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Poorest Countries Showing Greatest Commitment to Combating Hunger

Poorest Countries Showing Greatest Commitment to Combating Hunger
Poverty is no match for combating hunger and undernutrition, something that some of the world’s poorest countries are proving to be true according to data collected by the Hunger and Nutrition Commitment Index. Some of the poorest countries are staying true and strong to their political commitment to tackle the issue, which many economically strong countries are failing to do. These countries have the funds and means to address the issue, yet they fail to put forth the initiative to adequately address it.

Hunger and undernutrition affect people all across the world, in nations poor and rich. Thus, it is necessary for governments and people to be completely committed and put forth an effort to combat hunger, saving lives, improving quality of life, and allowing people to fully reach their capacities – both socially and economically.

The Hunger and Nutrition Commitment Index (HANCI) “ranks governments on their political commitment to tackling hunger and undernutrition… to provide greater transparency and public accountability by measuring what governments achieve, and where they fail, in addressing hunger and undernutrition,” according to their website. Its data comes from 45 countries located across the globe and, according to the lead HANCI research, Dr. Dolf te Lintelo, the point is to “shine a spotlight on what governments are doing, or failing to do, towards addressing hunger and undernutrition.”

African countries, such as Malawi and Madagascar, were amongst the top countries showing “high commitment” to solving the problem of hunger. Yet, many African countries with robust economies, such as Nigeria and South Africa, showed very little commitment, bringing into question what seems to be the motive behind improving their economies as there has been little done to help those that are under-nourished and hungry.

The HANCI website goes into great detail as to which countries have high commitment and which countries fail in their commitment efforts, as well as interactive tools that allow people to explore the data. Visit it here: https://www.hancindex.org/.

– Angela Hooks

Sources: AllAfrica, HANCI
Photo: Hunger and Nutrition Blog

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The Bank of Agriculture Boosts Small Scale Farmers

The Bank of Agriculture Boosts Small Scale FarmersThe Bank of Agriculture and the Kebbi State government have begun a collaboration to increase the number of small scale farmers in Kebbi State, Nigeria. The Bank of Agriculture has agreed to expend one to two billion naira to encourage and help small scale farmers boost their production. This partnership is specifically targeting small scale farmers because these are the people that produce the majority of the food consumed by the nation. Improving and increasing its efficiency will help the nation become more self-sustainable.

The Bank of Agriculture typically provides credit to commercial farmers and smallholders. Thus, it is quite unique that they are collaborating with the Kebbi State government. Getting support from the Kebbi State government ensures that the government will provide other tools and support necessary to help boost small scale farmer food production and lead to the success of the program put in place by the Bank of Agriculture. Kebbi State Governor, Alh. Saidu Dakingari, has already made a public statement in which he has promised support for the small scale farmers that receive some of the money put up by the Bank of Agriculture.

The success of the program will lead to better food security, reduce the number of those living in poverty, and help generate employment opportunities.

– Angela Hooks

Source: AllAfrica
Photo: New Nigerian Newspapers

Neglected Tropical Diseases

Neglected Tropical DiseasesNeglected tropical diseases, which are chronic and barely heard of by the public, have been proven to cause poverty and destabilize communities. Neglected tropical diseases generally affect people in poor regions, primarily those living on one dollar a day. However, recent research shows that the worst neglected tropical diseases, NTDs, happen to the poorest people living in “large emerging market economies that comprise the G-20,” which have a GDP close to that of Western European countries. NTDs cause various things including, “greusome limb disfigurement and skin sores to bladder and liver cancers to neurological damage,” and they tend to last for years or decades.

India, Brazil, China, and Italy are the world’s leading G-20 countries where more than 2/3 of cases of visceral leishmaniasis (this disease causes a chronic illness like leukemia) are reported. In addition to that, G-20 countries and Nigeria account for “almost half of the world’s cases of hookworm infection, while…schistosomiasis cases [which are] responsible for chronic renal disease, female genital ulcers, and liver disease – are [found largely] in Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, China, and Saudi Arabia.” There are also several types of NTDs including Chagas, which is a type of heart disease, that are found in Eastern and Southern Europe and Southern U.S. Therefore, it is safe to say that NTDs exist everywhere in the world but affect those who suffer from extreme poverty, as opposed to assuming that these diseases are exclusive to poor developing nations only where GDP is low.

