EurAfrican Forum Digital 2020: 2 Days Between Europe and Africa’s Major Leaders

ITREALMS:

The EurAfrican Forum Digital 2020 will be gathering key actors from the public and private sector but also engaging the civil society, entrepreneurs, artists, activists, scientists

For the first time, the EurAfrican Forum will be moving online holding its 3rd annual meeting on July 2nd and 3rd, 2020, reports ITREALMS.

The EurAfrican Forum Digital 2020 will be gathering key actors from the public and private sector but also engaging the civil society, entrepreneurs, artists, activists, scientists; 2020’s edition will explore and discuss common challenges, as it unveils its theme In Search for a Common Ground in a Post COVID World; 

The program will focus on five key topics: Perspectives on EU-AU relations, Matrix (Energy) Just Transition, Made in Africa: Emerging and Fast Track Business, African Culture Feeding the world, Connecting the Unconnected.

Due to the global health crisis, many international conferences have cancelled or postponed their 2020 edition. But at a time of risk and uncertainty, the President of the Board believes it is a crucial moment to come together.

“The only way to respond to a global crisis is to reunite not only the political or private decision makers but also the civil society to have a collective vision and establish global solutions. We have thus taken the decision to move the EurAfrican Forum online, in order to all be part of the recovery of our economies,” Filipe de Botton, Chairman of the Board of the Portuguese Diaspora Council.

The annual meeting will be gathering online the foremost changemakers of the African and European continent, such as entrepreneurs, artists, activists, public and private decision leaders, on July 2nd and 3rd 2020.

The conversations will go on, and the digital Forum be providing the tools needed to work together, in search of common ground in a post-COVID world. With live and recorded programming: talks, firechats, networking, and exhibitions, a wide range of panelists will join the conversation, such as: Jonathan Rosenthal, Africa Editor of The Economist – Prof. Landry Signé, Senior Fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program, Brookings Institution, Dr. Bakary Diallo, CEO, African Virtual University – Biola Alabi, Founding Partner, Biola Alabi Media, Carlos Lopes, Honorary Professor, University of Cape Town – Fabio Scala, Founder, Further Africa, Vanessa Nakate, Climate Activist and Founder, The Rise Up Climate Movement, Thora Arnorsdottir, Managing TV Editor, Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, Enuma Okoro, Author.

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AfDB approves new 5-year strategy for Nigeria - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved Nigeria’s Country Strategy Paper (CSP) 2020-2024, which builds on the successes and challenges of the 2013-2019 edition, and incorporates emerging developmental realities and opportunities shaping Nigeria’s political and economic landscape, including in the post-COVID-19 period, reports ITREALMS.

The approval made on 27 May 2020, ITREALMS reports that Ebrima Faal, Senior Director for the African Development Bank in Nigeria, re-affirmed the institution’s support for Nigeria’s socio-economic advancement. “In the implementation of the CSP, the Bank will also support Nigeria to address economic shocks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and oil price shocks by focusing our interventions in sectors that will strengthen public health infrastructure and accelerate efforts towards economic transformation and diversification of export earnings and fiscal revenues from oil.”

The 2020-2024 CSP identifies supporting infrastructure development and promoting social inclusion through agribusiness and skills development as key priority areas for Nigeria. These priorities have been selected to leverage Nigeria’s rich endowment of natural and human resources toward transforming the lives of its people. It is in this context that the new CSP has been customized to support government efforts in confronting challenges and to foster long-term, socially inclusive development.

Under the CSP, the Bank will deploy a combination of sovereign and non-sovereign financing instruments to support the two priority areas, including investment and institutional support projects, evidence based analytical work in numerous economic sectors, policy dialogue and provision of advisory services. Special focus will be put on supporting the Nigerian private sector, in terms of financing and advisory services, and on Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) initiatives that enable innovative, long-term investment in energy, transport and water and sanitation.

