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Role of biotechnology in Nigeria’s economic diversification

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Role of biotechnology in Nigeria’s economic diversification

“Agriculture must cease from being treated as development programme; agriculture must be treated as business. Our goal will be to pursue government supported private sector agriculture value chain to make agriculture more productive, efficient and competitive.” – President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari. Photo credit: informationng.com
President Muhammadu Buhari. Photo credit: informationng.com

Since his assumption of office in May last year, Muhammadu Buhari, president of Nigeria, has repeated at many fora that the nation’s economy must be diversified in order to meet up the job quests, wealth creation and other developmental needs.

The drastic fall of oil prices in the international market has directed the thinking of the Buhari administration to diversify the economy to other sources of revenue generation, specifically agriculture. Oil is Nigeria’s major source of revenue.

Most recently, speaking at a meeting of members of the Council of Saudi Arabian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, ‎the president: “With the down turn in the global prices of oil, we now have to prospect our solid minerals. We have to return to agriculture.”

The important aspect of these repeated pronouncements ‎is Mr President’s seeming seriousness about it. He wants to create wealth for the citizenry; employment opportunities for the youth; economic boost for the nation and opportunities for foreign investment.

“We have to return to agriculture,” Buhari has repeatedly said. But what form of agriculture could effectively replace oil in revenue generation? What form of agriculture could provide food security for the over-growing population? What form of agriculture could provide job opportunities for the youth and create wealth for the people?

The following questions must be taken into consideration if agriculture is truly sort out as the alternative driver of the nation’s economy: Should the country continue to rely on traditional methods of farming? Are traditional methods still reliable means for mass food production? Should budgetary allocation ‎to Agriculture continue to fall short of the 10 percent of national annual countries as recommended by the Maputo Declaration to which Nigeria is signatory?

Among many other things that would propel Nigeria’s agricultural potential to adequately take place of oil, are modern farming methods (biotechnology) and an upped budgetary allocation.

Biosciences could boost food security in Nigeria. ‎As such, Nigeria’s diversified growth requires increased investments that would harness biosciences as a tool for sustainable development in agriculture.

Not only should the provision of soft loans and fertilisers to farmers be the focus of government, there must be an assurance for innovative research and capacity building in agriculture in order for farmers and other stakeholders to respond to food security challenges.

And, to act in the way that portrays the administration’s understanding of the potentials of agriculture as a diversifying option that is capable of transforming Nigeria’s economy, the budgetary allocation of N76,753,672,273 to agriculture in the 2016 Appropriation Bill, must be revisited. That is less than the 10 percent, which Nigeria agreed to implement along with other African countries in Maputo.

It is however commendable that the country has taken certain steps towards joining other nations in the adoption of biotechnology in agriculture. ‎To start with, the Biotechnology Policy was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in 2001. That led to the establishment of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA).

Because of some health concerns expressed in certain quarters if the technology is introduced, NABDA, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment and other stakeholders, facilitated the passage of the National Biosafety bill into law. The law established the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), a full-fledged agency that provides regulatory frameworks for sustainability.

In the same vein, ‎towards addressing the concerns and misconceptions on the benefit of agricultural biotechnology and its potentials to drive development, NABDA, NBMA, the Programme for Biosafety System (PBS), Washington DC and the Nigerian chapter of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa‎, are collaborating to organise a workshop to hold in March in Abuja.

With a theme: “The Role of Agricultural Biotechnology in the Achievement of Food Security and Economic Diversification in Nigeria,”‎ the Assistant Director with NABDA and Country Coordinator of OFAB‎, Dr. Rose Gidado, said: “The workshop aims to ‎build confidence in the Nigerian public, biotechnology practitioners, crop developers and the industry, paving the way for the use of science and technology in agriculture, which in turn will hasten the speed of the ‘wind if change’ of the Buhari Administration.”

Stating the objectives of the workshop, Director General of NBMA, Chief Rufus Ebegba,‎ said: “It is aimed at bringing biotechnology to the front burner in the diversification of Nigeria’s economy under a sound biosafety regulatory framework.

“It is also to accurately educate participants on issues of biotechnology and biosafety so that decisions by policy makers are effectively understood and communicated to the general public and also to sensitize the general public on genetic modification, biosafety and best practices in GM research and development.”

