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Partnership for progress in advancing health and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Niger Delta

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In a significant move to advance sustainable development and improve public health services for the vulnerable population in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, recently visited the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Rivers State, Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. 

The visit aimed to discuss strategic partnerships focused on achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular emphasis on health as a critical enabler for alleviating poverty among the region’s inhabitants.

The courtesy visits also allowed Dr Mulombo to present the 4th Country Cooperation Strategy 2023-2027 which will shape WHO’s intervention strategies in Nigeria and the nine NDDC-focused states, including Rivers. 

Collaborative efforts and Health Interventions
During a courtesy visit to the to the Rivers State Governor, Dr Mulombo highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts between international organizations, local governments, and development agencies to address the pressing health challenges facing Rivers State.Acknowledging  Governor Fubara’s various healthcare interventions to achieve the target for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure that the people enjoy good health and well-being by 2030, Dr Mulombo said “Nigeria, like most countries of the world, is lagging in terms of reaching the target for SDGs by 2030, thus reason for a global call to do things differently and accelerate the rescue of the people”

He added  “We note your commitment towards improving primary healthcare services and the revitalization and drive to improve the health status of the good people of Rivers State”. 
The Rivers State Governor reiterated the state’s dedication to achieving the SDGs and acknowledged the critical role of health in this endeavour. 

The Governor pledges that his administration will commit huge budgetary allocations to healthcare in the 2025 budget to drive the activities in the sector. 

Mr Fubara said “We believe that when we roll out that budget, a greater part of the health issues will be accommodated and I believe that by the time you visit us, maybe in another year, the commendation will be there. When we came on board, we also knew that one very important area that we need to touch is healthcare. Development cannot be complete if the health sector is abandoned”.

In a separate visit to the Managing Director, of NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, the WHO Country Representative emphasized  the importance of partnering to address prevalent health challenges in the region, particularly, the issue of climate change and air pollution.The discussions centred on leveraging health initiatives to drive progress across various SDGs, including those related to poverty, education, and economic growth. 

Strategic Health Inititiatives
Dr Mulombo, in his remark, disclosed that  “The NDDC has finalized a partnership agreement with the WHO to accelerate healthcare coverage and financial risk protection for the poor and vulnerable population towards universal health coverage (UHC) in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria” 

“This project would be implemented in 3 phases; (i) identify, register, authenticate, and provide credible data of poor and vulnerable people resident in the rural communities of the 9 Niger Delta States, (ii) enrol 1 million Niger Delta Citizens into health insurance, and (iii) strengthen capacity for health security in the NDDC States while carrying out various operations research and impact evaluation studies to ensure tracking of progress and advancement of learning”. 

He also reiterated WHO’s commitment to providing continual technical support as guided and powered by the Sector Wide Approach (SWAp), which seeks to reduce the hyper fragmentation within the health sector and align development assistance towards impact. 

Addressing health challenges
While the NDDC and Rivers State Government were praised for their ongoing efforts to improve the health conditions of the vulnerable population in the Niger Delta, the WHO representative stressed the need for a more integrated approach that places health at the forefront of development strategies.

The Niger Delta faces unique health challenges, including high rates of infectious diseases, poor maternal and child health indicators, and limited access to healthcare facilities.   Dr Mulombo emphasized the need for targeted interventions to address these issues, including the strengthening of healthcare infrastructure, training of healthcare workers, and increasing public awareness about preventive health measures.

Ongoing Commitments
During the visits, both the NDDC and the Rivers State Government expressed their commitment to partnering with the WHO to enhance health outcomes in the region. The NDDC highlighted its ongoing projects aimed at improving healthcare delivery, such as the construction of health centres and the provision of medical supplies.

Dr Ogbuku in his remark outlined the health interventions of the NDDC including the NDDC Free Medical Outreach in the Nine States of the region.Reiterating the importance of partnership with the WHO, the NDDC Boss reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to take proactive measures to proffer health solutions, on issues such as Cholera in the region. He also stated that the commission will provide solar-powered borehole water for communities. “We are also working on cholera vaccines and commissioning ambulances which we will donate to the nine states of the region.” 

