<div><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/threepsmars/image/upload/v1661995294/kikhwyphi2rnitpnnrl8.png" alt=""> </div>Sudan Urged to Let Humanitarian Workers Move Freely in Darfur – The U.N. and African Union chiefs strongly urged Sudan on Thursday to grant freedom of movement to peacekeepers and aid workers in Darfur, where tens of thousands of civilians are homeless because of fighting.“There is no military solution to the conflict in Darfur, and [we] call on all parties to engage in earnest in negotiations for a cessation of hostilities leading to a peaceful settlement of the conflict,” Ban Ki-moon and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in a joint statement.The U.N. says a surge in fighting between Sudanese forces and rebels from the Sudan Liberation Army has driven 90,000 civilians from their homes in northern Darfur over the last six weeks.But U.N. officials have been unable to confirm reports of another 50,000 refugees in central Darfur, because aid workers have not been given access to the region.More than a decade of fighting in Darfur between the rebels and government forces, who have been aided by Arab militias, has killed more than 300,000 people and created 2.6 million refugees. <a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/sudan-urged-humanitarian-workers-move-freely-darfur/3219208.html" target="_blank">(Credit: Voice of America News)</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

3PSMARS Analytics

Let Humanitarian Workers Move Freely in Darfur

People's Parliament

News

Videos

Press Releases

Interviews

World

Government

Africa

Economy

United Nations

Development

Public Adminsitration

SDGs

Health

Business

Education

Security

Civil Service

Equal Rights

Wealth

Africa Debates

Start up

Foreign workers in Nigeria earn £160,000-plus but work a 48-hour week
First Posted by Aliyu ADEKUNLE S on May 21, 2015 on community.vanguardngr.com

Foreign workers in Nigeria earn £160,000-plus but work a 48-hour week

LET YOUR WORKERS REBEL –   Throughout our careers, we are taught to conform — to the status quo, to the opinions and behaviors of others, and to information that supports our views. 

Let Your Workers Rebel

The politics of tribalism in Nigeria has contributed to its enduring fragile democracy. The article explains the basis and origin of the phenomenon and offers some advice on ways forward.

The Nigerian Politics of Tribalism

Every year since 2011, Forbes has enlisted readers’ help to identify 20 young, extraordinary and inspiring African women, aged 45 and under, who are making the most dramatic impact in individual African countries in the world of politics, business, technology, policy, diplomacy and media for the annual tally of the 20 Youngest Power Women In Africa.

6 Nigerians make Forbes’ list of 20 youngest power women in Africa

This commentary was republished on March 19, 2015, by the Cable and the Metropole but was originally written by Professor Calestous Juma.

Why Nigeria Matters to the World

World Humanitarian Summit must be ‘turning point’ in cooperation to tackle crises – UN chief – World leaders must come together in 2016 to renew their commitments to humanity and unite to prevent and end crisis and reduce vulnerability, United NationsSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, telling UN Member States that the World Humanitarian Summit will provide an opportunity for “concrete steps towards ending the suffering experienced by billions of people today.”

World Humanitarian Summit must be ‘turning point’ in cooperation to tackle crises

Foreign workers in Nigeria earn £160,000-plus but work a 48-hour week <a href="http://community.vanguardngr.com/profiles/blogs/foreign-workers-in-nigeria-earn-160-000-plus-but-work-a-48-hour-w" target="_blank">First Posted by Aliyu ADEKUNLE S on May 21, 2015 on community.vanguardngr.com</a>Africa is home to the world’s highest number of expats making more than $250,000 (£160,000) annually, according to a global survey. But foreign workers there work hard for their money – four out of 10 countries with the world’s longest working hours are in Africa.Nigeria has the highest number of high-earning expats. A total of 12 per cent of households earn more than $250,000 per year, making it the top location for earnings, according to InterNations, a network for people who live and work abroad. READ MORE

