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UK Injects £55 Million Into Tanzanian Education Sector

Precious Obazee
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UK Injects £55 Million Into Tanzanian Education Sector

UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has announced an additional £55 million about 172.9bn Tanzanian Shillings to support Tanzania’s education sector.

The amount is in addition to the already released £400 allocated for girl’s education this year (2021/2022), which reaffirmed the UK’s ambition to get more girls to school, British High Commissioner, David Concar revealed at the commemoration of International Day of the Girl Child held at his residence in Dar es Salaam.

In attendance was the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Joyce Ndalichako, who also announced the government’s plan to cut down the technology divide between girls and boys.

At the event themed ‘Digital Generation, Our Generation’, Minister Ndalichako thanked UK government and other local Non-Government Organizations dealing with education, including HakiElimu and Save the Children for supporting the country’s education sector.

She said the digital inequality between female and male is vivid in the country, since the latter is far behind by 20 per cent in the ownership of smartphones compared to their counterparts.

The Education Minister called for affirmative action to address the digital divide by supporting the marginalized groups, including girls and students living with disabilities to close the gap.

Addressing the event, the British High Commissioner David Concar said “This year’s theme – Digital Generation, Our Generation- is a reflection of the increased demand for technology as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The diplomat said the Girls Education Challenge (GEC) is directly supporting over 95,000 marginalized girls to transition to secondary school, succeed academically, go on to further studies and secure fulfilling livelihood and employment opportunities.

He revealed that the UK’s target is to get 40 million more girls into school in the next five years.

Meanwhile, HakiElimu Executive Director and Chairman of Tanzania Education Network (TEN/MET), Dr John Kallage mentioned factors behind technology divide among girls and boys, citing existing social, cultural, policy and laws challenges.

He suggested that all laws like the Marriage Act are an obstacle to the development of girls’ education as he called for stakeholders to debate on alternative pathways which will enable girls who dropped out of formal education to go back to class.

Food, Fuels Lift U.S Import Prices In September

Elizabeth Williams
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Food, Fuels Lift U.S Import Prices In September

U.S. import prices rebounded in September, lifted by higher food and energy costs, but underlying imported inflation showed signs of moderating.

Import prices rose 0.4% last month after falling 0.3% in August, the Labor Department said on Friday. In the 12 months through September, prices shot up 9.2% after advancing 8.9% in August. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast import prices, which exclude tariffs, increasing 0.6%.

The government reported this week that strong food prices and rents pushed up consumer inflation in September, while higher energy costs kept producer prices elevated. The price of Brent crude has shot above $80 a barrel.

Imported fuel prices increased 3.7% last month after declining 3.0% in August. Petroleum prices rebounded 3.9%, while the cost of imported food accelerated 1.3%.

Excluding fuel and food, import prices dipped 0.1%. These so-called core import prices fell 0.1% in August and were up 4.7% on a year-on-year basis in September.

The report also showed export prices nudged up 0.1% in September after rising 0.4% in August. Prices for agricultural exports fell 1.7%. Nonagricultural export prices gained 0.3%. Export prices rose 16.3% year-on-year in September after increasing 16.8% in August.

Controversial Greenpeace Probe Links British Dairy Farms Soya Supply Chain To “Environmental Devastation”

Elizabeth Williams
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Controversial Greenpeace Probe Links British Dairy Farms Soya Supply Chain To “Environmental Devastation”

Well known supermarket brands and dairy producers such as Cathedral City Cheddar, Cadbury chocolate, Anchor butter, Country Life butter and Davidstow Cheddar, have been linked to “the destruction of vast tracts of Brazilian forest”, through use of farms which feed cattle soya sold by a controversial supplier.

Arla Foods who make Anchor butter, Cravendale milk, and ASDA’s Farmers milk said: “Both Arla and the dairy farmers that own our cooperative are taking steps to manage our use of soy responsibly. Since 2014, we have purchased RTRS-credits (Standard for Responsible Soy Production) to cover use of soy in feed on Arla owner farms and in ingredients that [are] not already certified.

A group of British farms, which sell their milk to these companies, source some of their animal feed from companies buying Brazilian soya exported by the US grain giant Cargill, the investigation by Greenpeace, ITV and the Bureau for Investigative Journalism claims.

Our investigation found Cargill, one of the world’s largest food conglomerates, is sourcing soya from recently deforested farms in the Cerrado…Dairy farmers here believe they are buying sustainably soured soya, but our investigation suggests otherwise.

The UK imports around 2.6 million tonnes of soybeans for animal feed each year – that’s the equivalent weight of more than 5,000 jumbo jets. Nearly 30% comes from Brazil, according to EFECA, and much of that from the Cerrado region – the most endangered biodome on the planet.Over the years, more than half of the Cerrado’s original forest has been cleared for agriculture…

Both regions are already at huge risk from further deterioration from fire and deforestation, largely to create more agricultural land.

