Curbing deaths from road crashes

By Ochieng’ Ogodo

[NAIROBI] A national initiative aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries from road traffic crashes has been launched in Kenya and will strengthen laws, policies and actions that are proven to save lives.

Road traffic crashes are a top-five cause of death for Kenyans between the ages of five and 70, and the leading killer of boys aged 15-19.

Worldwide, road traffic crashes kill approximately 1.3 million people every year - more than two every minute - with more than nine in ten of all deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

Road traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 globally. WHO estimates that crashes will cause another 13 million deaths and 500 million injuries around the world by 2030 if urgent action is not taken.

The move by the Ministry of Health, the National Transport and Safety Authority, the WHO and Bloomberg Philanthropies was launched last week (25 May).

At the end of the year 2021, Kenya recorded 4,579 fatalities as a result of road traffic crashes with tens of thousands more seriously injured. As at 22nd May 2022, a total of 1,816 fatalities have been recorded showing an increase by 9.2% compared to a similar period in the year 2021.

“No deaths on our roads are ever acceptable, and road traffic crashes are a pressing public health issue that we are working hard to urgently resolve. The work with WHO and partners through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety will be key to supporting our efforts to save lives and push forward progress.” says Mrs. Agnes Odhiambo, the NTSA Board Chair person.

The initiative comes as the government finalises a new National Road Safety Action Plan that aims to halve deaths from crashes by 2030. The government, WHO, Bloomberg Philanthropies and other partners are meeting to define how the initiative can best support the New Road Safety Plan.

“Road crash deaths are a crisis that hides in plain sight. Stepping up action on road safety is vital, as on top of the tragic human toll, road safety touches on all our lives each day, including getting to work and to school. By strengthening laws, practices and bringing partners together, the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative is key to saving lives,” said Dr Abdourahmane Diallo, WHO Representative in Kenya.

“Bloomberg Philanthropies is proud to partner with the Government of Kenya to strengthen road safety efforts that will save lives. We are committed to supporting proven road safety interventions that save lives,” said Kelly Larson, who leads Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Initiative for Global Road Safety.

Since 2007, Bloomberg Philanthropies has saved lives and reduced injuries from road traffic crashes by supporting the implementation of road safety interventions in 45 cities and provinces, advocating for stronger national road safety policies in 21 countries, and improving vehicle safety standards in four regional markets. These efforts are estimated to have saved nearly 312,000 lives.

 

Cassava varieties gaining acceptance among Nigerian farmers

By Ochieng’ Ogodo

[NAIROBI] New cassava varieties developed by the NextGen project—Baba-70 and GameChanger are gaining acceptance by farmers in Benue and Kogi states in Nigeria states, raising hopes of better yields in future.  

The varieties, Game Changer, Baba 70 and Poundable, according to the breeders, were part of the varieties released in 2020 and when cultivated with good agronomic practices and weed control can produce more than 30 tons per hectare instead of the current national average yield of eight tons per hectare.

While the Game Changer can produce 32 tons per hectare, Baba 70 can produce 38 tons per hectare. The new cultivars are also drought-tolerant and resistant to the virus diseases of cassava.

According to Dr Ismail Rabbi, a molecular geneticist and plant breeder with IITA, consumer preference studies were conducted before releasing the varieties. “In addition to high yield and stress tolerance, we found that these varieties are suitable for several agro-ecologies. Farmers, processors and consumers love these varieties because they were high-yielding, stress-tolerant, disease-resistant and had the right food properties,” he says.

“I am confident that farmers who adopt these varieties will make more profit and improve their livelihoods. These varieties are also a huge contribution to food security,” says Dr Mercy Diebiru-Ojo, who heads IITA GoSeed,

She adds: “As part of the launch, farmers and processors were taken to the field where the varieties were planted alongside an old improved variety, TME 419, 11 months ago and managed by Crest Agro. After an assessment of the field as well as the plant architecture, the farmers participated in harvesting some of the roots to compare with TME 419.”

A demonstration of the processing of the new varieties to prove that their dry matter and starch contents were high and of great food value was conducted on the entire process from the farm to the table.

Dr. Vishnuardhan Banda, Product Manager for Crop Variety Development, IITA, expresses joy that the farmers and processors are happy with the new varieties and eager to plant them on their farms.

 “We urge you to always tell us how these varieties are performing on your various farms. You have seen that these are very good varieties but we know that in years to come, you would need something new. Just keep giving us feedback about farmers' choices and complaints, and we the breeders will be working with that information to give you new and better products.”

