V anguard , FRUlA'(. JUNE 1J.2811--41
Business Obasanjo tasks
UN, ILO, governments on job creation
F
armer
Presidentf
Olusegun
Obasanjo has laske d tbe UN, IntemationiU Labour Organisation and African governments to partner in the creation of jobs in Ablea. Obasanjo, speaking at II panel discussion on building sustainable societies 00 the sideline of the ongoing tOOth Se55ion of the International Labour Conference, in Geoeva, said the partnersbip would avert crisIS 01 unemployment in Africa. ~I wanllo underline this U II situation that must signal red alert for us in Africa; I am worried, I am apprehensive about unemployment in our continent. It is nol being taken.u seriously as it should be. I give the e.zample of my own country Nigeria, we now have 120 universities. When 1 was growing up and I bave to go to university. there was only one unJver'5ity. 'With polytechnics and other terti.a.y institution, we bave more than 200. We have over 6OQ, 000 graduates every year and we lire Dol creating 100, 000 jobs for the graduates. The youths can be ignited anytime, and now we bave about 165 million populatioll$, we must be ta.lkiog 01 jobs, jobs, jobs, and jobs, "be said. He said if une mployment situltion in African co untries was allowed to continue the consequences would be more severe than wbat iJ; being witnessed in the Middle East. He said jf the situation was allowed to continue and given the awareness of tbe youth ·noneol us tbe leaders would a place to hide". He 5aid governments in Africa bad nol been good job creators hence tbey mwt provide a condudve environment for the privale sector to thrive and aeate jobs. News Ag e ncy of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent covering the conference reports that the meeting was organised by 'Club de Madrid' an independent nonprofit organh:atloD composed of 80
J·r: Afr. CA/dJ OkpMA. DlrlsJOIJiJI Head. ReWJ BiUJ.lt.i.ng, United BiIDk lor Africa( UDA) PIc. GuiJJaUDIe Dewael. Vice Presldea( MOIJeye;n. bJternalioDaJ, Mr. PbUUpsOduou, Group MaDilgu,g Director/CEO UBA PI c. ilDd Mrs. Perl Adebilro" bglDIYI Director, MOIJeyCr.u. I lJ krlJillJooa} duriDg lbe visit 01 Afoneygram IDterlJaliODaI officials to lIIe USA GMD ill JIis olDee a'MariJI..,
World Bank to assist ECOWAS deepen regional cooperation
T
be World Bank bas expressed its willingness to deepen cooperation wit.b ECOWAS to promote its regional integration in the 5ub-region. A report by ECOWAS quoted the banJ(s \'tee President, African Region, Dr Obiageli Eukweslli, as wying tbal "ECOWAS is one of the bank's important partners" and commended its initiatives to promote
economic development In tbesub-region. The report stated Ibat Ezekwesm made the remark in Wasblngton wben sbe received a delegation from ECOWAS,led by Dr Ada Okwuosa, tbe CommllSloner for AdmlnbtJation and Finance. Sbe said that such partnership would lut· track ECOWAS new Regional
IFAD to inject $75m in new agric programme
T
b e International Fund for Agricultura\ Development (IFAD) will inject 75 million dollars into th e new Value Chain Development Prognmme whicb is now in its final design 5tages, aD officia1 said. Mr Abdou! Barry, tbe IFAD Count.ry Programme Manager; made the disdosure in Abuja. Barry said that the programme, which targets Nigeria'S two major staples cassava and rice emerged from the UN agency's Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) approved by IFAD's Executive Board in Apri12010. He said that the programme targeted smallholder farmers, ioduding women, youths and men actively involved in agnculture and would be implemented Ihrough the Co mmunlty. Driven Development approach. He said before the com m e ncement of full implementation of the programme, farmel5 and farmer orga.n..isations would b e sensitised while Ibe National Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system would also be strengthened. Barry said thai 500,000 dollars bad been earmarked for tbe two activities with "00,000 doUan budgeued for
sensilisation and 100,000 dol.l ars for strengthening monitoring and evaluation. On the Issue of possible co--finandng of the programme, the counby programme manager said IFAD was willing 10 collaborate with the Afl:icao OeYdopmenIBank(A!DB) and the Alliance lor a Gleen Revolutioo in Abica
(AGRAJ· He uplained tbat IFAD bad approached MDB for possible collaboration on the new plan and that the bank could only decide where 10 invest Its resources when Its Country Strategy Programme for Nigeria was ready. "The IFAD· 'unded Value Chain Ptognmme CaD.not undertake all activi ties along the value chain. We will have 10 collaborate with certa.in donor· hwded programmes. "WI! have already approached the ADB to try to co- finance the current programme. ADB is about 10 start the Countzy Strategy Programme for Nigeria. When they do, around ' NovemberDecember. they willlmaw euctly where . toinVe5L -But the ADB is very good at funding activida rd.ated 10 inhastnu:ture,· he
said. 8any explained thatlFAD was good
in training and mobilising communities but would need to partner with orga.n isation s good In the area of providing processing technologies and infrastructure. A wrap up meeting em the FGN/lFAD Value Chain Design Mission held in Abuja. attracted agricultural slAkeholden from public and private lnstitutions, Including banks, for the presentation 01 the Aide Memolre 01 the programme. Tbe first design mis,ion for the programme w as held in October 20 10, while the second mission heJd between May 23 and June 9 . Implementation 01 the programme is 6peded to commence by February 2012, alter approval by the IFAD Board in December. I FAD Is cunentlr funding the Community-Based Natural Re,ou.fclI Management Programme (CB.NRMp) In the nine Niger Delta states and tbe Community-Based Agricultural Development Programme (CBARDP) in seven states In the northern part of the country. Since it commence activities in Nigeria in 1985, IFAD has contributed to financing nine projects! programmes 10 the country. The total cost
Strategic Plan aimed at reviewing ils existing Institutional structwe. The bank also gave re<:ommendations 10 ECOWAS lor e ffectively running it. operation. , including the establishment of a lask force on strategic planning, buman resources, community computer centre and external relations cammunlcatioDS. Otber. are edUCdtion, cultural science and lechnology directorates with the view to developing a mechanism for imple menting a South·South type regional cooperation. ECOWAS is a 15 member organisation, es tablI.hed in 1975 to promote economic coope ration and Integration in tbe sub· region, and President Goodluck Jonathan is Its cunent chain:na.n.
AGRIC COMMODITIES
CFA KRONE EURO POUND
0.321 29.416 220.016 247.71J RIYAL 40.411 SDR 243."" FRANC .10.3;\.& DOUAR 151.15 WAUA 24"'.9. 1.195 YEN
0.331 U .SI3 220.7. 24.1.529 40.621 244.203 1I0.9n 152.35
245.1S 1.101
0.341 29.610 221.4.64 24.1.3"''' 40.155 245.095 111.532 152.15
246.561 1.001
eRN Euh.a.o&e rate as . t l~U