NEWS
64,715 Households To Get FG Palliatives In Niger – NEMA
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:37:17 AM
ROMOKE W. AHMAD, MINNA
A total of 64,715 households are to benefit from the federal government’s palliatives in Niger State.
The Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammadu A Muhammed, disclosed this in Minna on Tuesday while handing over the items to the state government.
Muhammed, who was represented by the Acting Director, Relief & Rehabilitation Department, Dr. Bandele Onimode, said he was in the state to present assorted grains from the National Food Reserve, approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for distribution to vulnerable persons affected by the recent restriction of movement to curtail the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
The food items, according to him were 1, 490.36 tons of maize, 1,557.6 tons of sorghum and 1, 8708 tons of millet.
He also disclosed that the state has benefitted from an emergency agricultural intervention programme which was approved by the president in 2019.
“It commenced with the verification of affected farmers and was immediately followed by the distribution of farm inputs.
“The inputs already distributed comprised of seeds/seedlings, agrochemicals and knapsack sprayers.
“A total of 12, 242 farmers were verified and are expected to benefit from the final phase of the intervention which is fertilizer.’’
He urged the state government to take necessary measures to address the recurring incidents of flooding through public enlightenment campaigns and preparing for the evacuation to safe ground, of those affected.
The deputy governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Ketso, thanked the president for the prompt intervention.
He appealed to the federal government to assist the state to carry out massive dry season farming to mitigate for the loss suffered by farmers during the flooding.
POLITICS
Buhari Urges Responsible Behaviour As Edo Governorship Poll Holds Saturday
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:55:18 AM
MUIDEEN OLANIYI, ABUJA & USMAN A. BELLO, BENIN
The people of Edo State will tomorrow, Saturday, September 19, 2020, go to the poll to elect a new governor that will run the affairs of the state in the next four years.
According to the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), out of 14 political parties that registered for the election, 12 are fielding candidates.
The election is expected to be keenly contested by the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Godwin Obaseki, and the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Adeleye Oyebade, said the police would deploy three police officers and personnel of other security agencies to each of the 2,627 polling units across the 192 wards in the 18 local government areas (LGAs) in the state to ensure effective manning and guarantee free, fair and peaceful election.
Out of 2,210,334 registered voters in the state, only 1,726,466 have picked up their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) to enable them to cast votes.
A total of 483,868 are yet to collect their PVCs.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, advised political parties, candidates and security agents, to behave responsibly in Saturday’s Edo State gubernatorial elections.
Buhari, in a message to voters, political parties, election officials and security personnel, renewed his stance that, “I am passionately committed to free and fair elections, but my own commitment is not enough if other actors at ground zero refuse to abide by the rules.â€
According to the president, “I want to see democratic standards in the country raised higher at every level, but these cannot be achieved when politicians resort to do-or-die methods to gain power by any means or machination.â€
He said, “The do-or-die mentality to politics is a threat to free and fair elections because the actors are more focused on winning than caring about a fair outcome that reflects the will of the people.â€
The president, who appealed to all political parties and their candidates to behave peacefully and respect law and order, also advised election officials and security agents “To remain neutral to ensure free and fair elections and avoid any action(s) capable of compromising the integrity of the elections.â€
President Buhari, in a statement issued, Thursday, by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, said: “Conducting free and fair elections is one of my main concerns for our democracy, and I want this commitment to be one of the legacies I will leave behind when I depart office.â€
POLITICS
Oyo APC Leaders Vow To Unseat Makinde In 2023
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:46:42 AM
JEREMIAH OKE, IBADAN
Leaders of the APC in Oyo State on Thursday said it was time to settle all crises in the party ahead of the 2023 general elections to reclaim the state.
They urged all the members of the party to jettison any idea of belonging to any faction of the two former late governors, Abiola Ajimobi and Lam Adesina, for the progress of the party.
APC lost the 2019 gubernatorial election to Governor Seyi Makinde of the PDP.
But on Thursday, they vowed to unseat him in 2023.
At the meeting were the chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Adeolu Akande; a former Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu; senators Soji Akanbi and Ayo Adeseun and Alhaji Abu Gbadamosi who chaired the meeting.
Other APC stalwarts at the meeting were Chief Goke Oyetunji, Barr Niyi Akintola, Alhaji Fatal Ibikunle, Saheed Fijabi, Bosun Oladele and Sunbo Olugbemi.
In a communique issued at the meeting, the stalwarts urged various groups in the party to sheathe their swords and work for the unity of the party to unseat the ruling PDP.