Contributing, Dr. Gidado added that the workshop would “encourage the research communities and developers of products of agricultural biotechnology to intensify their activities in line with the ‘change agenda’ of the federal government as it relates to Agriculture.”

The workshop is in two opening and technical sessions. The opening session would be attended by ‎ministers of line ministries directly involved in biotechnology/biosafety issues – ministries of Trade and Investment, Environment, Agric and Rural Development and Science and Technology.

At the opening, Prof. Lucy Ogbadu, Director General of NABDA, will deliver a paper titled: “Introduction to Biotechnology and Its Place in Agricultural Development” while the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, will deliver a keynote address titled: “The Role of Science and Technology in Economic Diversification.”

The technical sessions for days one and two are deliberately made to be rich with various presentations from notable agric scientists.

By Abdallah el-Kurebe 

FUT Minna produces second batch of WASCAL graduates

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FUT Minna produces second batch of WASCAL graduates

The Federal University of Technology in Minna (FUT Minna), Niger State has produced its second set (or ‘Batch B’) of graduates under a special scheme being bankrolled by the German government.

The Batch B M. Tech graduates in CCALU under the WASCALprogramme at FUT Minna
Eight out of the total 10 members of the “Batch B” M. Tech graduates in CCALU under the WASCAL programme at FUT Minna during the graduation ceremony on February 27, 2016

Tagged the Master Programme on Climate Change and Adapted Landuse (CC&ALU), it is being implemented under the West African Centre for Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) initiative involving Nigeria and several other countries in the sub-region.

The 2013 batch of 10 WASCAL graduates joined 2,741 others at the 25th Convocation Ceremony of their host university in the Niger State capital recently. The graduates, who completed their programme in October 2015, returned to formally participate in this year’s graduation ceremony as they joined 464 other Masters degree holders. But, in their case, they were awarded Master of Technology (M. Tech) in Climate Change and Adapted Land Use.

The degree was awarded after 15 months of intense course work and nine months of research, which focused on the “food basket” of Nigeria, which are the North Central states of Niger, Kogi, Nassarawa and Kwara.

The Director of the Centre in FUT Minna, Dr Appollonia Okhimamhe, one of the key objectives of WASCAL is to conduct credible research to safeguard the “food basket” of West Africa from the ravages of the impacts of climate change.

According to her, six of these graduates were competitively selected in their various countries and would soon commence their PhD in different WASCAL host universities. She is getting set to welcome the 2016 Batch of students, 10 of whom had been selected competitively after “a very rigourous” selection process that included a “face-to-face” interview at the country level.

The graduates are: Marsanne Gloriose Bignon Allakonon (Benin), Talardia Gbangou (Burkina Faso), Gnenakantanhan Coulibaly (Cote D’Ivoire), Isaac Larbi (Ghana), Assitan Daou (Mali), Soule Moussa (Niger), Femi Oluwatosin Asonibare (Nigeria), Gloria Chiwendu Okafor (Nigeria), Dodzi Kossi Bissadu (Togo) and Séna Koglo Yawovi (Togo).

Their areas of thesis were listed to include:

  • Assessment of vulnerability of agroforestry trees to climate change in Niger State (Allakonon)
  • Analysing climate change projection on water availability for rainfed agriculture in Awan basin, Kwara State (GBangou)
  • Evaluation of root and tuber crops yield under the changing climate conditions in Kwara State (larbi)
  • Assessment of climate change and land use impact on groundwater resources in Kogi State, using GIS techniques
  • Assessment of the impact of climate change and land use/land cover in Kogi State (Daou)
  • Impact of land use and climate change in vegetation dynamics of Doma Forest Reserve in Nasarawa State (Moussa)
  • Site selection for urban forestry development as a mitigation of climate change in Ilorin area, Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria (Asonibare)
  • Household vulnerability and adaptation to water stress induced by climate change on Downstream Kaduna River Basin (Okafor)
  • Remote sensing and GIS-based assessment of land degradation driven by climate land use/change in Nasarawa State (Bissadu)
  • Assessment of crops lands changes using remote sensing and GIS and adaptation strategies to climate extremes in Lapai Local Government Area.