The good news is that USAID support led to low-cost packages of necessary medicines that will tackle such diseases to be delivered, and their access is enabled, to more than 250 million people in low and middle-income nations. However, other countries besides the U.S. and Britain, are barely contributing to defeat these diseases. Thus, there is a need to pressure G-20 countries to commit to what the World Health Organization (WHO) labels “preventive chemotherapy,” referring to these medicines that would help fight NTDs. Preventive chemotherapy is proven to be extremely cost-efficient because it typically costs about $ 0.50 per person a year. According to the World Health Organization, 1.9 billion people need such preventive chemotherapy measures and only 700 million are currently receiving these medicines.

– Leen Abdallah

Sugar Does Not Sweeten Nigerian Economy?

Nigerian Farmers
When seeing the productive land for sugar, northern Nigerian farmers have expressed frustration because they say that productivity is wasted without big-time local buyers. Farmers sell sugar cane as snacks on the street while the country imports 97 percent of the sugar it consumes.

Mallam Usman Abdu Gubuci describes himself as one of the sugar-farming “giants” in his area, with five hectares of land. He states that his part of northern Nigeria could be a major supplier of sugar to West Africa, but that farmers no longer even bother to grow sugar that can be refined. “There is special sugar cane for that sugar, which we were introduced with. But when we planted it, there was no buyer… so we ended up wasting our money,” said Gubuci.

Sugar officials say Nigeria spent $620 million on sugar imports in 2012, and they do not expect that number to decline soon.

Hajiya Bilkisu Mohammed, who heads the Association of Women Farmers in northern Nigeria, asserts that part of the reason local farmers cannot sell sugar for refining is that factories in this part of Nigeria have to battle constant electrical shortages. The factories must rely on expensive generators, driving up costs and making their products more expensive.

The Nigerian government also has announced plans to reduce imports of other food products in recent months. In January, President Goodluck Jonathan promised to increase food production by 20 million metric tons by 2015. He announced that increased food production will create 3.5 million jobs and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imports.

Lack of electricity may be just one reason for the heavy costs of production. Local areas may also need more advertisements. Furthermore, the lack of proper and efficient infrastructure does not allow sugar to be transported effectively within Nigeria.

Potential for economic success is usually accompanied by challenges. For the Nigerian sugar industry, government support and intervention are needed. The local sugar industry needs to help from different directions. To start, it would be advantageous if the government were able to solve the shortage of electricity for factories and give some strategic policy and financial support to cut down the cost of sugar production. Additionally, it is important for the government to strengthen sugar and trade facilities, and transportation infrastructure. Offering more benefits and welfare to workers would attract more investment and encourage more people to get involved. In this way, local factories and farmers become more profitable and can expand their businesses. In this way, Nigeria would have the capacity to become a net exporter of sugar.

– Caiqing Jin(Kelly)

Source: VOA
Photo Source: ROPAfrica

Euvin Naidoo TED Talk on Investing in Africa

Euvin Naidoo TED Talk on Investing in Africa
As president of the South African Chamber of Commerce – America, Euvin Naidoo works with leading corporations and governments to strengthen trans-Atlantic economic ties. In his Ted Talk, Euvin Naidoo focused on “Africa: the next chapter”. To separate the rhetoric from the reality and the fact from the fiction; to go to the actual data and statistics that exist about the actual things happening in Africa that make this continent a realistic investment opportunity and an option for all around the world.

He stated that investing in Africa is a broad term. Africa is not a country; it is made up of 53 different countries. And every country in Africa has a unique value proposition. You can win money here, and you can also lose money here.

Starting the talk about an investment opportunity, as a banker, Euvin Naidoo mentioned some macro-factors. The first sign is that Inflation is coming down across Africa while reaching double-digit figures in many other countries; he called it “Z.E.N. cluster”.

Zambia from 2004 to 2006 has moved from 18 percent in inflation to 9 percent; Egypt from 16 percent to about 8.4 percent; Nigeria from 16 percent to 8 percent – all in single digits. More fascinating, you have other countries, like South Africa, Mauritius, Namibia, which are also in single digits. And this is just part of the story.

Then he gave specific examples from some countries to illustrate his research.