<div><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/threepsmars/image/upload/v1661844242/ft5nkatslw9l19ocaeih.png" alt=""> </div>LET YOUR WORKERS REBEL – Throughout our careers, we are taught to conform — to the status quo, to the opinions and behaviours of others, and to information that supports our views. The pressure only grows as we climb the organizational ladder. By the time we reach high-level positions, conformity has been so hammered into us that we perpetuate it in our enterprises. In a recent survey I conducted of more than 2,000 employees across a wide range of industries, nearly half the respondents reported working in organizations where they regularly feel the need to conform, and more than half said that people in their organizations do not question the status quo. The results were similar when I surveyed high-level executives and midlevel managers. As this data suggests, organizations consciously or unconsciously urge employees to check a good chunk of their real selves at the door. Workers and their organizations both pay a price: decreased engagement, productivity, and innovation (see the exhibit “The Perils of Conformity”).Drawing on my research and fieldwork and on the work of other scholars of psychology and management, I will describe three reasons for our conformity on the job, discuss why this behaviour is costly for organizations, and suggest ways to combat it.Of course, not all conformity is bad. But to be successful and evolve, organizations need to strike a balance between adherence to the formal and informal rules that provide necessary structure and the freedom that helps employees do their best work. The pendulum has swung too far in the direction of conformity. In another recent survey I conducted, involving more than 1,000 employees in a variety of industries, less than 10% said they worked in companies that regularly encourage nonconformity. That’s not surprising: For decades the principles of scientific management have prevailed. Leaders have been overly focused on designing efficient processes and getting employees to follow them. Now they need to think about when conformity hurts their business and allow — even promote — what I call constructive nonconformity: behavior that deviates from organizational norms, others’ actions, or common expectations, to the benefit of the organization.WHY CONFORMITY IS SO PREVALENTLet’s look at the three main, and interrelated, reasons why we so often conform at work.We fall prey to social pressure. Early in life we learn that tangible benefits arise from following social rules about what to say, how to act, how to dress, and so on. Conforming makes us feel accepted and part of the majority. As classic research conducted in the 1950s by the psychologist Solomon Asch showed, conformity to peer pressure is so powerful that it occurs even when we know it will lead us to make bad decisions. In one experiment, Asch asked participants to complete what they believed was a simple perceptual task: identifying which of three lines on one card was the same length as a line on another card. When asked individually, participants chose the correct line. When asked in the presence of paid actors who intentionally selected the wrong line, about 75% conformed to the group at least once. In other words, they chose an incorrect answer in order to fit in.Organizations have long exploited this tendency. Ancient Roman families employed professional mourners at funerals. Entertainment companies hire people (“claques”) to applaud at performances. And companies advertising health products often report the percentage of doctors or dentists who use their offerings.Conformity at work takes many forms: modeling the behavior of others in similar roles, expressing appropriate emotions, wearing proper attire, routinely agreeing with the opinions of managers, acquiescing