In the communique signed by a former Secretary to the State Government who is the chairman of the communique drafting committee, Alhaji Waheed Olajide and Professor Akande, who is the secretary, they said all contentious issues within the party had been examined and resolved.
POLITICS
Tenure Extension For APC Interim C’ttee NEC’s Prerogative – Mamman
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:40:17 AM
SAAWUA TERZUNGWE & JOHN CHUKS AZU
A member of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee (ACENCPC), representing the North East, Prof. Tahir Mamman (SAN), has said it is the prerogative of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to extend the caretaker committee’s tenure.
The APC NEC dissolved the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) in June, this year.
It also constituted the 13-member ACENCPC, headed by Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, to take charge of the day-to-day running of the party and to, within six months, organise a national convention for new leaders to emerge.
But some party stalwarts have said the committee was seeking tenure extension to deliver on its mandate.
Mamman, who led a delegation of some APC stakeholders from Adamawa State to the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, on Thursday, in an interview with newsmen, dispelled the claim that the committee was seeking tenure extension.
“We are working within our mandate; we are not working for an extension of time.
“If those who gave us job should think of extension that would come from them,†he said.
He also dispelled claims that there was crisis in Adamawa State chapter of the party.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress Youth Coalition for Effective Progress (AYCEP) has expressed support for the caretaker committee of the party led by Governor Buni of Yobe State.
In a briefing by its national coordinator, Iliyasu Ibrahim Makinta, AYCEP listed the achievements of Buni to include the return of former Speaker Yakubu Dogara to the party and the commitment to ensure the victory of the party in the governorship election in Edo State.
POLITICS
Ondo CP Urges Parties To Maintain Sanity At Campaigns
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:34:21 AM
BOLA OJUOLA, AKURE
Following attacks on the convoy of the APC candidate, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, and that of the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, on Wednesday in Oba Akoko, the State Commissioner of Police, Salami Amidu Bolaji, has warned political parties to maintain decorum during their campaigns.
CP Bolaji, who gave the warning on Thursday, said political campaigns should be handled in line with electoral dictates and the laws of the land.
He said the police would not tolerate a situation whereby people turned campaigns into war fronts, adding that nobody is above the law of the land.
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State
NEWS
Kogi Gov Protests US Visa Ban On Election Riggers
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:33:32 AM
ITODO DANIEL SULE
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has written a protest letter to the US Ambassador to Nigeria over the visa ban its country placed on some individuals alleged to have compromised the 2019 governorship election in the state.
The US, had in a statement on Monday, said it had placed visa restriction on some individuals for their actions during the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.
But Governor Bello, in the letter dated September 16, 2020 and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Folashade Ayoade Arike, protested what he described as “atrocious misinformation†in the US statement and the time of releasing it.
“Let it be noted that we’re not challenging your visa bans in any way whoever they may affect and for how long, but we do register the strongest protest possible as a state to the collateral and unwarranted interference in our political and social processes which it represents.
â€You have reignited already dying embers of discord around the February/March General Elections and the November 16 Kogi State gubernatorial elections of 2019.
“This has invariably made our usual post-election duty of reconciliation with fair-minded political opponents all the more harderâ€, the governor said.
He said the statement coming from the US after the Supreme Court had delivered four judgments affirming his election was an attempt to “taint†the judgment delivered by the apex court.
EDITORIAL
Edo Election Must Be Different
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:32:04 AM
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On Saturday, September 19, 2020, Edo State’s 2.2 million registered voters shall go to the polls to elect their next governor for another four years.
All eyes are on the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Nigeria Police Force, other security agencies, and politicians to see whether or not the governorship election would take the shameful and violent pattern of last year’s elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
Also being watched are the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to see whether or not they would allow the will of the people to prevail.
In this election, the main contenders are the incumbent governor and PDP candidate Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki and APC flagbearer Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
Recent events indicate that former chairmen of APC, John Adigie Oyegun and Adams Oshiomohle, are desperate about ensuring their candidates won in this election.
Such desperation is creating tension that could scare voters from the polls due to fear of violence.
In spite of the ominous clouds, the National Peace Committee, led by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar and Bishop Matthew Kukah, has persuaded the rivals in the election to sign a peace pact.
For this, we highly commend these eminent Nigerians whose initiative has doused tension in Edo State.
Before the peace pact was signed, there were pre-election violence, verbal assaults and undisguised hate speech during campaigns and meetings in several parts of the state.
