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AstraZeneca and partners Sets to Plant 6m Trees to Restore Degraded Forests for Healthy Environment & Communities

AstraZeneca in collaboration with NGPTA iNovaland partners, through the Global AZ Forest Programme has reinforced its commitment to restoring degraded ecosystems with six million tree planting initiative under the “Atebubu and Wiase Forest Landscape Restoration” project.
The community engagement, training and tree planting ceremony held in Atebubu, Ghana, on 7th June 2024 under the theme; “Promoting healthy environments for healthy communities convened farmers, in the Atebubu and Wiase traditional area, project partners, and environmental sustainability enthusiasts to celebrate reforestation progress and the adoption of sustainable landscape restoration practices. Under this project, five million trees will be planted to restore natural forests, while the remaining one million will be dedicated to community-led agroforestry endeavours.
In the last 3 years, over 4 million trees have been planted through natural forest restoration and Agroforestry. The project, one of the significant contributions to the Green Ghana Day 2024 initiative aims to build ecological and community resilience through nature-positive investments and sustainable practices.
Deepak Arora, Country President – African Cluster at AstraZeneca emphasised the importance of collaborative efforts in addressing environmental challenges and promoting community health.
He noted that climate change and ecosystem degradation are not just environmental issues but also public health concerns, adding that AstraZeneca is focused on addressing these environmental factors which ultimately affect public health.
“At AstraZeneca, we recognise the fundamental link between a thriving environment and health. Through our commitment to sustainability and programmes like AZ Forest, we’re driving positive health and environmental impacts, and seeing the positive change such efforts can have on communities.
“Teaming up with NGPTA iNovaland and other key stakeholders, we’re honoured to be collaborating in this tree planting campaign.
“By co-designing this project, we aim to ensure that local communities are at the heart of landscape restoration, delivering natural forest restoration and agroforestry with ecological, economic, and community benefits,” said Arora.
Through AZ Forest, AstraZeneca has committed to plant and maintain 200 million trees globally by 2030. The plan is to restore over 100,000 hectares across six continents as part of a commitment to climate action, investing in nature and biodiversity, and improving human health.
Since the launch of AZ Forest in Ghana in 2022, the project has helped to address local challenges such as deforestation, declining soil fertility, agricultural productivity, unemployment, and forest fires.
So far, more than 3.8 million trees have been planted, contributing to a more resilient food system, higher incomes for farmers, and ultimately stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities.
Speaking on behalf of NGPTA iNovaland Abraham Yelley, Project Coordinator, emphasised the importance of ground-up collaborative efforts in addressing environmental and social challenges.
“In this project, we are not just planting trees—we are transforming lives. By uniting communities and all stakeholders, we have mobilised over 1,000 farmers in agroforestry, provided high-quality mango and cashew seedlings, and delivered technical support to see the trees grow.
“Together, we are addressing food security, enhancing nutrition, and building climate resilience, creating a healthier, more prosperous future for communities.”
Against the backdrop of alarming statistics indicating record-breaking temperatures and ecological threats, programmes like AZ Forest, and national projects like “Green Ghana” are of critical importance in combating the escalating climate crisis and driving environmental sustainability. The initiative will extend beyond a single occasion. Farmer-led tree planting activities will persist for several weeks, adding to the overall tree count initiated on Green Ghana Day. Concurrently, the regular project tree planting efforts will carry on throughout the planting season.
Green Ghana Day is an annual event held in Ghana to highlight the nation’s dedication to environmental stewardship and sustainable development through tree planting to boost green cover, biodiversity, and counter the effects of climate change.
News
IHS Nigeria, UNICEF Donate Oxygen Plant to Bridge Health Gap in River State

IHS Nigeria and its implementing partner, the United Nations Child Education Fund (UNICEF) has expressed satisfaction that the Oxygen Plant recently donated to Rivers State is helping to bridge the health Gap in the state and its environs.
This observation was made recently when officials from IHS Nigeria and UNICEF, carried out a project inspection visit to the plant located at the General Hospital in Eleme, Rivers State.
During the handing over of the oxygen plant to the Rivers State Government in 2024, the facility was reported to have a production capacity of 123 oxygen cylinders and 720,000 litres of oxygen every 24 hours.
The plant was built under a Public-Private Partnership involving UNICEF, the Canadian Government, IHS Nigeria, in partnership with the Rivers State Ministry of Health through the State Hospital Management Board.
Speaking during the visit to the facility yesterday, the Director of Sustainability at IHS Nigeria, Titilope Oguntuga, noted that the oxygen plant has saved lives and is helping to bridge health gaps in the eight other states where similar plants are located.
She further explained that the visit reflects the organisation’s commitment “not only to create opportunities for impact but to also continue supporting the healthcare industry by carrying out such interventions that directly impact individuals and saves lives. This plant is one of the nine oxygen plants we have built across the federation,” she said.
“We are particularly excited that it is helping to bridge health gaps—not just in Rivers State and its environs, but in all the states where the plants are currently located.”
Oguntuga informed that in terms of sustainability “we focus our intervention sustainability on four pillars; ethics and governance, education and economic growth, environment and climate change and finally, people and communities”.
She added that “the visit to the Rivers State oxygen plant is to have an assessment of how well the plant is functioning, the impact it is currently making and to generally understand how the operation is going”.
On his part, Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Port Harcourt, Dr Anslem Audu, stated that the plant has been very functional and useful to the people of Rivers State. According to him, “During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of patients needed oxygen and oxygen was not available. So many children will come down with pneumonia and it will become an emergency, they will need oxygen, but oxygen is not available in the hospital. But with this plant now available no child will die because of lack of oxygen in the hospital. The era of lack of oxygen is no longer there.
Audu added that “You can practically visit any of the hospitals in Port Harcourt and find out that they have oxygen and the product is from this plant all thanks to IHS Nigeria, the Canadian Government and UNICEF”.
The UNICEF field officer, who confirmed that the plant is functioning optimally, said it is producing enough oxygen for the state’s needs.
In his words, “The partnership between these three organizations and the Ministry of Health in Rivers State has really worked, and we are reaping the benefits of the partnership.
He urged the implementing partners, especially the government, to also invest in the sustainability of the facility by providing a source of electricity for the plant to be more functional.
Earlier, the Medical Director Eleme General Hospital, Dr Leechi-Okere Clarabelle, noted that since the day of the unveiling, the plant has been functioning very well. Commenting on impact he noted that “We’ve had success stories whereby oxygen is distributed to public hospitals in the state, including the two teaching hospitals in the state and then we have also extended distribution to some private hospitals within the state.
“We have two hubs that serve as storage and distribution points because of the location of the plant. We produce here and store somewhere in Port Harcourt so that people who come from a far distance can get oxygen from these hubs.
News
JAMB Accuses Student of Securing Admission through Identity Fraud

