UNDP Undergraduate Essay Competition: Taxation for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is excited to announce the opening of applications for the 2024 Tax for SDGs Undergraduate Essay Competition! This initiative is part of UNDP's commitment to raising awareness and generating innovative ideas that contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Tax for SDGs Initiative highlights the crucial role of effective taxation in funding sustainable development and creating a more equitable society.

Competition Overview:

UNDP Nigeria invites undergraduate students nationwide to share their insights and propose actionable solutions on how tax policies can effectively advance the SDGs within Nigeria. This competition offers a unique opportunity for students to engage with important policy issues and contribute to meaningful change. The top essays will be adapted into policy briefs, which could influence future tax policies and initiatives.

Themes:

Participants are encouraged to explore one of the following thematic areas in their essays:

1. Innovative Tax Policies: Investigate the potential of innovative tax policies and strategies to help close the financing gap for the SDGs in Nigeria. Also, consider how new approaches can mobilize resources and promote sustainable economic growth.

2. Inclusive and Sustainable Tax Systems: Examine the linkages between inclusive and sustainable tax systems and their impact on environmental sustainability, the digital economy, and trade. Discuss how equitable taxation can support sustainable development across various sectors.

3. Combatting Illicit Financial Flows: Focus on strengthening tax systems to combat illicit financial flows in Nigeria, highlighting how this can contribute to closing the financing gap for the SDGs. Analyze the challenges and propose strategies for enhancing tax compliance and governance.

Eligibility:

This competition is open to all Nigerian undergraduate students enrolled in recognized universities or colleges in the country. To participate, students must submit a national identification document and their university identification.

Submission Guidelines:

- Essay Length: Essays should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words.

- Language: All submissions must be in English.

- Format: Essays must be typed, double-spaced, and submitted in PDF format.

- Originality: Submissions must be original and unpublished. Plagiarism will result in disqualification,                         and the use of AI is strictly prohibited.

- Deadline: All entries must be submitted by 1 October 2024.

- Submission: Essays should be submitted electronically via [https://tinyurl.com/Tax4SDGs].

Awards and Recognition:

The competition will award outstanding submissions with the following prizes:

- First Prize: NGN 1,000,000 and a certificate of recognition

- Second Prize: NGN 750,000 and a certificate of recognition

- Third Prize: NGN 500,000 and a certificate of recognition

In addition, there will be consolation prizes awarded to other top entries, recognizing the valuable contributions of participants.

- Submission Deadline: 1 October 2024

- Winners Announcement: 29 October 2024

This competition presents a fantastic opportunity for students to develop their writing and analytical skills. Also, to contribute to critical discussions on taxation and sustainable development in Nigeria. 

 Eligible students submit their essays this week via; https://tinyurl.com/Tax4SDGs!

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International Women's Day 2022 at CSS Rumuomasi

 

International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific.

This year, Keeping It Real (KIR) Foundation will join the United Nations Women and women throughout the world to support the theme; "Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow," and to push for climate action for women by women.

Thus, on March 8 2022, to commemorate International Women's Day, we will have a talk with students from Community Secondary School Rumuomasi on the IWD theme "Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow." with Nyimale Grace Alawa as our Guest Speaker.

We believe that together we can forge women's equality and collectively, we can all #BreakTheBias!

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National Information Technology Development Agency

 

INTRODUCTION

One of the set mandates of NITDA is to create IT awareness and ensure universal access in order to promote IT diffusion in all sectors of our national life. In line with this, NITDA is extending capacity development programme to Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) to promote the Digital Inclusion Policy of NITDA’s amongst this sector.

The vision of the Honorable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), FNCS, FBCS, FIIM ensures that the entire citizenry is empowered through Information Technologies with the development of a critical mass of IT proficient and globally competitive manpower.

Empowering persons living with disabilities is important for inclusive, equitable and sustainable skills as envisaged in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, which pledges to “leave no one behind”.

This capacity development programme is an annual program for Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) with this edition scheduled for South-South, Nigeria; taking place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the training and empowerment are:
• to facilitate and enhance Digital Inclusion among the participants;
• to enable participants to become competent in innovatively employing the tools of technology to enhance living and in the discharge of their job requirements;
• to give effect to the implementation of Strategic Roadmap and action plan (SRAP) initiatives focusing on Digital literacy, Digital innovation and entrepreneurship;
• give an insight on a series of IT tools that implicitly support creative and innovative learning;
• to enhance participants' Digital literacy, internet research skills and presentation skills.

