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Forum pledges to develop young scientists, invest in basic sciences

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Forum pledges to develop young scientists, invest in basic sciences

With science taking centre stage, the Next Einstein Forum’s Global Gathering, Africa’s premiere global science and technology forum, wrapped up on Thursday in Dakar, Senegal with a clear path forward on how best to drive development through science, technology and innovation across the continent. The event was convened by the Next Einstein Forum (NEF), an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

Thierry Zomahoun, NEF Chairperson and President and CEO of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS)
Thierry Zomahoun, NEF Chairperson and President and CEO of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS)

The first-ever global science forum on African soil, the three-day STEM-focused summit (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) brought together more than 800 global scientific and industry thought-leaders, political leaders and young scientists uniting to chart a new course for science-led development in Africa.

“This is a transformational moment for Africa and we would like to thank the President, Prime Minister and people of Senegal for welcoming the international scientific community to Dakar,” said Thierry Zomahoun, NEF Chairperson and President and CEO of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). “Over the past three days, our scientists have showed us and the world that given the opportunity, they are able to do extraordinary things. Taking our African scientists out of the shadows and giving them the exposure on a global level, we’re creating a youth-driven Pan-African scientific community that must be sustained and expanded starting with our NEF Fellows and Ambassadors.”

Featuring a series of scientific and solution-driven sessions and spotlights of the NEF’s remarkable 15 Fellows, the forum’s umbrella mission was to drive continent-wide collaboration and commitment to building a strong STEM ecosystem in Africa as well as to showcase an impressive pool of rising and established STEM talent. Further, participants discussed the need for regional collaboration and investment in basic and applied sciences.

Speaking at a panel on developing a national science strategy and taking concrete steps to move from policy to implementation, Mary Teuw Niane, Minister of Higher Education and Research, Senegal, commented: “We’ve set an important precedent here in Dakar that Africa can indeed become a global scientific hub but only if we create the sustainable funding and support infrastructure critical to building scientific capital. Where there are many challenges, science provides endless solutions, both now and in the future. We must seize the opportunity by leveraging buy in and best practice results from Africa and the world.”

Moses Bangura, founder of Rokel Delivery Services (RDS), an African led start-up that leverages advances in drone technology and network mapping to deliver urgent life-saving health care solutions, won the NEF Global Challenge of Invention to Innovation competition (Ci2i), which spotlighted an array of young scientist pitching their impact-driven solutions to a live audience and judging panel. Bangura commented: “With our business idea, we seek to raise money to develop an advanced prototype for testing and install a few ground stations, run pilot studies in at least two African countries and participate in the development of legal infrastructures in the use of drones for service delivery in Africa. This we believe will be the first of its kind in the world. In the end, RDS will ensure that health care products are able to reach people in emergencies and those who are in the furthest regions from connected roads.”

“This week, we’ve gotten a sneak preview of the future of an Africa that is young and rapidly transforming. Science is key to this evolution and NEF is a critical platform to realize this potential.  We all agree that a strong scientific community on this continent will also revolutionise the global scientific community,” said Ingrid Wünning Tschol, Senior VP of Strategy, Robert Bosch Stiftung.

According to the organisers, the NEF is committed to a holistic, action-oriented roadmap aimed at enabling science-driven development by forging strategic partnerships, securing increased investment, developing research capacity, encouraging education, empowering young African scientists and promoting diversity and women in STEM.

Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between AIMS and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), both organisations announced the establishment of five research chairs to strengthen research and support scientific exchange. The first chair has already been set up at AIMS Senegal with NEF Fellow Moustapha Fall with others chairs in South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon and Tanzania to follow. In total, the programme is valued at nine million euros.

Alongside Neil Turok, AIMS Founder and Chairman and current Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, NEF President Thierry Zomahoun, signed a letter of intent with the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to open an AIMS center in Nigeria. The NEF also announced the launch of the AIMS Women in STEM Initiative (AIMSWIS), a collaborative industry effort to prioritise African women in STEM supported by the African Union Commission, the Government of Senegal, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa, Forum for African Women Educationalists, Johnson & Johnson, International Development Research Centre and others.

Also on Thursday, IBM Research and the NEF announced the launch of a visiting scientist programme, joining forces to promote the future of African scientific talent and advance the continent’s knowledge economy.

“The Next Einstein Forum is particularly pleased to partner with IBM Research on this program which demonstrates concretely what we are trying to do – bridge brilliant scientists from Africa to global opportunities for research and mentorship, both to receive and give mentorship,” said Arun Sharma, Managing Director, NEF. “The selected NEF Fellows are already accomplished scientists in their own right and the programme will allow them to further their research and global standing.”

Through the collaborative agreement, five NEF Fellows will become visiting IBM scientists at IBM’s global network of research labs in countries such as Kenya, US, Switzerland, China, India, Brazil, Israel, and Australia. The programme is designed to give a boost to Africa’s most promising young scientists and help set the pace and direction for the continent’s cutting edge scientific research.