The Cerrado region, where most of Brazil’s soya is grown, is home to 5 per cent of the world’s plant and animal species, while the Amazon contains 10 per cent of all known species.

What it means for other import reliant nations

No doubt a ripple effect of this development just like what is obtained in other sectors like energy, will hit some developing countries that are import reliant. In country like Nigeria where the price for milk is on a constant rise due to lack of Forex for importers and import ban on some items; the situation will be worth adressing.

Worldwide purchases of milk imports totaled US$30 billion in 2020.

Overall, the value of imported milk increased by 19.6% for all importer countries since 2016 when import purchases of milk were valued at $25.1 billion. From 2019 to 2020, international purchases of milk dipped by -1.2% in value.

From a continental perspective, Asian countries imported the highest dollar worth of milk during 2020 with purchases costing $11.2 billion or 45.4% of the global total. In second place were European importers at 33.4% while 11.3% of the world’s imported milk was delivered to Africa.

300,000 Young Nigerians To Be Trained In Film, TV, Motion Production

Rhoda Onuzulike
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300,000 Young Nigerians To Be Trained In Film, TV, Motion Production

In a landmark partnership announced between Lagos-based KAP Film and Television Academy and the MasterCard Foundation., 300,000 young Nigerians will be trained in film, television, and motion picture production over the next three years.

KAP Film and Television Academy, founded by award-winning Nigerian actor, director, and filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, is one of the specialized services subsidiaries at the KAP Hub in Lagos, which was formally unveiled to the public on Thursday September 30th, 2021. Kunle Afolayan said “The Academy focuses on growing the next generation of skilled filmmakers through the tutelage of veterans and film professionals who provide hands-on experience in diverse aspects of filmmaking to enrolled students”.

According to the statement by the CEO & Founder, Kunle Afolayan, the KAP Academy will leverage smartphone technology for the training programme and teaching will be conducted through a learning app.

KAP Academy’s training programme will include The Masterclass Series, a virtual series of 20 episodes providing e-learning to aspiring filmmakers, covering several aspects of filmmaking from directing, cinematography, and the business of film using Afolayan’s acclaimed movie, ‘The Figurine’, as a case study.

The programme will also include two levels of certifications from professional institutions in the areas of screenwriting, sound, editing, directing, cinematography and production design, among others as well as practical hands-on training. It will also link participants to employment or gig entrepreneurship activities, not only in the film industry via placements and internships, but in related sub-sectors such as fashion, make-up, music scores, editing, and script writing.

To ensure young people enrolled in the programme have access to the tools required for digital learning, free tuition and smartphone devices will be offered to students from less privileged backgrounds. These tools are being provided through a partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and its Young Africa Works program in Nigeria.

Nigeria Country Head at the Mastercard Foundation, Chidinma Lawanson, said “The Mastercard Foundation’s partnership with KAP Film and Television Academy has the potential to enable at least 102,500 work opportunities for youth in the vibrant creative industry in Nigeria”. Applications are open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 35 years old. Selection will be based on a one-minute video pitch to assess the level of skill, passion, and socio-economic status of each applicant. To encourage strong female participation, 50% of the placements in the programme will be given to young women

Taraba Assembly Speaker commemorates of the World Eye Day

Olasunbo Okoromi
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Taraba Assembly Speaker commemorates of the World Eye Day

In  recognition of the “World Eye Day” The Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly, Rt.Hon. (Prof.) Joseph Albasu Kunini, has urged appropriate government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community based organizations (CBOs), and social media users to use their various platforms to spread the awareness campaign on the need for eye health in Taraba State in particular and the country generally, thereby complementing the concerted efforts of the conventional media organizations on the problem.

The Speaker who spoke in an event to mark this year World Eye Day made a clarion call which has become imperative because blindness or vision impairment hampers several activities of a person’s life, ranging from daily chores, social interactions to work opportunities.

He describes blindness as a great family burden, since someone has to care or guide the blind person and that blindness is not a respecter of any person in the society: young or old, male or female, rich or poor.

Prof. Kunini stressed that eyes are an important part of the health and wellbeing of every individual, hence routine eye checks, as well as prompt and appropriate treatment can prevent blindness and vision impairments; since nearly everyone on the planet will experience an eye health issue in a lifetime.

The World Health Organisation (W.H.O) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) set aside 14 October every year as “World Eye Day” to raise awareness and draw attention on the importance of eye health worldwide.

This year’s theme is, “Love Your Eyes” with hashtag, #LoveYourEyes – which is all about creating and spreading awareness of eye health.