The visit ended with a call to action for all stakeholders to intensify efforts towards achieving the SDGs, with a particular focus on health.  The highlight of the meeting with the NDDC was the commissioning ceremony of 13 ambulances acquired by the NDDC for distribution to hospitals in its nine mandate states by Dr Mulombo alongside other dignities including Dr Ogbuku and and Chiedu Ebie, the newly appointed Chairman of the NDDC. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Nigeria.

The Economic History of the Atlantic Civilization

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The Economic History of the Atlantic Civilization

When the term “Atlantic civilization” was coined in the 18th century, the underlying idea was meant to combine the values of the French and the American Revolutions. They were seen as the two indispensable pillars of a single, yet divided approach to social modernization. The values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as well as those of liberty, equality and fraternity may sound hollow today, yet they have not lost any of their resounding power when looking at their impact.

The Atlantic civilization remains based on the primacy of individual dignity, property and rule of law, a strict separation between state and society the freedom of religion as well as the freedom to travel. People’s ability to engage in self-criticism remains the essential quality of the Atlantic civilization. While hoping for the universalization of people’s understanding of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness remains an inherent driving force of human culture, it is important to re-evaluate the world as it stands.

It is imperative for the future of the Atlantic civilization to realize the root causes of the conflicts which have taken us like a hurricane. The time has come to count the dead due to a series of acts of political violence committed over the past decade. We must take account of undeclared wars such as in the Ukraine, gruesome and barbarous acts of terrorism as in Iraq and Syria, incapable states which cannot really “fail” because they never worked in the first place such as Somalia, as well as states which can no longer prevent the outbreak of mass epidemics with global consequences such as Liberia or Guinea.

The West may be keen to promote the rule of law and democratic participation, but people are confronted with upheavals in their borderlands that follow a different, if not altogether confrontational logic. Russia is projecting its imperial glory, if only out of weakness. The Arab and Muslim world is undergoing a transformation with cultural, political and economic tensions of the highest order. While often clad in religious language, these tensions reflect age-old geopolitical controversies and rifts.

While Westerners are ambivalent about the use of military power, knowing too well its limits and the curse of Pandora’s Box that comes with the use of military power, they can no longer escape a global tide that changes their way of thinking. Aren’t they very scared of “foreign” fighters returning from Iraq or Syria, whether with a U.S. or EU passport? And what is their answer to self-declared “Sharia police” gangs patrolling the streets of London or Bonn, trying to prevent Muslim youth to enter “sinful” places such as discotheques and casinos?

The Atlantic civilization is united these days, or so it seems. In reality, Western nations are divided in their perception of, and proximity to, current hotspots. Whether they are engaged in sanctions against Russia or in organizing a military coalition against the barbaric terror of the self-declared “Islamic State caliphate,” the truth of the matter is this: Nobody has a good answer, and no strategy seems to work the way we thought these things happen.

What’s happening in Russia is about re-establishing spheres of influence, territorial and ethnic. The shift from Arab spring to a Caliphate winter represents almost the opposite: the individualized, decentralized and excessively violent, cruel and unpredictable use of force.

According to political analysts, understood properly, Eurasian imperialism and Arab radicalism are two sides of the same coin. They both reek of obvious helplessness and long-term self-defeat. They represent deep inferiority complexes to which the West has not developed any serious response beyond the usual policies of carrots and sticks.

The Atlantic civilization has to learn that political ideologies and violent conflicts which are no longer relevant in the West have found willing repetition outside their sphere. The Arab world may well have entered its genuine Thirty-Year War, while nobody knows how long Russian imperialism may last.

But as Russia’s and the Arab world’s inner tribulations have begun to penetrate the cohesion and stability of the West, they pose a threat to the Atlantic civilization that goes beyond the reaction of concerned neighbors. That is why, according to political analysts, it is time to reinforce the foundation of this unique experiment in the history of man’s search for freedom without coercion.

The Atlantic civilization needs to redefine its foundation: the search for truth cannot justify the destruction of freedom, one’s own and that of others; the rule of law and democratic participation include the protection of minorities; the outbreak of violence is the end of politics and not its continuation.

In the end, this is what liberal democracy is all about. It is against this backdrop that the success or failure of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) takes on a new dimension. These negotiations are about far more than a trans-Atlantic trade and investment partnership.

