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Two African Social Media Influencers Living with HIV to Address UNGA
Two African Social Media Influencers Living with HIV to Address UNGA
By: Michael Mike
Two young social media influencers living with HIV with the support of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) are on their way to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the Summit of the Future in New York to urge world leaders to partner with them in the response to HIV.
The two, Ibanomonde Ngema from South Africa and Jerop Lima from Kenya, according to a statement on Thursday by UNAIDS, will call on leaders to invest in youth-friendly health systems, provide holistic services for young people living with HIV, and to partner with young people and communities, allowing them to lead in the response to HIV.
Executive Director of UNAIDS. Winnie Byanyima said: “Young people’s powerful and vibrant activism has driven so much of the progress made in the HIV response,” adding that: “They know what works for them. It is essential for leaders to listen to them to understand the specific challenges that young people face and how those challenges can be overcome. Leaders can only successfully plan how to end AIDS and sustain the advances made by partnering with young people living with HIV.”
The young Kenyan HIV activist. Jerop Limo, said: “I am representing not only the voices of 1.5 million Kenyans living with HIV but all people living with HIV,” adding that: “I want leaders to leave New York knowing that we are not beneficiaries, we are equal rights holders. We have a voice, we have skills and expertise and we need an equal playing field where our data is valued, where our input is valued and where our voices are heard. We want meaningful and ethical engagement of adolescents and young people in all spaces of the AIDS response.”
According to the statement, young people, especially adolescent girls and young women, are disproportionately affected by HIV. Globally, 44% of all new HIV infections were among women and girls (all ages) in 2023 and every week 4000 young women and girls around the world are infected with HIV—3100 are in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2023, some 3.1 million adolescents and young people (15-24 yrs) were living with HIV—1.9 million were adolescent girls and young women.
Ibanomonde Ngema, a young South African AIDS activist, said: “Governments meeting here in New York cannot end AIDS alone. They need to involve us to find solutions. We have lived experiences of HIV, from treatment to mental health, because we navigate life with HIV every day. We need to be included in policymaking so that we can take full ownership of ending end AIDS as a public threat,”
He noted that: “The world can only benefit when young people are included in the global HIV response. No conversation about HIV should take place without us, from policy to practice in communities.”
The safety decried that too often young people report facing stigma and discrimination, including from doctors and healthcare workers, when they access sexual and reproductive health and HIV services. This discourages them from seeking support and crucial information about their health, putting them at risk of HIV infection or of defaulting on treatment for those who are living with HIV.
The statement added that young people living with HIV play a critical role in the fight against AIDS in communities. They offer support and share important information about HIV that schools or parents might not talk about. They also challenge stigma and discrimination through social media, helping to save lives and encourage young people to stay on treatment.
It also added that they drive innovation in communities, for example, a self-funded project by the Youth Empowerment Group uses e-bikes to deliver antiretroviral medicines, food and adherence support to young people who often cannot attend clinics because their schooling hours conflict with clinic opening times in Namibia.
However, their transformational work is being held back because it is not being sufficiently supported. Youth-led HIV responses often operate with little or no financial and political support. At the UNGA the two young people will call on world leaders to fully support and fund their work. They will also urge leaders to uphold the human rights of young people as key to ending AIDS as a public health threat—they will call on them to protect young people’s right to healthcare, education, freedom of speech, and to provide social support to young people living with HIV.
Jerop Lima said: “Providing treatment is not enough, young people living with HIV need an education and they need a job to survive,” adding that: “We need to be seen as equal contributors and partners, and we need investment to allow us drive change. We are the leaders of the future and we need to be included now to help shape a better future for us all.”
Two African Social Media Influencers Living with HIV to Address UNGA
Gombe Govt restates commitment to MSMEs growth
The Gombe State Government, on Friday engaged stakeholders in the finance sector towards easing access to credit and ensuring the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.
Malam Muhammad Magaji, the state’s Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development stated this in Gombe while declaring open the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) Programme, themed: “Guide to Access Credit”.
Magaji said that the meeting was aimed at creating an environment conducive for business growth by removing the bottlenecks around accessing finance.
He said that the administration of Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has prioritised the development of businesses and industries to drive economic prosperity for the state, create jobs and improve the wellbeing of residents.
Magaji who was represented by Mr Jalo Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development said that the state is now more deliberate in supporting small business owners to grow.
According to him, Yahaya-led administration’s commitment to MSMEs growth is to ensure inclusive growth of the economy in view of the role of such small businesses to economic transformation.
“We are engaging the financial institutions and relevant stakeholders to see how we can remove the barriers affecting access to credit to SMEs in the state.
“This is part of the current administration’s commitment to strengthening access to loan facilities that would give life to small businesses and help more youths start up businesses.
“We are very committed as a government to see to it that we provide all the needed supports to make doing business in Gombe State easy.