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has accused a 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate of manipulating his identity and engaging in online blackmail.
Fabian Benjamin, head of public affairs, JAMB, issued a statement on the matter on Thursday.
He said one Chinedu Okeke, currently a 400-level Medicine and Surgery student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), gained admission in 2021 while claiming to be from Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos state.
JAMB said Okeke’s national identification number (NIN) records from 2021 confirm his Lagos origin.
The board stated it does not alter candidate information provided through NIN.
The board, however, said the 400-level student, who is facing potential challenges for incorrect credentials, is now claiming that it retrieved the wrong details for him from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in 2021.
“[This] is unequivocally false, aimed at fabricating a defence for his case,” Benjamin said.
“The evidence suggests that Chinedu altered his records as filled in 2021 before registering for the 2025 UTME, a fact confirmed by even his advocates.”
The board questioned why a 400-level medical student would seek to study mechanical engineering in 2025, especially with “inconsistencies in his claims.”
JAMB alleged that Okeke “took advantage” of Lagos state’s quota in 2021, thereby obstructing the admission opportunities for other deserving candidates from the state.
It added that he then “attempted to manipulate his details with the NIMC” to unjustly claim representation from Anambra state in 2025.
The board criticised “online advocates” for “actively reaching out to Chinedu’s parents to extract emotional narratives rather than factual clarifications, neglecting to seek information directly from the university.”
JAMB affirmed its commitment to maintaining accurate records and preventing candidates from exploiting loopholes.
It warned that if UNN confirms any inconsistencies, it would notify the Medical and Dental Council to consider delisting Okeke.
“When a nation trivialises illegalities, it breeds a future fraught with potential criminality,” Benjamin’s statement concluded.
News
Check Point Report Finds Africa as Top Target for Cyber-attacks

Africa has become the most targeted region globally for cyber-attacks in the first quarter of 2025, according to new research from Check Point Software Technologies. The company’s Q1 2025 Global Cyber Attack Report reveals a steep rise in malicious activity as the continent continues to accelerate its Digital transformation.
Ethiopia emerged as the most targeted country in Africa during the reporting period. FakeUpdates ranked as the most common malware, while 80% of malicious files across the continent were delivered via e-mail. In contrast, 62% of threats in SA were distributed via the web.
On average, organisations in Africa faced 3 325 cyber-attacks per week – a staggering 72% above the global average of 1 938 attacks per organisation.
Check Point Software unpacked the findings at a media roundtable in Johannesburg. Eli Smadja, global research group manager at Check Point, provided a detailed overview of Africa’s evolving cyber threat landscape, which he said is increasingly defined by AI-powered threats, ransomware, infostealers, edge device vulnerabilities and cloud-based risks.
Among the most concerning developments was the discovery of a previously undocumented multi-stage backdoor, dubbed Stealth Soldier, currently being deployed in cyber operations targeting North African government entities. The malware forms part of a broader command-and-control infrastructure used in spear-phishing campaigns.
Smadja noted a growing trend in malware designed to bypass AI detection systems.
“These aren’t aimed at advanced large language models (LLMs), but rather at lower-level ones,” he said. “It’s about LLM evasion – fooling the AI and manipulating prompts.”
Despite the increasing use of AI in cyber security, Smadja cautioned against over-reliance on AI-driven defence systems. “AI still requires human prompting.”
Check Point is advocating for a zero trust model and a holistic, automated and consolidated approach to cyber security. This includes centralised threat visibility and simplified controls to protect against ransomware, phishing, data theft and vulnerabilities at the edge.
“Just having something at the perimeter isn’t enough,” Smadja said. “Cyber-attacks are not just targeting PCs or servers anymore. For instance, we’ve seen state-sponsored attacks aimed at fuel pumps to disrupt national supply chains.”
He highlighted the importance of understanding external risk – threats originating outside the organisation – especially as AI-driven ransomware and attacks on third-party service providers continue to rise.
“Printers, for example, are a major attack vector,” he added. “They’re often network-connected, and threat actors can exploit them to gain broader access.”
Credentials, Smadja noted, are also a lucrative commodity on the dark web, often selling for around $500.
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