Lesotho strengthens one health collaboration through national bridging workshop

By: Michael Mike

In a bid to strengthen coordination between human and animal health sectors, Lesotho’s Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Food Security, and Environment in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), convened a three-day National Bridging Workshop in Maseru District.

The workshop aimed to enhance the country’s One Health approach, recognizing the close link between human, animal, and environmental health. Many emerging and endemic diseases affecting humans originate from animals, transmitted directly, through food, or via the environment.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Deputy Principal Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Ms. Matsoanelo Monyobi, emphasized the importance of dismantling sectoral silos to build a more resilient and responsive health system.

“Capacity must be comprehensive. If we want to build, we must first break down the silos that keep systems fragmented,” Ms. Monyobi said, highlighting the need for a unified approach to public health, animal health, and environmental challenges.
Representing WHO, Public Health Officer Dr. Sirak Hailu stressed the urgent need for integrated health approaches in the face of rising zoonotic threats.

“A majority of emerging, re-emerging, and endemic human diseases originate from animals,” he noted, citing recent outbreaks of Ebola, novel coronaviruses, and pandemic influenza as stark reminders of the interconnectedness of human and animal health.

Dr. Hailu also pointed out that the Ebola crisis revealed critical gaps in preparedness and underscored the need for a more solidary, multisectoral approach to health security.

Speaking on behalf of the FAO Representative, Mohlophehi Maope stressed the urgency of adopting the One Health approach. “This is no longer a choice, but it is a necessity,” he said. “Through this workshop, we have made tangible progress in building a shared understanding and developing a joint roadmap to enhance collaboration across the animal-human-environment interface. The joint planning, consensus-building, and prioritization efforts demonstrated here mark a significant step forward in putting the One Health Strategy into action.”
Dr. Mookho Ntiea, Director, Veterinary Field Operations, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration in addressing health challenges. She added that this initiative will help us build stronger systems and partnerships to safeguard the well-being of our communities.

Sello Mabatla, District Environment Officer, expressed his enthusiasm for participating in the One Health workshop, highlighting its potential to foster a more integrated approach to tackling health issues in Lesotho.

“I’m pleased to be part of this One Health workshop. It presents a valuable opportunity to promote an integrated approach to addressing health issues in our country. By bringing together different ministries, this initiative will help bridge gaps and foster collaboration among key stakeholders. Together, we can develop a joint action plan to tackle health challenges more effectively.”

The One Health workshop concluded with a shared commitment to advancing multisectoral collaboration in Lesotho. Participants endorsed a consensus-driven roadmap aimed at improving coordination between the animal health, human health, and environmental sectors for the prevention, detection, and response to health threats. With clear ownership from all stakeholders and prioritization of the top five activities, the workshop laid a solid foundation for actionable progress. By aligning the WHO’s International Health Regulations Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (IHR MEF) and WOAH’s Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Pathway, Lesotho is poised to strengthen its national health systems and build a more integrated, proactive approach to safeguarding public health.

This activity was made possible through funding from the Pandemic Fund.

Lesotho strengthens one health collaboration through national bridging workshop

UN Women, IOFS Say Access to Land for Women, Key to Nigeria’s Economic Growth

By: Michael Mike

The UN Women and the Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS) have advocated expanded inclusion of women access to land and other developmental infrastructure in the Cassava Value Chain production for economic growth of the nation.

They made the position know at the National Stakeholder Debriefing & Consultation Meeting on Cassava Value Chain, jointly organised in Abuja to review progress and lessons learned within the cassava value chain.

The UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong in her submission at the meeting, emphasised that women play a critical role in the cassava value chain but have been marginalised in production infrastructure hence the need to address the trend.

She said: “Today, we focus on cassava, a crop that is not only climate-resilient but also central to women’s livelihoods. Women are the backbone of cassava processing, yet they bear the greatest weight of climate change and unpaid care work. By turning Cassava’s potential into opportunity, we can shift heavy labour into profitable entrepreneurship, create decent green jobs, and drive inclusive, sustainable growth for our communities and our country.”

She added that: “Yet the reality is that women in cassava value chains remain trapped in low-income, labor-intensive roles with limited returns. They lack access to improved seedlings, modern processing equipment, credit facilities, and secure markets, factors that reduce efficiency and limit their ability to scale. In many cases, women process cassava manually, spending long hours in unsafe conditions with minimal financial gain. These barriers reinforce poverty cycles and exclude women from the higher-value segments of the cassava economy.

“This initiative seeks to change that story. By equipping women with climate-smart technologies, access to microfinance and cooperatives, and linkages to formal markets, we will open pathways for women to move from subsistence to enterprise. With targeted training, supportive policies, and investments in infrastructure such as mechanized processing centers and renewable energy solutions, women can become leaders in the cassava value chain—driving innovation, resilience, and economic empowerment.