“African economies have experienced tremendous growth in the last few decades. To sustain this growth into the future, it is imperative to support the development of Africa’s knowledge economy and drive science in Africa, for Africa and the world,” said Dr. Solomon Assefa, Director of IBM’s South Africa Research Lab. “This initiative from IBM Research and the Next Einstein Forum is designed to support some of Africa’s most promising young scientists and equip them with the skills and professional networks they need to make a difference in Africa and beyond.”

The next NEF Global Gathering will be held in Kigali, Rwanda in 2018, which is now home to the AIMS headquarters, Africa’s first quantum research centre Quantum Leap Africa and the NEF secretariat.

Financial discipline… making every naira count

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Financial discipline… making every naira count

Discipline… it is all in the detail.

Economists have long found Nigeria to be something of a conundrum. The macro picture has always appeared compelling – large population, oil reserves, mineral reserves, endless tracts of arable land, land and sea borders for regional domination. Indeed, the absurdity of our underperformance is only surpassed by our ability to accurately quantify our losses and missed opportunities.

Kemi Adeosun
Kemi Adeosun

In the short period that I have been privileged to serve as Minister of Finance, I have observed that even the most basic systems and controls over the management of our resources are in dire need of strengthening. While we are regaled with and shocked by details of amounts stolen, diverted or wasted, we must face the cold reality that such acts are facilitated by weaknesses in our systems. Even if we successfully prosecute and jail every looter, ghost worker and other economic saboteur, there is every risk that those caught will only be replaced by persons who are just as bad, or worse – unless we radically strengthen our systems and institutions.

Our President’s brave and committed fight against corruption and waste is as much an economic crusade as it is a moral one. The objective is not just to stem the corruption and loss but to execute an economic plan to channel those monies into much needed areas that will support and reposition the economy.  In short, the fight against corruption is not about “retribution” and meting out punishment, it is about releasing funds for our economy. I am humbled to be part of the ongoing work on recovery and can report that the urgency in the work, especially our interface with nations where our money has been stashed, is propelled by our need for funds to invest into our economy.

Our economic plans are not about austerity and frugality; if that were the case then we would not be attempting an expansionary budget. We could have pursued fiscal consolidation and maintained 2015 budget size, and then introduced severe public spending cuts to balance the books by laying off workers and cutting projects. Had we done so, we would by now be the darling of the IMF and other multi-laterals.

Conversely, we are undertaking an ambitious counter cyclical strategy to stimulate our sluggish economy and expanding government spending with a focus on infrastructure, the true catalyst for economic growth. This will have contractors returning to site and re-engaging workers, it will see new projects commencing, arrears released and economic activity reinvigorated across the nation.  We plan to take advantage of low global prices for commodities and contract prices. Existing contracts are being renegotiated downwards, with significant savings recorded and new projects priced to reflect current commercial realities. Our spending stimulus is private sector driven, supported by a robust procurement system that will see permanent local capacity built in a number of sectors including oil and gas, housing construction and agriculture. However, and this is the key differentiator, we plan to spend in a disciplined manner that will extract the maximum value for every naira spent.

The process of building the internal control framework to support this need for disciplined spending has begun in earnest. Our Efficiency Unit has reviewed four years of detailed expenditure data to identify trends and is already negotiating volume discounts that appropriately reflect the buying power of government. Personnel remains our largest cost. In addition to the BVN driven cleaning of our payrolls that has so far removed 23,000 fraudulent entries, we have initiated significantly stronger controls over our payroll.  These efforts will exert a constant downward pressure on personnel costs until such a time as we have assurance that every payment is accurate and valid. A similar process is now commencing in Pensions. The N160 billion spent monthly on personnel and pensions related costs demands this as an absolute minimum.

The revenue focus is non oil. We are revisiting historical decisions that are no longer in the best interests of the national economy. The establishment of various Boards and Parastatals to undertake the operational and revenue generating business of government was a well-intentioned attempt to provide separation from policy makers. However, as the economy has grown, so too has the revenue earned in these agencies and their financial autonomy has grown in a manner that no longer fully serves the public interest. Port charges, maritime charges, airport landing fees, visa charges, passport charges, telecoms licence fees, among many others, must be tracked and accounted for. While the Fiscal Responsibility Act was designed to provide control, actual compliance has been poor. The result has been leakage on a staggering scale, as findings from our ongoing audits suggest. This is a serious issue. The upside is a significant revenue opportunity which the TSA implementation has given us sight of, and which we are supporting with a proactive drive for improved accountability.

At the same time, our traditional revenue sources are being supported to be more effective. In Customs, we are making the necessary investments in container scanners and other equipment required to improve collection efficiency. This is combined with the results of a compensation survey which will see the introduction of performance related pay, to reduce corruption and create an alignment of interest that will enhance revenue generation. With FIRS there is a well-defined plan to enhance compliance by widening the tax net. Using data to drive tax compliance, we will ensure that the tax regime is efficiently administered and that everyone pays their fair share.