They occurred in Oredo, Ikpoba/Okha, Egor, Owan West, Esan West, Igueben, Etsako West, Akoko Edo and Esan Central LGAs. Yiaga Africa, in its pre-election situation analysis, reported that “Political party supporters refused to grant supporters of opposing parties access to some part of the Apana community of Etsako West LGA, during a campaign rally.
A similar incident was reported in Ekpe, Akoko Edo LGA on August 28, as supporters and members of the APC and PDP clashed during their campaign rallies.â€
The election monitoring body also reported that the small arms in the hands of youths in Edo State are a cause for concern during this election.
The election in Edo State would be free and fair if INEC and security agencies play their roles conscientiously.
First, INEC must task its officials on the need to be impartial, as the election’s umpire.
Violence occurs when the electoral umpire, through its officials, is seen to yield to pressures from the powers-that-be to circumvent the will of the people in favour of a particular political party or candidate.
Also, if security agencies are impartial they will prevent electoral fraud in diverse shapes and shades.
In the elections that took place in Kogi and Bayelsa states in 2019, diverse reports by local and international election monitoring groups indicted security agencies, saying instead of protecting the votes, security personnel connived with political parties to rig the elections.
This is shameful and unacceptable, to say the least.
In reaction to the fraud, the United States has imposed visa ban on some political figures who played ignominious roles in those elections
All stakeholders in the Edo State election must ensure that it is free of the repulsive incidents that took place in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
The police must protect voters from trouble-makers.
It is good that as many as 35,000 policemen have been deployed for this election, but the officers must not be compelled to work in support of a particular party or candidate.
They should arrest trouble-makers, regardless of their political leaning.
They must prevent vote-buying, stuffing of ballot boxes, writing of fraudulent election results, and diverse corruption that have defaced Nigeria’s elections.
Most importantly, we call on political actors to allow the will of the people to prevail.
Democracy is all about the choice of the people.
It is clear that all political parties involved in tomorrow’s election have vigorously campaigned and sold their agenda to voters.
Now, they must allow the people to decide who should rule them.
Let this election be different.
From right: CEO of Volsus Energy Ltd, Engr. Tomiwa Bayo-Ojo; MD of Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Mallam Ahmad Salihijo, and the Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, during the commissioning of 12KWP solar mini-grid at Karu PHC in Abuja, recently.
BUSINESS
Why Volsus Energy Unveiled Solar Scheme For 5,000 Health Centres
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:29:06 AM
SIMON ECHEWOFUN SUNDAY
Recently, Vosus Energy Limited, a solar start-up firm in Nigeria, unveiled the Volsus Solar for Health (VSFH) mini-grid programme in Abuja.
The firm is also targeting the installation of 5,000 units of such mini-grids across health centres to improve healthcare delivery services in Nigeria, after it flagged off the first VSFH at the Karu Primary Health Centre in Abuja earlier this month.
The Minister of State for Power, Mr Goddy Jedy-Agba, commissioned the 12 kilowatt power (kwp) VSFH mini-grid with 58 kilowatt hour (kwh) battery bank at the Karu health centre.
During the commissioning ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of Volsus Energy Limited, Engr. Tomiwa Bayo-Ojo, said the Karu mini-grid is a sustainable, efficient, clean and reliable energy facility that was conceived towards improving Nigeria’s health system while deepening the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Engr. Bayo-ojo also said the firm keyed into the focal drive of this administration especially in promoting rural and community based electrification as a means of boosting access to electricity in underserved and un-served places in Nigeria.
Studies have shown that in the renewable energy subsector of the power sector, there is little or no presence of independent investment that is heralded by the private sector to promote solar and other renewable energy penetration across Nigeria.
But according to Volsus Energy, that was changing. “Deeply concerned about this, and considering the state of the nation’s health facilities, amidst the ravaging Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic, Volsus Energy Limited, a foremost indigenous renewable energy and inverter producing start-up firm, initiated the Volsus Solar For Health (VSFH) programme.
“The firm has the vision to promote the attainment of Goal 7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards creating ripple effects on the living conditions of millions of Nigerians who seek access to health facilities,†Bayo-Ojo noted.
The firm noted that it plans to provide access to sustainable and uninterrupted electricity by deploying state-of-art solar power facilities across Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) nationwide.
The firm got the technical support of the Minister of State for Power while it fully funded the project up to the commissioning with over three years maintenance plans, Bayo-Ojo noted.
