News
Energy and Agriculture: Key Factors to Methane Emission

By Okoko Chidozie Christian
[email protected]; 09025179984.
Methane as the main ingredient in natural gas production is a major source of global emission alongside agriculture and waste management.

Targeting fossil fuels, waste and agriculture can bring a significant reduction in the overall greenhouse gas emissions.
Agriculture being the predominant source of methane, livestock emission from manure and gastro enteric release accounts for roughly 32% of human–caused emissions.
Though, agricultural methane does not only come from animals, also paddy rice cultivation–where flooded fields prevents oxygen from being penetrated into the soil, creates ideal conditions for methane, thus emits bacteria which accounts for another 8% of human-linked emissions, study reveals.
A big deal about methane is that: as a primary contributor to the formation of ground-level ozone-a hazardous air pollutant and greenhouse gas, exposes about 1 million premature people to death. Also, about 80 times more potent at warming the earth than carbon-dioxide, CO2.
Methane has accounted for roughly 30% of global warming since the pre-industrial times, and it is proliferating faster than at any other time since record keeping began in the 1800s. According to data from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, even as carbon-dioxide emission decelerated during the pandemic-related lockdown of the COVID-19 in the year 2020, atmospheric methane shifted up.
Recently, on how to reduce methane emission, James Lomax, adviser to UNEP Food Systems and Agriculture says “the world needs to begin by rethinking our approaches to agricultural cultivation and livestock production”. That will include: leveraging new technology shifting towards plant-rich diets and embracing alternative sources of protein.
Carbon-dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds to thousands of years. This means that even if emissions were immediately and dramatically reduced, it would not have an effect in the climate until later in the century. But, it takes only about a decade for methane to breakdown. So, reducing methane emissions would have an impact on the near-future, and it is critical to help keep the world on a path to 1.50C. Also, it will be a way out if humanity is to slash greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming to 1.50C – a target by the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
Looking at the farmer’s corner, farmers can provide animals with more nutritious feed for large and healthier productivity. Research gathered that scientists are experimenting with alternative types of feed to reduce the methane production by cows, and looking at ways to manage manure efficiently by using it to produce biogas-(a gas with high methane content).
However, when it comes to staple crops like paddy rice, experts recommend alternative wetting and drying approach that could reduce emissions rather than allowing the continuous flooding of fields. For example, paddy rice cultivation could be irrigated or drained two or three times throughout the growing season, thereby limiting methane production without impacting yield. That process will also require 1/3 less water, making it more economical.
Human-caused methane emissions could be replaced by as much as 45% within the decade. This would also improve health, and avert nearly 0.30C of global warming by 2045 helping to limit global temperature rise to 1.50C, and putting the planet on track to achieve the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
Subsequently, the yearly reduction of ground–level ozone would also prevent 260,000 asthma–related hospital visits, 73billion hours of labour from extreme heat, and 25million tons of crop losses.
Moreover, the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres convened the UN Food System Summit in September, 2012 which aimed at helping farmers and food production more environmentally friendly. Hence, the UN’s Joint Work on Agriculture is supporting transformation of agricultural and food systems, focusing on how to maintain productivity amidst a changing climate.
According to Mark Brownstein, Senior Vice President of Environmental Defense Fund “reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry is the fastest way to slow the rate of global warming that we feel today”. Cutting methane can also slow warming right now, but scientists explains that if there is success in a rapid, full-scale effort, then there is a chance to actually experience the benefit fast in our lifetime.
The International body through research and advocacy are drawing actions to cut methane pollutions from the energy and agricultural sectors for over a decade, and are building a Methane-Tracking Satellite to help scale reduction by at least 30% by 2030. September 7th every year has been isolated for the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. This day aimed at raising awareness and facilitating actions to improve air quality.
It is a global call to find new ways of doing things to reduce the amount of air pollution we cause; and ensure that everyone, everywhere can enjoy their right to breathe clean air.
News
FG Unveils AI Public Services Platform

Federal government has launched GovGuideNigeria, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital platform designed to streamline access to public service information through WhatsApp and the web.

The platform consolidates information from more than 35 federal ministries and over 60 government agencies, marking a significant step in Nigeria’s drive to expand AI-enabled public infrastructure and digital government services.
According to Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, the initiative aims to simplify interactions with government services, particularly for underserved communities that often face challenges navigating complex public-sector systems.
Developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Meta, and Publica AI, GovGuideNigeria uses conversational AI to provide real-time responses via WhatsApp and a web interface in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
Sade Dada, head of public policy at Meta, said the multilingual rollout highlights the growing use of natural language processing within African public institutions to improve digital inclusion and broaden access to services.
Ignatius Willie, chief executive of Publica AI, said the platform demonstrates how Africa’s next generation of digital public infrastructure can be developed locally using African languages.
GovGuideNigeria is intended to address longstanding challenges in Nigeria’s public information system, where citizens often struggle to access reliable guidance because of fragmented government websites, poor communication channels and the expense of travelling to physical offices.
Through AI-driven automation, users can obtain information on immigration procedures, documentation requirements, public programmes and agency-specific services through chat-based interactions.
The launch also reflects Nigeria’s broader ambition to integrate AI into digital governance, while strengthening partnerships between government agencies, global technology companies and local AI startups to modernise public service delivery.
News
Elon Musk to Become First World’s Trillionaire with SpaceX Historic IPO

Elon Musk is poised to become the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX, his company, confirmed plans to go public.