There is a need for disciplined and effective system of managing our financial resources to ensure maximum value. We will no longer measure performance by the size of our budget or the amount disbursed; we must measure by the impact of that expenditure on the lives of Nigerians. To measure and manage this we have already made some key changes in the way funds are released. We have abandoned the old system of capital releases that funnelled a proportional share of available funds released to each Ministry, Department and Agency. We have a robust system in place where funds are tied to specific outcomes as documented by each agency. This is being supported by follow up reviews to ensure implementation.

As Benjamin Disraeli once said, “We are not creatures of circumstance; we are creators of circumstance.” I am firmly convinced that Nigeria is on the right path. The path of discipline will confront some age old destructive habits. It will challenge some unwritten rules, and I personally will step on some highly placed toes on this journey. All this I am fully prepared for, and so I do not expect nor do I particularly want to be popular.

However, I will act in the best interest of all Nigerians to ensure that we build the economy that we desire and richly deserve.

By Kemi Adeosun Minister of Finance, Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is the second of a series of three articles.

Nigeria: The economic upside

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Nigeria: The economic upside

Nigerians voted for change and to attain that change there is a need to do things differently, in the recognition that doing what we have always done will only result in more of the same. That change has started with the vital offensive against corruption, which has had a huge and adverse effect on our economy. Much of the debilitating underinvestment in our infrastructure that has handicapped our economic growth, has arisen because funds were diverted to enrich a few at the expense of the wider populace.  At the lower levels, the waste, inefficiency and culture of non-performance have, like a financial cancer, eaten away at our core institutions.  We are already beginning to see change. The slide towards self-destruction has slowed down but we must now work collectively to ensure that we exploit the upside from our situation.

Kemi Adeosun
Kemi Adeosun

Globally the downturn has hit all nations, rich and poor alike. The manner in which governments have intervened to protect their economies have been diverse and innovative. What is abundantly clear is the fact that the previous consensus about what is best for the global economy is rapidly changing. There is a concerted move towards individualism rather than collectivism. The new normal for the global economy is that there is no normal, each nation must painstakingly work out the best path to follow.

For Nigeria, we believe that the best path to follow is to invest in infrastructure that will unlock the potential in the non oil sectors.  We can transition from being a commodity economy to an industrialised, regionally dominant one. Oil is important but clearly, oil it not enough. Iran is a very recent and relevant example of living without oil. The sanctions that embargoed Iran’s oil led to the development of robust petrochemical and other export industries that enabled the country to survive. Iran survived without oil, made tough decisions and is now being feted by investors as the next growth story.

The focus of our economic policy is to redress the infrastructure deficit, unlock the rich diversity in the economy with a determined and focused turnaround programme. For us it would be a tragedy to have endured so much pain and not emerge better and stronger.  The provision of a spending stimulus to the economy is critical to releasing the upside in the economy. Investing specifically in Power and Transportation will release the opportunities in solid minerals, manufacturing and agriculture.

However, government spending alone is insufficient to bridge the infrastructure gap and there is a need to embrace private capital to provide additional impact.  We are at an advanced stage of reforming the process for Public Private Partnerships to provide a seamless pathway to attracting much needed private, financial and operational input to service delivery.  Private capital brings more than financial resources; it also brings discipline and best practice, creating a benchmark against which the utilisation of public money can be measured.

It is important to link the fiscal housekeeping initiatives that we have started with the wider economic strategy. Specifically, questions around the focus on corruption and the elimination of ghost workers, controlling inefficient spending and preventing revenue leakages, need to be evaluated in the context of how it impacts our ability to stimulate the economy. We have been increasing our level of borrowing annually, and much of that is used to fund recurrent spending. Indeed, in 2015 just 10% of spending went to capital items. We spent more on travel, training and stationery than on roads. No nation has ever developed with such consistent underinvestment in capital.

Growing the economy at a rate that will address the employment needs of our huge population requires a fundamental change in how government collects its revenues and spends. The 2016 budget is deficit financed; and the fiscal housekeeping which is aggressively blocking revenue leakages and reducing costs is firmly aimed at ensuring that the borrowed funds are channelled into capital projects, rather than seeping through an inefficient financial management system. This is not only prudent economics but it is a moral necessity, since these borrowings will be repaid by future generations. Therefore, while we focus fully on the macroeconomic indicators; we must and will continue to focus on the micro factors which collectively shape and determine the larger picture.

The road map to attaining our objectives is a tough one, and we may endure the financial pain for longer than we would prefer, but the upside is that we have actually already endured the worst part of the adjustment cycle.  The outlook for oil prices is looking more positive but we are fundamentally determined to ignore oil. One word that will resonate across all that we do in government is ‘Discipline’. Financial discipline is going to be a game changer in shaping the future of Nigeria’s economy.