to a team’s poor decisions, and so on. And all too often, bowing to peer pressure reduces individuals’ engagement with their jobs. This is understandable: Conforming often conflicts with our true preferences and beliefs and therefore makes us feel inauthentic. In fact, research I conducted with Maryam Kouchaki, of Northwestern University, and Adam Galinsky, of Columbia University, showed that when people feel inauthentic at work, it’s usually because they have succumbed to social pressure to conform.We become too comfortable with the status quo. In organizations, standard practices — the usual ways of thinking and doing — play a critical role in shaping performance over time. But they can also get us stuck, decrease our engagement, and constrain our ability to innovate or to perform at a high level. Rather than resulting from thoughtful choices, many traditions endure out of routine, or what psychologists call the status quo bias. Because we feel validated and reassured when we stick to our usual ways of thinking and doing, and because — as research has consistently found — we weight the potential losses of deviating from the status quo much more heavily than we do the potential gains, we favor decisions that maintain the current state of affairs.But sticking with the status quo can lead to boredom, which in turn can fuel complacency and stagnation. Borders, BlackBerry, Polaroid, and Myspace are but a few of the many companies that once had winning formulas but didn’t update their strategies until it was too late. Overly comfortable with the status quo, their leaders fell back on tradition and avoided the type of nonconformist behavior that could have spurred continued success.OF MORE THAN 1,000 EMPLOYEES SURVEYED, LESS THAN 10% SAID THEY WORKED IN COMPANIES THAT REGULARLY ENCOURAGE NONCONFORMITY.We interpret information in a self-serving manner. A third reason for the prevalence of conformity is that we tend to prioritize information that supports our existing beliefs and to ignore information that challenges them, so we overlook things that could spur positive change. Complicating matters, we also tend to view unexpected or unpleasant information as a threat and to shun it — a phenomenon psychologists call motivated skepticism.In fact, research suggests, the manner in which we weigh evidence resembles the manner in which we weigh ourselves on a bathroom scale. If the scale delivers bad news, we hop off and get back on — perhaps the scale misfired or we misread the display. If it delivers good news, we assume it’s correct and cheerfully head for the shower.Here’s a more scientific example. Two psychologists, Peter Ditto and David Lopez, asked study participants to evaluate a student’s intelligence by reviewing information about him one piece at a time — similar to the way college admissions officers evaluate applicants. The information was quite negative. Subjects could stop going through it as soon as they’d reached a firm conclusion. When they had been primed to like the student (with a photo and some information provided before the evaluation), they turned over one card after another, searching for anything that would allow them to give a favorable rating. When they had been primed to dislike him, they turned over a few cards, shrugged, and called it a day.By uncritically accepting information when it is consistent with what we believe and insisting on more when it isn’t, we subtly stack the deck against good decisions.Read more: <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/10/let-your-workers-rebel?referral=03692&cm_mmc=email-_-newsletter-_-thebigidea-_-20161024&utm_source=thebigidea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=promo_20161024&spMailingID=15724878&spUserID=OTgyNDk1NDc1MTcS1&spJobID=881851174&spReportId=ODgxODUxMTc0S0" target="_blank">Harvard Business Review</a>&nbsp;