Elon Musk
Because Musk owns the majority of the shares, it could push his net worth over the trillion dollar mark.
The entrepreneur is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI.
Musk has been the wealthiest person in the world since 2025; as of May 2026, Forbes estimates his net worth to be $788 billion.
SpaceX has filed for a blockbuster public listing in the United States, paving the way for what could become the largest stock market debut in Wall Street history.
The company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies, announced plans to begin trading under the ticker symbol “SPCX” as early as next month.
The listing values SpaceX at about $1.25 trillion, with Musk’s majority ownership potentially worth more than $600 billion alone.
Combined with his existing holdings in companies including Tesla, the IPO could push Musk’s personal wealth above the $1 trillion mark.
The long-awaited filing also offered investors a rare look into SpaceX’s finances.
The company reported $18.6 billion in revenue last year but recorded a net loss of $4.9 billion. In the first quarter of this year, SpaceX generated $4.7 billion in sales while posting a $4.3 billion net loss.
Financial disclosures showed the company holds $102 billion in assets, including rockets, launch infrastructure and satellite systems, while carrying debts totalling $60.5 billion.
Despite the losses, analysts suggested investors were unlikely to be deterred given SpaceX’s dominance in commercial space launches and satellite internet services.
Ruth Foxe-Blader, managing partner at Citrine Venture Partners, described the planned flotation as “extremely exciting.”
“SpaceX is just an absolutely sprawling, enormous project with so many different selling points, and so many points that really point to the future,” she said.
SpaceX operates the Starlink satellite internet network and also owns Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI.
The IPO filing revealed that xAI recently reached a major commercial agreement with rival AI company Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot.
Under the arrangement, Anthropic will reportedly pay $15 billion annually to access data centre infrastructure linked to xAI operations in the American South.
The filing also disclosed that SpaceX expects to incur more than half a billion dollars in legal costs from multiple ongoing lawsuits and regulatory disputes.
Among the cases listed were claims alleging that xAI’s chatbot Grok had been used to create sexualised deepfakes of women and girls, alongside patent infringement disputes, music copyright claims, data breach allegations and investigations into compliance with European Union content moderation rules.
Musk has previously said he plans to dissolve xAI as a standalone company and pursue his AI ambitions directly under SpaceX.
The filing came shortly after Musk lost a high-profile legal battle against OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman.
Musk had accused OpenAI of abandoning its non-profit mission after shifting towards a commercial model, but a jury dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that he had waited too long to bring the claims.
News
Moniepoint Boosts UK Payments Security

African financial services platform Moniepoint has partnered with open banking software-as-a-service provider tell.money to deploy a transaction security system in the UK market.

The companies said the partnership will allow Moniepoint to implement Confirmation of Payee, an account name-checking service designed to verify recipient details before payments are processed.
The integration will be rolled out through Monieworld, Moniepoint’s UK remittance subsidiary, as part of the company’s broader European expansion strategy.
Tell.money will provide the underlying verification technology, which the companies said is intended to reduce misdirected payments and help protect users against cross-border fraud.
Ravi Jakhodia, CEO of Monieworld, said: “Our goal with Monieworld is to build financial services for Africans in the diaspora.”
He added that tell.money was selected because it manages compliance and accreditation requirements, allowing the fintech company to focus on customer service.
Moniepoint is entering a competitive UK-to-Africa remittance market that includes established providers such as Wise, WorldRemit and Remitly, as well as African fintech firms including Flutterwave’s Send App.
According to data from the World Bank’s KNOMAD programme, remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries are estimated at about $620 billion annually, with digital -first platforms capturing increasing market share through open banking integrations and automated compliance systems.
The rollout reflects a broader trend of African fintech firms expanding into developed markets by adopting local regulatory and open banking standards.
Industry analysts expect diaspora-focused platforms to evolve beyond money transfers into services such as multi-currency banking, credit and investment products.
Telecom3 days agoGoogle unveils Gemini-powered advertising, commerce tools at Marketing Live 2026
E-Financial3 days agoGriffin Capital Group Launches Integrated Financial Services Group Positioned to Strengthen Capital Formation in Nigeria, Africa
E-Financial3 days agoCBN to Simplify Bank Alerts over Rising Customer Complaints
E-Business3 days agoKaspersky Detected More than 92,000 Malware Attacks Disguised as AI Services in Four Months
Telecom3 days agoNigeria gets AI-ready Lagos data centre
Telecom3 days agoTelcos in Nigeria, other Emerging Markets Squeezed by Diesel Crisis
General News3 days agoOtedola Plans $100m Investment in Dangote Refinery ahead of Proposed IPO
Telecom2 days agoMTN to Turn its African Tower Network Into a Distributed AI Compute Grid


