Our focus will make sure that ‘every naira counts’ irrespective of its source. The government is ready and determined to lead this crusade of financial responsibility. The big questions are:

  • Is the populace ready to do the right thing in their respective areas of operations?
  • Are we willing to be frugal and conservative in expenditure?
  • Are we as custodians of the nation’s wealth willing to manage the resources entrusted to us with care, knowing that someday we will be called to account?
  • Are we willing to confront those who mismanage our collective wealth regardless of the consequences?
  • Dare we look at what worked successfully in the 50s and 60s, and then modernise and re-enact them?
  • Dare we look at global trends, and courageously invest in our forecasted choices?

Nigeria stands on the threshold, daring to move into previously uncharted territory through identifying and embracing novel economic and fiscal policy stratagems that will release our considerable upside. We are for innovation to create a new workable path, courage, and discipline to implement and build a resilient economy that is not controlled by the oil price.

By Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Finance, Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is the first of a series of three articles.

Lagos collapse death toll hits 34, Police arrests contractor

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Lagos collapse death toll hits 34, Police arrests contractor

The final death toll in the collapsed building on Kushenla Road, Ikate Elegushi, Lekki area of Lagos State has been put at 34. Most of the victims are said to be foreigners, who were brought in from Benin Republic and Togo.

Rescue workers at the building collapse site
Rescue workers at the building collapse site

Giving the details of the operation that involved the National Emergency Management Agency, the Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency was LASEMA boss, Michael Akindele, who said 95 percent of the victims were foreigners.

Akindele said the greatest challenge was in calming their relatives down on Tuesday.

He said: “As we speak now, the time is 7:20pm. Search and rescue exercise on the collapsed five-storey building of 12 blocks of flats is hereby concluded and the physical record we have is 13 lives rescued and 34 dead bodies.

“We had full complement of all responders on board to ensure smooth response and recovery. It is a sad story. But, notwithstanding, our job as responders is to ensure that we mitigate such that all necessary actions and sanctions shall be taken by the state government. The greatest challenge we had was on Tuesday and it was because the families of the deceased and those rescued, 95 per cent of them, are aliens.

“We have people from the North and East, but majorly, those that we saw in this complex were not Nigerians. Some are Togolese and others Beninnois. Hence, the understanding and the emotions carried over, as if they can do better, which they will not do. The state government will address the public on the situation of the foreign victims.

“Today, we had a very smooth operation. I must commend the Nigeria Police, RRS, Civil Defence, Red Cross, NEMA, LASAMBUS and all others for a diligent job.”

In his remark, the Coordinator of NEMA in the South West, Yakubu Sulaimon, said rescuers were initially denied access on Tuesday morning, but security operatives brought the situation under control.

Sulaimon said: “We do not have a list of occupants in the building. The state government will take appropriate action on the other buildings marked.”

Meanwhile, the Police in Lagos State has arrested the contractor handling the collapsed five-storey building. The Lagos State Police spokesperson, SP Oladapo Badmus, who made the disclosure to the News agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Lagos, did not disclose where he was arrested.

Badmus gave his name as Odofin Taiwo, adding that he was currently under investigation.

In a related development, the Lagos State Government has expressed its condolences over the death of construction site workers who lost their lives on Tuesday as a result of the collapse of the building.

In a press release issued on Wednesday and signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, the Lagos State Government also announced that, based on preliminary reports and investigation, it was discovered that the collapsed building was served contravention notice for exceeding the approved floors and thereafter sealed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency.

It added that it has also been discovered that, in a brazen act of defiance and impunity, the owners of the building, Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited, the promoters of Lekki Gardens, criminally unsealed the property and continued building beyond the approved floors until the unfortunate incident of Tuesday which has led to loss of lives.

The statement added that, arising from the Lagos State Executive Council meeting decision on Wednesday, the State Government will no longer tolerate the action of unscrupulous owners and builders who challenge its supervisory control thereby endangering the lives of Lagosians.

The State Government has consequently directed the suspension of work at the site and ordered the Lagos State Police Command to cordon it off as it is now a crime scene.

The government also directed further integrity tests be carried out on every other construction project which has or is currently being handled by Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited in the interest of public safety.

Furthermore, the release quoted the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, as saying that all directors of Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited are strongly advised to submit themselves to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police within the next 24 hours in their own interest or face immediate arrest.

The statement also commended the timely response and remarkable intervention by the combined men of the Lagos State Emergency Authority (LASEMA), the Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Red Cross, National Emergency Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Building Control Agency and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).

The Lagos State Government also warned that it would no longer be business as usual, stating that any developer either on existing or new building projects who fails to comply with building and construction regulations or attempts to subvert the law will henceforth face criminal prosecution.

Rhino poaching crisis in Africa worsening, discloses IUCN

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Rhino poaching crisis in Africa worsening, discloses IUCN

The number of African rhinos killed by poachers has increased for the sixth year in a row with at least 1,338 rhinos killed by poachers across Africa in 2015, according to new data compiled by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission’s African Rhino Specialist Group (AfRSG).