EXPECTED OUTCOME

At the end of the training, participants will be provided with working tools and should be able to:
• use IT in creating sustainable employment;
• empower 30 people living with disability with digital tools.
• enable persons living with disability to become self-reliant after digital empowerment.

• be self-reliant.

Click here to apply: https://plwd.nitda.gov.ng/

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International Youth Day 2020

 

Youth Engagement for Global Action 2020

What does it mean to be a youth?

Youths are people (age 15-35) who actively grow themselves to become responsible people of society.

Every youth has the power to change the narrative of where they are for the better.

On the 12th of August 2020, @kirfoundation commemorated the International Youth Day 2020 with 22 youth in attendance. The theme of the event was "Youth Engagement: How youth can play a critical role in societal issues" and the guest speakers for the day were Enoh Ogbevire, a media consultant and voice actor, and Gino Osahon, the hub manager at Ken-Saro Wiwa Innovation Hub.

The event streamed on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Gino Osahon, who spoke on the topic "Youth Civic Engagement in a Digital Age", addressed the youth about the high demand for skillsets needed to proffer solutions to the problems society faces.

His call to action to them was for them to use technology to rewrite the negative narrative about themselves globally and that they need to hone their skill in the global market.

The second speaker, Enoh Ogbevire, spoke on "Youth Engagement in Grassroot Issues" and urged them to use their voice as a medium to cause a positive change in their society.

Some of the youth in attendance, like Kindness, shared their experience in the program and how they had benefited from it.

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See me not my disability

Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) constitute the highest minority group in the world, in Nigeria; they are over 28 million PWDs.

The exclusion of disability issues in most domestic policy frameworks in Nigeria is a major gap in including PWDs in developmental issues which runs against the United Nations 2030 Global Agenda of leaving no one behind.

As a disability inclusive organization, we have observed that PWDs are grossly marginalized and underserved and this has led to significant levels of generational poverty among PWDs and exclusion from socio-economic and developmental issues.

To promote awareness about Persons with Disabilities, the right of PWDs to be included in socio-economic and developmental issues, to promote The Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Act and to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

KIR Foundation runs the only disability inclusive Centre in Niger Delta. In 2013, in collaboration with the Niger Delta Coalition of Persons with Disabilities commemorated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in the nine (9) Niger Delta States. And achievement awards were given to five (5) persons in River State. We have mainstreamed disability inclusion in TEDx Port-Harcourt, The Great Teacher Award in Rivers State and promote disability awareness by printing and sharing booklets and stickers.

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Persons with disabilities deserve better

The president’s liaison officer Ita Enang on the 23rd of January declared the approval of the bill that criminalizes all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities which has tarried in the national assembly for about 18 years but was transferred in December for the president’s approval.
WHAT THE BILL IS ALL ABOUT

The act prohibits all forms of discrimination against persons with disability. If an individual is found violating the law he/she will be subjected to pay a sum of N100, 000 or a serve jail term of six months. For corporate bodies, the law imposes a fine of N1, 000,000

Discrimination of persons with disabilities is prohibited in public transportation facilities and service provides are to make provision for the physically, visually and hearing impaired persons however challenged. This also applies to seaports, railways and airport facilities.

The right and privileges of persons with disability includes education, health care, priority in accommodation and emergencies.

All public organizations are to reserve at least five percent of employment opportunities for this class of people.

The act also gives persons with disability the right to file a lawsuit for damage against any defaulters.

Building structures are also inspected by relevant authorities to make sure that the plans conform with the building code such that provisions are made to ensure the ease of access for persons with disabilities.

An officer who approves or directs the approval of a building plan that contravenes the building code commits an offence and is liable on conviction, to a fine of at least N100, 000 or a term of two-years imprisonment.

In section 31 of the act, the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities was established as the regulating body for the Bill.

As at 2011, it was published that about 25 million Nigerians are living with disabilities. Persons with disabilities deserve equal treatment with those without disabilities.

It is important for us to see them as people that can add value to the nation. In order to bring about the change and development of the nation. Those living with disabilities should not be ignored in the society because they are a part of us.

