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West Africa is Facing Hard Times, Finding it Difficult to Cope with Effects of Population Growth- ECOWAS
West Africa is Facing Hard Times, Finding it Difficult to Cope with Effects of Population Growth- ECOWAS
By: Michael Mike
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has lamented that member states are currently facing hard times as they are finding it difficult to cope with population growth and subsequent demand for housing, transportation, basic services, food, jobs, and urban livelihood.
Speaking at the Stakeholders’ Consultation Workshop on ECOWAS Regional Resilience Strategy for West Africa in Abuja on Tuesday, the ECOWAS Commissioner on Human Rights and Social Affairs, Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr said: “The current realities of rapid population growth in West Africa with women and children being worst victims contribute to increased demand for housing, transportation, basic services, food, jobs, and urban livelihood opportunities among others. These issues further strain the coping capacity of the region as Member States struggle to recover from these challenges.”
He said the workshop, holding in Abuja for three days, marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to strengthen regional stability, peace, and development in West Africa, noting that the overall objective of the workshop is to bring together key technical stakeholders to deliberate on the development of a comprehensive Regional Resilience Strategy that will enhance our collective capacity to address the complex challenges facing our region.
He added that: “This forum which is to enhance promoting transparent communication and collaboration, will certainly foster resilience and sustainable development across our region.”
He decried that: “West Africa, with an estimated population of 446,452,019 equivalent to 5.47% of the total world population is faced with a magnitude of vulnerability and exposure to hazards and losses from disasters expected to increase over the next decade. The impact of climate change which is expected to result in more extreme weather situations such as heavy rains leading to devastating floods and drought in West Africa remain some of the most severe disasters in West Africa.
Further to the natural disasters, our region is currently facing some of the world’s most complex challenges including conflict and violence, terrorism, extreme poverty, weak governance, high food insecurity leading to malnutrition.
“Also, the region suffers from forced human displacement of different kinds, outbreaks of epidemics including cholera, Ebola virus disease and COVID-19. Vulnerability is due to the high level of poverty and high dependence on climate change sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, mining, and forestry leading to substantial economic losses, damage to agricultural lands, infrastructures as well as human casualties.”
He said despite the development of some policies and strategies to address the issues, the region continues to witness increasing disasters which have grossly affected key sectors of the economy thereby directly affecting population and livelihoods.
He said some of the strategies emplaced to build Good Governance; Peace and Security; Macroeconomic resilience; Equitable access to basic services; (Sustainable livelihood; Gender Sensitivity and Social Inclusion; and Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction.
On her part, the Resident Representative of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria, Ms. Elsie Attafuah, said West African region is undergoing significant demographic, social, economic, environmental, and political transformations, noting that the population of the region is expected to exceed 900 million by 2050, with over 64% under 25 years old.
She insisted that: “These demographic changes have a bearing on the effectiveness of our current policies, resource allocation decisions, and development trajectory, demanding innovative approaches to address the needs of our youthful population.
Despite abundant natural resources, their sustainable exploitation and equitable distribution of the benefits to communities remain a challenge. While West Africa contributes to only 1.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the region faces rising temperatures and extreme weather events, the impacts of which are exacerbated by inadequate development and governance, peace, and security related challenges.
Attafuah, who was represented by Deputy Resident Representative Nigeria, Mr. Blessed Chirimuta, said: “We are confident in the resilience and unwavering determination of the people of West Africa to overcome these challenges to build a better future for all, through collaborative efforts and innovative solutions.”
The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed said the workshop whose outcome is expected to provide the foundation for resilient building is very timely considering the prevailing regional and global crises, insisting that “the workshop comes at a time, economic downturn has impacted the entire world with adverse socio-economic outcomes. Countries of the West African subregion are amongst the worst hit; hence there is no better time than now to develop a resilience strategy that will help them cope with the externalities and foster sustainable devclopment.”
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, you may recall that the geography, demographic and political dynamics of West Africa have predisposed the sub region to complex nature and human induced disaster and emergency situations, ECOWAS countries have experienced scries of disasters, crises and conflict that have posed threats to normal life, the means of livelihood of the people and sustainable economic growth and development.
He noted that the predominant disaster risk profile of West Africa has significantly posed a threat to region’s efforts in meeting crucial global and continental initiatives including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030; the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030; and the African Agenda 2060, with the other initiatives impacted include the African Union Program of Action (AUC-PoA) and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) treaty.
West Africa is Facing Hard Times, Finding it Difficult to Cope with Effects of Population Growth- ECOWAS
Nine PAP Foreign Scholarship Beneficiaries Bag Master’s Degrees From UK Varsities
•••771 to Graduate in Nigeria in 2025
•••Otuaro Hails Scholars’ Performances
By: Michael Mike
Nine students awarded foreign post-graduate scholarships by the Presidential Amnesty Programme have graduated from their master’s degree rprogrammes in universities in the United Kingdom.
