General
Cape Verde to Make Right-to-Food Constitutional
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.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Director-General of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), Mr Joseph Tegbe, is currently visiting China to bolster China-Nigeria relations and foster economic and sustainable development between both countries.
The DG, with the Nigerian delegation, on Monday was at the headquarters of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of the People’s Republic of China where the NDRC Deputy Chairman received them, Mr. Zhao Chenxin, and other top officials, as well as the Nigerian diplomatic community and the Chinese Business Community.
Mr Tegbe is expected to cement strategic agreements in line with President Tinubu’s vision, with China for national growth and in vital sectors of the economy such as agriculture, to boost food security, alternative energy for developing renewable energy sources, healthcare, mining for harnessing Nigeria’s mineral resources to drive economic growth, education to strengthen Nigeria institutions and promote cultural exchange.
Other areas include technology, to foster innovation and advancement, and the support initiative of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The visit of the NCSP ‘s DG underscores the federal government’s commitment to establishing strong bilateral relations and supporting Nigeria’s economic diversification plans, infrastructure development, technology transfer, and job creation to foster mutually beneficial collaboration between the two nations.
Through this initiative, Nigeria can leverage its resources and human capital to develop key industries, bolster infrastructure, and enhance youth capacity through skills acquisition programmes.
On Monday, the DG NCSP and his team visited the CCECC Head Office, had dinner with the CHEC, and will on Tuesday, visit the Governor of the Central Development Bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the China Export, Import Bank, as well as the China Development Bank. They also met with Power China Representatives.
They will on Wednesday, visit the Chief Harbour, the CHEC, CNCEC, and the CCECC Chairman, before moving to the CSCS Haishen Medical on Thursday, the CCECC, the China Building Materials, amongst others.
They will on Monday, 20th January, visit the Consulate General/Trade Mission Office, the Yang Shang Deep Sea Port, and Danghai Bridge (Sea).
The team is also expected at Huawei, before going to the CEC/ Long UAV, for a meeting with Diana Chen on Saturday, before returning to Nigeria.
This initiative comes on the heels of President Bola Tinubu’s official visit to China before the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), where he had talks with China’s President Xi Jinping on improved economic cooperation, with the latter pledging 360 Billion Yuan, (about $51 billion), financing to African nations in the next three years, and support for 30 infrastructure projects to boost connectivity across the continent.
Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Nigeria to reinforce the growing partnership between China and Africa, especially Nigeria, with discussions on strengthening economic ties, enhancing security cooperation and mutual developmental goals.
As Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, seeks to become a net exporter to China in the next five years, the consolidated partnership is aimed at playing a crucial role in achieving this goal.
The country also remains China’s major partner on the continent for trade and technology investments.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, said power generation in the country increased by about 30 per cent in 2024, but missed crucial targets in the review year.
Mr Adelabu made the disclosure during his ministry’s 2025 budget defence before the Senate Committee on Power at the National Assembly complex on Monday.
He said that when he assumed the leadership of the ministry in 2023, he met an average of 4,100 megawatts of power generation.
“I can tell you authoritatively that by the end of 2024, we had a peak generation of 5,528 megawatts of power from 4,100 megawatts that we met on ground and the reason for this is not far-fetched. We added a new hydroelectric power dam, Zungeru, with 700 megawatts.
“There was also a tremendous increase in the generation lines by other existing generation companies,” he said.
The Minister said that the target for power generation was 6,000 megawatts, adding, however, that due to the challenges experienced toward the end of 2024 in terms of grid collapses, the ministry missed the target by a minimal margin.
He further said that apart from energy access expansion, the sector had plans to stabilise the grid and other transmission infrastructure.
“I’m happy to also inform you that out of the eight collapses of the national grid that we experienced during 2024, five were full collapses, while three were partial collapses.
“Out of the five full collapses, three were actually due to generation problems. So, as against the 12 collapse that were publicised, it was just about eight collapses.
“We have been trying very hard to ensure that we manage the grid that was inherited.
“Unfortunately, it is still very old. It is dilapidated. And we are just managing it until we are able to fix it permanently.
“This is the focus of the Presidential Power Initiative, to ensure that the entire grid is revamped so that we won’t be having all this vandalism.
“So these are the summaries of our activities. And we are proud to say that we almost met all our targets for 2024.
“Our hope is that 2025 will be a better year for us, and we will be able to address all the existing issues in the sector,” he said.
By Dipo Olowookere
The governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has refuted claims that he was involved in the removal of Mr Mudashiru Obasa as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Mr Obasa was impeached on Monday after being on the seat since 2015 by 32 of the 40-member state parliament for alleged gross misconduct.
The action was carried out while the Speaker was away in the United States, with Mrs Mojisola Meranda elected as his replacement, becoming the first female to occupy the position.
It happened a few weeks after Mr Obasa said during the presentation of the 2025 budget by Mr Sanwo-Olu that he was qualified to be the governor of the state and even better than those who have occupied the position.
This statement by the former Speaker was seen as an affront on the previous governors of the state, including President Bola Tinubu, who governed Lagos between 1999 and 2007.
It has been speculated that Mr Obasa kept Governor Sanwo-Olu waiting for long during the budget presentation last month. It was claimed that this action infuriated the governor and leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Yesterday, members of the parliament in Lagos said they had had enough of Mr Obasa, moving to remove him from office.
As this happened, there were claims that Mr Sanwo-Olu instigated members of the Lagos State House of Assembly to impeach the former Speaker.
But the governor, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Gboyega Akosile, distanced himself from the impeachment, emphasising that it was purely a decision of the legislative arm of government.
“This is a legislative matter, and the Assembly handled it as they saw fit. The governor has no involvement,” Mr Akosile, who once served as the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) of Mr Sanwo-Olu, said in an interview, noting that his principal does not interfere in the other arms of government.
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