“This initiative recognizes that resilience is not possible when women spend up to 12 hours daily on unpaid care work. That is why we are combining skills development with investments in energy, water, and time-saving infrastructure, enabling women to be more productive, earn more, and expand their opportunities.”

She further said that: “At UN Women, we know from experience that when women farmers are supported with the right tools, policies, and resources, they lift entire households and communities. Through this partnership with the Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS), we reaffirm our mandate to ensure women are not just beneficiaries, but leaders in food security and climate resilience.

“Our collective call to action is clear: let us work together to expand women’s access to climate-smart technologies, finance, and markets; to strengthen the policies that recognize and protect their roles; and to create green jobs that secure a more equitable and resilient future for Nigeria.”

The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi who stressed that women were vital to agricultural development in the society emphasised the need for collaboration of all stakeholders in ensuring inclusiveness of women in key decision making in the Cassava Value Chain.

On his part the Lead Consultant in the Islamic Organisation for Food Security, IOFS, Dr. William Agyei-Manu Identified actionable strategies to strengthen food security, enhance gender inclusion, and promote sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria.

He said: “For IOFS, it is a beginning of a new phase of joint action. We are fully committed to: Supporting national partners in developing gender-responsive cassava strategies and policy frameworks that integrate women and youth at every stage of the value chain; Facilitating partnerships between government institutions, research centers, and financial entities to improve access to technology, finance, and infrastructure; Investing in capacity building and common-userprocessing facilities, ensuring women farmers and processors can move from subsistence to entrepreneurship; Leveraging regional cooperation through the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to share innovations, strengthen trade, and replicate successful models across member states.”

The Representatives from Women Affairs Ministry, the NEXIM bank, GIZ and FCT Women Affairs Secretariat who gave goodwill messages all affirmed that the inclusion of women and accessibility to technology and infrastructure in the cassava value chain would greatly reduce poverty and develop the country.

UN Women, IOFS Say Access to Land for Women, Key to Nigeria’s Economic Growth

VP Shettima To Investors: Nigeria Has Exited Its Phase Of Economic Instability

• Tasks stakeholders on concrete MoUs, set timelines at Bauchi Investment Summit 2025
• Says state’s rich natural assets, cultural heritage will boost nation’s tourism, hospitality, creative industries

By: Our Reporter

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has assured investors that the most auspicious and convenient time to choose Nigeria as an investment destination is now, saying the nation has exited its phase of economic instability.

He attributed the milestone to the decision made by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to get rid of the hurdles that had hitherto clogged the wheels of the country’s economic progress.

Speaking on Wednesday in Bauchi State while declaring open the Bauchi Investment Summit 2025, Senator Shettima noted that the administration assumed office in 2023 with a promise to turn around the fortune of the nation’s economy that was already tottering on the edge of financial crisis, with debt service-to-revenue ratio shooting up to about 100 percent.

He told investors and stakeholders at the two-day summit that under the Tinubu administration, debt service-to-revenue ratio has been reduced to less than 50 per cent, while the GDP growth stood at 4.23 percent as of last month.

“Our non-oil revenues grew by 411 per cent year-on-year in the same month. Our tax-to-GDP ratio now stands at 13.5 per cent, up from barely 7 per cent a few years ago. Our debt-to-GDP ratio remains at 38.8 per cent, far below the limits set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act at 60 per cent, and those of ECOWAS and the World Bank at 70 per cent.

“Our external reserves have grown to 43 billion dollars as of September 2025. Nigeria has exited its phase of economic instability, and I assure investors present here that there is no better time to choose Nigeria,” the Vice President stated.

Explaining why the first decision made by President Tinubu “was to remove those obstacles that had become termites in the timber of” the nation’s progress, VP Shettima said, “You cannot guarantee enduring growth without stability.

“Our predecessors are here to testify to this truth. Each of them endured a fair share of obstacles and pushbacks in their efforts to introduce reforms that set the nation on the path of rediscovery and stability.”

Senator Shettima observed that no system can claim to be suitable for business if it cannot predict the outcome of its investment, maintaining that there can’t be a more potent treatment for a bad economy “than a stable economic stimulus,” which is why the Tinubu administration embarked on bold reforms.

He continued, “It was this dread that inspired our bold reforms to harmonise the exchange rate regime and to dismantle the fuel subsidy structure, an avenue that had become a theatre for round-tripping and rent-seeking, where the privileged few converted the nation’s collective patrimony into their private poverty alleviation scheme.”

“We may spend eternity debating the theories of our inactions, but the truth remains that nobody builds a house in a tsunami.”