Poached rhino
A poached rhino. Photo: www.telegraph.co.uk/ALAMY

The IUCN on Wednesday described the development as the highest level since the current crisis began to emerge in 2008. Since then poachers have killed at least 5,940 African rhinos, it adds, pointing out that demand for rhino horn from South East Asia is being illegally supplied by sophisticated transnational organised crime networks.

“The extensive poaching for the illegal trade in horn continues to undermine the rhino conservation successes made in Africa over the last two decades,” says Mike Knight, Chair of IUCN’s AfRSG, which just concluded its biennial meeting.

However, increased law enforcement effort and expenditure in recent years have coincided with a slowing down in the rate of increase of poaching continentally from 2013-2015. Over the last two years, poaching has declined in Kenya and, for the first time since 2008, the number of rhinos poached in the major range state, South Africa, fell slightly last year (including in Kruger National Park).

“This is testimony to the valiant and enormous efforts underway – often against overwhelming odds – to curb the losses,” says IUCN Director General, Inger Andersen. “It also demonstrates the commitment of field rangers who – at tremendous cost to themselves and their families – work tirelessly, risking their lives daily. Sadly, these improvements have been dampened by alarming increases in poaching over the past year in other vitally important range states, such as Namibia and Zimbabwe.”

The continued poaching has impacted on rhino numbers. According to the experts who met recently in South Africa, numbers of the more numerous white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) appear to have levelled off on the continent, with 2015 numbers provisionally estimated at between 19,682 and 21,077.  While the total white rhino estimate is down -0.4% per annum since 2012 (compared to the updated 2012 estimate), this difference is said to be within the margin of error around the estimates and not statistically significant.

The black rhino (Diceros bicornis) – listed on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Critically Endangered – has fared slightly better with continental numbers for 2015 estimated at between 5,042 and 5,455 rhinos, representing a statistically significant +2.9% per annum increase on the updated 2012 estimate.  Poaching has, however, reduced growth in black rhino numbers to below the usual +5% per annum target growth rate.

South Africa currently conserves 79% of Africa’s rhinos and has suffered the bulk (85%) of poaching on the continent since 2008. The country’s vast Kruger National Park is home to the world’s largest rhino population and has borne the brunt of the killing. While the margins of error around the Kruger National Park rhino population estimates between 2012 and 2015 overlapped, statistical modelling suggests that in all likelihood the populations of both black and white rhinos have decreased in the Park. This has however been countered by net increases in the numbers of black and white rhino elsewhere in South Africa and other countries.

Rhinos lost to poaching also represent a significant loss of revenue for African countries, reducing incentives for the private sector and communities to conserve rhino.  Based on recorded average live rhino sale values from some major sellers, rhinos killed illegally in 2015 in South Africa alone represent an estimated loss of around US$25 million. The meeting heard how substantially increased security costs and risks to staff and rhinos, coupled with declining and limited economic incentives, is resulting in increasing numbers of private white rhino owners in South Africa selling or looking to sell many or all of their white rhino. Poaching threatens to reduce the range area available to rhino in future as well as cutting conservation agency revenue and budgets.

IUCN’s AfRSG recognises the important role that commercial wildlife enterprises, including live sales, tourism and limited controlled trophy hunting, have played in generating incentives for conservation and stimulating population increases of rhinos on state, private and communal land in Africa. Other themes such as alternative conservation funding mechanisms, the importance of community livelihoods, and strategies to reduce demand for illegally sourced rhino horn were discussed at the meeting to both enhance the value and conservation of rhinos on the African landscape.

While there is certainly room for improvement, Mozambique, which has been heavily implicated in much of the poaching and trafficking of horn, has made some recent progress, with AfRSG noting increased collaboration with neighbouring Kruger National Park. The country is also in the process of tightening legislation, increasing penalties and entering into bilateral agreements. The IUCN Group remains hopeful that proposed new laws with increased penalties for poaching and trafficking will be passed soon and then stringently enforced. Mozambican progress in implementing its National Ivory and Rhino Action plan is being followed closely; with the country due to report back to CITES on progress.

Wildlife crime is just one form of organised criminal activity undertaken by powerful transnational crime syndicates that also traffic in drugs, weapons and people. These criminals are now widely recognised as a global challenge and threat to national security. Such networks control much of the illegal trade in wildlife, destabilising communities and countries and corrupting government officials and structures. There is worrying evidence of the increasing involvement of Chinese citizens along with nationals from South East Asian countries like Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, as well as North Korea, in the illicit trade in rhino horn.

“With immediate, urgent interventions on all fronts,” Dr Knight concludes, “we hopefully will be able to get rhinos onto a more positive growth curve again.”

Firm sanctioned for violation of EU timber regulations

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Firm sanctioned for violation of EU timber regulations

History was made in the Netherlands on Wednesday as the authorities imposed a first-ever sanction on a Dutch company for violating the European Timber Regulation. The sanction follows a Greenpeace investigation into the controversial Cameroonian timber trader CCT, who is sourcing timber from companies involved in illegally logging and exporting timber to several countries in Europe, including the Netherlands.