“Government will inject more money into the system to serve as collateral for business owners and also serve as guarantor to those who are willing to access finance,” he said.
On his part, Alhaji Nasiru Aliyu the Commissioner for Trade, Industry, and Tourism,
Gombe State restated the state government’s commitment to industrialising the state and attracting investors.
Aliyu said that Yahaya’s administration had invested a lot to boost industrial growth and turn the state into the industrial and evonomic hub of North East.
Mr Kabiru Tsoho, the SABER focal person for Gombe State said that the SABER Programme is a World-Bank project aimed at easing businesses towards accelerating the growth of the economic sector.
Tsoho said the engagement would help remove impediments to accessing finance and encouraging business growth.
“This will help improve business environment and encourage investment which would provide more opportunities for jobs to be created and for economic empowerment of women and youths,” he said.
Mr Sanusi Abdullahi, Chairman, Traders Association of Nigeria, Gombe State chapter commended the initiative by the state government and World Bank to make doing business easy.
Abdullahi said with improved access to loans, there would be more youth employment and improvement in the standard of living of residents of the state.
Gombe Govt restates commitment to MSMEs growth
Troops arrest gunrunner, recover arms, ammunition in Plateau
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of 3 Division of the Nigerian Army under Operation Joint Task Force, Operation Enduring Peace (OP Enduring Peace), have arrested a suspected gunrunner and recovered arms and ammunition in Bokkos and Mangu Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
The operations, conducted on Thursday, were part of ongoing efforts to mop up illicit arms and ensure a peaceful yuletide season within the Joint Operations Area, military sources said.
In the early hours of the day, troops, in conjunction with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), raided a suspected criminal hideout at Gwender Village in Bokkos Local Government Area, following intelligence reports.
Although the suspects reportedly fled before the arrival of the troops, a search of the hideout led to the recovery of one fabricated AK-47 rifle with a magazine, one fabricated pistol and several rounds of ammunition of different calibres.
In a related operation, troops working with a DSS Tactical Team mounted a snap checkpoint at Mairana in Mangu Local Government Area, based on credible intelligence.
During the operation, a Fulani youth was intercepted and arrested while in possession of two boxes of ammunition containing 1,400 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.
The suspect and the recovered items are currently in custody for further investigation, while troops have intensified follow-up operations to apprehend other members of the suspected criminal syndicate.
The military reiterated its commitment to sustaining pressure on criminal elements to ensure peace and security across Plateau State and the wider Joint Operations Area.
Troops arrest gunrunner, recover arms, ammunition in Plateau
Zulum disburses N1bn, trains 1,050 youths on GSM repairs
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has launched an empowerment package worth N1,000,000,000 targeting thousands of young residents, mostly GSM repairers and technicians.
The initiative targets 1,050 youths who will be trained on phone repairs and maintenance; about 3,000 other apprentices will receive cash.
Each of them will receive a complete set of modern working tools, including an 852D hot air rework station, a separating machine Kc2025, a battery booster S2025 pro, an adjustable temperature soldering iron V900c, a digital multimeter DT9205Plus and a precision screw driver set 60 in 1, to enhance their own repair businesses.
In addition to the tools, all 1,050 GSM repair trainees will receive direct cash support to serve as seed capital for their ventures.
The disbursement comprises four categories: the first group, consisting of 26 beneficiaries each receiving N1 million; the second group, 189 beneficiaries each receiving N300,000; the third group, 835 beneficiaries each receiving N100,000; and the fourth category, 3,500 apprentices, each receiving N100,000 and different calibres of working tools. The training cost is N482 million.
Speaking during the launching ceremony, Zulum said: “It gives me immense pleasure and a deep sense of fulfilment to stand before you today on this historic occasion—the official launch of the disbursement of N1 billion empowerment scheme alongside the training of operators at the GSM Market here in Maiduguri.”
The governor also recalled several initiatives by his administration on investment in human capital development.
He said, “Only recently, this administration took a bold and visionary step by sponsoring two hundred youths to study aircraft piloting and aeronautic engineering at Isaac Balami University.
“This initiative is designed to place Borno State on the global aviation map and demonstrate that, despite our challenges, we are preparing our youths for world-class opportunities. The process is almost completed.
“So far so good, about 400 Borno state indigenes are pursuing PhDs and master’s degrees abroad. In addition, 100 of our youths are currently studying Medicine and related courses in China.”
The occasion was attended by the senator representing Borno Central, Barrister Kaka Shehu Lawan; members of the House of Representatives; the deputy speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Engr Abdullahi Askira; commissioners and senior government officials.
Zulum disburses N1bn, trains 1,050 youths on GSM repairs
Gombe Govt restates commitment to MSMEs growth
Troops arrest gunrunner, recover arms, ammunition in Plateau
Zulum disburses N1bn, trains 1,050 youths on GSM repairs
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