The Nigerian Politics of Tribalism By Ayodele OshoI found this article on the Nigerian Politics of Tribalism and wish to share it with my readers.The politics of tribalism in Nigeria has contributed to its enduring fragile democracy. The article explains the basis and origin of the phenomenon and offers some advice on ways forward.———————-This is an entry for the Pulse writer’s contest by Ayodele Osho. “…No nation can record progress if her people are suspicious of one another based on ethnocentric sentiments and historical resentment…”According to the 8th Edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Tribalism is the behaviour and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one’s own tribe or social group. Tribalism suggests the possession of a strong ethnic identity that distinguishes one member of a tribe from the members of another tribe. We can decide to let this hold us back or use the rich diversity in Nigeria to our benefits.Nigeria, being a multi-ethnic society has been faced with tribalism over the years. Each ethnic group has its own culture, language and traditional belief. There are numerous negative perceptions about the various tribes even by Nigerians. The various tribes in Nigeria have their mythologies about where they originated from. The diversities from the origin however ought to be a blessing to the Nigerian nation. However, its heterogeneous nature has been the bane of the nation at various times in her over hundred years of existence.The first step for Nigeria to really succeed in the 21st century is to put an end to tribalism and look forward to attaining true nationhood. No nation can record progress if her people are suspicious of one another based on ethnocentric sentiments and historical resentment.There is NO point in being tribalistic in this era of political and economic transformation. Some people from some tribes may have been seen in the past as the cause of the problems in Nigeria. However the time is right to put our Nigeria in the comity of nations that have outgrown sentiments and become united irrespective of all odds.The inter-ethnic relationship among the various tribes in Nigeria has been severed with power tussle and ethno-religious crisis among ethnic nationalities leading to marginalization and loss of lives and property.Tribalism is very much related to racism. Tribalism is at the very core of the nation’s politics and it will be a hindrance as long as it is allowed to continue. It is not the sole cause but of course it adds to the some of the social and political difficulties that Nigeria is facing today.The fundamental solution to the issue of tribalism is to love one another equally. We as a people must shun defamation of character in any form. The leadership of the nation should not base political appointments on tribe. We need to remember that we are all humans, and all have the same wants.Nigerian politics is very complicated but, it is not entirely different from world politics, which is often plagued by partisanship and sectionalism. Nigerian politics is unique however, because it brings into play so many factors, a few of which includes individual interests, geographic factors, ethnicity, religion and a host of other issues. Politics is an integral part of democracy, and in order for us to achieve sustainable development, we need to redefine politics in Nigeria. Up till this moment, true democracy has remained elusive to us, and we must do something about it.Recent political developments in Nigeria have unearthed the true depth of the underlying spirit of her nationhood. It has also put to a simple test, the character of our political leaders; who are supposed to be advocates of change. But as it is now, the parochial interests of the nation’s political, tribal, and religious leaders have made nonsense of the character of sound political leadership as prescribed in every healthy presidential democracy. It is most absurd to note that the political class has shamelessly turned Nigeria’s democracy on its head. This sad development is a clear demonstration that the noble democratic culture of good governance has been deliberately drowned in the pool of negative political scheming.Institutional framework has become too weak and consequently unable to carry the burden of Due Process and the Rule of Law. While Transparency and Accountability are products of the culture of Due Process, the Rule of Law promotes Justice and Fair Play. These principles are unarguably the pillars of any healthy society.This explains why Nigeria is still counted among the poorest nations of the world despite her abundant human and natural resources. It has also given a clue as to why Nigeria – the sixth largest producer of crude oil in the world relies on the importation of virtually all petroleum products. Instead of this sad reality posing a huge challenge to our political leaders; they have with selfish intentions allowed the nation to drift far into the ocean of anarchy and disintegration. Surprisingly, the political class is carrying on as if Nigeria has nothing to lose, even when the contrary is clearly the case.Nigeria’s greatest problem is tribalism. It is owing to the deep rooted culture of tribalism that successive administrations have not been able to effectively fight corruption in Nigeria. There is an unwritten law in Nigeria that forbids citizens from exposing or prosecuting fellow tribesmen for corrupt practices.That is the reason why public servants that earn less than N5Million annually will build mansions and own fleet of exotic cars worth over N500m and still be conferred with chieftaincy titles without verifying the sources of the sudden wealth of their kinsmen and women.Nigeria has been turned into a nation where one must also have his or her tribes person in position of authority in order to be employed, given a key appointment, or awarded a big contract. This anomaly is hugely responsible for why the issue of tribal lineage is regarded far above every other factor in the Nigerian society. In a nutshell; tribalism can only become rife in a nation where there is no transparency, accountability, justice, and fair play.Furthermore, tribalism promotes national poverty. It compels citizens to be lazy. In a tribal-induced bureaucracy, even people that sow nothing can reap bountifully simply because their tribes person is in power. This is clearly against natural principle. The more we promote tribal agenda above constitutional provisions, the closer we move toward disintegration. Everybody professes “One Nigeria” but is unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices to unite the various ethnic clusters in the nation.Power belongs to God. He gives power to whoever that pleases Him. God also takes away power whenever it pleases Him. One is therefore forced to wonder why people see and treat power with a “do-or-die” attitude. Perhaps, one should emphasize here that the basic aim of political power is to improve the lives of man and society through quality leadership.Nigeria is bigger than any individual or ethnic group. It is high time Nigeria became a nation; it is about time we have a shared culture and our national values restored.<a href="https://www.pulse.ng/communities/bloggers/pulse-blogger-the-nigerian-politics-of-tribalism-writers-contest-id4059945.html" target="_blank">Courtesy Pulse NG. Read More on this article and others from Pulse NG Magazine</a>&nbsp;