The Vice President listed priorities in the administration’s development plan to include job creation, food security, value-chain development, and the unlocking of subnational comparative advantages, even as he pointed out that the plan “is anchored on promises that can only be realised when” stability is achieved.

These priorities, according to him, are inherently rooted in the investment opportunities Bauchi State offers, including “vast arable land and agricultural potential, abundant solid minerals, tourism and game reserves, renewable energy prospects, and improving infrastructure and business-enabling reforms.

“The Federal Government remains resolute in its commitment to ensuring security across the nation because no economy can thrive where fear replaces freedom and where insecurity undermines enterprise,” he added.

Senator Shettima said Bauchi State can spearhead “climate-smart agriculture, commercial outgrower schemes, and agro-processing hubs linked to national and export markets,” with its vast arable land and livestock, among other rich natural resources and cultural heritage that are capable of boosting tourism, hospitality, and the creative industries.

“The solid mineral reserves of this rich state can also enable responsible mining and downstream industrialisation through transparent tendering, geological mapping, and community benefit frameworks.

“Bauchi’s natural assets and cultural heritage can boost tourism, hospitality, and the creative industries, while its renewable energy and gas potential can power industrial clusters through public-private partnerships and off-grid solutions,” he maintained.

Applauding the vision of Governor Bala Mohammed for opening Bauchi State to investment, VP Shettima reaffirmed President Tinubu’s promise that under his watch, the Federal Government will treat “each state as a priority beyond the fiscal glories that accrue from the increased allocations now enjoyed across the federation.

“This is so because an affliction to any state slows down the pace of development in other parts of the nation, and this is the burden of federalism that we must never allow to slow us down. We must either grow together or falter apart,” he added

Declaring the summit open, the VP charged participants and stakeholders “to move beyond talk and commit to concrete memoranda of understanding, set timelines, and appoint joint implementation teams,” to ensure tangible milestones in project execution, insisting that programmes and projects “must align with social and environmental sustainability considerations.”

On his part, former President Olusegun Obasanjo said while the summit is an indication that there is hope for Nigeria, there is a need for partnership as a way of strengthening businesses.

He outlined what he termed the five Ps – Politics, People, Protection, Partnership and Progress, describing them as the bedrock of good investment, just as he expressed worry over the cement situation in Nigeria, calling for more action to strengthen the cement industry.

“Governance must be right because it’s about the people and there must be protection (security), or else investors will not come. There must be strong partnership at the local, community, state, and national levels, as well as the civil society, with the public and private sectors. We need partnership,” he stressed.

For his part, Governor Mohammed thanked the Vice President for always identifying with the state, assuring participants and the people of Bauchi State that the recommendations reached at the summit would be implemented.

The Governor hailed the federal government for establishing the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), which he said is driving development across the six states of the region.

He also assured investors of the safety of their lives and businesses in Bauchi, saying, “We will also utilize partnership and fight corruption in order to enable businesses thrive in our state,” he said.

Also speaking, Chairman of the North East Governors’ Forum, and Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, commended Governor Mohammed for convening the summit, saying Bauchi State’s potential in agriculture is the bedrock for its development.

Urging investors to tap from the available resources as they invest in the state, Zulum said, “Northerners are hospitable. Mineral resources and hydrocarbons are also found here in large quantity. I believe investors will have the opportunity to play around for our future development. There is ease of doing business in Bauchi and the entire North; come and do business here.”

Delivering the keynote address, former Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, noted that while leadership is about creating room for others to grow, the current global challenges require serious attention and action.

The erstwhile Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) identified education, good governance and human capital development as bases for development at all times, positing that Public, Private Partnership (PPP) and collaboration between the federal and State governments would help boost development.

In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Abubakar Sa’ad III, regretted that while he had attended a good number of summits in the country, most of them ended with little commitment towards implementation of resolutions.

“What have we achieved? Have we really achieved the goals of such summits? I want to challenge the Governors of Northern states on this. Have we really moved our states and the north forward? I want to challenge all of us to really look inwards. Nobody can take us out of these economic challenges except we, ourselves. The North has everything needed for development,” he said.

The royal father applauded Vice President Shettima’s unflinching support for President Tinubu in leading Nigeria, just as he pledged the support of religious and traditional leaders at all times.

Stressing the need for adequate security, the Sultan said, “Our support is unwavering. But whatever you do, if there’s no security, you can’t really achieve anything,” appealing to all Nigerians to love their country and pray for their leaders instead of cursing them.

Other dignitaries in attendance include representatives of the Governors of Oyo, Gombe, Bayelsa and Jigawa States; former military administrators of Bauchi State, Chris Abutu Garuba and Raji Adisa, and Chairman/Founder of Oriental Energy Resources, Alhaji Mohammad Indimi, among others.

VP Shettima To Investors: Nigeria Has Exited Its Phase Of Economic Instability