“Fonio is tasty, light, easy to digest and can be served with meat or poultry or vegetables,” says Diakité, who could be considered as the world’s principal champion of the cereal, which is eaten in a huge swathe of Africa, from Lake Chad – on the border between Chad and Nigeria – to Cape Verde, on the continent’s Atlantic coast. Furthermore, Diakité points out, a respected researcher, Dr Djibril Traoré, has recently proved some of the health benefits of fonio.
Professor Traoré, who is a scientific and technical counsellor at Senegal’s Institut de technologie alimentaire (Institute of Food Technology), carried out a series of experiments on mice, some of which had Type 2 diabetes. A sample group of the diabetes mice was fed fonio. “The most important result of the tests was that those fed with fonio were almost cured. [After the experiment] three out of 10 of the mice had completely normal livers. This is strong proof of the value of fonio.” Dr Traoré adds that eating fonio also helps prevent obesity, which is a step on the way to diabetes.
Diakité adds that Fonio Day is also promoting awareness of fonio. Originally proposed by Diakité himself several years ago, Fonio Day had its third annual celebration in July this year. The customary date – 27 July (the date on which Diakité’s first machine was manufactured in 1993 was changed in some areas so as not to conflict with Ramadan.
“Fonio Day is proposed now on the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations] calendar,” Diakité says, stressing that, with food security widely predicted to be a major risk in the decades ahead, fonio is an ideal crop for West Africa – this hardy cereal can withstand drought and floods, grows in poor soil and needs no fertilizer and very little water.
Mangroves are rare, spectacular and prolific ecosystems on the boundary between land and sea. They ensure food security for local communities. They provide biomass, forest products and sustain fisheries. They contribute to the protection of coastlines. They help mitigate the effects of climate change and extreme weather events.
« Nelson Mandela’s extraordinary compassion after 27 years in prison showed that human rights and equality are stronger than discrimination and hate. » – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
« On this World Population Day, I urge all Governments, businesses and civil society to support and invest in teenage girls. Everyone deserves the benefits of economic growth and social progress. Let us work together to ensure a life of security, dignity and opportunity for all. » 
With as many as 640 million guns circulating in the world today, approximately one per every ten persons, the fear of and threat to civilians posed by small arms and light weapons (SALW) cannot be overstated. With this in mind, governments, international organization and NGOs around the world mark 9 July as the International Gun Destruction Day.