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Cape Verde to Make Right-to-Food Constitutional

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By Dipo Olowookere

Cape Verde is advancing in the process of national ownership of the Right to Food with the support of FAO.

During the Ordinary Meeting of the National Council of Food Security and Nutrition, nearly 40 stakeholders discussed on the current status of the Right to Adequate Food in the country in order to advise the government on the policies that need to be implemented to guarantee this right.

The meeting, the first of the IX Legislative Term, was chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Gilberto Silva, and included FAO presentations on a Diagnosis of the food rights and laws in the country.

Cape Verde has ratified most of the international conventions and legal instruments related to the Right-to-Food which, yet, is implicitly recognized in several articles of its constitution.

In addition, in the current legal system, several decrees-law have been passed that protect the access to food in the country, in all dimensions of food security: availability, access, utilization and stability.

The government has enabled the environment for the Right to Adequate Food, including it as a priority in the political programme of the current Legislative Term and adopting several national policies, including the National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition (ENSAN 2020).

It is also aligned with the Strategy of the Portuguese Speaking Countries Community (CPLP), the National Action Plan for Food Security and Nutrition (PANSAN 2014-16), National Plan on Food and Nutrition (PNAN 2015-20) and the National Program of Schools Meals (PNAE 2012-20).

Cape Verde has not experienced severe famine since the 1950s and the economy has grown progressively until it graduated as Least Developed Countries (LDC) in 2008 and accessed the World Trade Organization. Nevertheless, food insecurity remains as a national issue affecting over 20% of the population and there are serious nutrition problems, particularly affecting children such as a high rate of iron deficiency anaemia.

The Diagnosis presentation highlighted the importance of strengthening the current legal instruments to protect the Right to Adequate Food and the effective operationalization, monitor and evaluation of the current policies to tackle food insecurity in the country. Likewise, it recommended to reinforce the information and education campaigns to make the population more aware of the right to food, as well as the engagement of Civil Society Organizations and Non-State Actors, enabling the conditions for their participation in regular consultations with the government specialized agencies.

A law proposal, elaborated with FAO support, will be presented at the next meeting of the National Council of Food Security and Nutrition scheduled during the second quarter of 2017.

Minister Gilberto Silva explained some of the key challenges of the sector, including the access to credit, informal structure of the agricultural production and need to register and certify the sector, water scarcity, land tenure, post-harvest treatment, sustainability of marine resources and others. The Minster also explained current initiatives that the Government is taking to overpass them, such as the densification of the food security networks in the country and the involvement of the local structures led by the Municipal Governments in these networks. The reinforcement of the national statistics system is another priority of the government in order to have accurate data for elaborating effective evidence-based policies.

Post-COP22 actions

The Government also organized a public conference on the theme “The challenges for the implementation of a public agenda for Food Security and Nutrition”, with the participation of the Prime Minister of Cabo Verde and the FAO Representative.

The Conference brought together nearly hundred stakeholders from the main public institutions working on Food Security, majors from several islands, and representatives from the International Organizations, Diplomatic Missions, Academia and Civil Society.

Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva assured that Food Security is a national priority at highest level and recognized FAO’s role in enhancing Food Security and Nutrition in the country. “We are determined to end food insecurity in Cabo Verde; our policies have a special focus on increasing productivity in agriculture and fisheries, as well as the income generated  bythese activities ”, said the Prime Minster.

FAO Representative in Cabo Verde, Rémi Nono Womdim, highlighted the political will of the country to tackle food insecurity and the need to increment the investments to reinforce the environmental and economic resilience of the small farmers and fishermen. “We are committed to continue supporting the country, providing technical assistance in the formulation of policies, strategies and projects for development in areas such as nutrition, agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land and natural resources management”, he underlined.

Some of the recommendations emphasized the need to articulate Food Security and Nutrition objectives with socioeconomic development, the national definition of Food Sovereignty and Right to Adequate Food, the implementation of a systemic Food Security policy, and the establishment of governing mechanisms of the Food Security and Nutrition.

