General News
Ethiopian Airlines Begins International Flight on Enugu Route
Ethiopian Airlines said it will commence new services to Enugu in few weeks time. If achieved, the airline will become the first international carrier to fly to the city.
Ethiopian will also increase its five weekly flights to Abuja to daily service, the airline has announced.
The Airline is the fastest growing Airline in Africa. In its operations in the past close to seven decades, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success.
Ethiopian will operate four times a week to Enugu, its 76th destination. Ethiopian, an indigenous and truly Pan African airline, is one of the oldest carriers flying to Nigeria and has been serving the country since 1960 strengthening trade, cultural and tourism ties between Nigeria and the rest of the world.
According to the airline, passengers from Enugu will have direct flight connections to many destinations in Africa, Middle East, Asia, South America and Europe with the youngest and modern fleet in the continent and enjoy the usual Ethiopian hospitality.
“Our flight to Enugu is another exciting step towards enhancing our commitment to the needs of our travelling publics. Nigeria has always been and continues to be one of our important destinations in West Africa. We are continually improving our products and services to meet our customers’ expectations. We thank the people and the government of Nigeria for their continued support in making this new service to Enugu possible,” said Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian.
Passengers from the airline’s three gateways in Nigeria – Lagos, Abuja and Enugu – now have the opportunity to fly to destinations throughout the Ethiopian network, including Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, London, Toronto, Beijing, Beirut, Dubai, Mumbai, and Nairobi.
Ethiopian commands the lion share of the pan-African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to more than 75 international destinations across five continents.
Ethiopian fleet includes ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as the Boeing 787, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-200LR Freighter and Bombardier Q-400 with double cabin. In fact, Ethiopian is the first airline in Africa to own and operate these aircraft.
Ethiopian is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading aviation group in Africa with seven business centers: Ethiopian Domestic and Regional Airline; Ethiopian International Passenger Airline; Ethiopian Cargo; Ethiopian MRO; Ethiopian Aviation Academy; Ethiopian In-flight Catering Services; and Ethiopian Ground Service.
Ethiopian is a multi-award winning airline and a member of Star Alliance since 2011 registering an average growth of 25% in the past seven years compete favourably well with others on international markets.
“Air freight would make this possible. Access to global markets means that Nigerian farmers would have greater demand for their output and perhaps, better prices.
“That is also expected to stimulate more agricultural production, which would in turn, boost the rural economy in the country. ‘There would be competition by farmers to produce more to feed the foreign and domestic market, unlike what you have now’”.
He maintained that there are a lot of works to be done like support services such as cold storage containers will have to be provided at the airports.
Specialised transportation for these perishables also have to be provided. And these services may have to be provided by the private sector, which is expected to buy into the new vision of the Aviation Ministry to transform Nigerian Aviation Industry.
The Aviation Minister has hosted a number of international road shows aimed at creating awareness in the international community about the possibilities of the country.
The Aviation Ministry and parastatals are also in discussions with various chambers of Commerce and Farmers cooperatives round the country, to sensitize them to the possibilities available under the country’s new air cargo programme and to explore various options for collaboration to achieve the objectives of marketing Nigeria’s perishable agricultural produce to the world.
“With 13 designated air cargo airports spread around the country, farmers would not have to haul their produce over long distances by road, in order to find a market for them.
“For example, take the Enugu Airport. Cashew farmers from neighbouring areas would only have to get their produce to the airport, from where these can be freight to different markets both in and outside the country,” he said.
Available statistics indicate that about 70 per cent of agricultural produce especially perishables such as fruits and tomatoes are wasted while trying to get them to several markets round the country.
Air freight could dramatically reduce this wastage, and put more money back into the hands of Nigerian farmers once the current restructuring, reorganization and provision of cargo handling facilities been undertaken currently is in place.
General News
Trump Ends Funding for Malaria, Other Global Health Programs
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The Trump administration has ceased funding for roughly 5,800 global health programs, including those that support providing vaccines, life-saving medications, and emergency health care to millions of people around the world.
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Donald Trump
On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department began sending out a wave of emails informing thousands of health groups, refugee camps, tuberculosis clinics, and polio vaccination projects that they would no longer receive funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), per the New York Times.
The funding was distributed to a wide range of programs, including those for HIV treatment, malaria prevention in Africa, and maternal health care in Nepal.
More major projects now canceled due to the funding cut include: a $90 million malaria prevention contract, a project in the Democratic Republic of Congo that provided water for 250,000 displaced people living in conflict zones, HIV care and treatment in Lesotho, Tanzania, and Eswatini run by Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, a $34 million medical supply management contract in Kenya, 87 shelters in South Africa that support thousands of women who have survived rape and domestic violence, a Yemen community health program in Yemen that identified malnourished children, and a severe acute malnutrition treatment project in Nigeria that serves millions of children and women.
“People will die, but we will never know, because even the programs to count the dead are cut,” Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center, said in a statement.