First published by Nigerian TribuneSunday, December 7, 2014Every year since 2011, Forbes has enlisted readers’ help to identify 20 young, extraordinary and inspiring African women, aged 45 and under, who are making the most dramatic impact in individual African countries in the world of politics, business, technology, policy, diplomacy and media for the annual tally of the 20 Youngest Power Women In Africa. Now in its 4th year, the list celebrates 20 influential female leaders, groundbreakers and ceiling crashers who are transforming the continent from their communities.Here are the Nigerians who made the 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa: the continent’s emerging power brokers, the Amazons to watch, and the custodians of tomorrow.Ada Osakwe, Nigerian, Adviser to the Minister Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, NigeriaNigeria’s agricultural sector has attracted more than $4 billion in private sector investment commitments over the last year, and Ada Osakwe is an integral reason why. Osakwe, 34, currently serves as the Senior Investment Adviser to Nigerian Minister of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adesina. She works directly with the minister, advising him on his policies regarding private sector investments into the food and agriculture sector. Osakwe also interacts with current and prospective agribusiness investors and champions innovative approaches to channel sustainable private sector engagements in the sector. Previously, she served as Vice President of Kuramo Capital, a New York-based investment management firm. She also worked in various capacities at the African Development Bank.Amy Jadesimi, Nigerian, Managing Director, LADOLThe 39-year-old Nigerian businesswoman is the Managing Director of the Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL), Nigeria’s only indigenous-owned deep offshore logistics base. Jadesimi earned a BA in physiological sciences at Oxford University, and then went on to work for the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs in London. She subsequently attended Stanford Business School, where she earned her MBA, and returned to Nigeria to set up a financial consultancy outfit before joining LADOL (a company founded by her father) as Managing Director. Since it was founded in 2001, LADOL has turned a former industrial wasteland into a $500 million industrial village and specialised port facility, providing an environment in which high value operations, such as oil and gas drilling and production support, ship building and repairs, specialised manufacturing and engineering can take place 24/7 in a secure Free Zone. The second phase of the LADOL development is currently ongoing and it includes Nigeria’s single largest local content development – a $300 million investment in West Africa’s largest vessel fabrication and integration yards. LADOL Free Zone was created to make Nigeria the hub for West African maritime and oil and gas activities through long-term investment in world class facilities and services. Jadesimi is spearheading this vision.Rimini Makama, Nigerian, Director, Africa PracticeRimini Makama, 34, is the Communications Director at Africa Practice, Africa’s foremost strategy and communications consultancy. Over the last half a decade, Makama has successfully introduced some of the largest international institutions on the continent and beyond into the Nigerian market, simultaneously helping to strategically position them as key players in their industry and encouraging foreign investment in the country. Some of her clients include BlackBerry, Union Bank, Renaissance Capital, Bloomberg, Western Union, World Economic Forum Africa, The Africa Union and Paypal. Rimini has a background in law and after obtaining a BL from the Nigerian Law School and an LLM in International Law and World Order. Prior to a career in communications, she joined the Office of Legal Affairs at the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) in Lyon, France where she worked as a lawyer primarily reviewing notices and individual requests safeguarding international security and safety across borders. She also drafted cooperation agreements among the 190 member countries.Afua Osei (Ghanaian and Yasmin Belo-Osagie (Nigerian), Co-Founders, She leads AfricaYasmin Belo-Osagie and Afua Osei, both 27, are co-founders of She Leads Africa, a platform that provides the most talented female entrepreneurs across the continent with access to the knowledge, networks and financing needed to build and scale strong businesses. Their goal is to jumpstart female entrepreneurs from SMEs to pan-African industry leaders, and they are certainly on the way. Within less than a year, and while juggling full-time positions at McKinsey &amp; Company, Yasmin and Afua successfully launched an entrepreneurship showcase competition which drew close to 400 applications from 27 countries and multiple industries. To date, the two have recruited nearly 1,000 women-led start-ups into their network; their goal is to engage at least 10,000 female entrepreneurs in 2015. She Leads Africa is set to become a staple of the African investment community with VC funds already seeking access to its database of female entrepreneurs. It has the potential to become the 500 Startups of Africa. Its leaders are two young women who are positioned to significantly increase the volume and impact of female entrepreneurs.Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, Nigerian, Social entrepreneurOgunsiji, 31, is the Founder of RISE NETWORKS, a Nigeria-based private and public sector funded youth interest social enterprise with a primary focus on wholesome youth and education development. The organisation focuses on creating intellectual development and capacity building programmes for young Nigerians between 16 and 30 and receives generous support from several state governments and blue-chip companies. Ogunsiji is an alumnus of the United States government’s International Visitor Leadership Program.Adiat Disu, Nigerian, Founder, African Fashion WeekAdiat Disu, 27, is an international publicist and founder of Adirée, a New York-based communications and brand strategy company. In 2009, Adirée launched the annual Africa Fashion Week in New York, one of the most popular international African-focused fashion events, in an effort to place structure around Africa’s fashion industry and promote international economic partnerships while promoting brands from Africa on a global scale. It has been a resounding success. Disu and Adirée are also working on hosting other international African Fashion Weeks in other fashion capitals of the world including Paris, Milan, London and Tokyo.Other women from the African continent who made the list are:• Fatima-Zahra Mansouri, Moroccan, Mayor of Marrakech• Naisula Lesuuda, Senator, Kenya• Jamila Abass, Linda Kwamboka, and Susan Oguya, Kenyan, Co-founders, MFarm• Tabetha Kanengoni Malinga, Zimbabwean, Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture• Amira Elmissiry, Zimbabwean, Special Assistant to the President of the African Development Bank• Phumzile Van Damme, South African, Member Of Parliament• Tebogo Mashego, South African, Entrepreneur• Naadiya Moosajee, South African, Co-founder, Women In Engineering• Irene Koki Mutungi, Kenyan, Pilot• Yvonne Khamati, Kenyan, Deputy Head of Mission at Kenya Embassy, Somalia• Germaine, Rwandese, State Minister for Energy and Water, Rwanda

