Gabon 2017: Gyan may miss quarterfinal clash against DR Congo (Read full details)

Ghana's forward Asamoah Gyan celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations group D football match between Ghana and Mali in Port-Gentil on January 21, 2017.<br />Justin TALLIS / AFP

Captain of Ghana Black Stars, Asamoah Gyan fears he may be ruled out of the Africa Cup of Nations after suffering an injury in Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat by Egypt.

Gyan was substituted in the first half and is in danger of missing Sunday’s quarterfinal against DR Congo. “I’m in pain right now. I don’t know the extent of the injury, we have to go for an MRI scan,” he told BBC Sport.

“I’m desperate to come back and I’ll try as much as possible, but if I cannot it’s part of the game.” The 31-year-old striker was making his 99th international appearance in the Group D match against Egypt and was looking to score his 50th goal for his country.

He believes he was a “victim” of a dreadful playing surface in Port-Gentil that has already come in for widespread criticism. “When I walk it’s ok but when I try to change direction that is when I feel the pain,” he added. “In football there is a lot of changing of direction and if I can’t do this it’s a big problem for me.”

Coach Avram Grant admitted he is concerned that he will lose his skipper. “It’s not looking so good but Gyan is a very strong boy,” he said. “We will need to wait and see.”

Gabon 2017: Gyan may miss quarterfinal clash against DR Congo

ECOWAS advances 10-year plan to address agriculture issues (Read full details)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has developed a 10-year Regional Agricultural Investment Plan (RAIP), to address emerging issues, such as climate change, nutrition and gender aspects of agriculture, towards promoting food security in West Africa.

The Director of Environment, ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Johnson Boanuh, speaking at the two-day Consultative Regional Committee for Agriculture and Food workshop, said the new or second generation RAIP, precedes the commission’s initial five-year plan. This is aimed at identifying agricultural excesses in the region, and ensuring distribution of the excesses to areas within countries and the region that suffer food shortages.

With the 10-year plan, which will run from 2016 to 2025, the region has identified seven emerging global agriculture issues, new ideas, and aims to integrate these issues into the plan for perusal and adoption by ECOWAS member states.

According to Boanuh, “with the current plan, we will consider various gender groups, the nutrition aspect – an important aspect that will help us produce nutritionally balanced foods that address a lot of health challenges, ensuring people are fed at the right time, with the right food, which prevents diseases.

“It also factors in the effects of climate change on food production and availability. Climate Change has become an emerging global issue. Therefore, we are paying serious attention to climate smart agriculture – which looks at how to make our agriculture responsive to climate challenges.”

To guarantee an encompassing approach, ECOWAS has helped member countries in establishing National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIP), which dovetails with the RAIP. Funds are mobilised by member states government, and with development partners within the states, as well as across the region.

Boanuh also said that ECOWAS has set-up a Regional Agricultural Agency, located in Lomé, Togo, where mobilised funds will be managed by the agency and made available to various national groups to assist in the improvement of their agricultural productivity.

Identifying the successes of the five-year RAIP plan, Boanuh added that there has been a general increase in cereal production, agriculture information systems, animal husbandry and animal health approaches.

He, however, noted that only member states can identify their peculiar successes, via productivity increase, within the last five years.

ECOWAS advances 10-year plan to address agriculture issues

NAFDAC destroys N9.6 billion fake drugs (Read full details)

NAFDAC

Govt pledges quality products in Nigeria

The National Agency for Foods Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday destroyed substandard pharmaceutical products in Igwurita, near Port Harcourt.

Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who said the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and NAFDAC seized the products valued at N9.6 billion, stressed that nothing destroys a nation than the importation, distribution and consumption of fake items.

He said the manufacturing of substandard products was the worst crime that anyone could commit against humanity.“The volume of trade has so far surpassed that of heroin and cocaine. It is a significant volume of business which we must all erase,” he said.

The Acting Director- General of NAFDAC, Mrs. Yetunde Oni, said a total of 21 containers were seized in the joint operation.She said 11 of them contained fake pharmaceutical products and the others, still kept at the Government Warehouse in Port Harcourt, were expired bread improvers.

However, a consultant pediatrician, Dr. Appolous Josiah, has urged the Federal Government to build capacity in the production of ethical drugs before banning their importation.

Also yesterday, the minister announced plans to ensure that drugs and products manufactured in the country meet the required standard.He made the disclosure at the accreditation of the zonal office of the NAFDAC in Agulu, Anambra State.Oni said the zonal laboratory was of international standard to test pharmaceutical products, raw materials and excipients.

NAFDAC destroys N9.6 billion fake drugs