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Over 9 in 10 Nigerian youth ready to take action to draw the line against malaria
Despite COVID-19 diverting attention from malaria, over half (58%) believe they are the generation to end the disease, says new survey released one month before this year’s World Malaria Day on April 25th
New research finds that 9 in 10 Nigerian youth want to take personal action in the fight against malaria, with over half (58%) believing the disease can be eliminated in their lifetimes – despite the country having the world’s highest malaria burden.
A new survey released by the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, in collaboration with Gallup International, explores attitudes to malaria among young people aged 18-34 in six countries: Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa.
The data shows that youth in Nigeria are most likely to volunteer their time to support malaria control efforts, for example by distributing mosquito nets or supporting community clean-up activities (52%), even ahead of simply sharing information about malaria on social media (49%). A quarter also hope to make a difference by calling on national policymakers (28%) or engaging community leaders (23%) to prioritize malaria. Importantly, 90% of youth in Nigeria already take preventative measures to protect themselves and their families against the disease.
Despite their optimism, however, only a fifth (20%) of youth surveyed in Nigeria believe leaders are doing enough to end malaria. This sentiment was most pronounced in urban areas, where youth are significantly less likely to agree policymakers are doing enough (19%) than youth living in rural areas (35%).
The ongoing spread of COVID-19 threatens the malaria response, and the full impact is not yet known – particularly in highly affected countries like Nigeria, which accounts for a quarter of all malaria cases and deaths worldwide. In 2020, frontline health workers and governments including Nigeria, with support from partners, sustained more than 90% of mosquito net distribution and seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaigns in 30 countries, avoiding a worst-case scenario of a doubling of malaria deaths in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020 alone. Despite these efforts, however, the majority of youth in the country – 58% – feel national attention towards malaria has decreased during the pandemic.
Zero Malaria champion Bello Abdulhakeem Bolaji, an electrical engineering graduate who co-founded a tech start-up in Nigeria, says:
“A malaria-free world is absolutely achievable within a generation, but only with increased action and commitment from all levels of society – from small communities to global leaders. It’s encouraging to see that youth in both higher and lower burdened countries are so optimistic and passionate about ending malaria. I must now urge all young people across the continent to put this into action this World Malaria Day by calling on their leaders to draw the line against malaria”.
These findings informed ‘Draw the Line Against Malaria’ – a youth-focused, Africa-first global campaign launched by the RBM Partnership and its partners this year. Supported by African icons in sport and culture, the campaign urges youth across the continent to take their futures back from malaria – a disease which caused 409,000 deaths in 2019 and continues to prevent children from going to school and realizing their full potential.
Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, the United Nations Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, comments:
“Health is a human right, not a privilege. No one should get sick and die from diseases that are preventable and treatable. All our efforts in the response and green recovery to COVID-19 need to ensure that other diseases, such as malaria, are not neglected. We must continue to invest in youth-led solutions to combat malaria around the world.”
World Malaria Day 2021 puts the spotlight on nations reaching zero malaria
The survey findings are released one month ahead of World Malaria Day 2021, the global awareness day celebrated on 25th April each year. This year’s theme – ‘Zero Malaria – Draw the Line Against Malaria’ – will celebrate progress achieved by a diverse set of countries that have achieved zero malaria since 2000, encourage a growing number of nations on the cusp of elimination, and re-ignite the movement to end malaria in countries still impacted by the disease.
To mark World Malaria Day, on 21st April, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the RBM Partnership will jointly hold the Virtual Forum on Malaria Elimination. On this occasion, WHO will announce 27 countries and territories that have the potential to eliminate malaria by 2025, as well as review progress towards the achievement of the 2020 global elimination milestone of 10 countries recording three consecutive years of zero malaria cases since 2015. These include Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and Algeria, as well as El Salvador, the first Central American country to be certified malaria-free earlier this year.
In addition, countries around the world will observe World Malaria Day with their own events, with several countries launching nationwide Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaigns and others illuminating landmarks at 21:00 local time on 25th April in a global relay to celebrate progress towards zero malaria around the world and highlight the urgency of ending this disease everywhere.
Dr Abdourahmane Diallo, CEO of the RBM Partnership adds:
“This World Malaria Day we celebrate countries around the globe that have reached zero malaria since 2000, and a growing number of nations that are on the cusp of elimination.
“Yet despite this incredible progress, World Malaria Day must also serve as a crucial reminder for people everywhere that we must accelerate with urgency to fight this preventable and treatable disease that still takes a child’s life every two minutes. Over this past year, COVID-19 has threatened our hard-won progress against malaria, so now more than ever we must make a commitment to end malaria once and for all.”