This commentary was republished on March 19, 2015, by the Cable and the Metropole but was originally written by Professor Calestous Juma.I once asked a U.S. army commander responsible for Africa what kept him up at night about the continent. “Elections,” he said. His concern was the kind of political anxiety that has gripped Nigerian ahead of the next elections.The postponement of elections signifies Nigeria is at a delicate crossroads, with the next several weeks being a critical period in the nation’s democracy and its relations with Africa and the world. But the stakes are high for the international community as well.But amid these concerns, Nigeria’s economic future remains optimistic. According to a recent survey, the country is projected to be among the 10 fastest economies in the world is 2015. Sustaining this positive outlook will be significantly influenced by the conduct and outcome of the elections.The most important measure of national maturity is conducting free and fair elections and avoiding post-election violence. Of the latter, Nigeria has had too much already.The international community has been slow to support Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram’s extremism. The UN Security Council only recently even acknowledged the conflict. The United States, France, and the United Kingdom have offered some support, but not enough to significantly impact the outcome. Many have argued that Nigeria has been slow to respond to the crisis. But Boko Haram is a global issue, not just a Nigeria concern. The decision of the African Union to send 8,700 troops to fight the extremists underscores the international nature of the crisis.Nigerians must take the lead in combating this threat. But beyond the loss of life and human suffering, the violence and instability threatens Nigeria’s economic growth prospects. Nigeria has made an effort to diversify its economy from oil and invest in agriculture, manufacturing, and services. The effort is even more urgent now in the face of falling global oil prices.Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and 26th in the world. Its GDP stands at $510 billion with immense growth potential. A stable and peaceful Nigeria will contribute to Africa’s rise and integration into the global economy. On the other hand, an unstable, stagnant and conflict-driven Nigeria will be a threat to regional and global stability.Last year, President Barack Obama hosted Africa’s leaders at a summit in Washington. One of the highlights was an impressive gathering of CEOs from many of the largest U.S. companies, to explore new business opportunities across Africa. Importantly, investor interest in Nigeria and across Africa today includes not just oil and mining companies looking to develop and export natural resources, but infrastructure, technology, consumer goods, agribusiness, and manufacturing companies that can sustain growth, create jobs, and improve livelihoods.The United States is the largest foreign investor in Nigeria, with many U.S. companies looking ahead to the potential of a large, growing consumer market emerging in the country. It is vital that this investment interest not be undermined by the spread of violence and instability.The culture of corruption is entrenched in Nigeria. Taking it on should be a top priority for the winner. Nigeria has shown that it can act. An example is reforming the system to provide farmers with agricultural input. Today, the private sector distributes fertilizer to farmers, with the government only providing a subsidy. It has created a national database of more than 10 million smallholder farmers to ensure they receive the needed supplies. This is far from being enough, but it is an important step forward.Nigeria has the potential to be a key exporter of agricultural produce. It has over 84 million hectares of arable land — larger than the size of Turkey — but only 40 percent of it is currently cultivated. It has abundant rainfall and a labor force that can increase agriculture production. With continued reforms and infusion of domestic and foreign investment, this sector can grow to feed Nigerians and the wider world.The country has shown its potential to nurture a growing entrepreneurial class. The emergence of Nollywood, a booming billion dollar film industry, has been made possible by a combination of new digital technologies and a culture of entrepreneurship. Investing in infrastructure (energy, transport, irrigation, and telecoms) to grow other sectors requires peace and stability. The country’s infrastructure gap between now and 2030 is estimated at $2.4 trillion.The way Nigeria swiftly contained Ebola through state, federal, and international cooperation is another sign of the country’s potential to be a key regional and international player. Nigeria also plays a decisive role as a leader in peacekeeping across Africa.The country’s political and military leadership needs to ensure a free and fair vote. All sides must respect the result. Then the international community needs to support Nigeria’s efforts to promote economic growth and social inclusion, contain violence and extremism, and tackle corruption. Investment in diplomacy, economic engagement, and security will lead to a more prosperous Nigeria. Africa and the world will sleep better with a stable and peaceful Nigeria. <a href="https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/why-nigeria-matters-world" target="_blank">read more</a>&nbsp;

