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FG Launches Biodiversity Finance Initiative to Safeguard Nation’s Ecosystem

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FG Launches Biodiversity Finance Initiative to Safeguard Nation’s Ecosystem

By: Michael Mike

In a landmark move towards safeguarding the nation’s forests, ecosystems, and biodiversity that underpin livelihoods across the country, the federal government has launched the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN).

It is an important step towards bridging financial gap for biodiversity conservation while strengthening partnerships among government institutions, the private sector, civil society, and local communities.

Speaking at the launch of the initiative in Abuja, the Director of Forestry at the Ministry of Environment, Mrs Halima Bawa-Bwari, said BIOFIN will support sustainable forestry practices that balance ecological integrity with economic growth, while empowering communities as custodians of biodiversity.

She said: “The urgency to act has never been greater. The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) provides us with a clear roadmap to conserve, sustainably use, and equitably share the benefits of biodiversity.”

She noted that: “BIOFIN complements this vision by mobilising innovative financing solutions, ensuring that our commitments are not only aspirational but achievable.”

She said Nigeria has consistently demonstrated its commitment to biodiversity conservation, while explaining that through the NBSAP, “the country has pledged to integrate biodiversity financing into national development planning, strengthen institutional frameworks, and mobilise both domestic and international resources.”

She said that this commitment was already reflected: Increased budgetary allocations to forestry and conservation programme; Partnerships with development organisations to unlock innovative financing mechanisms; Mainstreaming biodiversity into key sectors such as agriculture, energy, and infrastructure; and community -driven initiatives that ensure local communities benefit directly from conservation efforts

She however called on all stakeholders to collaborate in strengthening Nigeria’s biodiversity agenda.

She said: “Let us commit to innovative thinking, collaborative action, and unwavering dedication to safeguarding our forests and biodiversity for generations to come.

“Together, we can ensure that the Biodiversity Finance Initiative becomes a beacon of hope and a model of sustainability, aligned with Nigeria’s commitments under the NBSAP and our broader national development and Renewed Hope agenda.”

While revealing that the organisation’s mission is to activate and accelerate the transition towards a nature-positive global economy, said: “Businesses in Nigeria are increasingly paying attention to nature as part of their broader work on sustainability, but they are not yet all aware of how their work contributes to national plans to protect, restore and sustainably use nature.”

She insisted that collaboration will help accelerate progress for nature in Nigeria by connecting private sector leadership with national biodiversity and climate priorities—turning global goals into national action.

She disclosed that: “In 2022, 196 countries made a historic commitment through the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), a global plan to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030,” stating that the government cannot achieve this alone.

She noted that: “Businesses and financial institutions must play a central role in delivering the transition toward a nature-positive future. Through this partnership, the organisations will convene leading Nigerian companies and government representatives through a Business Advisory Group (BAG).”

On her part, the representatives of Natural Eco Capital, Rantiola Babatimehin, stated that the organisation remains commitment to strengthening sustainability by helping public and private bodies build resilient, eco-conscious businesses and economies.

She said: @As a member of the Capitals Coalition, we collaborate with governments, financial institutions, and investors to tackle issues around natural capital, climate change, low-carbon development, sustainable finance, and circular economy.”

The Director-General of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Dr Joseph Onoja, insisted that conservation of biodiversity is everybody’s business.

He said: “Every organisation and every individual involved in business should also play a role in safeguarding biodiversity. That is why we established the Business Advisory Group—so that together, we can develop a Business Action Plan for Biodiversity and identify practical steps to strengthen biodiversity conservation in Nigeria.”

The Ministry’s Biodiversity Desk Officer, Sikeade Egbuwalo, explained that BIOFIN and Nigeria’s NBSAP can be adequately financed by mobilising more public and private sector investments, unlocking new revenue streams, and aligning economic incentives with conservation.

FG Launches Biodiversity Finance Initiative to Safeguard Nation’s Ecosystem

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Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

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Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

By Aisha Gambo

The Centre for Girls’ Education (CGE) has commended the Kaduna State Executive Council for approving the Kaduna State Life Skills Policy and the State Policy on Gender in Education (SPGE 2026–2030).

