Agriculture-Africa - Eva, a Ghanian woman, was given five pigs and some training on how best to care for them. Eventually, her farm grew to 400 pigs and she was able to buy more land and a motorbike which she not only used for transporting her goods to market but for helping neighbours get to town and to hospital quicker. Danielle Mutone-Smith, director of global trade and agriculture policy at the NGO Women Thrive, cites this as just one example of the way investing in women working in agriculture can pay major dividends for not only women's rights but poor communities and economic development in general.

Environment-Nigeria - Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment, Senator Grace Bent, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the Climate Commission Bill as a matter of urgency. Addressing a group of stakeholders under the umbrella of the Nigeria Climate Action Network (NigeriaCan) on Tuesday in Abuja, the Senator declared that Nigeria must be prepared for climatic disasters. "How can we handle climatic disasters of the size and proportion of the earthquake and tsunami that Japan is currently grappling with?" Senator Bent queried. "The country must urgently establish the National Climate Change Commission to prepare Nigerians for predicted climatic disasters," she urged.

Kerosene Scarcity-Nigeria - Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Andrew Obaje has assured Nigerians that his agency would tackle the resurgence of the scarcity of Dual Purpose Kerosene rocking the country. Obaje stated this in a statement by DPR, when he was awarded the prestigious Fellowship Award by the Nigeria Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS). He assured that DPR under him would work to always put the interest of the nation before any other, noting that the department would tackle headlong the issue of unavailability of kerosene.

Kenyan vehicle importers have expressed fears that supply of second hand vehicles from Japan may be affected as a result of the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Though the importers are convinced that the impact on the Kenyan second hand vehicle market will be minimal, concerns that most Japanese may cut back on spending on new cars might hit the availability of these vehicles. Normally, Japanese don't stay for long with a new vehicle and it is these vehicles that are sold to Kenyan importers as second hands."People there might stop spending on new vehicles which will affect the supply of second hand vehicles," said Nicholas Thairu of Nichibo Motors, a leading importer of second hand vehicle. "But this is temporary according to the information am getting from the ground in Japan."

Housing-Kenya - The National Housing Corporation (NHC) is betting on product innovation and partnerships to boost supply as it seeks to harness the wider housing market. Speaking to the Star in the sidelines when NHC was awarded the ISO quality management certification yesterday, NHC board chairman Bosire Ogero said some of the products the agency is currently offering include the tenant purchase, site and service and home loans among others in bid to reduce the gap between demand and supply.

Business-Namibia - "Namibia is one of the success stories on the African continent after gaining independence 21 years ago. "The country has proven itself as a safe haven for investments and in recent years the economy showed its mettle against the worst of world recessions," says Santam Namibia CEO, Riaan Louw. Certain sectors such as the diamond trade, mining and tourism were negatively affected by the recession while other sectors including financial services, construction and retail have grown in these uncertain times.

Football-namibia - Minister of Trade and Industry Hage Geingob will kick off a football game pitting retired international football stars against Namibian legends in Otavi on April 3. The game is organised by the Ohorongo Otavi Community Trust (OOCT) and Global United FC e.V. from Germany. Retired internationals like Guido Buchwald (Germany), Mark Fish (South Africa), Kalusha (Zambia), Sean Dundee (South Africa, Phil Masinga (South Africa), Sunday Oliseh (Nigeria), Alexander Rosen (Germany), Gunnar Halle (Norway), Bachirou Salou (Togo), Carsten Ramelow (Germany), Stig Tofting (Denmark) and Silvio Meissner (Germany) are expected to grace the Otavi soccer field.

Security-Nigeria - Activities of illegal loggers at the Okomu National Park in Ovia South West Local Government of Edo State have attracted the attention of a group, the Protection for Okomu National Park and Environment, which called on Federal and Edo State government to beef up security at the park so as to save it from poaching and reckless destruction. The group alleged that logs worth millions of naira were being ferried away daily to neighbouring states by illegal loggers at the park. Coordinator of the group, Mr. Tony Erha, who stated this at a press briefing in Benin, said Okomu National Park may lose its attractions and possibly wiped out if the activities of illegal loggers were not checked.

Economy-Nigeria - The free fall that had characterised trading on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in the last two trading days continued on Wednesday when both indicators closed in the red. Equities capitalisation closed lower at N7.969 trillion after it went down by N60.283 billion; while the All-Share Index went down by 188.68 basis points or 0.75 per cent to close at 24,944.63 points. A total of 211.224 million shares; valued at N1.453 billion were traded in 7,106 transactions as against 252.777 million shares; valued at N2.022 billion in 12,424 deals recorded on Tuesday with the banking sub-sector accounting for a total of 125.936 million shares; valued at N836.403 million as against 182.565 million shares; valued at N1.262 billion recorded on Tuesday.