World Humanitarian Summit must be ‘turning point’ in cooperation to tackle crises – UN chief – World leaders must come together in 2016 to renew their commitments to humanity and unite to prevent and end crisis and reduce vulnerability, United NationsSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, telling UN Member States that the World Humanitarian Summit will provide an opportunity for “concrete steps towards ending the suffering experienced by billions of people today.”“We need to show the millions of people living in conflict – with chronic needs and constant fear – the solidarity that they deserve and expect,” the Secretary-General said at the launch of his report, One Humanity: Shared responsibility, for the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, set for 23 and 24 May in Istanbul, Turkey.“The urgency of these challenges and the scale of the suffering mean we must accept our shared responsibilities and act decisively, with compassion and resolve,” he added.Briefing Member States at UN Headquarters in New York this morning, Mr. Ban underscored that the report outlines five core responsibilities for action – an ‘Agenda for Humanity’ – that all stakeholders should accept and act upon.Specifically, the report urges leaders to assume their responsibility to prevent and end conflict; calls on States to affirm their responsibility to uphold the norms that safeguard humanity; appeals to States to leave no one behind and reach those who are furthest behind; underscores the responsibility to change people’s lives by moving from delivering aid to ending need; and calls for investment in humanity, including enhancing local capacities, reducing risk and building effective and inclusive institutions, especially in fragile contexts.“Today’s complex challenges cross borders and surpass the capacity of any single country or institution to cope,” the Secretary-General emphasized. “We need to restore trust in our global world order and in the capacities of our national and regional institutions to confront these challenges effectively,” he said.Mr. Ban also stressed that the upcoming Summit is an opportune moment for world leaders to implement commitments endorsed this past year, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the recent Paris Agreement on climate change.“We must ensure no-one in conflict, no-one in chronic poverty, and no-one living with the risk of natural hazards and rising sea levels is left behind,” said the UN chief, adding that : “Our aspirations are ambitious, but the urgency of the crises and the needs and expectations of hundreds of millions of people mean we must put this Agenda for Humanity into action.”Also speaking at the briefing today, UN General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft urged Member States to “get behind the Secretary-General’s vision” to deliver real commitments.“At its core, his report is an urgent plea to political and others leaders to summon the courage to reverse the current slide – a slide that is undermining everything this Organization stands for; everything that we as fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers should care for,” Mr. Lykketoft said.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZRfZs4Gk0u4"></iframe>“It is a desperate plea to reassert the basic codes and norms that collectively, we agreed to abide by, to protect the world’s most vulnerable people – international humanitarian law; international human rights law and international refugee law,” he added.Noting that efforts thus far have been “far from adequate,” Mr. Lykketoft also stressed that the situation facing some 60 million displaced people and some 125 million people in need of humanitarian assistance continues to demand urgent attention.“Istanbul is our first major opportunity since the 2030 Agenda was agreed to give true meaning to the principle of leaving no one behind and to devise more credible, equitable and sustainable responses to global humanitarian crises,” he said.<a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=53195#.VrsBhvnhBD9" target="_blank">Courtesy: United nations news Centre</a>&nbsp;