VICAMPRO charts new course with conference on the Business of Agriculture in Nigeria.

The VICAMPRO group one of Nigeria’s key stakeholders in the agricultural sector is charting a new course towards diversifying Nigeria’s economy, economic growth and capacity building through its forthcoming conference and workshop. The “Business of Agriculture” workshop aims to demystify agriculture in the eyes of the intending entrepreneur. The workshop would bring together current players in the industry to share their experience and provide insight into the opportunities and pitfall of agricultural entrepreneurship. Speakers at the conference would aim to cover the major aspects for the industry including but not limited to government policy and plans for agriculture, agricultural project financing, land matter, business model and market opportunities, people, technology mechanization and irrigation. The “The business of agriculture” workshop aims to solve the above identified gaps and opportunities. It is a workshop that would bring industry players under a conducive atmosphere to share experience and mentor intending entrepreneurs on how to build a successful agricultural business. Other objectives include;1) Knowledge 2) Networking 3) Mentor ship continue.

Lassa fever kills doctor, 2 others in Anambra.

Dr Emmanuel Okafor, the Director of Public Health in the Anambra Ministry of Health, on Thursday confirmed the death of a medical doctor and two others due to new cases of Lassa fever in the state. The director confirmed the report at one-day workshop on Lassa fever organised by the ministry to sensitise health professionals in the state on the disease in Awka. However, he said that the outbreak was not yet in an epidemic proportion in the state. Okafor said that the workshop was aimed at training the health professionals who would go to the grassroots to educate the people on the prevention of the disease. "In Anambra we don’t know the number of cases of the disease but we have three confirmed deaths," he said. He urged health workers to exercise high standard of professionalism in handling Lassa fever cases. Okafor said the state government had put in place proactive measures to handle the scourge. Dr Jane Ezeonu, a resource person at the workshop, first broke the news of the death of the doctor and the two other persons. Ezeonu said that the medical doctor died three days ago at the Nnamdi Azikiwe General Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi. She, however, said that the late medical doctor was referred to NAUTH from Asaba, Delta state. Ezeonu stressed the need for adequate prevention mechanism to be taken on the issue. The doctor warned people against drinking raw garri (cassava flour), advising residents to ensure protection of their food and related items from rats. "People don’t acquire immunity after suffering from Lassa fever. General hygiene is the key for prevention," Ezeonu said. Also speaking at the occasion, Dr Okwuchukwu Chukwuka, Permanent Secretary, in the ministry, said there was no epidemic of the disease in the state. Chukwuka, who represented the Commissioner for Health, Dr Josephat Akabuike, said the workshop was part of the proactive measures adopted by the state government. "It is a training workshop for health professionals in the 21 local government areas of the state who would sensitise and disseminate information about Lassa fever to the grassroots. NAN.

7 smart city innovations you need to know about.

How the Internet of Things (IoT) is connecting up our cities in real-time.Smart cities are on their way – and this time they're for real. Disparate aspects of cities are beginning to connect with internet of things (IoT) devices. "Projects look at a single system – like transport – but don't link it with say, health," says Steve Turner, head of the Future City programme at Manchester City Council. "The next big challenge for the IoT is to link all the city systems." Manchester City Council launched its CityVerve project in July to connect the city's health, transport, environment and services with 20 kinds of sensors. The data from the initiative – funded by a £10 million prize from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport – will be used to make city planning more responsive. Some of the innovations are outlined below; 1) Bus stops Manchester's CityVerve project plans to install smart bus stops which will be able to let drivers know when people are waiting, and smart lighting that comes on when needed, so it is more efficient with using energy. 2) Vehicles Portuguese company Veniam wants to turn all vehicles into Wi-Fi hotspots using mesh networks. Porto is the first city to trial this "internet of moving things", with bin lorries and buses broadcasting Wi-Fi. 3)Waste Helping waste and recycling companies operate more efficiently, Finnish startup Enevo's sensors can tell when a bin is full and then plan a route for the collection lorries that takes traffic into account.

How to handle a frightened pet.

Manhandling a scared patient will cause its anxiety to increase and will potentially put you in danger. Watch this video for alternatives to this risky practice. More

Mental health in the work place.

If you're concerned someone you know might hurt themselves because of depression and suicidal thoughts, encourage them to get help. But what if someone just seems really down and you don't know what they're thinking and feeling? The way people react shows what they are really dwelling on,so if someone is irrational or towing the wrong path,help them dont get angry.credits

Job Center established to boost youth employment in Osun .

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola launched the Osun Job Centre, stressing that there will be no going back in his government’s human development policies.The scheme tagged the Osun Youth Empowerment , O-YES policy, brought great micro-economic impact on the state with N200 million monthly allowances given to the youth under the programme. The Osun Job Centre is a State Government-funded programme and its services are provided at no cost to the users of its facilities. It will serve as an intermediary between job seekers and employers, with the goal of matching the company’s needs and requirements with a job seeker’s skills, experiences and interests. The Job Centre would provide employment support services such as career counseling for job seekers; employability skills training; verification of certificates; job fairs to connect individuals to employers of labor and seminars to be given by experts from all fields of the economy.

Lagos unveils mega infrastructural projects to boost security, unlock traffic gridlock.

Lagos State Government, unfolded fresh projects aimed at boosting security and revenue generation in the state. Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, who led other colleagues at an inter-ministerial briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, said the mega projects were designed to enhance investments as well as improve the living standards of residents in particular and Nigeria in general. The projects include: Approval for the construction of Fly-over Bridge at Pen Cinema, installation of 13, 000 Closed Circuit Television, CCTV, Cameras and security sensors, removal of three roundabouts in Lekki axis. Ayorinde, said government was set to decongest traffic along the Lekki-Epe Expressway through the removal of three roundabouts namely the 4th Roundabout (Elegushi); 5th Roundabout (Jakande) and the 8th Roundabout (VGC). The affected roundabouts would be replaced by traffic lights, expansion of the roads and provision of dedicated turning lanes and additional lay-bys. Ayorinde noted that the state government had commenced the implementation of the Lagos Enterprise, Geographical Information System, GIS, upgrade and the Integrated Land Administration Automation System, which when implemented, would ensure proper monitoring of government infrastructure for optimum benefit, fast-track the ease of doing business and improve government-citizen relationship. A flyover bridge on pen cinema is a 700 meter bridge that would span from Oba Ogunji Road into Agunbiade. The idea is that at Oba Ogunji, the road will be expanded to create a barrier that will discourage motorists from parking indiscriminately on the road. The bridge will help easy traffic in that axis and complement the ongoing flyover bridge in Abule-Egba axis. The project is part of the Smart City project, projected by the state government to boost security in the state. The project involves installing 6, 000 streetlights to support the light Lagos initiative and also providing 13, 000 CCTV cameras across the state, the deployment of the CCTV would start at the last quarter (September) of this year.more