Meike Rijksen, Forests campaigner with Greenpeace Netherlands
Meike Rijksen, Forests campaigner with Greenpeace Netherlands

Meike Rijksen, Forests campaigner with Greenpeace Netherlands, said: “In its capacity as the current EU Council Presidency, the Netherlands can help bring an end to the trade in illegal timber across Europe. We call on the Dutch Government to demand a political commitment by the EU member-states to make sure European companies follow the rule of law by keeping illegal timber out of the market.”

CCT is trading in timber sourced from what observers describe as highly destructive logging operations, several of which were exposed to be involved in illegal logging according to a Greenpeace report published last year.

Greenpeace traced the timber from CCT to several importers in Europe, including one Dutch company, Fibois BV in Purmerend. The substantiated concern that Greenpeace submitted to the Dutch authorities resulted in a conditional penalty for the Dutch company. In addition, the authorities filed an official report with the public prosecutor.

In a press release the Dutch authorities stated: “Because of the political situation in the Congo Basin, timber from Cameroon may only be placed on the market if the importer has taken sufficient mitigating measures to make sure the risk that the timber is illegally harvested is negligible.”

Greenpeace not only found timber from CCT in the Netherlands – operators in Germany, Belgium and Spain have also been found sourcing CCT timber.

Greenpeace has called on the competent authorities in these countries to take immediate enforcement actions comparable to that of the Netherlands. The uniform and effective implementation of the EU law banning illegal timber from the EU market is of key importance, the environment watchdog adds.

Cameroon is plagued by extensive illegal logging, high corruption and a weak control system. which the Cameroon Ministry of Forestry attempts to defend, observes Greenpeace.

“The Cameroonian government needs to tackle the illegalities and corruption in the timber sector. Cameroon needs to seriously work with the EU to ensure the Voluntary Partnership Agreement aimed at combatting illegal logging and strengthening forest governance in Cameroon is fully implemented. As a first step we strongly encourage the Cameroonian Ministry of Forestry to properly examine the companies mentioned in our report and sanction them if illegal activities are confirmed,” stresses Irene Wabiwa, Forest Campaign Manager with Greenpeace Africa.

Rotary decorates Buhari for Nigeria’s commitment to ending polio

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Rotary decorates Buhari for Nigeria’s commitment to ending polio

In acknowledgment of his government’s efforts to keep Nigeria polio-free, Rotary on Wednesday in Abuja presented President Muhammadu Buhari with its Polio Eradication Champion Award.

President Muhammadu Buhari administering the vaccine
President Muhammadu Buhari administering the vaccine

Last year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) removed Nigeria from its list of polio-endemic countries after the African nation went one year without reporting a case of the disease. The last reported case of polio in Nigeria was July 24, 2014, in Kano State. Nigeria was the last country on the African continent to report active transmission of the wild poliovirus.

Shortly after taking office in July 2015, President Buhari demonstrated his personal commitment to ending polio by publically immunising his young granddaughter. In September, he launched polio immunisation campaigns in his hometown of Daura, Katsina, by vaccinating local children. Mostly recently, he convened a Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication, through which 36 Nigerian State Governors reaffirmed their commitment to keeping Nigeria polio-free.

“Progress against polio in Nigeria, while a tremendous achievement, remains fragile. The country must ensure high-quality polio campaigns and surveillance activity for at least another two years, or risk the return of this disease,” said Rotary International President K.R. Ravindran. “President Buhari and the Nigerian government have shown they are equal to this challenge, maintaining strong commitment and public support for polio immunisation in the face of zero cases.”

Rotary established the Polio Eradication Champion Award in 1995 to recognise leaders and others who have made significant contributions to the global eradication of polio. Past recipients include Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan; Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany; David Cameron, Prime Minister of Britain; Enda Kenny, Prime Minister of Ireland; and Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General.

Rotary launched its polio immunisation programme PolioPlus in 1985, and in 1988 became a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with the WHO, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the initiative launched in 1988, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to less than 75 confirmed in 2015.

Rotary’s roles within the initiative are fundraising, advocacy, and social mobilisation. To date, Rotary has contributed more than US$1.5 billion to ending polio, including more than $225 million in grants to support polio eradication activities in Nigeria and countless volunteer hours by members of Nigeria’s 311 Rotary clubs. To date, more than 2.5 billion children worldwide have been immunised against the paralysing and potentially fatal disease.

Along with on-the-ground support, including programme oversight at all levels, the government of Nigeria has invested more than $112 million in its own polio eradication activities.

Coalition lists pitfalls before mercury treaty

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Coalition lists pitfalls before mercury treaty

Commitments toward stronger global mercury controls are being hampered by illegal, unreported and unregulated mercury production and trade, an international NGO coalition revealed on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 on the eve of a UN mercury treaty meeting in Amman, Jordan.

