A lack of reliable and affordable access to farming inputs like commercial fertilisers and drought-tolerant seed had been constraining farmers’ productivity and therefore profits. To overcome this, the project established and strengthened three private agro-dealers and three farmers’ cooperatives so that product ranges could be diversified and supplied to farmers at a fair price in a timely way. Yields were also declining due to farmers struggling to adapt their farming practices to more frequent droughts. Farmers were encouraged to track which crops were in high demand, produce crops collectively to strengthen negotiating power, and develop their links to buyers. A new digital system called Farmer App was developed, enabling 1300 farmers to monitor market selling prices from their phones.

Vodafone underlined its commitment to Open RAN networks on Monday by confirming it would create purpose-built chipset architecture for the nascent technology with Intel INTC.O. Open RAN allows mobile operators to mix and match equipment from various suppliers, potentially increasing flexibility. Vodafone agreed in 2022 to work with U.S. chipmaker Intel on the potential to design its own chip architecture. Vodafone and Orange said on Monday they had successfully made 4G calls over a cluster of sites in a rural area near Bucharest based on Open RAN technology. In Italy, Vodafone said a pilot with Nokia aimed to prove that Nokia's Open RAN solution could achieve the same functionality and performance as its purpose built RAN.

Operatives from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) apprehended a 67-year-old individual named Chukwuemeka Clement at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja. While under close observation, he excreted a total of 100 cocaine wraps, amounting to 2.195 kilograms, in four separate instances. On the same day, Tuesday 3rd October, NDLEA operatives at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, intercepted a 45-year-old woman, Bilkisu Mohammed Bello while preparing to board a Saudia Airlines flight to Saudi Arabia. While being interviewed, she confessed that pellets of cocaine given to her to swallow before her flight were kept in a house in Farawa area of Kano. When she led NDLEA officers to the house, 52 wraps of the illicit substance with a total weight of 767grams were recovered.

Representing about a third of Ethiopia's approximately 120 million people, the Oromo are the largest of Ethiopia's approximately 80 peoples. Crowned in 1889, Emperor Menelik and his successors gradually imposed the Amharic language and culture as the Ethiopian national model, denying the Oromo their traditions. “Previous generations paid a high price so that our generation could come here to celebrate” Irreecha, Sabkeba Gezu recalls. But his popularity has fallen as far as Oromia and many Oromos are struggling to hide their disappointment. However, it is a little better, we can come here and freely celebrate our culture,” said Ababa Korsa, a 30-year-old accountant.

We are determined to safeguard human rights, Ethiopia saysADDIS ABABA - The Federal Republic of Ethiopia says it is keen to safeguard human rights, despite criticism directed towards Addis Ababa for the last couple of years under the stewardship of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize Laurette, having won the coveted prize in 2019. “After a robust, intensive, and participatory process, the Transitional Justice Policy is in its final stage,” said the Foreign Ministry. According to the statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Transitional Justice Policy will be endorsed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in the coming weeks. The statement comes three days after UN experts warned “imminent risk of atrocity crimes” in Ethiopia. Human Rights Experts from the United Nations claimed Ethiopia is one of the countries where abuse of human rights is imminent, adding that there is a need for the Horn of Africa nation to reform.

Julie Mehretu has set a new auction record for an African-born artist. Unlike in the broader market, the top prices for African artists at auction are generated by women. Two other artists in this top tier are the South African artist Irma Stern and the Nigerian American artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby. Despite this, the market for Mehretu is consistently strong, according to the head of Sotheby's Modern and contemporary African art department, Hannah O'Leary. This is helped by the creation of new contemporary art museums on the continent, such as Zeitz MOCAA and the Norval Foundation, as well as Western museums such as the Tate and the Pompidou, who are actively collecting contemporary art from Africa,” she adds.

The winners of the Lisbon half marathon's men's and women's events were Ethiopian Enatnesh Tirusew and Kenyan Abraham Cheroben. Rui Pinto was the fastest Portuguese over that distance, who finished in sixth place at 1:04.22 hours. Ethiopian Tirusew completed the 21 km in the women's event in 1:08.40 and all by herself. Susana Godinho, who finished in fourth place with a time of 1:13.12 hours, was the fastest Portuguese female competitor. With 10,500 registered participants, the Lisbon half marathon began an hour and a half earlier than scheduled, at 09:00, due to the expected heat in the Portuguese capital.