This new bill hopes to reduce the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in the society, thus improving their chances of employment, being allowed to engage in sports and have quality medical care when needed.



The growth and development of our nation lies in our ability support each other and this bill only helps to facilitate the process.

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Women Innovations: Creating a postive balance in the society

The Statement for International Women’s Day by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change” clearly shows that a gender equal world, can be achieved with innovations by women and girls that proffer solutions to the needs of both men and women.

KIR Foundation in collaboration with Mrs Francisca Agho the founder of My Lady Carpenter, celebrate women and girls, their innovation and strengths with a HeForShe event at Community Secondary School Amadi Ama where 79 student gathered in attendance.

Mrs Francisca shared the story of how she translated from investment banking to Carpentry; a male dominant industry. She reiterated the value of education for women saying ` an investment in a woman to be the best will create a better balance in the world’. She went further to state that by innovation, persistence and quality service delivery, women can lead in any field of industry.

The executive director of KIR Foundation Mrs Bitebo Gogo in her speech encouraged the female students to change the narrative and create a good image for women. She emphasized that women have to earn their place in by making a positive change in the society. She did not leave the men out, but she admonished them not to see women as threats but as motivation and lend a helping hand.



The event ended with a recognition of one of the teachers who is a HeForShe hero, Mr Tamunomie Otonye. In addition, students regaled the guests with many questions and they shared their personal HeForShe stories.

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Share a story: securing the future

As a result of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, IDP Camps have become a last resort to so many people and more than 56 per cent of the displaced are children who are forced to stop school and Nigeria is in danger of losing a whole generation in the north to illiteracy

According to the 2018 UNICEF Nigeria Humanitarian Situation Report, there are over 6 million children in need of education in the IDP camps in Nigeria.

Children at the IDP camps face many barriers to education like; lack of instructional materials, shortage of teachers and volunteers, hunger, exploitation, poor health care, sexual abuse and lack of infrastructure.

KIR Foundation believes that no child should be left behind in accessing quality education. 16 year old Aisha in St Theresa’s IDP camp in Yola, had difficulty in reading and spelling because she did not have access to books. Aisha with the support of our implementing partner (Mentor for African Development Initiative) can now read and spell and wants to be an Engineer. We believe that by giving books to teenagers like Aisha and the 745 beneficiaries in the IDP camps that we support, we can help them achieve their dreams. Therefore, no matter the circumstance, children should be provided with books; so that they can keep their dreams alive, succeed in getting an education and reach their fullest potentials.

To commemorate the World Book Day, KIR Foundation has collaborated with our implementing partner; Mentor for African Development Initiative to provide 586 books (Storybooks and Educational books) to St. Theresa’s IDP camp in Yola, Adamawa State and Daudu camp in Makurdi, Benue State. We believe we can inspire change in the children in the IDP camps through learning.

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GIRLS AT METHODIST GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL PLEDGE TO #BeBoldForChange

KIR Foundation in partnership with African Women in Leadership Organization (AWLO) Rivers State commemorated IWD at Methodist Girls High School (M.G.H.S) Harbour road. The International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on the 8th of March and is aimed at helping nations worldwide eliminate discrimination against women. This year, the theme of IWD focused on pledging to be bold for change using the hashtag ‘#BeBoldForChange’.

Mrs. Ajoke Enebeli, the coordinator, AWLO Rivers State Chapter in her speech stressed on the need for the girls to be proud of being women and not be ashamed of who they are. Chidinma Ukpai, a Youth Leader with AWLO spoke about the need for women to support one another. Mrs. Beatrice Etta Nyiam an educationalist and a grandmother of twelve shared her life’s story with the girls. She talked about how proud she was of the woman she had become and advised the girls to dream and to have plans for their lives. In her closing remarks she said that, “if you do not plan your life, you are planning to fail”.

In answer to the question “How can we be bold for change?” Boma Praise Banibo said that, "Being #BoldForChange is having the courage to stand out from the crowd." The event was attended by over 200 students. KIR Foundation and AWLO donated books to the school library and gave books to students who participated actively in the question and answer session. The objective of the book donation is to inspire and sustain a reading culture among the students.

KIR Foundation is committed to mentoring young people and continues to partner with organizations with similar objectives. The International Women’s Day (IWD) promotes action that truly drives the greatest change for women through purposeful collaboration

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