Michael Bender, ZMWG International Coordinator
Michael Bender, ZMWG International Coordinator

The Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) said that global efforts to reduce emissions of mercury may be derailed if gaps in mercury production and trade controls are not addressed before the treaty enters into force.

ZMWG is a global coalition of over 95 public interest environmental and health non-governmental organisations from more than 50 countries.

“Trafficking in mercury is not like selling potato chips,” said Michael Bender, ZMWG International Coordinator. “There are well known consequences when mercury gets haphazardly produced, traded and subsequently released into the biosphere.”

Mercury is a potent persistent neurotoxin that bio-accumulates, posing the greatest risks to developing children, coastal populations and millions of small-scale gold miners using mercury around the globe.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury, agreed in 2013, signed by 128 countries and ratified by 23 nations (including Nigeria) thus far, is a treaty that protects human health and environment from mercury pollution. The treaty bans new mercury mines, places control measures on air emissions, imposes regulations on artisanal and small-scale gold mining, and enforces the phase out of existing mines and products.

The meeting in Jordan this week is the seventh session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC7) on mercury. Delegates are meeting to agree on the finer details of the agreement. This is the last meeting before the Convention enters into force, once 50 countries ratify it.

“Countries need to stay true to the spirit and intent of this historic agreement,” said Elena Lymberidi-Settimo, ZMWG International Coordinator. “In order to stop the flow we need to first know where mercury supply comes from and where it goes.”

Significant gaps in information on mercury production and trade flows prevent a clear understanding of the global supply situation. There is currently no standard information or listing on mercury production, supply and trade. Some mercury producing countries do not report production levels and many countries have no accurate listing of their mercury stocks due to the proliferation of illegal or smuggled supplies.

“It is worrying that new and soon to be illegal primary mercury mines are now popping up in Indonesia and Mexico, and that East Asia is emerging as a major mercury trading hub,” said Richard Gutierrez, Director, Ban Toxics! – Philippines. “All this feeds substantial mercury demand in small-scale gold mining in the greater Asian region, Latin America and potentially across the world. These trends do not bode well for the future of the treaty.”

The ZMWG believes that to effectively control and manage mercury trade, countries need to start identifying and quantifying their mercury production sources. Governments need to be transparent about their production volumes and stockpiles and about who is exporting and how much to which countries.

“Preventing opportunistic mercury production and trade through an efficient reporting and monitoring structure will help to prevent it from continuing. This should be a top priority when governments gather tomorrow,” said Rico Euripidou of groundWork South Africa. “Data reporting should become an integral part of the treaty. Otherwise the treaty may end up being just another paper tiger.”

“The Nigerian government would as a matter of urgency need to fast track steps towards quick ratification of the convention before it comes to effect soon” said Leslie Adogame of SRADevNigeria. “Our studies show that mercury added products continue to infiltrate the country like a ‘Nigerian Tsunami’ mostly from China causing untold health problems. We shall return home to push our government towards fulfilling its obligation and her recent statements of commitments to sustainable development goals (SDGs) beyond just signing the convention. Prejudicial funding and national budgeting of the chemicals sector is key just as the immediate mainstreaming of chemicals management into national developmental agenda is very imperative,” he added.

Once the treaty enters into force, mercury from primary mining will no longer be allowed in artisanal and small scale gold mining.

SDGs: Bread of Life calls for water, sanitation policy review

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SDGs: Bread of Life calls for water, sanitation policy review

The Bread of Life Development Foundation (BLDF) has called for the review of Nigeria’s National Water and Sanitation Policy to align it with the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which seeks to achieve universal coverage for safe water supply and sanitation by the year 2030.

According to the BLDF, 15 years is enough to ensure every Nigerian citizen has access to safe drinking water supply and sanitation services. Photo credit: vanguardngr.com
According to the BLDF, 15 years is enough to ensure every Nigerian citizen has access to safe drinking water supply and sanitation services. Photo credit: vanguardngr.com

“The present Water Supply and Sanitation Policy was approved in the year 2000 in the context of the Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs) which ended last year. Now is the time to start the march towards achieving the newly adopted SDGs, particularly Target 6 on safe drinking water supply and sanitation.

“This necessitates a review of existing strategies that has not worked; and the formulation and development of new policy instruments, guidelines, strategies, funding mechanism, and allocation of sectoral rules and responsibilities to turn the dream of universal coverage of safe WASH by 2030, into a reality,” said the BLDF in a statement signed by its Programme Officer, Taiwo Owolabi.

According to him, the 36 state governments across the federation also need to review and update their water supply and sanitation policies in this light, particularly since urban and rural water supply and sanitation is statutorily a state and local government responsibility.

He described as unfortunate the fact that Nigeria, despite its enormous financial resources, was not able to achieve the MDG and its target for water supply and sanitation, even as he called for trebling of efforts to achieve the SDG for water supply and sanitation, “which is a much more ambitious target because it calls for universal coverage of safe drinking water and sanitation by the year 2030”.