Economy-Nigeria - National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) met with stakeholders in Enugu at the weekend to rub minds, with a view to improving the quality and safety of available regulated products. At the forum, which attracted consumers and dealers in pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, NAFDAC Director General, Paul Orhii, who was represented by Assistant Director, Public Relations, Jimoh Abubakar, recalled that the agency was established by decree No 15 of 1993, to control and regulate the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, chemicals, detergents, medical devices and all packaged drinks, including water.

Security-Nigeria - The Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN) has disclosed that the eight former militants that returned from Ghana where they could not complete their training on skills acquisition were not deported but asked to return home by the Nigerian authorities. The former militants ran into trouble when they were accused by the Ghanaian authorities of behaving in unruly manner. Chairman of FEHN, Allen Onyema, who spoke on the fate of the eight former militants, said they have shown remorse and promised not to go back to their old ways. Onyema said in Obubra camp, Cross River State that already, reformation classes are being held for the affected eight former militants so they could get on with other aspects of the amnesty programme.

Security-Nigeria - Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang, has blamed his administration's inability to implement the white papers of previous reports of investigations on recurring Jos crisis largely on the removal of culprits from Jos to Abuja from where the suspects are released. Jang at his last consultative Forum with Plateau stakeholders before the April general elections said that "the biggest challenge we have had to contend with is that of peace and security with attendant loss of lives and property," saying, "indeed this is my most painful moment in government.

Agriculture-Kenya - While most parts of the country are staring at a drought because of expected poor rains, farmers in Kitale are worried of too much rain. Residents still remember how excess rains destroyed their harvests last year. "It was a total loss for me," says Rebecca Bowen, a 53-year-old agricultural officer and a maize farmer. The meteorological department last week confirmed that while rains would be depressed across the country, Western Kenya and Rift Valley highlands may still receive above normal rains. Now farmers in Kitale and neighbouring areas are turning to crop insurance so that they do not lose everything. In case of extreme weather, they will be compensated for their investments in seed, fertiliser and other inputs. "I will never experience total loss come rain or drought," says Bowen. Her family is among those enrolling for the insurance programme called Kilimo Salama Plus.

Politics-Zambia - Labour and Social Security Deputy Minister Simon Kachimba has said the Government will always try to have an efficient public service that will deliver quality services to the Zambian people. Mr Kachimba said the Government had since 1993 implemented the Public Service Reform Programme (PSRP) that had achieved a number of successes in the delivery of quality service to the citizenry. He said in Lusaka yesterday when he officiated at a staff sensitisation workshop on the restructuring of the ministry that public service was the vehicle through which the Government could implement its programmes.

Oil-Gas-Nigeria - Seven Energy Ltd., a Nigerian oil and gas company, is bidding for Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)'s production licence OML 34 in the African country, shareholder Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) has said. Petrofac, a U.K. oil services company that holds 15 percent stake in Seven, may help finance the bid, said Chief Executive Officer Ayman Asfari. Shell is expected to make the tender announcement in a few weeks, he said. "If they are successful they would have to raise additional funding" and "we may support them and may end up increasing our shareholding," Asfari said in an interview today. "Our interest in Nigeria is whether they succeed in the Shell round or not."

Politics-Kenya - The letter written by President Mwai Kibaki and addressed to the United Nations Security Council, giving reasons why the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against the Ocampo Six should be deferred is a clear indication that forces of impunity in Kenya are prepared to go to any lengths to defeat the course of justice in view of the crimes committed during the post-election violence. In his letter, His Excellency claimed that if the cases against Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto, Francis Muthaura, Hussein Ali, Henry Kosgey and Joshua arap Sang proceeds, they will excite negative ethnic passions, which would in turn pose a threat to the country's national security. The President's thinking is quite interesting, but it does not require a genius to realise that Kibaki is going on a fishing expedition. Unfortunately, the President intends to fish in very shallow waters - something that makes it easy for anyone to call his bluff.

Nigeria - Scientists and science journalists in Nigeria have fostered a harmony aimed at enhancing science and technology development in the country. This was achieved at the inaugural science communication conference of the Nigerian Association of Science Journalists (NASJ), an affiliate of Canada-based World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ), held at the weekend in Abuja. This marks a major milestone for the conference intended to bridge the huge divide between scientists and journalists, apparently because of the suspicions harboured by both groups of professionals.

Kenya-Egypt - The 2009 Kenyan Premier League champions Sofapaka FC jet out this morning for Egypt for their Africa Confederations Cup tie against Ismaily on Friday night. However, Harambee Stars striker Bob Mugalia leads a handful of absentees from the traveling squad including crocked goalkeeper Wilson Obungu and former Mathare United hitman Francis Ouma. Mugalia remains suspended after accruing two yellow cards in the first and second legs of the first round of the competition in January against Angola's Aviacao SC.

Football - The coach of Mali’s national football team, French-born Alain Giresse, Thursday in Bamako unveiled a list of 23 players selected for the CAN 2012 qualifier against Zimbabwe, scheduled for Saturday in the Malian capital. CAN 2012 will be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Exchange rates of the Ghana cedi - Following are the latest exchange rates for Ghana's cedi, as issued by the Ghana Association of Bankers on Thursday.