Ahead of World Malaria Day, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria urges people in Africa and worldwide to Draw the Line Against Malaria at ZeroMalaria.org and join the conversation on social media by using #DrawTheLine, #ZeroMalaria and #WorldMalariaDay.
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Bayer set to hold the 3rd edition of the Nigeria Maize Conference
This year’s conference which will be virtual is tagged “Much More Maize” and is scheduled for the 22nd of April 2021.
Bayer Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, Germany has announced its plan to hold the 3rd edition of its annual Nigeria Maize conference. This year’s conference which will be virtual is tagged “Much More Maize” and is scheduled for the 22nd of April 2021.
Speaking ahead of the conference, the Country Sales Manager, Bayer Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Temitope Banjo said that the Nigeria Maize Conference is an initiative to bring together stakeholders in the Maize agricultural value chain, to deliver innovative solutions that would help Nigerian farmers maximize their farm yields and secure their harvests from devastating disease and pests.
According to Banjo, “Nigeria is yet to reach its full potentials in terms of maize productivity, for example where a hectare of farmland in Egypt can yield up to 7 metric tonnes per hectare, a farm of the same size in Nigeria only produces around 1.8 metric tonnes per hectare which is one of the lowest among the top 10 maize producers in Africa.” He went on to say that even though Nigeria is presently the largest producer of Maize in Africa, the country is still not able to meet up with its domestic and industrial needs for the crop.
He stated that the challenges with maize production in Nigeria are mainly due to poor agronomic factors and the use of bad seeds during planting and cultivation, and there is a need to educate our farmers on how they can increase the productivity and profitability of their farms, hence the theme for this year’s conference.
Commenting on how Bayer intended to address the maize production challenges in Nigeria, the Managing Director of Bayer Nigeria Ltd., Mr. Sefihait Kone explained that Bayer has a suite of products which is called the Bayer “Much More Maize” toolkit, specially put together to help farmers protect their crops and boost productivity of their farms from the planting phase through the harvesting stage.
“We will show how these products, if used properly have the potential to increase the profitability of their farms which translates to higher revenue for them. We hope that once all farmers imbibe these proper procedures, it will have a ripple effect on the economy and increase the food sufficiency of the country,” Kone stated.
Some of the guests and keynote speakers expected at the virtual conference include Alhaji Abubakar Bello who is the President of the Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN), Dr. Olusegun Ojo, the Director of the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) as well as experts from Bayer in person of Dr. David Wangila and Dr. Joseph Kibaki.
Visit https://nigerianmaizeconference.com/#register to register for the event.
Bayer is an innovation company with a more than 150-year history. Its scientific successes are intended to help improve people’s lives. It’s a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture.
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The Grow With Eyowo Initiative is redefining the growth path for small businesses in Nigeria
Selected entrepreneurs will also enjoy access to a state-of-the-art studio where they can shoot and edit promotional photos and videos for their businesses.
Eyowo has launched the Grow With Eyowo initiative offering entrepreneurs access to up to 5 million Naira in capital loans, along with industry-specific growth tips from seasoned experts, masterclasses, and a budget for online advertising and campaigns. Selected entrepreneurs will also enjoy access to a state-of-the-art studio where they can shoot and edit promotional photos and videos for their businesses.
Announcing the news through their social media, Eyowo stated that this initiative rides on their commitment as partners of growth for SMEs, to support business owners on their entrepreneurial journey; to go at their ambitions, dreams, and aspirations and grow their businesses into successful enterprises.
According to Seindemi Olobayo, Chief Executive Officer of Eyowo, initiatives such as this will potentially drive economic growth for our nation;
“Aside from being the major employers of labour, MSMEs are the major stimuli for economic growth in every nation. This is why we have decided as a company to support entrepreneurs with capital, tools and the requisite knowledge that will help take their businesses to the next level”, he said.
For interested businesses to stand a chance of being selected, they will be required to sign up on the Grow With Eyowo page.
Though Eyowo joins a list of corporates and businesses who have expressed commitment to the continuously booming SME sector. However, Eyowo’s funnel of growth resources, masterclass, and the access to market it provides, make this initiative a complete solution for entrepreneurs and small business owners who are in dire need of an ecosystem to grow their businesses.
What truly distinguishes the initiative from others is its ambitious Nigeria-focused vision of an economic transformation that results in the elevation of the individuals and businesses that journey through the Eyowo ecosystem and the emergence of a truly inclusive society for all.
Eyowo promises that this is the first in a litany of life-changing initiatives they hope to deliver in the coming months.
Eyowo Integrated Payments Limited is a payment service provider founded in 2019 and headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. Eyowo is Africa’s growth platform for every human who desires access, independence, and connectedness in their finance and everyday life. With Eyowo, everyone who has a mobile phone in Nigeria can now send, spend, receive, save and borrow money.
Learn more at www.eyowo.com