Instead of focusing on South Africa’s gold, minerals, and its first infrastructure, Euvin Naidoo mentioned other important aspects. South Africa was recently voted as the top destination for the top 1000 UK companies for offshore call-centers. They have the same language, timeline, et cetera. Other big names that had reached Africa were Bain Capital and KKR, the big companies of private equity. Bain Capital’s acquisition of Edcon, a large retailer, is testimony to the confidence these famous names are beginning to place in the economy in what is going to be a long-term play.

Nigeria is clearly a hot spot. The new report, issued by Goldman Sachs, highlighted that, by 2020, Nigeria is going to be among the top 10 economies in the world. And also, without any sovereign backing, Nigerian companies are raising capital offshore.

In the oil industry, Africa provides 18 percent of the U.S.’s oil supply, while the Middle East offers just 16 percent. So, Africa can be an important strategic partner to America.

Finally, Naidoo concluded with Africa’s important position in the world economy because of its investment potential.

– Caiqing Jin (Kelly)

source: Ted Talk
Photo: WhiteAfrica

Author Chinua Achebe Dies at 82

Author Chinua Achebe Dies at 82Chinua Achebe, author of “Things Fall Apart,” and widely considered to be the father of modern African literature, has died at the age of 82. His passing was confirmed by his publisher on March 22, 2013. For nearly his entire life, Chinua Achebe passionately advocated for democracy in his home country of Nigeria; he was and is an inspiration to millions who still yearn for peace and freedom.

Living in London in the late 1950s, Achebe struggled to find a publisher for his first work. “Things Fall Apart” was finally published in 1958, and its influence cannot be overstated. It has been described as “among the most important books of the 20th century, [and] a universally acknowledged starting point for postcolonial, indigenous African fiction.” A story about a tribal Nigerian man’s troubles with British colonialists, Achebe’s novel influenced famous authors like Toni Morrison and Junot Diaz.

After catapulting into the center of the debate over Nigerian democracy, Achebe had found himself at times being labeled an enemy of the state, and at other times refusing prestigious literary awards from what he considered to be an illegitimate government. A tireless critic of authoritarianism, he claimed that it stifles individuals and creates mediocrity, which “destroys the very fabric of a country as surely as a war.” He urged Nigerians and all Africans to be passionate about the future and to use that passion to work to bring their visions into reality. Achebe lived much of his life in the United States, mostly for his own safety. He had taught at Brown University since 2009, previously working at Bard College. He leaves behind a legacy that will undoubtedly stand the test of time and inspire millions more.

– Jake Simon

Source: Washington Post

Growing Nigerian Middle Class Attracts Companies

johnny-rockets-nigeria_opt
As living conditions gradually improve for many of the 1 billion people who live in poverty, nowhere is the change so notable as in Africa, where over 300 million people still live in poverty. While the total number of Africans living on less than $1.25 per day has decreased over the past decade, much of this improvement has been in urban areas. 70 percent of Africa’s poor live in rural areas, and most depend on agricultural pursuits for their food and livelihood.

For those middle class Africans who live in cities, however, there are more opportunities than ever before to spend money at global corporations. Huge multi-national businesses such as Wal-Mart, as well as fast food chains and restaurants such as KFC and Domino’s Pizza, have continued to invest in Africa’s growing economy by opening new locations in urban and semi-urban areas.

Nigeria is at the forefront of business growth and development in Africa. With over 160 million inhabitants, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country. Over 60 percent of those 160 million people, most of them in rural areas, still live below the poverty line. However, about a quarter of the country’s population falls into the middle class, earning between $480 and $645 per month. As the Nigerian middle class grows, its appetite for foreign brands, services, and foods has also grown.

Nigeria’s urban residents pay the equivalent of $22 USD for a double bacon cheeseburger at the restaurant chain Johnny Rockets, which recently opened a diner in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city. A milkshake costs $11.25 USD. For the Nigerian middle class, dining at Johnny Rockets is a luxury they can afford only occasionally.

While those who have moved above the poverty line and into the middle class should have freedom in where and how to spend money, it is worthwhile to examine the potential negative impacts of the growth of multi-national corporations. The growth of global businesses contributes to ever-greater wealth inequality, as money becomes concentrated in the hands of the few who own and operate those businesses. Developing countries are better served by investing in and establishing strong local economies that utilize local talent and labor, support locally owned businesses, and keep wealth within the community.

– Kat Henrichs

Sources: Huffington Post, Rural Poverty Portal
Photo: Restaurant News