The W.H.O has categorized Nigeria in the group of sub-Saharan countries in Africa where the estimated prevalence of blindness as one of the highest in the world.

Chinese Grand Prix: Shanghai Race Expected To Be Dropped From 2022 F1 Calendar

Emenike Agu
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Chinese Grand Prix: Shanghai Race Expected To Be Dropped From 2022 F1 Calendar

Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix in 2019

The Chinese Grand Prix is expected to be dropped from the 2022 Formula 1 calendar when next year’s schedule is published on Friday.

The Shanghai race has not been held since the coronavirus pandemic began and restrictions surrounding Covid in China mean holding it is impossible.

It will be replaced by the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola on 24 April.

F1 is set to publish a record 23-race calendar with all the other established events absent this season reinstated.

Races in Australia, Canada, Singapore and Japan are all set to take place in 2022.

All four countries have missed the last two seasons as a result of their respective national restrictions surrounding Covid-19.

The 2022 season will start in Bahrain on 20 March and end in Abu Dhabi on 20 November, and cram 23 races into just 35 weeks.

The championship will end three weeks earlier than this year’s to avoid a clash with the football World Cup in Qatar.

And it features the first race in Milan, a blue-riband event that is being held in addition to the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, with the hope of growing F1’s audience in America.

This year, F1 published a 23-race calendar but had to amend it as a number of countries decided they could not hold races in the middle of the pandemic.

In the end, 22 races will be held this year, despite the cancellation of the events in Australia, China, Canada, Singapore and Japan.

F1 is confident that the chances of this happening again next year are greatly reduced.

Japan, which has managed to bring Covid back under control after a summer surge that coincided with the Tokyo Olympics, is considered the event most likely to fall if the circumstances surrounding the virus change.

Australia, which has had some of the world’s most stringent Covid travel restrictions, has been moved from its traditional slot at the start of the season to become the third race to give it more time to prepare for the grand prix.

More ‘sprint’ race weekends planned

Max Verstappen leads the sprint at Silverstone
F1’s new Sprint format made its debut at Silverstone in July

F1 has been discussing with governing body the FIA and the teams the idea of increasing the number of events running the new ‘sprint’ format.

Two of these events, which move qualifying to Friday and have a one-third distance race on Saturday to set the grid for the main grand prix, have already been held this year and a third is scheduled for the Brazilian event next month.

F1 and the teams met at the F1 Commission meeting on Wednesday and discussed the idea of having six ‘sprint’ events next year.

However, discussions are ongoing and debate centres around the sport’s budget cap.

Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari argue that the sprint events are expensive, because they feature two races rather than one, and are pushing for the budget cap to remain at this year’s level of $145m (£114m) if there are to be six sprint events, rather than reduce it to $140m as planned.

Other teams are not happy about the idea of keeping the budget cap at this year’s level and a compromise has not yet been reached.

It has not been decided which races will hold the sprint events in 2022, but F1 is working towards a plan whereby there is a mix of historic events, such as Silverstone, and the higher-paying new tracks, such as those in the Middle East.

There have also been discussions about increasing the number of points awarded in the ‘sprint’ race on Saturday, and reversing the decision to award pole position to the winner of the ‘sprint’ race rather than the driver who sets the fastest time in qualifying.

Expected 2022 F1 calendar

20 March Bahrain (Sakhir)

27 March Saudi Arabia (Jeddah)

10 April Australia (Melbourne)

24 April Emilia Romagna (Imola)

8 May Miami

22 May Spain (Barcelona)

29 May Monaco

12 June Azerbaijan (Baku)

19 June Canada (Montreal)

3 July Great Britain (Silverstone)

10 July Austria (Spielberg)

24 July France (Le Castellet)

31 July Hungary (Budapest)

28 August Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)

4 September Netherlands (Zandvoort)

11 September Italy (Monza)

25 September Russia (Sochi)

2 October Singapore (Marina Bay)

9 October Japan (Suzuka)

23 October USA (Austin)

30 October Mexico (Mexico City)

13 November Brazil (Sao Paulo)

20 November Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)

Cambridge College To Be First In UK To Return Looted Benin Bronze

Precious Obazee
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Cambridge College To Be First In UK To Return Looted Benin Bronze

A Cambridge college is to become the first British institution to return one of the Benin bronzes to Nigeria later this month in what has been described as “a historic moment”.

Jesus College, University of Cambridge, will return the bronze cockerel to Nigerian delegates on 27 October, in a handover ceremony that Nigerian officials say offers “hope for amicable resolutions” to the ongoing disputes over the ownership of cultural properties.

The Okukor, described by the college as a “royal ancestral heirloom”, was taken from the kingdom of Benin, which was later absorbed into Nigeria, during a punitive expedition in 1897 when thousands of bronzes were looted by British forces.