The successful scholars are the first graduates in the offshore post-graduate scholarship deployment to UK institutions by the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, for the 2024-2025 academic session.
They graduated from the Anglia Ruskin University, University of Dundee and The University of Law with master’s degrees in cyber security, data science and engineering, law, construction and civil engineering management, project management, and ICT.
Also, 711 undergraduate and post-graduate scholarship beneficiaries are expected to graduate from universities within Nigeria this year.
The PAP, on Wednesday, 3 December, 2025, organised a graduation reception for the scholars in London.
Otuaro has congratulated them on their successful graduation, stressing that they completed their programmes in record time which shows the seriousness they had put into their studies.
He said they have justified the Federal Government’s investment in their education with their successful graduation, and urged other beneficiaries not to be distracted in their academic pursuits.
“We congratulate these scholars on their successful graduation. It shows that they took their studies seriously. That is what we demand of every scholarship beneficiary, whether at the undergraduate or post-graduate level”, Otuaro said.
He reiterated his unwavering commitment to expanding the scholarship scheme to create more opportunities for indigent students of Niger Delta extraction to access higher education with a view to closing the human capital development gap in the region.
Otuaro said it was for this reason he deployed 3800 beneficiaries in-country in the 2024-2025 academic year, and increased the figure to 3900 in the 2025-2026 academic session with 200 for foreign scholarships.
Otuaro has so far deployed 7700 students for the PAP scholarship scheme within Nigeria in less than two years.
Within this period, also, he has also deployed 162 students from the region for post-graduate programmes in targeted disciplines in the UK universities.
According to him, this is in conformity with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu for the Niger Delta, who has given unprecedented support to the PAP because of his sincere love for the area.
The PAP boss said, “Our decision aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for the Niger Delta. We will continue to create more higher educational opportunities for students from indigent backgrounds in our region.
“We are also deepening the implementation of the programme’s mandate in informal education and other areas for the sustainable peace and socio-economic advancement of the region.”
Nine PAP Foreign Scholarship Beneficiaries Bag Master’s Degrees From UK Varsities
Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited Established for Realization of Ondo Project
By: Michael Mike
Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited has been incorporated to seamlessly allowed for the Refinery and Free Trade Zone in Ondo State.
A press statement on Thursday read that: “In furtherance of our commitment to the execution of these two major projects – Refinery and Free Trade Zone in conjunction with the Ondo State Government, the joint partners have taken another giant step by incorporating a joint company, namely – SUNSHINE JOINT VENTURE INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED – as the vehicle to be used in executing these projects. A move that further reinforces the sincerity of purpose and total commitment of the funding partners to move ahead together as a united front.
According to the release by Wale Adekola on behalf of the JV, the Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limitedwill, going forward serve as the vehicle to work with the Ondo State Government through the Ondo State Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) in the implementation of the executed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
The statement added that: “In moving the projects forward for implementation, the JV team met in Dubai to finalize the funding modalities and put in place structures and plans for the commencement of activities for ground breaking and community engagements. These initial activities are aimed at complementing the 50th Anniversary of the creation of Ondo State and the one year anniversary of the election of the Executive Governor of the Sunshine State, His Excellency, Chief Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa CFR.
At the Dubai meeting were key officers of the JV Company, including: Messrs SALEHI FARHAD; ZAHERI NAVID; EGHBAL KORDJAMSHIDI; SAHEED ZAHERI; DR. STEPHEN DIKE; HENRY OWONKA AND MRS. NAMVAR MARYAM.
The statement further informed that, plans have been concluded to mobilize the relevant contractors working with the locals and host communities to put up structures that will host the information center, architectural models to showcase the projects on offer and facilities that will serve the team. All these are being planned with ONDIPA to execute the relocation and accommodation of the host communities that are likely to be affected by the projects and create a seamless transition that will engender peaceful co-existence and harmonious relationship with our host communities.
The JV company further reiterated its commitment to work with Ondo State Government (through ONDIPA) to change the infrastructural landscape of the Sunshine State and for mutual benefits.
Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited Established for Realization of Ondo Project
Edo: Seven suspected bandits arrested along Benin-Agbor Road
By: Zagazola Makama
Seven suspected bandits were arrested along the Benin–Agbor Road in Edo State during stop-and-search operations, security sources confirmed.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the suspects, all Fulani youths, were intercepted after being offloaded from a truck at about 1800 hours on 2 December 2025. A search revealed pictures of assault rifles, including AK-47s, on their mobile phones.
Upon interrogation, the suspects claimed to have travelled from Adamawa State. Investigations are ongoing for the possible recovery of actual firearms and to determine their involvement in criminal activities.
Security agencies have urged members of the public to report any suspicious movements to help prevent criminal acts in the area.
Edo: Seven suspected bandits arrested along Benin-Agbor Road
UN Women Calls for Strengthening of Mechanism and Policies Towards Ending Gender Violence
Nine PAP Foreign Scholarship Beneficiaries Bag Master’s Degrees From UK Varsities
Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited Established for Realization of Ondo Project
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