“This pilot mini grid project is fully funded by Volsus Energy Limited with technical and advisory support from the Office of the Minister of State for Power.â€
“Prior to the installation of this solar mini grid facility, access to uninterrupted power has been the bane of the centre especially as it could not operate optimally.
“However, this success story of the Volsus Solar For Health (VSFH) mini grid is changing that story.
“The mini grid is now providing 24 hour electricity to the wards, the labour room, the laboratory, and the entire building.
“There is also the component for a refrigerator to improve the storage process of vaccines for routine immunization at the centre,†he explained.
Other components of the project include fans and cooling systems to improve the productivity and safety of the healthcare workers at this very delicate time.
The firm also launched the SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AFRICA magazine, a publication aimed at promoting wider reach of information on the evolution of the renewable energy sub-sector of the power sector in Nigeria and across Africa.
The Minister of State for Power, Goddy-Jedy Agba, said the Federal Government was giving more attention to rural electrification in the country because of the need to empower those who live in villages and ensure that their small-scale businesses thrive.
“This administration is also promoting the mini grid regulation made by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). For instance, through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), several mini-grid projects have been commissioned and more are underway.â€
The minister said on the basis of promoting mini grids, the Office of the Minister of State for Power at the Federal Ministry of Power supported Volsus Energy Limited, to flag off the VSFH programme, being the first of such private sector programmes so far.
“Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are critical facilities in rural communities as they are the first sign of government’s effort in providing sustainable health to its people.
“However over the years, adequate power supply to them has been one of the challenges the facilities have faced across the states.
“I was informed that at a time, this Karu primary health centre had to suspend night shift because of the epileptic power supply and the challenges that come with that.
“I believe that this is now a thing of the past with the commissioning of this first VSFH 12 kilowatt power (KWP) solar mini-grid with 58 kilowatt hour (KWH) battery bank,†the minister noted.
Lauding the efforts of Volsus Energy, the Officer-In-Charge of the Karu health centre, Akila Udoji, the period of darkness and epileptic power supply at the facility was over.
“Now our staff will be much more comfortable especially during night shift to deliver their best services, and most especially, we will have time to preserve our vaccines to ensure sustained routine immunisation for children,†Udoji noted.
Minister of the FCT Malam Muhammad Musa Bello
CITY NEWS
Court Orders Service On FCT Minister Over Planned Alieta Demolition
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:28:31 AM
ABUBAKAR SADIQ ISAH
An FCT High Court sitting in Jabi, Abuja, on Thursday, ordered notice of service on FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello and the Department of Development Control of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) over planned demolition of some houses in Aleita, Abuja.
The presiding judge, Justice Danlami D. Sanchi, gave the order following a suit filed before the court by Gbagyi natives of Aleita through their counsel, Barrister Aliyu D. Zubairu, over planned demolition of their ancestral homes by the officials of the development control of the FCDA.
Zubairu, while speaking with newsmen outside the court premises, said the officials of the development control had, on 31st August, 2020, marked some of the Gbagyi natives houses for demolition ‘‘without any prior notice’’, a situation which he said prompted the affected people to file a suit seeking the court to restrict the minister and the development control from demolishing houses of the natives in the area.
The judge, therefore, adjourned the matter to 30th September, 2020, and ordered the affected natives to put the minister and development control on notice.
BUSINESS
Countries To Spend $428bn To Connect 3bn People To Internet – ITU
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:20:13 AM
ZAKARIYYA ADARAMOLA
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has said about $428billion is required to connect the remaining 3 billion people aged ten years and above to broadband Internet by 2030.
This was stated by the ITU in a publication, Connecting Humanity – Assessing investment needs of connecting humanity to the Internet by 2030, which was made available to Daily Trust via email on Thursday.
Connecting Humanity is a comprehensive new study that estimates the investment needed to achieve universal, affordable broadband connectivity for all humanity by the end of this decade, Daily Trust reports.
“Meeting the investment necessary to bring every person online by the end of this decade will require an unprecedented and concerted effort from the public and private sectors,†said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.
“The new Connecting Humanity study led by ITU is the much-needed roadmap that will guide decision-makers on the journey towards accessible, affordable, reliable, and safe digital technologies and services for all’’, he added.
The study examined costs associated with infrastructure needs, enabling policy and regulatory frameworks, and basic digital skills and local content at both the global and regional levels, as well as how to mobilize the unprecedented levels of financing needed to extend networks to unserved communities.
Over the past several months, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed different types of inequalities within and across countries and regions, including those related to quality of access, affordability and use of the Internet.