 

Dr Okhimamhe disclosed that the vision of WASCAL on research is that at least a paper is published from the final output of each student’s masters research thesis.

Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Mubau Adewunmi Akanji, expressed the institution’s gratitude to the German Ministry of Education and Research for funding the WASCAL programme, adding that FUT Minna has kept its vision for a robust academic development.

“Our 2015 annual report offers and introspective perpective of an institution committed to promoting academic excellence through autonomous intellectual partnerships,” he disclosed.

Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof. Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali, urged the graduating students to see the degrees and grades as work in progress.

His words: “You must see your graduation today not as an end to the journey. Rather, you must see today as the beginning of the beginning. You must rise to the occasion and always aspire to do better. Opportunities and challenges await you in the world ahead.”

Chancellor of FUT Minna, Eze Eberechi N. Dick, the Eze Udo I of Mboko Ngwa Amaise, described the event as unique in the sense that “the graduands will be the first that I will confer with degrees and diplomas as the chancellor of the university.

The Eze, who is also Chairman, Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, said: “I feel a deep sense of pride to be here with you all on this auspicious occasion where some of you who have been found worthy in character and learning are being bestowed with certificates as a reward for your academic exploits.

“As you may be aware, this university was established to provide the much-needed manpower for the development of the country in the areas of science and technology and the university has remained committed to its mandate.”

Countries under the WASCAL programme include Nigeria, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia and Ghana.

Dr Okhimamhe described WASCAL as a regional centre for capacity building in climate change across West Africa. She added that WASCAL is also designed to help tackle challenges of climate change thereby enhancing resilience of human and environmental system to climate change and variability.

Congo may re-open vast rainforest to industrial loggers

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Congo may re-open vast rainforest to industrial loggers

A tropical rainforest more than twice the size of France is at risk of being cut down, following news from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that the government is considering re-opening its forest to new logging companies.

Lars Løvold of Rainforest Foundation Norway
Lars Løvold of Rainforest Foundation Norway

This comes at a time when the governments of Norway, France, Germany, the UK, and the European Union, are assessing whether to support a billion-dollar plan proposed by the DRC government to protect the country’s 1.55 million square kilometres of forests.

A coalition of environmental and anti-corruption organisations is calling on the DRC government to maintain its moratorium on the allocation of new logging licenses, which has been in place since 2002.

Irène Wabiwa Betoko of Greenpeace Africa, said: “The large-scale logging of DRC’s rainforest was and is a disaster. It not only harms the country’s environment, but also fuels corruption and creates social and economic havoc.”

Lars Løvold of Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN) said: “At a time when the global community is working together to protect the world’s last rainforests, a vital defense against climate change, the DRC government seems to be undermining the commitment to reducing emissions that it presented in Paris.”

The DRC Environment Minister Robert Bopolo Bogeza recently stated that measures are being undertaken to lift moratorium on the allocation of new logging licenses, while outlining his priorities for 2016, citing the financial benefits this could bring.

Joesph Bobia of Réseau Ressources Naturelles (RRN) said: “The argument that logging can significantly contribute to government revenues is completely unfounded. Around a tenth of the DRC’s rainforest is already being logged. And yet, in 2014 the country obtained a pitiful USD8 million in fiscal revenues from the sector – the equivalent of about 12 cents for every Congolese person,”

Simon Counsell of the Rainforest Foundation UK said: “Expansion of industrial logging in Congo’s rainforests is likely to have serious long-term negative impacts on the millions of people living in and depending on those forests. We urge the government of DRC to instead promote community based forest protection and alternatives to logging that will help the country’s population prosper.”

Reducing Emissions through Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) is an international effort under the UN climate treaties to combat carbon emissions by protecting the world’s forests. DRC’s national strategy for REDD has been under negotiation for six years and will be submitted to international donor governments for approval this year.

“We call upon the DRC government to keep the present logging moratorium in place,” Ms Wabiwa Betoko concluded.

The moratorium on the allocation of new logging titles was issued by Ministerial decree in 2002, in an attempt to regain control of the country’s timber industry, which was riddled with illegal logging and corruption, which came at a significant social and environmental cost.

DRC’s forest accounts for around one tenth of the world’s remaining tropical rainforests. Many species, such as the bonobo and okapi, are only found in these ecosystems. Some 40 million people in the country rely on these forests for their livelihoods, including food and fuel.

