„ political platforms at state, local and federal levels across the country, it was a good starting point.  |} x G{}  }x not directly manage the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, but sits on the Advisory Board as well as the Board of Directors with other representatives of the Ministry of Women %‚qŽxŒ ‹q„}  ‚„q ‹x Women, private sector, international development partners and civil society,� she said. The president’s aide said that Nigeria has made sig‹qŠ{‚‹„ x„Žq }x …† ‚ ~‚‹{ing women in all spheres of national life, especially
into appointive positions. According to her, “We will continue to strive to expand the political space for women and to make in{€Žxq ‹ q‹„  }‡}{„q~} G{}x which are, at the moment, dominated by men.� She said that the MDGs G{} Š €‡  { ‹„q‹€} „  support the Federal Minis„Ž† ˆ `}‹ %‚qŽx ‚‹  Social Development to advance and implement policies on gender, child rights and social welfare for vulnerable groups. Gbeneol added that the G{} Š €‡  ‚‡x  q`ƒ‡}ment interventions to drive policies and domesticate international conventions aimed at reducing violence against women, genital `€„q‡‚„q ‹ ‚‹  „Ž‚G{�q‹Œ of women.
Bomb blast: FEMA charges FCT residents to be vigilant TAIYE AGBAJE, Abuja
F
ollowing the recent bomb blasts at the Nyanya Motor Park in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that left at least, 90 people dead and several others injured, the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has called on the residents of the territory to be vigilant at all times. The Director-General of the agency, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, made the {‚‡‡ ‚„ ‚ ƒŽ}xx …Žq}Š‹Œ q‹ Abuja. Idriss, who enjoined the residents of the capital territory to continue to live in harmony, charged them to, at all times, be ready to give information to security agencies in order to help checkmate man-made disasters such as terrorism. On the mangled bodies of the victims of the blast, the DG assured Nigerians that forensic tests would be carried out on those victims who were burnt beyond recogni„q ‹ q‹ „|} ‚3‚{Â?Œ Š|q‡} ruling out cases of mass burial for the bodies. He said a process has been put in place to ensure that mutilated bodq}x ‚Ž} q }‹„qŠ}  ˆ Ž „|} families to give their  }‚  ~q{„q`x …}Š3q‹Œ burial. “There are processes put in place for the bodies in the morgues. The police are going to carry out forensic tests on those that were mutilated beyond recognition, and then identify the families before they are handed over. And those ones that are really q }‹„qŠ‚…‡}Œ „|}ÂŽ} ‚Ž} also processes the hospitals have to follow, so that they will be able to release the corpses, once they are convinced beyond reasonable doubt,â€? he said. On a possible case of mass burial, Idriss simply said: “Not really, because all of them and their families are going „  …} q }‹„qŠ}  x€Ž}‡†¢À He said, though the agency faced challenges of inadequate space for the victims in the hospitals during its rescue mission, “this would be addressed in due course by the FCT administra„q ‹Œ ‚x }% Ž„ qx ‹Œ ing to open MoU with private hospitals in the territory to ensure that victims of any disaster   ‹ „ x€%}Ž¢