APO News from Africa:
Lake Chad Basin: a crisis rooted in hunger, poverty and lack of rural development:
The crisis afflicting the strife-torn Lake Chad Basin is rooted in decades of neglect, lack of rural development and the impact of climate change, and the only way to ensure a lasting solution is to address these including through investments in sustainable agriculture, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, said today.
“This is not only a humanitarian crisis, but it is also an ecological one,” Graziano da Silva said at a media briefing in Rome on his visit last week to some of the worst affected areas in Chad and northeastern Nigeria.
“This conflict cannot be solved only with arms. This is a war against hunger and poverty in the rural areas of the Lake Chad Basin,” the FAO Director-General stressed.
“Peace is a prerequisite” to resolve the crisis in the region, but this is not enough, the FAO Director-General said. “Agriculture including livestock and fisheries can no longer be an afterthought. It is what produces food and what sustains the livelihoods of about 90 percent of the region's population.”
Some 7 million people risk suffering from severe hunger in the Lake Chad Basin, which incorporates parts of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and northeastern Nigeria. In the latter, some 50,000 people are facing famine.
While fighting and violence have caused much of the suffering, the impact of environmental degradation and climate change including repeated droughts, are exacerbating the situation, the FAO Director-General said.
He noted how, since 1963, Lake Chad has lost some 90 percent of its water mass with devastating consequences on the food security and livelihoods of people depending on fishing and irrigation-based agricultural activities. And while Lake Chad has been shrinking, the population has been growing, including millions of displaced people from the worst conflict areas.
Food assistance and production support urgently needed
FAO together with its partners including other UN agencies is calling on the international community for urgent support – a combination of immediate food assistance and food production support is the only way to make dent in the scale of hunger in the region.
Graziano da Silva reiterated the call he made last week during his visit to Maiduguri, northeastern Nigeria: if farmers miss the coming May/June planting season, they will see no substantial harvests until 2018. Failure to restore food production now will lead to the worsening of widespread and severe hunger and prolonged dependency on external assistance further into the future.
During his visit to the region, which included the capital of Chad, N'Djamena, Graziano da Silva also publicly presented FAO's Response Strategy (2017-2019) for the Lake Chad Basin crisis.
Key activities include the distribution of cereal seeds, animal feed and the provision of cash transfers and veterinary care. This will enable displaced farmers and voluntary returnees to get a substantial harvest and replenish their food stocks, and to prevent animal losses among vulnerable herders
However, there is a huge shortfall in international assistance to meet the demands of the coming planting season. Of the $ 62 million requested under the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan for Nigeria, FAO has only received $ 12.5 million.
Long-term investment for agriculture and rural development in Africa
The FAO Director-General warned that the situation in the Lake Chad Basin reflects in many ways the threats facing other countries in Africa, where a combination of ethnic or religious tensions fueled by rural poverty and unemployment, particularly amongst young people, could escalate full-scale crises.
Key to addressing this is the promotion and support for longer-term sustainable agriculture practices that can assist people in rural areas to adapt to climate change and the increasing scarcity of many natural resources, such as water and forests.
To do this, more investments in agriculture are needed, Graziano da Silva stressed, citing the example of Ethiopia where government support to the sector has helped alleviate the impact of El Niño-linked drought.
In the Lake Chad Basin region, FAO is working with farmers and displaced people to assist them with producing food and to sell their surplus in the markets. This includes the distribution of cash vouchers that help to stimulate markets for agricultural products.
In addition, FAO together with its partners is exploring the possibility of introducing irrigation techniques that will help save water, and to help train farmers in using these techniques.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
“The action of the Nigerian army today is a major step towards the protection of children affected by the ongoing crisis. It provides hope in a conflict that continues to have an enormous impact on people’s lives.”
“These children were held under administrative custody on alleged association with Boko Haram militants. They are victims of the conflict and it is crucial that they receive medical care, psychosocial support and other basic services that will help them to regain their dignity.”
“Once that process of recovery has started, we can help them to return to their families and to school or learn new skills that will give them some hope for the future.”
UNICEF continues to work with the relevant authorities to access children who are held for screening in order to safeguard their care and protection.
When military screening is needed, children should only be held as a measure of last resort and for the shortest time possible in accordance with national and international standards. These children are – first and foremost – victims of the conflict and require support to recover from their experiences and reintegrate with their families and communities.
Distributed by APO on behalf of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) (www.ICD-PS.org), the private sector arm of Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group, and Mizuho Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, a subsidiary of Mizuho Bank, Ltd. have formalized a financing agreement today. The financing is for a term of two years and has been secured for the purpose of funding ICD’s projects in its member countries. The USD300 million Murabahah agreement is the first cross-border bilateral Islamic facility for Mizuho Bank (Malaysia) Berhad.
The agreement was signed by Mr. Khaled M. Al Aboodi, the Chief Executive Officer of ICD, and Mr Shinichi Nishiyama, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Mizuho Bank (Malaysia) Berhad. Also in attendance to witness the signing event was Dato' Seri Talaat Husain, Chairman of Mizuho Bank (Malaysia) Berhad and Mr Mohd Mokhtar Ghazali, Board Member of Mizuho Bank (Malaysia) Berhad.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Khaled Al Aboodi expressed his strong support for the partnership, stating: “We are proud of this landmark funding milestone which will support ICD in our continuous development work. Furthermore, the collaborative effort we are witnessing today is expected to strengthen the relationship between ICD and non-traditional partners in this region. Needless to say, ICD is committed to supporting Japan as the country works toward further developing the Islamic finance capabilities of its well-established financial institutions.”
Mr. Shinichi Nishiyama said, “We are very proud to partner with one of the most dynamic and reputable multilateral development institutions and play a role in supporting ICD’s good work in its member countries. Indeed, this ground-breaking transaction marks yet another milestone for Mizuho Bank (Malaysia) Berhad and will further strengthen our capacity to develop our Sharia’a compliant business. We look forward to a long-term partnership.”
Distributed by APO on behalf of Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD).
For further information please contact:
Ahmed A Khalid / Nabil Al-Alami
Regional Head – Asia / Head, Marketing
E-mail: AAbdulKhalid@ISDB.org / NAlami@ISDB.org
About the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD):
ICD is a multilateral organization and a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group. The mandate of ICD is to support economic development and promote the development of the private sector in its member countries through providing financing facilities and/or investments which are in accordance with the principles of Sharia’a. ICD also provides advice to governments and private organizations to encourage the establishment, expansion and modernization of private enterprises. ICD is rated AA/F1+ by Fitch and Aa3/P1 by Moody’s. For more information, visit www.ICD-PS.org.
About Mizuho Bank (Malaysia) Berhad:
Founded in 2011, Mizuho Bank (M) Berhad (www.MizuhoBank.com) operates as a subsidiary of Mizuho Bank, Ltd. and is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Mizuho Bank, Ltd. is located in Tokyo, Japan with 960 offices in 34 countries across the world and share capital of JPY1,404.0 billion (equivalent to USD12.7 billion). Currently, Mizuho Bank, Ltd. is rated A1/P1, A/A1 and A-/F1 by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch respectively. For more information, kindly visit www.MizuhoBank.com.
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- Image: The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) announces the signing of Islamic credit facility agreement (Murabaha) with Mizuho Bank (Malaysia) Berhad
Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