                        Farmers and researchers celebrating new varieties. Picture credit: IITA

Ambassador Jaiyeola Lewu, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, and now a farmer, describes the varieties as game changers in the agricultural sector, saying “farmers will benefit immensely from them.” He urged the project leaders to ensure that the products were available and accessible to the farmers who need them.

The sentiments above were expressed during the farmers field day and product launch in Kogi on 19 while in Benue it took place on 23 May 2022.

Among those who attended the event in Kogi were farmers, processors, and representatives from Kogi State Ministry of Agriculture, Kogi State Agricultural Development Program, Nigeria Cassava Growers Association and other public and private sector stakeholders. IITA and NRCRI scientists were also in attendance.

The NextGen Cassava Project, is being implemented by Cornell University, New York, in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI).

Accelerate water security and access to safely manage sanitation and hygiene in Africa

[ABUJA, Nigeria] The Africa Water and Sanitation Week Conference ended on 26 November with the issuance of The Windhoek Multi-Stakeholder Resolutions for Accelerating Water Security and Access to Safely Managed Sanitation and Hygiene in Africa. The Conference was convened virtually by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) and the African Union Commission (AUC) and hosted by the Government of Republic of Namibia.

The Conference provided a platform to over 3000 registered participants for dialogue and knowledge exchange to advance the water and sanitation agenda in Africa. On water governance, the statement calls for the strengthening of policy, legal, institutional and regulatory environments by ensuring context specificity; intra- and inter-sectoral coherency. It calls for upholding the principles of universal social inclusion and equity. The statement further enjoins governments to raise the profile of social accountability and transparency. It notes the vitality of recognizing women and youth as agents for the planning and implementation of the water, sanitation and hygiene agenda in Africa. The statement notes that it is imperative to develop the requisite human resources capacity especially among the women and youth for sustainable services delivery.

On finance, the statement calls on governments and the private sector to significantly increase investments in climate-resilient and inclusive water and sanitation services and infrastructure. The continued support of development banks and partners is cited as a critical enabler. It calls on governments to recommit to both the 2003 PANAFCON commitment of allocating at least 5% of budgets for water and sanitation. It further calls for the e-Thekwini commitment to establish public sector budget allocations of a minimum of 0.5% of GDP for sanitation and hygiene programmes.

On water supply, sanitation and hygiene services governments are called to seize the opportunity of heightened awareness of ensuring water availability, and improved sanitation and hygiene services provision. Further, it calls for keeping up the fight against COVID-19, bringing down the over-all disease burden and preventing future pandemics. It is imperative that pandemic preparedness and response capabilities are strengthened, and the profile of sanitation and hygiene is raised. The statement calls on governments and stakeholders to address the challenges faced in the access of reliable and complete data in the water, sanitation and hygiene. The need to rethink how data on hygiene practices is captured and utilized to inform decision-making and improve sanitation and hygiene programming, and delivery has been emphasized.

On water for growth and economic development, governments and partners are encouraged to prioritize water management and services provision as essential ingredients for poverty alleviation and inclusive development. Further, it calls for the prioritisation of groundwater resources management as a key element of water resources development, utilisation and management. Well-functioning monitoring, assessment and management systems are noted as requisite ingredients to ensure sustainable use of the resources. Ministers also resolved to mobilize groundwater networks, actors and institutions towards a common, harmonized, and evidence-based approach to sustainable groundwater use and management.

On water quality and wastewater management, the statement calls for the strengthening of legal, policy and institutional frameworks for the collection and treatment of solid waste and wastewater. This, the statement emphasizes, should be to a minimum quality standard before reuse and or safe disposal. The statement calls for standardized regulations for wastewater treatment, environmental flows and water quality management in Africa. Particular reference should be paid to: i) arresting and reversing plastic pollution of surface water bodies; and, ii) preventing of groundwater contamination due to unsafe solid waste and wastewater disposal to the environment.

On climate change and resilience, the statement calls attention to the recently published UN's IPCC Assessment Report and the relevant priorities of the Glasgow Climate Pact. These include integrating water and climate action through adaptation and resilience planning at national and regional levels. It also involves promoting and financing global water monitoring systems to provide timely information about current and future water availability. A call is also made for a proactive approach to flood and drought management centered around monitoring, forecasting, and early warning vulnerability, impact assessment and preparedness, mitigation and response.

Lastly, this Statement also calls for the prioritization of investment for monitoring, evaluation, knowledge, information management and learning to consolidate evidence-based and timely decision making at all levels. It further encourages African governments to foster research and application of knowledge and innovations to inform sector interventions targeted at improving water management and sanitation services provision.

