One hundred and five Kogi residents living with various disabilities have been trained on various skills by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).[...] Mrs. Bola Oyelembu, the State Coordinator of USAID, in a brief speech at the ceremony, said that the initiative was to open windows of opportunity for people living with disabilities. “The programme aims at giving them some hope and encouragement; we wanted to let them know that they are loved and cherished by the society,” she said.

The Nigerian government on Friday said it aims to launch "cultural diplomacy" with the South African government to end incessant xenophobic attacks on citizens of the west African nation in that country.[...]More than 100 citizens of Nigeria had been killed or injured in xenophobic attacks across South Africa since 2013, according to the Nigerian government. The government spokesman said cultural diplomacy was an effective tool that would end xenophobia and strengthen the understanding between the two countries.

Switzerland has given an insight into why it was part of the negotiation that led to the release of the 82 Chibok girls abducted three years ago by the terror group, Boko Haram. According to a news report published yesterday by a UK newspaper, IBTimes UK, the Swiss government said its involvement in the negotiation with Boko Haram was a result of a request from the Nigerian government, in addition to “humanitarian concerns.”

In a bid to equip youth with requisite skills for business growth and how to become employers of labour in the long run, Google, in collaboration with Kaduna State Government and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) has trained no fewer than 5000 persons on digital Internet skills. [...] Google Lead Trainer, Mr. Luke Ini-Ima, told journalists that the training was part of the government’s youth empowerment programmes, adding; “This training will, therefore, enable the unemployed youths tap from the huge opportunities in the ICT sector.”

The Nigerian Government has urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to take relations with Nigeria to greater heights. [...] The Minister says Nigeria’s cultural diplomacy is worthy of emulation by the countries.

Nigeria’s northeast is facing a tightening hunger gap, say aid organisations, pointing to two years of missed crop harvests in what was once a breadbasket for the country, and the high likelihood of missing a third. [...] The UN says it needs $1.5 billion (€1.4 billion) in humanitarian aid this year for the Lake Chad region – which spreads across parts of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad – and $457 million had been pledged for 2017 by late February.

The dynamics of the global economy are shifting apace. With uncertainty in developed markets such as the UK, the US and Europe, many brands are looking beyond their traditional customer bases in search of new opportunities and sources of growth. Africa, the world’s poorest continent but also the most untapped by consumer brands, looks set to benefit.

Undoubtedly, the #BringBackOurGirls vibe and heat must have at best fuelled the use of social media, particularly Twitter, to push for social change and global action. The #FeesMustFall (South Africa) and #Justice4Liz (Kenya) trends among others have followed the lead of #BringBackOurGirls.