Livelihoods, forests at risk if land rights are ignored, says report

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Livelihoods, forests at risk if land rights are ignored, says report

Indigenous Peoples and local communities protect half the world’s land, but formally own just 10 percent, according to a report released today by a global alliance of NGOs.

Mike Taylor, the International Land Coalition (ILC) Director
Mike Taylor, the International Land Coalition (ILC) Director

The Global Call to Action on Indigenous and Community Land Rights, backed by more than 300 organisations all over the world, was on Wednesday launched with the publication of a new report.

Entitled “Common Ground: Securing Land Rights and Safeguarding the Earth,” the report represents a manifesto of solidarity with the ongoing struggles of indigenous peoples and local communities seeking to secure their land rights. The launch also marks the official start of the Land Rights Now campaign, calling for the amount of land these communities own to double by 2020.

Mike Taylor, the International Land Coalition (ILC) Director, said: “Billions of people around the world depend on their land to live; if we do not fight to secure this essential human right, we are turning our backs on them, their cultures, and the environment. The lives of those who depend on community-owned land for their homes and livelihoods are at stake.”

With livelihood security in decline for many forest dependent communities and peoples, the need to ensure full legal and practical protections for customary rights to land, territory and forest resources is increasingly urgent. The launch of the Land Rights Now campaign will help to draw international attention to the many rights-based approaches to curbing deforestation advocated by forest peoples themselves.

The report and the Land Rights Now campaign highlight the experiences of people who depend on land and forests for their livelihoods as well as their cultural identity.

Nicholas Fredericks, a spokesman for the Wapichan people of Guyana, where lands are under threat, said: “These forests are our life, but they are being taken from us. Outsiders have a financial view of the land. They see it as money. We see it as life. We have to win… for the future of our people.”

Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, said: “Oxfam is standing with the 2.5 billion people around the world who rely on community lands – for their livelihoods, security and cultural identity. We are calling for indigenous and community land rights to be secured once and for all: this struggle is as much about fighting poverty as it is about tackling injustice and inequality; and advancing women’s rights.”

The importance of land rights is underscored in two major recent international agreements, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Addressing the unique needs of the world’s 2.5 billion Indigenous Peoples and local communities is crucial to fulfilling the aspiration of the SDGs to “leave no one behind.”

To mark the launch of the Global Call to Action, Forest Peoples Programme is supporting events taking place around the world, including Guyana, Kenya, Suriname, Peru and Liberia.

UNEP lifts wildlife trade embargo on Nigeria

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UNEP lifts wildlife trade embargo on Nigeria

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world in marking the 2016 World Wildlife Day, Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, has disclosed that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has lifted the suspension on trade between Nigeria and other countries in all endangered plants and animal species as well as related products.

Nigeria's Environment Minister, Mrs Amina Mohammed. Photo credit: i.vimeocdn.com
Nigeria’s Environment Minister, Mrs Amina Mohammed. Photo credit: i.vimeocdn.com

The Minister has also asked Nigerians to do everything within the ambit of the law to protect the country’s wildlife, emphasising that the nation stands the risk of losing economic and social opportunities which wildlife presents to the economy in particular and the ecosystem in general.

Giving the charge in a press statement released in Abuja on the occasion of the 2016 World Wildlife Day, the Minister stated: “Endangering wild life threatens our personal wellbeing, the livelihood of local communities and our natural heritage. Wildlife forms a significant part of our biodiversity and plays a unique role as an indicator of ecological change. Without wildlife, we will lose the opportunity of economic and social value which wildlife brings to our ecosystem.”

World Wildlife Day is celebrated every 3rd of March as established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the 20th of December, 2013 at its 68th session. The day is set aside for all nations of the world to focus on the critical importance of protecting the fauna and flora (plants and animals) which are the world’s essential and natural heritage for the present and future generations. The day offers an opportunity to re-affirm the world’s commitments to the protection and preservation of wildlife, says the UNGA.

The theme for this year’s World Wild Life Day is “The future of wildlife is in our hands”, apparently implying a clarion call to all and sundry that protecting and conserving wild life throughout the world should be an individual and collective responsibility.

“We all have a role to play in the conservation and survival of our wildlife resources throughout the country,” said Mohammed.