The Strategy Paper is the result of participatory consultations with a range of key stakeholders, both state and non-state actors as well as bilateral and multilateral development partners. The CSP is fully aligned with the Bank's Ten-Year Strategy, the High 5 priorities and Nigeria’s own Economic Reform and Growth Plan (ERGP), as well as the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As of December 2019, the Bank Group’s active portfolio in Nigeria comprised 61 operations, with a total commitment of about $5 billion. Of the total active operations, 29 were in the public sector, with a commitment of $2 billion (43%) and 32 non-sovereign operations with a total commitment of $3 billion, equivalent to 57% of the total portfolio.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Buhari reappoints Danbatta, EVC of NCC - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The President, General Muhammadu Buhari, retired, has approved the reappointment of Professor Umar Garba Danbatta as the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for another five-year term, reports ITREALMS.

This, ITREALMS gathered aligns with the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 and National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy of 2019, according to office of the current Minister of Communication and Digital Economy.

ITREALMS recalls that Prof. Danbatta who was born in Danbatta Local Government Council of Kano State, Prof. Danbatta obtained his BEng, MSc degrees from the Technical University of Wroclaw in Poland and his PhD from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) UK respectively.

He has served as a lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Technology of Bayero University Kano for 28 years, where he taught courses in telecommunications engineering and electronics and held academic positions of Dean of the Faculty and Head of Department at different times. His main administrative responsibilities, in the university, included Deputy and Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs, Administrator of the Works Department and later, Director of the Centre for Information Technology (CIT).

He was also a member of over 60 University committees and task forces, including numerous stints as Chairman. In administrative and other responsibilities outside the university, he has served on over 20 committees, prominent among which was his Chairmanship of the Implementation Committee of Kano State University of Science & Technology, after which he became its pioneer Deputy and Acting Vice-Chancellor when it took off in 2001.

Prof. Danbatta has supervised more than projects in diverse areas of telecommunications and has also served as external examiner to seven universities and polytechnics and is an assessor, technical reviewer and editorial member to eight research journals. He has to his credit more than 50 articles in journals, conference proceedings and technical reports. He is also the author of a six-chapter, 167-page book titled Elements of Static Engineering Electromagnetics.

He is a recipient of 18 distinguished awards and certificates of honour. Prof. Danbatta has served two terms of five years as a Member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and is also a COREN registered engineer and member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).

He was the Vice President of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), International Centre for Advanced Communications Studies, which was established in the year 2004 by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to build capacity for the Nigerian/African telecom industry in the diverse areas of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). While at DBI he has developed expertise in the following major areas of ICT implementation, policy and regulation:

Chuks Egbune/Editor

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Rudman, Adebayo to lead speakers @ITREALMS webinar on Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

All is now set for the first virtual meeting on the Internet Protocol version Six (IPv6) on Saturday, June 6, 2020, to be hosted by ITREALMS Online, a multiple international award-winning medium, with specialty on coverage of business of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

The webinar being hosted in collaboration with DigitalSENSE Africa has confirmed key speakers, including the chairman, IPv6 Council Nigeria, Mr. Muhammed Rudman and chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, who both would be leading discourse on the overall theme: on “Role of Internet Protocol (IP) in 5G vs COVID-19 Debate.”

Confirming this, the Editor-in-Chief of ITREALMS Media, Remmy Nweke, said the webinar has been slated in commemoration of the World IPv6 Day, 2020 as part of the media house drive for education and enlightenment under its digital rights series.

According to Nweke, this year’s theme would focus on “Role of IP in 5G v COVID-19 Debate” with some subthemes, for the webinar slated for Saturday, June 6, by 10am Universal Time 11am Nigeria time at ITREALMS Zoom Webinar with Meeting ID: 748 9663 7846 and Password: 3ggKaz.

He recalled that a collaborating organization, DigitalSENSE Africa, has been leading this effort under the aegis of the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable in commemoration of the World Internet Protocol Version Six (IPv6) Day, celebrated every June 6; to promote the adoption of IPv6 for the products and services as well as create awareness, especially in Nigeria.