Political analysts noted that it is an investment into a common future of liberal democracy and it is about a partnership that cannot be traded on the altar of petty populism and myopic trends on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Leaving our comfort zone

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Leaving our comfort zone

The results of what we do depends on the combination of three factors, i.e. Knowledge, Skills and Motivation. If any of the three are not measuring up to the task at hand, the result of our work will be less than good. And as long as we don’t change the way we see and do things, we will continue getting the same results. So let us get out of our comfort zone. When my children were younger, I bought them some educative computer games called “Me and my world”. The children could choose to let a young fellow go around and discover his world. Clicking on items that were passed on the way would open information on history, nature, mathematics etc. The children really liked it and could spend hours working by themselves discovering more and more as they played along. It is the title of the game that always intrigued me. “Me and my world.” As if you are alone with no others around. That is what I often think when I observe people around me, going their way. It could be on the street, in the traffic, in the office, anywhere. They are in their own world, not observing what is going on around them, strictly concentrating on their own activities, whatever they do. They don’t only take any notice of others; they actually don’t seem to care about them. In fact they seem to think that only themselves matter, not others, as if we don’t live in a so called interdependent world. They think: “Me first, then you.” I observe it in the traffic, in the bank, in the shop etc. Waiting and allowing others to go their turn doesn’t come to their mind. In the process they offend others or worse, they create obstacles for everybody else, including themselves, to move on. We experience this in traffic every day, when drivers overtake left, right and centre while there is a jam further down the road. While doing so they offend everybody else waiting in line and on top of that block oncoming traffic, increasing the jam. Instead of helping the situation they make it worse. Maybe their offensive behaviour will help them move on, but for how long and at what cost? They are in their own world, not realising that with a little more patience, respect, some assistance, giving some space to others, they will actually make a positive difference and help not only themselves but others too. This applies in every walk of life, not only traffic. It applies to the workplace and in the business as well. We are not alone and while getting out of our own small world, seeing the bigger picture, realising that we depend on one another will help a long way in achieving results. As long as we don’t see beyond our own little world, we will continue getting the results we always used to get, not necessarily the best.     

So it is important to open our eyes, see beyond our immediate environment, look around, observe, widen our vision and learn to see thing differently, try to see things through the eyes of another person.

When we stick to the way we see things we will continue doing things in the same way, getting the same results all the time. For example: If we see competition as a threat to our business, we will be defensive. We will not talk to others doing a similar business, but instead keep information to ourselves. We may even go to the extent of frustrating, discouraging and boycotting them. As a result we will remain isolated in the sector, not learn from others, not get essential information, face similar hostile competition in return and so on.

What would happen if we would turn this example around? We would not see competition as a threat but instead as an opportunity, a healthy factor in the free market, a stimulus to produce better quality and provide better services, an opportunity to join hands and face common issues together. Now we would do things differently as well. We would not deal with competition as a threat but as a welcome development. We would try to always be a step ahead, assuring our place in the market. We would make sure our quality stands out and that our services our focused on the clients needs. We would be creative in our marketing strategies. We would welcome meeting people in the same industry and discuss how to tackle common problems, join hands and form an association for the better of the sector. And if you really have a passion for your business you would not worry about competition at all. You would always try to find ways to improve and to develop new designs, new products, new ways of doing things. By the time the competition is trying to copy what you are successful in, you will already have moved on to a next level. Those who copy are always a step behind and usually don’t reach the same quality. Customers will keep coming back to you to see what new products or designs you have on offer. Admitted, it requires you to be in your toes and never sit back, but that is why you are in business in the first place.          

I would like to leave you this week with the following assignment. Choose an issue in your business that you know needs some improvement. Than try to work out how you see it, how you are dealing with it and what the results have been so far. Having worked this out, now try to turn things around. Try and see the issue from a different perspective and think of ways to deal with the issue from this new perspective, how you could do things differently from now on. And finally try and imagine the results you would get, when you would do things differently.

My suggestion: don’t stick to the ways you have always seen and done things. Open your world and your horizon. See things differently. Don’t stay in your comfort zone. You may get better results indeed.

Ton Haverkort

Enhancing social protection for migrant workers in the EHoA – its challenges and strategies

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Enhancing social protection for migrant workers in the EHoA – its challenges and strategies

The migration patterns in the East and Horn of Africa (EHoA), a region including 18 countries, are profoundly influenced by challenges ranging from armed conflicts, political instability to environmental degradation, climate change, and scarce economic opportunities. This geographic expanse serves as a source, transit, and destination for migrants, recording 7.7 million international migrants as of 2020. Groups on the move are diverse: migrant workers, asylum seekers, and refugees but they often follow similar pathways, in which the eastern route leads to Yemen and the Gulf, the southern route heads towards South Africa, and the northern passage towards the Maghreb region and Europe.