Wildlife exploitation, illicit trade and habitat fragmentation are the key threats to biodiversity as they concern thousands of plants and animals’ species and can lead to extinction if not properly addressed, according to scientists. Hence, the UNGA resolution designated the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora secretariat as an instrument for monitoring illegal trade in wildlife species. CITES is also the facilitator for the global observance of the special day for wildlife.

In Nigeria, the Ministry is the focal point of implementation and has domesticated the convention, “the Endangered Species Act” to conserve wild species that are almost driven into extinction due to over exploitation, habitat change and illicit trafficking; such as cheetahs, lions, tigers, leopard, gorilla, manatee and high value timbers such as ebony and mahogany.

“We also need to protect many animals that are currently facing threats, such as elephants which are highly sourced for their ivory; pangolins for their scales; crocodiles for their skin and parrots as pets,” said the minister.

Ben Bem Goong, the Ministry’s spokesperson, submitted in a statement: “The Ministry of Environment under the leadership of Amina Mohammed and Ibrahim Usman Jibril (Minister of State) remains committed to saving our fragile wildlife from extinction and empowering communities whose livelihoods depends on wildlife resources. The Minister therefore urges every Nigerian to think of the future generation with a change of attitude towards wildlife exploitation and Conservation of the ecosystem.”

Nigeria was suspended from international trade in endangered species in March 2015 following its inability to submit an adequate National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP) in accordance with the provisions of CITES.

Peruvian community flays state oil firm over devastating spill

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Peruvian community flays state oil firm over devastating spill

On the 18th February 2016 the autonomous territorial government of the indigenous Wampis people (Wampis GTA) submitted a formal complaint to Peru’s regulatory body for the environment (OEFA) accusing the state oil company (Petroperú) of gross negligence for its failure to prevent and contain the oil spill in the Wampis community of Mayuriaga. As a preventative measure the Wampis GTA demand that the pumping of oil along a branch of the pipeline is suspended.

Oil spill site in Mayoriaga
Oil spill site in Mayuriaga

The spill which, according to OEFA reports, occurred on the 3rd of February 2016 affected an area of 400m2 of land immediately adjacent to the pipeline before flowing into the Cashacaño river which itself flows into the river Morona. The reports document contamination along the length and both banks of the Cashacaño river to its confluence with the River Morona from where the spill extended a further 1.5 hours travel downriver (see reports (Spanish only) referred to in Resolución Directoral 012-2016-OEFA/DS of 15th February 2016).

OEFA’s final resolution which also referred to another spill on the river Chiriaco from the same pipeline on the 25th January highlights that “the affected bodies of water and soil support the subsistence livelihood of the native communities and surrounding populations” and that “for this reason both incidents represent a high risk of adverse impact, not only to the Inayo and Cashacaño tributaries and to the Chiraco and Morona rivers but also to the lives and health of those people who live in areas adjacent to these spills”.

In its report OEFA clearly establishes that the cause of these spills “both of which are from the Northern Peruvian pipeline operated by Petroperú… are the result of deterioration of the pipeline… due to failures caused by external corrosion which makes evident that Petroperú is not adopting the necessary measures to prevent spills that have environmental impacts”. OEFA’s damning conclusion is that these spills are “not isolated cases” and have documented 20 failures since April 2011 when OEFA assumed its operations.

The Wampis’ formal complaint to OEFA, which was submitted with the legal and human rights organisation, IDL (Institute of Legal Defence), demands that the regulatory body issue sanctions against Petroperú, provides effective oversight of a robust plan for control and remediation of the spill and ensures that Petroperú provide adequate alternative sources of food and water for affected communities.

Finally, given the shortcomings and incapacity of Petroperú to maintain its own pipeline the Wampis GTA demand the immediate suspension of pumping along the Northern branch of the pipeline as the “only effective measure that could prevent irreparable harm to the environment and harm to the health of neighbouring populations along the Northern Peruvian oil pipeline.”

Wrays Perez Ramirez, recently elected Pamuk or President of the Wampis GTA said: “This oil spill has already resulted in severe and irreparable harm to the community lands of Mayuriaga and to our collective territory as a people. Responsibility lies squarely with Petroperú who have acted with complete negligence. Over more than 40 years they have failed to maintain and repair their pipeline knowing full well that it needs constant maintenance and replacement every 10-15 years.