His words: “Now is the time for federal and state governments in Nigeria to start making ambitious plans and allocating adequate public funds to achieve the SDG goal for water supply and sanitation; while new policy declarations, strategy documents, and implementation guidelines developed in this regard must be backed by firm political commitment and action.

“We have another 15 years to give our people access to safe drinking water, and it is our belief that 15 years is enough to eradicate open defecation in Nigeria; 15 years is enough to stop the incidence of preventable infant and maternal diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid in Nigeria; and 15 years is enough to ensure every Nigerian citizen has access to safe drinking water supply and sanitation services.

“Now is the time to update national and state policy instruments, sector strategies and implementation guidelines and ensure adequate public financing backed with strong political will in order to achieve the SDG 6 for water supply and sanitation.”

Activists plan anti-fossil fuel mass action in Nigeria, others

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Activists plan anti-fossil fuel mass action in Nigeria, others

The global platform “Break Free” has been launched, courtesy of the Climate Action Network (CAN). It features a series of peaceful, coordinated actions that aim to disrupt the fossil-fuel industry’s power by targeting the world’s most dangerous and unnecessary fossil fuel projects.

According to Nnimmo Bassey, "We cannot allow fossil fuel addicts to burn the planet. The time for the shift is now."
According to Nnimmo Bassey, “We cannot allow fossil fuel addicts to burn the planet. The time for the shift is now.”

This May, thousands of people from around the world will join actions taking place across six continents aiming to halt dirty fossil fuel operations and demonstrate support for an accelerated ‘just transition’ to 100% renewable energy. Major actions are currently planned in countries such as Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, US, Germany, Philippines, Australia and more – led by the communities that have spent years already fighting dangerous fossil fuel projects.

“Hot on the heels of the largest ever climate mobilisations in history activists are once again stepping back into the ring to strike a body blow against a fossil fuel industry that’s on its knees.” said Wael Hmaidan, the Director of CAN. “More and more people are joining the fight because they see how fossil fuels are destroying the planet, risking the economy, and creating injustice for local communities. The movement is here to stay, there is no end to it, until the final bell tolls for the fossil fuel industry.”

On the back of the hottest year in recorded history, communities worldwide are demanding governments put words into action after delivering the historic Paris Agreement in December where 196 parties signalled the end of the the fossil fuel era. In order to address the current climate crisis and keep global warming below 1.5C degrees fossil fuel projects need to be shelved and existing infrastructure needs to be replaced, now.

“The science is clear: we need to keep at least 80%, if not more, of fossil fuel reserves in the ground,” said Payal Parekh, the Global Managing Director of 350.org, “communities worldwide are experiencing first hand the consequences of climate change and the damage inflicted by the fossil fuel industry. It’s up to us to break free from fossil fuels and accelerate the shift towards a just transition to 100% renewable energy. It’s in our hands to close the gap between what current commitments will achieve and what science demands is necessary in order to protect our common home.”

The climate movement’s commitment to scaling up its resistance to the fossil fuel industry comes at a time when renewable energy is already more affordable and widespread than ever before. These new tools give communities at the front lines of climate change new ways to respond to the crisis and build their own power.

“Moving towards 100% renewable energy is possible with the political will to make the change” said Arif Fiyanto, Coal Campaigner at Greenpeace Indonesia. “There are no major economic or technical barriers to a future supported by renewable energy. Any new infrastructure built to support fossil fuels expansion, such as coal mines, power plants, oil rigs and export terminals will be a waste of money and further lock us into a path to irreversible climate change.”

Post-Paris, the fossil fuel industry is running scared with prices plunging and companies going bankrupt. Now, ramped up civil disobedience will show that the industry’s social licence to operate is fast evaporating. Such peaceful civil disobedience brings people from all walks of life, and not just seasoned climate activists, to challenge both politicians and polluters to accelerate the unstoppable energy transition already underway.

One such example is last year’s Ende Gelände (Here And No Further), which saw 1500 people take part in a daring act of civil disobedience to shut down Europe’s biggest source of CO2 emissions. On the urgency at hand, Hannah Eichberger from this grassroots anti-coal alliance said: “It’s time now for a grassroots energy transition that does not only exchange one source of energy for the other but that tackles the root causes of natural destruction and social injustice: corporate power.”

The struggles against the fossil fuel industry and the environmental, social, economic and political destruction they’ve wielded has been underway across regions for many years.

“Fossil fuels have brought horrendous pollutions to the Niger Delta alongside unimaginable human rights abuses while severely harming communities, said Nnimmo Bassey, Nigerian activist from the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, “We cannot allow fossil fuel addicts to burn the planet. The time for the shift is now. No one will set us free. We must break free ourselves, now,” he added.

These peaceful worldwide mobilisations taking place in May serve as an important point in the climate movement’s trajectory to increase pressure on the fossil fuel industry. The global struggle to finally break free from fossil fuels will continue making this a struggle the world cannot ignore.

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