Migrant workers from the EHoA region often find themselves predominantly in low-skilled employment in destination countries due to several hurdles, including unrecognised qualifications and skills, limited access to quality education and vocational training, as well as limited proficiency in the local languages prior to departure that meets the needs and requirement of destination countries. For those with irregular status, challenges are even more pronounced. Legal restrictions often limit them to options to work in informal sectors where they are vulnerable to exploitation that they are often too fearful to report due to the potential repercussions such as deportation. In addition, employers in these sectors may leverage the migrants’ lack of legal status to offer low wages and substandard working conditions without adequate legal protections.

Despite their contributions to the labour markets in their destination countries, migrant workers often cannot participate in social protection systems of their host countries because of legal barriers that prevent them from making contributions to for example pension systems or for health insurance. Often times they cannot continue ‘take with them’ social protection benefits which they were receiving in the country of origin because there are no legal and administrative arrangements between country of origin and the country of destination for social protection benefits portability. This exposes them to various forms of vulnerabilities during their working life, for example working when they are sick as they cannot afford to lose income, to pay for medication or health care or they can become disabled due to work injury and cannot get compensation. The impact of the lack of the exclusion from legal coverage and participation in social insurance systems has impact in their old age too- they have no income. Also, the complex and time-consuming application processes for social protection benefits in cases when legislation is inclusive of migrant workers may discourage them from seeking the assistance they require legally. Migrant workers may have acquired rights in the country of origin, but these rights do not migrate with them to the host country because countries do not have agreements on portability of social protection benefits. Thus, social protection legislation, policies and services that increase awareness of migrant workers about their rights to social protection and support them to access rights in the host country and the country of origin are crucial in addressing these vulnerabilities.

Social protection includes access to health care and income security, particularly in relation to old age, unemployment, sickness, disability, work injury, maternity or loss of a main income earner, as well as for families with children ensuring a foothold that guards against poverty and social exclusion. Access to social protection for all, including migrant workers and their families, is among the priorities of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for SDG. However, substantial gaps in coverage exist worldwide. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) , only 47 per cent of the global population are effectively covered by at least one social protection benefit, while 4.1 billion people (53 per cent) obtain no income security at all from their national social protection system.

For migrant workers, the limitations in accessing social protection are compounded by legal and practical barriers. These include restrictions based on their nationality or status, short durations of employment, limited awareness of rights and entitlements, and the complexities involved in the transfer of social security benefits across borders. These issues are recognised in international frameworks, such as the 2018 Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which emphasises the importance of ensuring social protection for migrant workers.

The framework argues the imperative of extending social protection to migrant workers. Such measures not only safeguard their rights but also enhances their well-being by providing access to essential services, such as healthcare and education, irrespective of their nationality or migration status. Hence, addressing the unique challenges faced by migrant workers, particularly those in low-skilled and informal sectors, requires the implementation of comprehensive strategies and measures that remove the barriers migrant workers face in accessing social protection

Countries of origin and destination are encouraged to ratify and implement relevant ILO conventions and recommendations; develop national policies that include social protection floors for all, including migrant workers; address the discrimination inherent in existing laws and ensuring compliance with social security laws; enforce social security agreements that coordinate social security systems enable portability of rights across borders; and raise awareness among migrant workers about their rights and entitlements is crucial for empowering them to advocate for themselves effectively. Bilateral Labour Agreements (BLAs) and should also incorporate social security provisions to extend social protection to migrant workers and their families. Social Security Agreements (SSA) are specific tools that focused on access to social protection and portability of benefits.

Comprehensive legislative and administrative frameworks that take into account diversity and complexity of statuses of nationals and non-nationals and inclusive social protection policies based on principles of non- discrimination and equality of treatment uphold the dignity and rights of migrant workers. These measures further contribute to the broader goals of reducing poverty and inequality, as outlined in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, protecting migrant workers and realizing a more equitable and sustainable global society. 

Yonas Berhané is Communications Officer, Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) Programme at ILO

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