“We, the Wampis, never authorised or gave our consent to the construction of this pipeline in our territory yet we suffer the consequences. This is another example of where we have lost control over our territory which has been subdivided by the State into different village lands or issued as concessions to different companies. It is exactly this kind of problem that our territorial government is trying to address.”

The recently formed Wampis government which was elected by Wampis villages in November 2015 to assume jurisdiction over 1.4 million hectares of their customary land will bring together its almost 100 delegates (Irunin) representing its constituent communities to a summit meeting in the village of Soledad on the river Santiago from the 13th – 19th March 2016.

The Irunin are proposing several measures to address the situation which includes two planned legal resolutions. The first declares the affected area to be in a state of environmental and health emergency while the second annuls all those concessions, infrastructure projects and other state backed initiatives in their territory that have failed to comply with legal requirements to consult with the Wampis and secure their Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

These measures, which form part of the Wampis’ pioneering efforts to safeguard their ancestral lands, will be announced to coincide with the Global Call to Action on Indigenous and Community Land Rights which was launched today by an international coalition and is backed by more than 300 organisations all over the world.

Pollution: Shell reacts as fresh international legal actions are launched

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Pollution: Shell reacts as fresh international legal actions are launched

Two Nigerian Niger Delta communities are suing oil big-wig Shell and asking for compensation for oil spills on their land. It is the second in five years that Shell will be sued to court.

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A polluted river in the Niger Delta region

One of the two communities involved is the Ogale community with a population of 40,000. In an area where most people derive their livelihood from fishing, oil spills have deprived the people of their livelihood as well as clean water.

The Bille community is the other party to the case and they claim that Shell should be held liable for the spills caused by the vandalisation of pipelines primarily because Shell did not properly secure its pipelines.

The law firm Leigh Day is handling the case to determine if the claimants can indeed institute proceedings against Shell.

A report by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in 2011 suggested a clean up after it was discovered that the water in both communities were contaminated with oil by products. Despite the recommendation and subsequent agreement by Shell, there have been no efforts to clean up the area.

Leigh Day said in a statement, “It is scandalous that four years after the UNEP Report, Shell is yet to clean up its oil in either Ogale or Bille. Our client’s patience has now run out and we intend to force Shell to act since it is clear they have no intention of doing so on their own.”

A spokesperson for the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), Olugbenga Odugbesan, said in a statement: “We are at an early stage of reviewing the claims made by the Bille and Ogale communities.  Both Bille and Ogale are areas heavily impacted by crude oil theft, pipeline sabotage and illegal refining which remain the main sources of pollution across the Niger Delta.  Ogale is in Ogoniland and it is important to note that SPDC has produced no oil or gas in Ogoniland since 1993.  Access to the area has been limited following a rise in violence, threats to staff and attacks on facilities.

“The Bille and Ogale communities have chosen to bring these claims in the UK instead of in Nigeria, whose laws govern our operations.  It is our intention to contest the jurisdiction of the English court over these claims.  We believe that allegations concerning Nigerian plaintiffs in dispute with a Nigerian company, over issues which took place within Nigeria, should be heard in Nigeria.”

“Furthermore, Ogoniland is the area covered by the United Nations Environment Programme’s Environmental Assessment (‘the UNEP report’) of 2011. UNEP presented its recommendations as an opportunity to bring a culture of multi-stakeholder cooperation to Ogoniland, a process in which SPDC has been involved.  SPDC has also initiated action to address all the recommendations directed to it in the UNEP report as operator of the SPDC Joint Venture.  In mid-2015 SPDC JV, along with the government, UNEP and representatives of the Ogoni community, agreed to an 18-month roadmap to fast-track the environmental clean-up and remediation of Ogoniland which includes a governance framework.

“These steps have been widely lauded across civil society in Nigeria and have been welcomed by members of the Ogoni community itself. Asking the English court to intervene and order remediation activity covering the same ground as the UNEP implementation plan is a direct challenge to the internal political acts and decisions of the Nigerian State, and its sovereign right to determine, within its own territory, the appropriate future path for the Ogoni community.”