General News
NAFDAC Withdraws Registration of Artemether/Lumefantrine Oral Suspension over Stability Concerns
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National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the discontinuation of the registration of Multi-Dose Anti-Malarial (Artemether/Lumefantrine) dry powder for oral suspension.
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Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general, NAFDAC,
The decision follows stability concerns, as studies have shown that the reconstituted formulations lose efficacy over time.
The announcement was made in a public alert No. 01/2025, released on the agency’s website.
NAFDAC confirmed that the suspension applies to all locally manufactured and imported Multi-Dose Artemether/Lumefantrine dry powder for oral use.
Consequently, the agency will no longer accept new applications, renewals, or variations for any local or imported Multi-Dose Artemether/Lumefantrine dry powder for oral suspension.
According to NAFDAC, stability studies revealed that reconstituted Artemether/Lumefantrine oral suspension becomes unstable after mixing, leading to a loss of efficacy.
“This loss can have severe health consequences, including treatment failure, increased risk of complications, and, in extreme cases, death,” the agency stated.
All NAFDAC zonal directors and state coordinators have been instructed to conduct surveillance and remove all affected products from circulation.
The agency has also directed importers, distributors, retailers, healthcare professionals, and caregivers to immediately halt the importation, distribution, sale, and use of these medications.
NAFDAC has urged healthcare professionals and consumers to report any suspected sale of these products or related substandard medicines to the nearest NAFDAC office or via the agency’s toll-free number: 0800-162-3322. Reports can also be submitted via email at [email protected].
Additionally, individuals are encouraged to report adverse reactions through the Med-Safety mobile app, available on Android and iOS, or via email at [email protected].
NAFDAC confirmed that this notification would be uploaded to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Surveillance and Monitoring System (GSMS) as part of its regulatory measures.
General News
NITDA Empowers Civil Servants with IT Project Clearance Training
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In line with the presidential priority areas of reforming the economy for sustained inclusive growth and improving governance for effective service delivery, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has commenced a training programme for 1000 civil servants from various MDAs on Information Technology (IT) Project Clearance processes in creating a digitally viable workforce in the public sector towards achieving the desired digital transformation mandate of the present administration.
The opening of the capacity building programme for ICT, Budget, Finance and Planning Officers of Federal Public Institutions, held at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) in Kubwa, Abuja, will be conducted in batches to equip participants with essential knowledge, skills, and best practices.
It aims to enhance collaborative planning, budgeting, and management of ICT system acquisition, deployment, operation, and sustainability in the public sector, ensuring a whole-of-government approach to digital projects.
In his opening remark with the theme, “Empowering Public Sector ICT Excellence Through Strategic Planning and Effective Funding”, the DG NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, emphasised the critical role of strategic planning and funding in enhancing public sector service delivery.
While reiterating the agency’s commitment to digital transformation through the implementation of its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2.0, the DG who was ably represented by the agency’s Director of IT Infrastructure Solutions department, Mr Oladejo Olawunmi, underscored the importance of equipping public sector employees with the necessary tools and knowledge to drive digital initiatives effectively.
Disclosing that NITDA is spearheading digital transformation efforts through its SRAP 2.0, he stated, “This plan aligns with national priorities and aligns with our strategic pillars such as talent development, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, innovation, and policy-enablement to foster a sustainable digital economy”.
However, Inuwa acknowledged the challenges hindering digital transformation in the public sector, including inadequate collaboration among stakeholders, short-term project planning, poor ICT infrastructure maintenance, software licensing issues, and insufficient capacity-building. These barriers, he noted, have contributed to suboptimal outcomes in government-led digital initiatives.
Noting that most project stagnations or failures are attributed to inadequate integration of modern trends such as cloud computing, remote support, and enterprise network services into project planning, Inuwa averred that the agency has strengthened its IT projects clearance process to ensure that digital initiatives are well-conceptualized, planned, and executed in alignment with intended objectives.
“While there have been notable achievements, only 12 percent of Federal Public Institutions, FPIs comply with the process, necessitating a whole-of-government approach for full alignment with national digital transformation goals,” he revealed.
Emphasising that effective resource allocation ensures initiatives are adequately funded and properly executed to deliver real value to the public, he urged participants to manage public funds prudently and prioritise projects that yield measurable outcomes.
“We will explore how to optimize budgeting processes, improve financial oversight, and build systems that ensure transparency and accountability.
“This event has been structured with your professional development in mind, with sessions led by experts in the field, interactive discussions, and practical case studies that will provide you with actionable knowledge you can apply in your respective roles,” he concluded.
Highlighting the critical role of ICT, project, finance, and planning officers, Inuwa admonished participants to take full advantage of the program’s sessions, designed to strengthen their expertise in strategic planning, monitoring, evaluation, and financial management.
“Each of you plays a crucial role in the management and distribution of resources, the planning and implementation of programmes, and ultimately the delivery of services to our communities. Together, you form the backbone of efficient and transparent governance,” he concluded
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