The Executive Director of the organisation, Habiba Mohammed, made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday in Kaduna.

She said the approval marked a transition from donor-supported, time-bound interventions to a sustainable, government-led framework for delivering life skills education and promoting gender equity in schools.

According to her, the Life Skills Policy will equip young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values required to succeed in education, employment and life, while the Gender in Education Policy providzbves a framework to promote equity, inclusion, participation, retention, completion and improved learning outcomes.

“The approval moves life skills and gender equity from the margins of the classroom into the core of Kaduna State’s education system,” she said.

Mohammed said CGE contributed to the development and validation of the policies through its system-strengthening project supported by Co-Impact, OASIS Initiative and the Malala Fund, in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Education.

She said the policies built on more than 18 years of the organisation’s Safe Space model, which independent evaluations showed had helped reduce child marriage, increase school enrolment and delay early marriage.

According to her, the AGILE programme in Kaduna has reached more than 127,319 girls and 6,250 boys between the ages of 14 and 18, while over 1,400 female and male teachers have been trained as mentors.

She added that institutionalising the model through public policy would ensure that life skills education became a permanent component of the state’s education system.

Mohammed said the policies would address barriers to school access, retention and completion, particularly for girls and other vulnerable learners.

She added that they would also institutionalise life skills as a co-curricular programme, strengthen evidence-based decision-making across the state’s 23 local government areas and guarantee continuity beyond donor-funded programmes.

The executive director commended Gov. Uba Sani for providing the leadership that made the policy approval possible.

She also appreciated the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo, the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, the AGILE State Project Implementation Unit, the World Bank and other stakeholders for their contributions to the process.

Mohammed reaffirmed CGE’s commitment to supporting the Kaduna State Government with technical assistance during the implementation phase, including teacher training, gender-responsive education sector budgeting and monitoring.

She said the ultimate goal was to ensure that every girl and boy in Kaduna State had the opportunity to learn, develop and thrive.

Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

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Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

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Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

By: Zagazola Makama

Six fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were reportedly killed and seven others seriously wounded during a failed attack on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Logomani in Borno State, credible intelligence sources have disclosed.

The sources told Zagazola Makama that the terrorists launched the attack on the military position in the early hours of July 7 but suffered significant casualties after troops mounted a fierce resistance.

According to the intelligence assessment, the attackers had assembled at Garal before advancing on the military base.

Following the failed assault, surviving insurgents were reportedly seen regrouping at Chukun Gudu, where they buried six of their fighters killed during the encounter.

Among those reportedly buried was a senior fighter identified as Munzir, also known as Ba Alayi, who was said to be an indigene of Wulgo.

The development comes as troops of Operation HADIN KAI continue sustained clearance operations aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves and disrupting insurgents’ logistics and mobility across the Lake Chad region.

Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

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Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

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Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

By: Zagazola Makama

A cholera outbreak has reportedly claimed the lives of nine fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Timbuktu Triangle, a known terrorist stronghold in Borno State, intelligence sources have disclosed.

The sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the outbreak had spread through the group’s enclaves, highlighting deteriorating sanitary conditions and limited access to medical care within the insurgents’ camps.

According to the intelligence, two additional ISWAP fighters infected with the disease were allegedly executed by fellow terrorists after attempts to manage their condition at Kimba village proved unsuccessful.

The sources said the development pointed to the worsening health conditions within the terrorist hideouts, where sustained military pressure has disrupted logistics, including access to medicines and treatment facilities.

The sources added that commanders had also been urged to intensify efforts to intercept medical supplies and pharmaceuticals intended for terrorist camps in order to further degrade ISWAP’s treatment capability and operational resilience.

The reported outbreak comes amid sustained offensives by troops of Operation HADIN KAI, who continue to target terrorist enclaves and logistics networks across the Lake Chad region in a bid to degrade the insurgents’ fighting capacity.

Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

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