Its return is expected to spark a wave of repatriation ceremonies, as the cultural world continues to reckon with concerns over the ethics of plundered historical artefacts.

The oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, in a statement said “We are indeed very pleased and commend Jesus College for taking this lead in making restitution for the plunder that occurred in Benin in 1897.”

The oba also thanked the student body of Cambridge for “bringing to light the historical significance of this revered piece of the royal court of Benin”.

The Okukor was removed from public display at the college following calls from students for it to be sent back in 2016.

The college then set up a legacy of slavery working party (LSWP), comprising fellows, staff and student representatives, to explore the historical, legal and moral status of its ownership of the bronze.

The LSWP examined evidence showing the statue was looted directly from the court of Benin and was given to the college in 1905 by the father of a student.

After Jesus College announced its decision to return the bronze in November 2019, a host of regional museums committed to or said they were also considering returning artefacts.

The UK retains hundreds of Benin bronzes – plaques and sculptures dating to the 13th century, made by artisans from the Edo culture.

They were distributed from private collections and in some cases donated by soldiers who took part in the 1897 looting.

United States To Develop Large Scale Wind Farms Along Coastlines

Angel Gimalo
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United States To Develop Large Scale Wind Farms Along Coastlines

The Biden administration has announced a plan to develop large-scale wind farms along nearly the entire coastline of the United States, the first long-term strategy from the government to produce electricity from offshore turbines.

Speaking at a wind power industry conference in Boston, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said that her agency will begin to identify, demarcate and hope to eventually lease federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Maine and off the coasts of the Mid-Atlantic States, North Carolina and South Carolina, California and Oregon, to wind power developers by 2025.

The announcement came months after the Biden administration approved the nation’s first major commercial offshore wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts and began reviewing a dozen other potential offshore wind projects along the East Coast.

On the West Coast, the administration has approved opening up two areas off the shores of Central and Northern California for commercial wind power development.

Taken together, the actions represent the most forceful push ever by federal government to promote offshore wind development.

Defeat To Tyson Fury: ‘Am A True Warrior And A True King’-Wilder

Emenike Agu
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Defeat To Tyson Fury: ‘Am A True Warrior And A True King’-Wilder

Deontay Wilder said he proved he is a “true warrior and a true king” and congratulated Tyson Fury after his knockout defeat by the British boxer in Saturday’s trilogy fight in Las Vegas.

The 35-year-old was stopped by Fury in the 11th round after twice knocking down the Briton himself in a thrilling third meeting between the pair.

“I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t disappointed,” said Wilder.

“I’ve learned that sometimes you have to lose to win.”

In a social media post, the American added: “Hopefully, I proved that I am a true Warrior and a true King in this sport. Hopefully, We proved that no matter how hard you get hit with trials and tribulations you can always pick yourself up to live and fight again for what you believe in.”

Wilder also congratulated Fury for the first time since Saturday’s fight.

He said: “Last but not least I would like to congratulate @gypsyking101 for his victory and thank you for the great historical memories that will last forever.”

After a heated build-up during fight week, where both fighters viciously goaded one another, the immediate aftermath of the fight was unsavoury.

Fury, who retained his WBC world heavyweight title, said: “I thought we fought it all out there and all the allegations that they made towards me throughout the build-up of this fight, and we fought like two warriors in there.

“I went over to shake his hand and say well done and he was like ‘No, I don’t respect you’. How can you say I’ve cheated when you know in your own heart and your full team knows that you just got beat fair and square.

“He’s a sore loser, I’m sure he’s not the first one and he won’t be the last one.

ASUU Seeks Law Barring Children Of Public Officers From Schooling Abroad

Precious Obazee
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ASUU Seeks Law Barring Children Of Public Officers From Schooling Abroad

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has asked the National Assembly to initiate a law that makes it mandatory for the public office holders to send their children to public schools in Nigeria.

This is coming against the backdrop of the low global rating of Nigerian universities due to alleged neglect and poor funding.

ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, made the position known at the reconvened meeting with the federal government, conciliated by the Minister of Labour and Employment,in Abuja.

Osodeke said the country is paying the high price for neglecting education, adding that the current spate of banditry and kidnapping in the country is because people are not being taken care of.

Commending Ngige for sending his children to the public universities, the ASUU president said his commitment to the growth and development of the country’s educational system should be emulated by other ministers.

Earlier in his remarks, Ngige assured them that the federal government would not abandon the public universities in spite dwindling resources and reiterated government’s readiness to work with ASUU and others interested in revamping the educational system.

Ngige said Government would be happy to concentrate its limited resources in areas that would produce good effect for the country.

Ngige said that he is a firm believer in the public university system and that this was why his children are there.

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