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To help governments especially in the Less Developed Countries have a policy direction in the pilot of affairs in their countries, the UN provided development templates referred to as the Millennium Development Goals and with a timeframe, 2015 to achieve these goals. The ‘mother’ of all the goals is universal education because of its multiplier effects. An educated person is less likely to suffer extreme poverty but more likely to embrace changes that bring about improved quality of life. One of the tools that is available in the 21st century and capable of fast tracking the process of achieving universal education is Information and Communication Technology, a combination of newer technologies of wireless phones, networked computer and the internet. According to Frances Caincross, 2001, in her book, The Death of Distance, ‘the revolution that have arisen as a result of communication is simply democratic and profoundly liberating as it levels the imbalance between large and small, rich...

Water-related diseases such as Cholera are among the most common causes of illness and death, affecting mainly the poor in developing countries. They kill more than 5 million people every year, more than ten times the number killed in wars. According to experts at the National Council on Water Resources (NCWR) that met in Abuja recently, Nigeria currently has the highest prevalence of water borne diseases in the world. This, they added, has resulted in high infant mortality in the country; a discouraging report in the realization of the UN Millennium Development Goals on reduction of child mortality and improvement in maternal health by the year 2015. Women Villagers leave their homes in search of water. AP/Pervez Masih Tackling this epidemic should be of concern to all.The good news is that an Israeli company, CQM has come forward with a product capable of abating the incidence of water borne diseases especially in poor and rural communities where potable drinking water is rare. Howe...

Mr Chris Newson, the chief executive officer of Stanbic IBTC, a subsidiary of South Africa's Standard Bank lent a voice to the growing number of voices proclaiming hope in the Nigerian economy. Check out the story below as reported by Next (www.234next.com). Stanbic optimistic on Nigerian loan growth Nigeria’s banking sector could see 20-25 percent loan growth over the next three to five years as demand for both consumer and infrastructure finance increases, the chief executive officer of Stanbic IBTC said. Chris Newson, head of the Nigerian unit of South Africa’s Standard Bank, said growth would be driven by Nigeria’s significant infrastructure finance needs as well as the emergence of small businesses and a growing middle class. “If you think about what would be a reasonable level of growth within risk assets across the industry, our sense is a 20-25 percent is not completely unrealistic,” Newson said on Monday in an interview as part of the Reuters Africa Investment Summit. Afri...

Twelve countries in the West African sub-region are to benefit from a World Bank-assisted regional agricultural project under the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) reports Bassey Udo, Next Newspapers (www.234next.com) on its March 3, 2011 edition. Nigeria is one of the countries to benefit from the $300 million facility. Other countries under the scheme include Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, Benin, Gambia, and Niger. The WAAPP project is expected to assist farmers in agro-processing and value addition for agricultural products. A major problem in agricultural production within the sub region is post harvest losses as the farming community mostly consists of small and marginal farmers. These farmers do not have the economic strength to retain the surplus produce till favourable market price and often compelled to sell their produce immediately after harvest when the prices are low. The solution to this problem li...