Photos: Ségolène Royal visits Côte d’Ivoire

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Photos: Ségolène Royal visits Côte d’Ivoire

Newly appointed President of COP21, Ségolène Royal, last week paid a courtesy visit to the West African French-speaking nation of Côte d’Ivoire.

Royal, who recently replaced Laurent Fabius, the French Minister of Environment, Energy and Marine, was in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, for several days, apparently to gather the support of President Ouattara Alasane towards the realisation of Africa’s transition to renewable energy, two months ahead of the planned formal signing of the Paris Agreement in New York.

Besides being hosted at the Presidential Palace, she convened a panel discussion at the French Embassy in Cocody and visited some noteworthy places.

Ms. Royal with President Ouattara Alasane
Ms. Royal with President Ouattara Alasane
Royal with senior government officials
Royal with senior government officials
During a trip to the Abidjan Banco National Park
During a trip to the Abidjan Banco National Park
On a tour with government officials
On a tour with government officials
With Ivorian Environment Minister, Rémi Allah-Kouadio
With Ivorian Environment Minister, Rémi Allah-Kouadio

Fiji begins post-Cyclone Winston cleanup amid call for climate action

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A massive clean-up operation has begun on the Pacific Island of Fiji after a powerful cyclone.

Cyclone Winston hit the island last week, with winds of over 200 miles per hour, torrential rain, and waves of up to 12 metres. Many homes were destroyed, several people died and electricity lines were cut.

It’s the first time that Fiji has been hit by a Category 5 storm – the strongest kind of storm found on earth.

Fiji is the first nation to ratify the Paris Agreement.

Indeed, Tropical Cyclone Winston became the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, wreaking havoc in Tonga and growing into an unpredictable and severe Category 5 system, leaving a trail of destruction across Fiji.

In the wake of the devastating cyclone 350.org Pacific is urging global climate action.

“The relationship between climate change and more severe tropical storms is well understood, and extreme weather events like Cyclone Winston are a timely reminder as to what is on the line,” pointed out Koreti Tiumalu, 350.org Pacific Region Coordinator.

“Every year, people in the Pacific Islands are finding ourselves at the forefront of climate impacts. As the world continues to experience the escalation in the force of natural disasters, it’s imperative now more than ever, that all countries also escalate their efforts to keep climate changing fossil fuels in the ground in order to change the outlook of those who have done the least to create climate change but are experiencing firsthand its worst impacts,” Timalu added.

London to host global investors at 18th Africa Energy Forum

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London to host global investors at 18th Africa Energy Forum

The Africa Energy Forum is the global investment meeting for Africa’s power, energy, infrastructure & industrial sectors, expected to welcome 1,000 investors, 500 public sector stakeholders, 300 technology providers, 270 developers and 70 countries in June later this year.

water-scarcity
London, the capital of England, is hosting the forum for the first time. Photo credit: visitlondon.com

This year sees the Forum hosted in London for the first time – at the new London Intercontinental O2 overlooking the skyscrapers of the Canary Wharf and the River Thames. The decision to move the Forum to the UK this year was taken to capitalise on the investment potential of the United Kingdom and promote the strong trade relationship between the UK and Africa.

Shiddika Mohamed, Group Director, commented, “We are very excited to bring AEF to London. The theme of the Forum this year is ‘Mergers and Acquisitions’, so being in London, the world’s finance capital, will enable Africa’s growing number of power developers to showcase their businesses to decision makers of the world’s most prolific investment organisations from around the globe.”

Organisers EnergyNet will host a typically English opening night pub quiz party on the evening of 21st June featuring some legendary British culture and food, allowing participants to network in a fun, laid back environment before the formal opening on the 22nd.

New for this year will be the Growing Economies Energy Forum (GEEF), running alongside the Africa Energy Forum. GEEF will host a day of open discussions between the governments and private sector from new energy markets such as Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar and Peru, as these growing economies open up for international investment following political and economic developments.

The EnergyNet Student Engagement Initiative will once again bring 50 talented African students to the Forum from relevant disciplines to build relationships with industry leaders in the power sector.

The conference and exhibition will see the return of a mobile networking app to assist delegates with networking. 70% of attendees used the app in June 2015, with 1,900 messages exchanged and nearly 200 meetings arranged.

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