Oil
Sweden Backs IOM Plan to Reduce Health Vulnerability of Migrants in East and Southern Africa
GENEVA – IOM, with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), is launching a project aimed at reducing the health vulnerability of migrants and people affected by migration in East and Southern Africa.
The project, Partnership on Health and Mobility in East and Southern Africa Phase II (PHAMESA II), builds on the success of PHAMESA I and the Partnership on HIV and Mobility in Southern Africa (PHAMSA) implemented over the past decade.
PHAMESA II will respond to more comprehensive public health needs of migrants and communities affected by migration with a specific focus on spaces of vulnerability. These are areas where migration causes increased health vulnerability for everyone in that community, whether they are migrants or host communities.
To address these challenges, IOM will implement interventions to improve health literacy among migrants and communities, as well as increase availability, accessibility, and acceptability of services that improve health in identified spaces of vulnerability. IOM will also engage, sensitize and build capacity of health care institutions and service providers.
It will also work with public as well as non-profit and private service providers to facilitate the provision of preventive and curative health services, as well as address social determinants of health such as poverty, food security, immigration status, accommodation and transport.
In order to achieve an improved and sustainable response to migration and health challenges in the region, IOM will also address institutional, structural and normative factors that impact on health outcomes of migrants and migration affected communities.
IOM will focus on creating an enabling policy and legislative environment that supports migrants’ right to health, promoting evidenced-based policy and/or legal instruments at regional, national and sub-national levels. IOM will also ensure sustainability of migration and health responses in the region by strengthening partnerships, networks and multi-country frameworks.
Finally, IOM recognizes the importance of strategic data and evidence to inform policies and programmes. It will therefore undertake research to increase quality data and evidence on migration and health, as well as advocate for national information systems to incorporate indicators that measure the health of migrants.
At the core of all these activities is the realization of migrants’ right to health, which has been recognized by numerous global, regional legal instruments, including many national policy instruments and statutes. Of particular note is the World Health Assembly Resolution on the Health of Migrants 61.17 (2008).
PHAMESA II will also advocate and promote female empowerment, male involvement and couple communication in order to address some health needs and vulnerabilities caused by gender dynamics and norms in East and Southern Africa.
“To achieve a sustainable response to migration and health, no one organization can do it alone. We need to build partnerships at local, national and regional levels to support service delivery, build capacity, mobilize resources and create an enabling policy and legislative environment that supports the realisation of migrants’ right to health,” says Dr. Erick Ventura, IOM South Africa Chief of Mission a.i.
“Ultimately these migration and health responses should be sustainable: IOM will continue to strengthen multi-sectorial partnerships, promote information sharing, coordination and collaboration among governments, non-government organizations, the private sector and migrants,” he notes.
In a strategic move to revitalize Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, the Federal Government has unveiled two key fiscal incentives aimed at attracting investment and enhancing energy security.
The announcement was made by Mr. Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy on Wednesday.
The first initiative, the Value Added Tax (VAT) Modification Order 2024, introduces critical exemptions for essential energy products and infrastructure, including Diesel, Feed Gas, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Electric Vehicles, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure, and Clean Cooking Equipment.
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These exemptions are designed to reduce living costs for Nigerians, promote energy security, and accelerate the transition to cleaner energy alternatives.
The second initiative, the Notice of Tax Incentives for Deep Offshore Oil & Gas Production, offers new tax relief options for deep offshore exploration projects.
This measure aims to position Nigeria’s deep offshore basin as a premier destination for international oil and gas investments, boosting the country’s appeal to foreign investors.
These reforms are part of a broader set of policy initiatives, known as Policy Directives 40-42, endorsed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The directives reflect the administration’s commitment to fostering sustainable development in the energy sector and enhancing Nigeria’s competitive edge in the global oil and gas market.
By Yemie Adeoye
NIGERIA’s President Bola Tinubu has announced that the protracted ExxonMobil-Seplat upstream oil divestment will be formally approved by the Minister of petroleum within a matter of days, just as he announced his government’s intention to expand the Compress natural Gas, CNG buses initiative.
The President who stated this during his Independence day nationwide broadcast stated that the move is in line with his administration’s commitment to free enterprise, free entry and free exit in investments which is the hallmark of his administration investment policy.
“Fellow compatriots, our administration is committed to free enterprise, free entry, and free exit in investments while maintaining the sanctity and efficacy of our regulatory processes. This principle guides the divestment transactions in our upstream petroleum sector, where we are committed to changing the fortune positively. As such, the ExxonMobil Seplat divestment will receive ministerial approval in a matter of days, having been concluded by the regulator, NUPRC, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA. This was done in the same manner as other qualified divestments approved in the sector.”
The President also seized the opportunity to plead with Nigerians to be patient with his administration’s reform policies. “As your President, I assure you that we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate the suffering of our citizens. Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms we are implementing show positive signs, and we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel”.
“Our energy transition programme is on course. We are expanding the adoption of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas for mass transit with private sector players. The Federal Government is ready to assist the thirty-six States and FCT in acquiring CNG buses for cheaper public transportation.
Fellow Nigerians, while we are working to stabilise the economy and secure the country, we also seek to foster national unity and build social harmony and cohesion. Our economy can only thrive when there is peace”. he enthused.
As part of the administration’s push to improve Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed support for ExxonMobil’s plan to invest $10 billion in the country’s deep-water oil sector.
Speaking on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, during a meeting with ExxonMobil executives at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Shettima called the investment “a clear testament to the administration’s economic reforms and investor-friendly policies.”
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This announcement follows news that international maritime company DP World intends to develop a multibillion-dollar port project in Nigeria.
Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, shared the development in a statement on Wednesday. He quoted Shettima as saying: “ExxonMobil’s potential investment aligns with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for a more investment-friendly Nigeria.
We are committed to fostering an environment that supports such transformative projects.”Shettima also discussed the administration’s broader efforts to improve the ease of doing business, highlighting the “Renewed Hope Agenda,” which aims to simplify bureaucratic processes, enhance transparency, and offer fiscal incentives to attract global investors.
“Our administration has taken bold steps to unify the exchange rate, remove fuel subsidies, and implement tax reforms. These measures, though challenging in the short term, are intended to create a stable and predictable business environment in the long term,” he added.
On the oil and gas sector, Shettima mentioned that the government is revising the fiscal framework for deep-water operations to attract investment while ensuring fair returns for the Nigerian people.
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