New HIV infections are rising in an alarming number of countries, regions and cities around the world. There were 1.5 million new HIV infections in 2021—1 million higher than the 2020 target of 500 000. To support countries in driving down new infections UNAIDS and partners have brought together HIV prevention experts and implementers from the 28 countries with the highest rates of new infections to establish why they are failing to decline at scale, to discuss solutions and to help countries set ambitious prevention targets. The 28 countries which account for three-quarters of all new HIV infections around the…
Author: Elvis Eromosele
By Elvis Eromosele In primary school, we were taught that a failure to plan was a plan to fail. Yet, as adults, many of us struggle to plan. The approaching New Year gives us an opportunity to change the narrative. Here are my top tips for successful New Year planning in 2023. You can thank me later. Reflect on the past year: Take some time to think about what went well and what you could have done differently in the past year. This can help you identify areas where you want to focus your efforts in the new year. This…
By Elvis Eromosele Every end of year, we look forward to the new year with expectations. We expect the new year to be, well new and different. 2023 is no exception, it will be new and different. While everyone will like to have a sense of what to expect in the new year, I wrote this piece for public relations practitioners, it is a sneak preview of how the practice will evolve in 2023. Here are my top 5 public relations trends to watch out for in 2023 (there is a surprise for you at the end. Please don’t spoil…
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved three Public Private Partnership (PPP) Projects to be executed by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). This is contained in a statement by Mrs Manji Yarling, Acting Head, Media and Publicity, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). Yarling said the projects, under the regulatory guidance of the ICRC, were projected to generate over 1.1 billion dollars to the Federal Government during the concession period. She said the projects included the Eastern Offshore Waste Reception Facility, Central/Western Offshore Waste Reception Facility and a Floating Dry Dock Yarling said the projects were approved by…
President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to Nigeria’s parliament for approval to restructure debt owed to the central bank comes with plans to take on an additional loan of N1trn, which would raise the amount owed to 23.7 trillion naira or $52 billion and place further pressure on public finances. On Wednesday, the administration asked that senators allow for the restructuring of so-called ways and means borrowing from the Central Bank of Nigeria, converting it to 40-year bonds at 9% interest, Senate President Ahmed Lawan told lawmakers, citing a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari. The loans stood at 22.7 trillion naira as…
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have eliminated 103 Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa State Province (ISWAP) in the North-East in the last three weeks. While reviewing the progress of military operations on Thursday in Abuja, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Musa Danmadami said that the troops also apprehended 22 terrorists, including four commanders and 18 collaborators within the theatre during the period. He disclosed that the troops rescued 30 abducted civilians while 280 terrorists and their families comprising 29 males, 73 females and 148 children surrendered to the military across the theatre of operation. According…
At least 230,000 indigent and vulnerable residents of Lagos State are currently benefitting from free health insurance coverage sponsored by the state government through the Eko Social Health Alliance (EkoSHA). The beneficiaries include those at the elderly and orphanage homes, vulnerable persons living with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, sickle cell anaemia, and victims of domestic and sexual violence spread across the 57 local government and local council development areas. At the media launch of EkoSHA, held at the Providence Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi explained that EkoSHA is an alliance of private institutions, public institutions, development and…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has concluded plans to float a national card scheme to enhance the payment system in Nigeria. The CBN is partnering with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) Plc and the Bankers Committee on the scheme. CBN’s spokesman, Osita Nwanisobi, said the move was meant to promote inclusion and growth in the financial services sector via Nigeria’s central switch system, NIBSS, which provides an avenue to capture 42 million unbanked Nigerians. Nwanisobi said, “The CBN recognises the significant benefits from delivering Africa’s first central bank-driven domestic card scheme, which, when delivered at scale, has the…
The World Bank has cut Nigeria’s 2022 growth forecast to 3.1 per cent from a previous forecast of 3.8 per cent, it said during a briefing in Abuja on Thursday. It said that the revision was due to slow economic growth in the third quarter from a year earlier, dragged down by the oil sector and a weak performance in other areas of the economy. The bank forecast growth to slow 2.9 per cent next year. Last month, the IMF cut Nigeria’s 2022 real GDP growth forecast down to 3 per cent from 3.4 per cent earlier, citing weak oil…
In light of the “current growth rates,” the World Bank estimates that the northern part of Nigeria will take 40 years to catch up with its southern counterparts. The bank observes that low growth has widened regional disparities, with the northern economy’s mainstays – agriculture, solid minerals, and manufacturing – not experiencing rapid growth in recent years. The opinions are contained in the Bank’s Nigeria Country Economic Memorandum (CEM), released in Abuja on Thursday, with participants joining online from all over the world. The 72-page ‘Charting a New Course’ document describes the main trends and drivers of growth and job…