He noted that ITREALMS is collaborating with DigitalSENSE Africa, an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) accredited At-Large Structure (ALS), which brought IPv6 awareness to Nigeria since 2011.

Nweke also said that this year’s virtual event is to sustain the awareness around the IPv6 evolution despite the Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic, which trajectory kickoff was occasioned by the depletion of the Internet Protocol version Four (IPv4), over eight years ago.

Equally he revealed that experts have been selected to speak to the theme of this year “Role of IP in 5G v COVID-19 Debate” urging interested public to join in the webinar to know more on the theme.

Some of the confirmed key speakers, he said, include the chairman, IPv6 Council Nigeria, Mr. Muhammed Rudman who would be dwelling on subtheme of “IPv6 Evolution & 5G” and chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, would lead discussion on “ALTON: 5G vs COVID-19.” 

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Citizen to Ndume on Almajiri: I respect your views, but strongly disagree - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

"Distinguished Senator Ndume,

I RESPECT YOUR VIEWS SO MUCH, BUT STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH YOU THIS TIME

1. I hope you are keeping safe and observing all COVID-19 protocols as detailed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control?"2. I read your comment regarding the Almajiri system and was so touched that I cannot but add my voice to yours."3. Sir, the fact that you were a product of Almajiri system does not make it right. This is twenty first century Nigeria and so many things have changed in case you just returned from Mars (...laughs)."4. Nigerians travel to all corners of the world including some of the Islamic countries with deep-rooted religious fundamentalism. Nowhere do they find responsible parents throw their UNDER-AGED children out to the streets to beg to feed in the guise of religion."5. For lack of what other humane name to call it, some of us believe that the Almajiri system, which you are defending is promoting irresponsible parenting."6. We are thankful to God that you survived it and by the grace of Almighty God, you pulled through to become a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But the end line is this; if your dear parents ever threw you out to go and beg strangers for food, they did not treat you well."7. It also means that you may not have enjoyed parental love, care and affection. But, please find it in your heart to forgive them. They may not have known better."8. On the account of that, If I were you, I will spend my last breadth to ensure that other children do not pass through that route because it is inhuman."9. Distinguished Senator, strong voices such as yours from the north should positively support the efforts of the Northern Governors to give these children God gave to some "irresponsible Nigerian parents) a better life."10 . I do not see that better life in Almajiri system, which was why the former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and his administration built Almajiri schools all over northern Nigeria to enable the country mop up the children from the streets and give them a sense of direction."11 . But shortly after he left office, I do not know what has become of the well-intended schools. I think this is the time to revive such schools."12 . Distinguished, I stand to be corrected, but I cannot remember any serving Senator of the Federal Republic whose under-aged children are part of the "beautiful Almajiri" system that you are eulogising - roaming the streets and begging to feed.

"13 . Please, do not defend such a system that debases humanism. Rather, you should join other positive voices like the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el' Rufai, Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje etc that are calling for better life for these children.

"14. I think, you should also join the campaign that couples in northern Nigeria to give birth to the number of children they can cater for. That cliche that "It is God that takes care of children," is thoroughly unreasonable.

"15. Distinguished, please do not misunderstand these candid musings. It is because of the love and respect that I have for you. And, I will appreciate it if you take it in good fate. In Igboland where I come from, there is a saying that "...a man who cannot take care of his family is worse than an infidel..."

"16. For that reason, Igbo people see begging as a taboo. How much more when a parent or parents send their children out to go and beg, I mean beg for livelihood deliberately...God forbid bad thing!

"17 . May God Almighty continue to give you more wisdom to enable you discharge your duties as a very knowledgeable Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"18 . Thank you so much for your time, Distinguished Senator."

*Contributed by Jude Nwauzor, Communications Practitioner, Abuja.

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