See full details of the statement here

-African Media Agency (AMA)

 

End sexual atrocities in conflict areas, says Africa Union

By H.E. Amira Elfadil, Commissioner for Social Affairs, African Union Commission

On the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, the African Union Commission salutes survivors of sexual violence and other powerful authorities in Africa for raising their voice against the atrocities of sexual violence in conflict.

For over a decade, the international community has raised its voice against sexual violence, among other forms of violence, and the Commission distinctly associates itself with elimination of sexual violence in conflict settings, particularly in the context of the 2020 African Union theme of the year on “Silencing the Guns by 2020”.

Standing up against this violation of human rights continues to break the culture of silence, brings communities and the world together, and strengthens the fight.

Sexual violence during conflict does not just violate women and men, girls and boys on a massive scale but also destroys families and communities. In many conflict and post-conflict situations, we see the effects of this act of war echoing across generations, through gender inequalities, trauma, stigma, poverty, and poor health and wellbeing.

This has and is impacting Africa’s opportunity to harness the demographic dividend, to unlock the potential behind investing in girls and women’s empowerment and, a chance for a healthy, prosperous population – a key prospect of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 on the “Africa We Want”.

The health sector has a very important role to play in terms of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. The onus especially befalls on the stakeholders working towards ending AIDS in Africa by 2030. In Sub-Saharan Africa, seven out of ten women in conflict settings and in refugee populations are exposed to gender-based and sexual violence. Women who have experienced violence are 50% more likely to be living with HIV.

Media and service-provider reports often register an increase in sexual violence perpetrated against women and children in armed conflicts. Young girls and women are subjected to rape and forced marriages, and other forms of gender based sexual violence, including female genital mutilation, particularly in communities where these harmful practices have been normalised into the social fabric.

Africa and the world need to do more. For Africa, it is to transform our communities, our countries and the continent to pursue social and economic change, to educate our girls, to empower our women and to transform the lives of our people.

An important investment Africa must make is on ensuring access to information, data and evidence, which would inform legislative, programme, political and community level action. As we work to ensure all the guns are silenced in 2020 and beyond, the continent – and particularly in places that have hosted periods of instability and conflict – we need to ensure Africa is emerging to a sustained future of peace, security, development and, invests in the wellbeing and potentials of all people, particularly girls and women.

We need to be making the investments that address the disease burden; that expands economic participation; that expands our human capital and capacity; and one that ensures we address the gender inequalities perpetuated by gender based sexual violence.

The Commission will continue to advocate for silencing of the guns and eliminate the use of sexual violence as a tool to displace populations, and as a means of repression, terror, and control. We strongly call on national authorities across all African Union Member States to prevent sexual violence by promoting peace, upholding the commitments in all key instruments and agreements – including the Maputo Plan of Action, Agenda 2063, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (UNCEDAW) and the Sustainable Development Goals.

As the global community contends with the unprecedented challenges brought upon by the Novel Corona Virus COVID 19 pandemic, particularly in rising cases of gender based violence – including rape, child marriage, female genital mutilation and other forms of sexual violence – our urgency, our conviction must be remaining  accountable. Sexual violence in conflict is a threat to our collective security and a stain on our common humanity. Protecting our communities collectively means ensuring accountability for perpetrators and providing ensuring access to care and services, and resources for victims.

We are facing extraordinary challenges as a continent due to the coronavirus pandemic which is stretching our public health and care systems; increasing pressures on our efforts to eradicate poverty. These are aggravating the social construct and may raise pressures that create the conditions for conflict across many levels. The Commission applauds AU Member States, Development Partners, Regional Economic Communities RECs), and the international community who are providing survivors of sexual violence in conflict with services, care and treatment, and justice.

We recognise and align ourselves with the work going towards preventing abuse and violence through collaborative programming that links reconstruction, access to the continuum of service, addressing the underlying social norms and harmful practices that continue to perpetuate gender based violence and inequality, as well as community awareness and empowerment.

In conclusion, I reiterate that the Commission stands ready to work with the global community, with our Member States, Civil Society, religious and traditional leaders, all partners and other stakeholders.

We must ensure that the rights and needs of sexual violence survivors are at the heart of response efforts and interventions, particularly as we fight the COVID 19 pandemic. We reaffirm our commitment to eliminate the scourge of conflict-related sexual violence and to provide justice, as we work to Silence the Guns.