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

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Women Need to Own Their Stories, Collaborate—Ayo Mario-Ese

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UBA Business Series Ayo Mario-Ese

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Celebrated broadcaster with Arise TV, Mrs Ayo Mario-Ese, has charged women to be open to collaboration and not limit themselves.

The charming media personality was one of the panellists at the UBA Business Series themed Introducing Gen W – The Evolved Woman, held at the UBA House in Lagos last Thursday.

At the event moderated by popular actor, Mr Tobi Bakre, the Morning Show anchor on Arise TV expressed worry about females who are usually laidback about speaking up and sharing their achievements, and said that women need to own their stories.

“A lot of women are doing phenomenal work and are sometimes afraid of showcasing what they are doing. As an evolved woman, you have to find out what you are comfortable doing, create your own unique offering, and also be open to collaboration,” she submitted.

Another panellist, Ms Joycee Awosika, described an evolved woman as one who has awareness of who she is.

“That woman does not need to ask to sit at the table; she is creating her own table and adding value. As your company is growing, you must grow too, and always do an audit of where you need to become a better leader,” the energy economist stated.

For a digital entrepreneur, Ms Tomike Adeoye, the question of what a woman is bringing to the table has now become obsolete, as the evolved woman is now bringing their own table.

“She is now more vocal about their struggles, setting the standards, and she is not ready to give up on her dreams,” she declared.

For the founder of Fine-Funky, Ms Olufunke Davies, she remarked that, “Creating unique designs that are affordable remains my driving force and something that has helped me grow as an evolved woman.”

In her remarks, the Group Head for Brand, Marketing and Corporate Communications at UBA, Ms Alero Ladipo, said, “Raising each woman is actually not that hard, because everyone has their community as well as their story; and so as women, we need to take a position so that we can give to others.”

She said the Gen W platform of the lender is dedicated to the evolved woman, adding, “Through expert insights, real stories, and practical resources, the platform connects women who are building brands, creating businesses, growing careers, and leading across industries. They also have access to a plethora of discounted products and loans. The best part: it is open to every woman. No UBA account needed. This is Gen W, for the evolved woman.”

This edition of the UBA Business Series was hosted to mark International Women’s Month.

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Navy Intensifies Crackdown on Oil Theft in Rivers, Calabar

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oil theft

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, destroying a reactivated illegal refinery site in Rivers State and intercepting suspected stolen petroleum products in Calabar.

The Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, revealing that personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH, operating under Operation Delta Sentinel, destroyed a reactivated illegal refinery site at Okolomade Community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State.

He said the action followed credible intelligence that a previously dismantled illegal refining site had resumed operations.

According to him, an Anti–Crude Oil Theft (Anti-COT) team deployed to the location discovered that the dismantled refining oven had been reconstructed.

“Further exploitation of the area led to the discovery of additional refining equipment and storage facilities containing about 3,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO),” he said.

Mr Folorunsho added that the illegal refining infrastructure—including ovens, storage tanks, hoses, connected pipes and newly acquired metal components used for illegal refining—was destroyed in line with operational procedures.

He said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship Victory, in another operation, intercepted about 3,950 litres of suspected stolen petroleum products at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) area in Calabar, Cross River.

He said the interception was based on credible intelligence on suspected siphoning of petroleum products from vessels berthed at the port.

The naval patrol team, according to him, swiftly deployed to the area and traced the illegally siphoned products to a trailer park within the port facility.

“On sighting the naval patrol team, the suspected perpetrators fled the scene, after which the area was cordoned off and the illegally siphoned products secured,” he said.

The official said further inspection led to the recovery of about 3,950 litres of Automotive Gas Oil stored in drums and jerrycans, which had been evacuated to the naval base for further necessary action in line with extant regulations.

He noted that the successes aligned with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, to intensify operations against crude oil theft and other maritime crimes across Nigeria’s maritime domain.

The captain reiterated the Navy’s commitment to sustaining the operational tempo of Operation Delta Sentinel through intensified surveillance, patrols and intelligence-driven operations aimed at combating crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other forms of economic sabotage.

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Mastering SEO: Proven Methods to Grow Your Online Presence

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RiseGrower

Search Engine Optimization isn’t what it used to be.