Assessing investment requirements to reach affordable universal connectivity is important to any country concerned with their ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to ITU, over 12% of the global unconnected population live in remote, rural locations where traditional networks are not easily accessible, most of them in Africa and South Asia.
This connectivity gap is exacerbated by the gender digital divide.
Across the globe, more men than women use the Internet: only 48% of women as opposed to 58% of men.
“While this is an ambitious aim, it is in no way an unachievable one,†said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN)
BUSINESS
Oil Deregulation: IPMAN Insists Equalisation Fund Remains
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:15:36 AM
ABBAS JIMOH
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has backed the federal government on the full deregulation policy of the oil and gas sector, but said the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF) should not be scrapped.
The National President of IPMAN, Chinedu Okoronkwo, at a briefing in Abuja, dissociated IPMAN from a recent protest in Port Harcourt, Rivers State demanding the removal of the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari.
He also urged the government to consult IPMAN and other relevant stakeholders before taking decision on the PEF, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to jettison the move to scrap or merge PEF, as that would negatively affect the economy.
IPMAN also commended Buhari on the N250 billion palliative released to support the downstream petroleum sector, saying the association has taken measures to access the fund.
Chairman of IPMAN Board of Trustees, Aminu AbdulKadir, also urged the Minister of State, Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, to work with the association for the success of the oil and gas policy.
He urged the government to be sensitive to the yearnings of investors and consumers, and called on the government to give more palliatives to oil and gas players to cushion the effects of the coronavirus.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
BUSINESS
CBN Grants Greenwich Licence For Merchant Bank
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:14:54 AM
ZARA IDRIS
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted Greenwich Trust Limited a licence to operate as a Merchant Bank in Nigeria.
The entity is now to be known as Greenwich Merchant Bank Limited.
A statement from Greenwich posted on its Twitter handle, said with the licence, the firm is allowed to be known as Greenwich Merchant Bank to upscale and offer such diverse services.
Some of these include corporate banking, investment banking, financial advisory services, securities dealing, treasury, wealth and asset management among others.
“It makes it possible to provide increased value to stakeholders beyond its previous scope,†it said in the statement.
Federation Accounts Allocation Committee
BUSINESS
FG, States, LGAs Share N682.1bn For August
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:07:05 AM
CHRIS AGABI
The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total of N682.060 billion as revenue for August 2020 to the federal, states, local government councils and agencies.
This was announced during the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting for September 2020 held virtually and chaired by Dr Mahmud Isa-Dutse, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance.
A communiqué after the meeting said the gross statutory revenue of N531.830bn was received for the month of August 2020.
This was lower than the N543.788bn received in the previous month by N11.958bn.
Oil and Gas Royalty, Companies Income Tax (CIT), Import and Excise Duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) increased considerably, while the Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) decreased significantly.
The balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) as at September 17, 2020 was $72.409 million.
Also the gross revenue available from the Value Added Tax (VAT) was N150.230bn as against N132.619bn available in the previous month, resulting in an increase of N17.611bn.
The communiqué indicated that from the total distributable revenue of N682.060bn; the federal government received N272.905bn, the state governments received N197.648bn and the local government councils received N147.422bn.
The oil-producing states received N30.881bi as 13% derivation revenue, while the cost of revenue collection and transfers collectively had an allocation of N33.205bn.
The federal government received N251.948bn from the gross statutory revenue of N531.830bn; the state governments received N 127.791bn and the local government councils received N98.522bn.
N30.881bn was given to the relevant states as 13% derivation revenue and N22.689bn was the collective total for the cost of revenue collection, transfers and refund to agencies.
The Federal Government received N20.957bn from the Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N150.23bn.
The state governments received N69.857bn; the local government councils received N48.90bn, while the cost of revenue collection and transfers collectively had an allocation of N10.516bn.
World Health Organisation (WHO)
NEWS
41,000 African Health Workers Contract Coronavirus – WHO
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AT 6:04:09 AM
OJOMA AKOR
The World Health Organisation says ovr 41,000 health workers have been infected with COVID-19.
In a statement to mark this year’s World Patient Safety Day, WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti said the number accounted for 3.8% of all reported cases.
She said countries like Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire had made progress in reducing the proportion of health worker infections, and that others such as Eritrea, Rwanda and Seychelles had not recorded a single case of COVID-19 among health workers.
She said: “Front-line health workers are at greater risk of infection because of the care they provide to patients.â€
Moeti said WHO had trained more than 50, 000 health workers in the African Region in infection prevention and control, with plans to train over 200 000 more.
