In a bid to support low-income workers, Mexico has announced plans to raise its minimum wage by 12% starting January 2025.

The announcement was made Wednesday by Labor Minister Marath Bolaños during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, underscoring the government’s commitment to a “humanist economy” focused on reducing inequality.

The increase will see the daily minimum wage rise from 249 pesos ($12.23) to 278.80 pesos nationwide, while workers in northern border regions will earn approximately 420 pesos per day due to higher regional costs.

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This adjustment reflects an agreement between labor and business sectors and builds on significant wage hikes in recent years.

“We continue on the path to rebuild the minimum wage and the purchasing power of Mexican men and women,” Bolaños said, highlighting that the wage has more than doubled—up 135%—since 2018 under successive leftist governments.

President Sheinbaum, who assumed office in October, has committed to maintaining annual wage increases of around 12% throughout her term.

Responding to concerns that the hike could stoke inflation, she dismissed such fears as unfounded.

“They said this would increase inflation. That’s false,” Sheinbaum said, pointing to central bank data indicating the hike will not have significant inflationary effects.

The administration’s long-term goal is to ensure the minimum wage covers 2.5 “basic food baskets,” a measure of essential groceries for a family of 3.7 people, by the end of Sheinbaum’s term.

At the eighth Nigeria Family Planning Conference held in Abuja, medical experts stressed the urgent need to address high fertility rates and low family planning uptake to improve maternal and child health outcomes.

The event, themed “Sustaining Commitments for Family Planning within the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative,” was organised by the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Dr Ejike Oji, Chairman of the AAFP Management Committee, underscored the transformative potential of family planning as a tool for sustainable development. He highlighted its multifaceted benefits, including saving lives, promoting gender equity, and fostering economic growth. According to Oji, “$1 invested in contraceptive services saves $3 in maternal and newborn health costs by reducing unintended pregnancies.”

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Despite some progress, Nigeria’s Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) remains at 15 per cent, with an unmet need of 21 per cent. Dr Oji called for increased collaboration and innovation to meet the FP2030 targets.

Funmilola OlaOlorun, Co-Principal Investigator at Performance Monitoring for Action/Nigeria, emphasised the need for strict adherence to the national family planning blueprint to achieve a two per cent annual CPR increase. “We cannot do business as usual,” she stated, urging for more funding, dedication, and resource mobilisation.

Samuel Oyeniyi, Director at the Reproductive Health Department, acknowledged the slow but steady progress towards FP2030. He emphasised the importance of integrating family planning into broader health initiatives to bridge existing gaps.

The conference highlighted Nigeria’s renewed commitment, including a $4 million government investment in family planning and the integration of family planning services into the healthcare provision fund, ensuring access for marginalised groups.

In a significant boost to Nigeria’s economy, major global tech companies, including Google, Meta, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Microsoft, have contributed a combined N2.55 trillion ($1.5 billion) in taxes to the Nigerian government during the first half of 2024.

The news, revealed by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Wednesday, highlights the positive impact of foreign digital companies adhering to tax regulations in Nigeria.

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Data from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that these tech giants, including interactive computer service platforms and internet intermediaries, have contributed substantially to government revenue by adhering to Nigeria’s tax regulations.

“This significant increase in revenue underscores the role of regulatory frameworks in shaping compliance and driving revenue growth in the digital economy,” said Hadiza Umar, NITDA’s Head of Public Affairs, in a statement.

Beyond financial contributions, the report also highlighted the actions taken by social media platforms to enforce their policies in Nigeria.

In 2023, platforms deactivated 12.1 million Nigerian accounts for various violations, while 65.8 million pieces of Nigerian content were removed for breaching platform guidelines.

Additionally, 4.126 million complaints from Nigerian users were filed, and 379,433 pieces of content were reinstated after appeals.

NITDA also lauded Google, X, Microsoft, and TikTok for their adherence to the Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries, a set of guidelines developed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), and NITDA. The Code aims to enhance online safety and manage harmful content.

“The Code of Practice outlines clear guidelines for promoting online safety and managing harmful content,” NITDA’s statement read.

While acknowledging the progress made by these platforms in ensuring user safety, NITDA stressed the importance of continued collaboration and innovation.

“We remain committed to working with stakeholders to strengthen and enhance user safety measures, digital literacy, trust, and transparency,” the agency concluded.