Gone are the days of stuffing keywords, buying random backlinks, and expecting overnight rankings. Today, SEO is a sophisticated blend of technical precision, content authority, brand positioning, and strategic digital PR.

At RiseGrower.com, we’re launching with one mission:

To help brands grow through ethical, scalable, authority-driven SEO.

This isn’t just another SEO agency. This is the next evolution of ranking strategy.

🌍 SEO in 2026: What Has Changed?

Search engines—especially Google—have become dramatically smarter.

Modern ranking systems analyze:

  • Topical authority
  • Content depth and expertise
  • User engagement signals
  • Link quality (not quantity)
  • Brand credibility
  • Search intent satisfaction

SEO today is no longer about “gaming the algorithm.” It’s about becoming the most trusted answer in your industry.

That’s where RiseGrower comes in.

🚀 What RiseGrower.com Is Built For

We specialize in performance-focused SEO strategies designed to:

  • Increase organic traffic
  • Improve high-intent keyword rankings
  • Strengthen domain authority
  • Build sustainable backlink profiles
  • Turn search visibility into revenue

Our approach combines:

  • Advanced technical SEO audits
  • Strategic content architecture
  • Authority guest posting campaigns
  • White-hat link acquisition
  • On-page optimization
  • Data-driven reporting

We don’t chase vanity metrics. We build growth systems.

🧠 Our Philosophy: Authority Wins

Search engines reward expertise and trust.

That’s why our strategy centers around three pillars:

1️ Topical Authority

We help brands dominate entire keyword clusters—not just single keywords.

2️ Editorial Authority

Through high-quality guest posting on real industry publications, we build contextual backlinks that move rankings safely and effectively.

3️ Technical Excellence

From crawl optimization to structured data, we ensure search engines fully understand and prioritize your content.

🔥 Why Most SEO Strategies Fail

Many businesses struggle with SEO because:

  • They focus only on backlinks without strategy
  • They publish content without search intent research
  • They ignore technical site health
  • They chase short-term wins instead of long-term growth

SEO is not a trick.

It’s a system.

RiseGrower builds systems.

📊 Our Approach Is Data-Driven

Every campaign starts with:

  • Competitive analysis
  • Keyword gap research
  • Link profile audit
  • SERP intent mapping

We analyze what’s ranking—and why.

Then we engineer a strategy that outperforms it.

🏢 Who We Work With

RiseGrower is built for ambitious brands:

  • SaaS companies
  • eCommerce brands
  • Agencies
  • Startups
  • Enterprise businesses
  • Niche industry leaders

If your goal is sustainable organic growth, you’re in the right place.

⚖️ White-Hat SEO Only

We believe in:

  • Real editorial placements
  • Ethical outreach
  • Genuine authority building
  • Search engine compliance

We do not use:

  • Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
  • Spammy link schemes
  • Automated backlink tools
  • Manipulative ranking shortcuts

Long-term growth requires integrity.

📈 The Rise of Performance-Based SEO

The future of SEO isn’t “deliverables.”

It’s measurable outcomes.

At RiseGrower, we align our strategy with:

  • Ranking milestones
  • Traffic growth targets
  • Lead generation goals
  • Revenue impact

Because rankings are only valuable if they drive business growth.

🌟 What Makes RiseGrower Different?

We blend:

  • SEO strategy
  • Digital PR
  • Authority guest posting
  • Content intelligence
  • Conversion-focused thinking

We don’t just improve rankings.

We build market leaders.

🔮 The Future of Search

AI-generated content is flooding the internet. Competition is rising daily.

Search engines will increasingly reward:

  • Authentic expertise
  • Brand mentions
  • Trusted backlinks
  • Valuable long-form content
  • Real-world credibility

The brands that invest in authority now will dominate tomorrow.

RiseGrower was created for that future.

🚀 Launching Soon

RiseGrower.com is preparing to launch with a clear promise:

Growth through strategic SEO authority.

If you’re ready to:

  • Outrank competitors
  • Scale organic traffic
  • Build long-term visibility
  • Turn search into revenue

We’re ready to grow with you.

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