Ankara's first international half marathon, Runkara Half Marathon, was held in Ankara on Sunday, October 8, with the participation of elite horses from 25 countries. Turkish Athletics Federation President Fatih Çintimar stated that the organization contributes to the promotion of the country and the development of athletics. In the ranking of Turkish athletes, Hüseyin Can (1:04.53) came first, Ayetullah Aslanhan (1:05.00) came second, and Ahmet Alkanoğlu (1:05.59) came third. In women; Sultan Haydar (1:09.12) came first, Bahar Atalay (1:14.09) came second, Derya Kunur (1:14.29) came third. Speaking at the award ceremony, Athletics Federation President Fatih Çintimar stated that the organization contributed to the promotion of the country and the development of athletics.

Reading Time: 2 minutesKenyan Kelvin Kiptum shattered the men’s marathon world record in Chicago on Sunday, winning in two hours and 35 seconds to beat compatriot Eliud Kipchoge’s previous mark by more than 30 seconds. “A world record was not in my mind today.”He broke the tape three minutes and 27 seconds ahead of compatriot Benson Kipruto, while Belgian Bashir Abdi finished third in 2:04:32. “I saw the time in front of me, I said let me try – maybe I can run under 2:00,” he said. “I knew one day I would be a world record holder.”He glided through the finish line, seemingly with energy to spare as he leapt into an embrace with race director Carey Pinkowski. Hassan picked up a pair of medals at the World Athletics Championships in August and showed no signs of fatigue in Chicago as she broke the tape one minute and 53 seconds ahead of Chepngetich.

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Zagreb, CroatiaManufactured by Artisan and designed by Ruder Novak Mikulic and the design team at Regular Company, the Monument table is a functional furniture piece and a bold sculpture that elevates any space with its simple yet striking presence. For its sustainable design and its sculptural form, the Monument Table has been awarded a Prize Design for Modern Furniture + Lighting 2023 by Global Design News and The Chicago Athenaeum Museum for Architecture and Design. Crafted from sustainably sourced wood, the table is both durable and monumental, designed and crafted to withstand the test of time. The uniquely shaped top and legs positioned under different angles make the table look completely different from every angle you look at it. Project: Monument TableDesigner: Regular CompanyLead Designer: Ruder Novak MikulicManufacturer: Artisan d.o.o.

Yes, according to a Ugandan company that’s buying banana stems in a business that turns fiber into attractive handicrafts. TEXFAD also takes material from a third party, Tupande Holdings Ltd., whose trucks deliver banana stems from farmers in central Uganda. Such items are possible because “banana fiber can be softened to the level of cotton,” Okello said. Working with researchers, TEXFAD is now experimenting with possible fabric from banana fiber. While it is now possible to make paper towels and sanitary pads from banana fiber, the company doesn’t yet have the technology to make clothing, he said.

Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, defender Osinachi Ohale and forward Asisat Oshoala headline a list of 22 players invited to the Super Falcons’ camp for this month’s Paris 2024 Women Olympic Football Tournament qualification fixture against the Senior Women National Team of Ethiopia. Ethiopia will host the first leg of the second-round fixture in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, 25thOctoberwith the second leg in Nigeria on Tuesday, 31st October. Ethiopia eliminated Chad in the first round of the series as nine-time African champions Nigeria drew a bye. The Falcons will be up against their counterparts from Cape Verde in the third round of that series at the end of November. The Super Falcons played at the Olympics in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

The NDLEA arrested a 67-year-old drug trafficker, Clement Chukwuemeka at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Oct. 3 for ingesting 100 wraps of cocaine. They located and destroyed 10.38 tonnes of Indian hemp covering more than 4.152 hectares in the town, Babafemi stated. “A search of the container led to the recovery of two bags of Indian hemp, weighing 20kg. Babfemi stated also that on Oct. 1, NDLEA operatives raided Obi Camp in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo. Babafemi stated also that NDLEA operatives nabbed one Anuoluwapo Iyanu (32) on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Oct. 4 with 52 blocks of compressed Indian hemp shaped like pawpaw.

Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum broke the marathon world record to win the Chicago Marathon in 2 hours and 35 seconds, nearly breaking the two-hour barrier. Kiptum, listed at 23 years old, broke countryman Eliud Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon. “A world record was not in my mind today,” Kiptum said on NBC Chicago. Recent advances in shoe technology coincided with the men’s and women’s marathon world records being broken multiple times in the last four years. “I just love the pain.”Emily Sisson was the top American woman in seventh in 2:22:09, a year after lowering the American record to 2:18:29 in a runner-up finish in Chicago.