Five test cities in Germany on Monday, February 26, 2018 opposed a plan to provide free public transport to improve air quality as unrealistic, despite pressure on Berlin to adhere to EU air pollution targets and avoid fines.
Vehicular traffic is a major source of air pollution
“None of the municipalities has proposed completely free local public transport,’’ Bonn Mayor, Ashok Sridharan, said after discussions among the five cities and the Federal Environment Ministry.
The five cities in which the proposal was to be tested are: Bonn and Essen in North Rhine-Westphalia and Mannheim, Reutlingen and Herrenberg in Baden-Wuerttemberg.
Asked if the idea could be tested in at least one city, Sridharan said: “I think that’s quite unrealistic.’’
According to an official report, European Union pollution level limits are still being exceeded in almost 70 Germany cities with Munich, Stuttgart and Cologne the worst affected.
The five cities and towns, however, decided to make suggestions by mid-March to the Environment Ministry on how to improve air quality.
Report says the main aim is to get diesel vehicle owners to switch to public transport, said Reutlingen Mayor Barbara Bosch, but not to make public transport free.
A ministry spokesman said the free public transport idea was not yet off the table.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) says that the world can achieve zero hunger if all nations decide to work together.
Suffyan Koroma, FAO Nigeria Country Representative
Mr Suffyan Koroma, FAO Country Representative for Nigeria, said this in Abuja on Monday, February 26, 2018 at the opening of a two-day workshop on “Mainstreaming Food Security in the Context of 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in Nigeria’’.
He said that plans to end poverty and hunger by 2030 were very feasible if all concerned parties could join forces and act on available evidences and data.
Koroma, who was represented by Mr Ahmed Matane, Assistant FAO Country Representative (Programme) for Nigeria, said that the goal could be achieved by tackling the root causes of hunger and poverty.
He said that the strategies included targeting the rural populations, providing access to social protection programmes, promoting sustainable food and agricultural development as well as data collection.
Koroma said that the data collection was the key driver of transformation across all sectors, adding that it would also enable governments to achieve national policy objectives.
“Open data will present a multitude of opportunities to track progress and analyse statistical information in a systemic way and disseminate it widely,’’ he said.
He said that the partnership with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) had become a relevant tool to hold governments accountable for their duty to fulfil their obligations to the citizens.
Koroma said that FAO, in supporting Nigeria to monitor the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), had developed methods and standards for food agriculture and statistics, while providing technical assistance to help the country to meet its monitoring obligations.
“The assistance also includes methodological development of indicators and statistical capacity building,’’ he said.
The FAO country representative, however, said that, for the programme to work in Nigeria, there was a need to take relevant MDAs and CSOs through the concept and methodology of food security measurements.
“Two monitoring tools will be presented to the workshop participants on prevalence of undernourishment and food insecurity experience scale,’’ he said.
Koroma said that the workshop had become imperative because countries were now striving to translate the SDGs into national plans for implementation, while determining how best to commit national efforts to produce transformational change.
He said that the workshop would examine an overview of the SDGs monitoring and evaluation framework for Nigeria as well as an overview of food security measurement and prevalence of undernourishment and food insecurity in the country.
He, therefore, urged participants to use the knowledge they would garner to train other stakeholders in their respective states and organisations, so as to put in place a good road-map for the effective implementation of the plan.
Participants for the workshop were drawn from the states in the North Central geo-political zone, the FCT as well as relevant federal MDAs and CSOs.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on Sept. 25, 2015, the 193 member states of the UN adopted the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, including 17 SDGs, with 169 targets and 230 indicators.
The 2030 agenda aims at tackling the complex challenges facing the world; ending poverty, hunger and malnutrition as well as sustainably managing the natural resources of the planet.
Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday, February 26, 2018 reiterated the Federal Government’s unflinching commitment to support all programmes and policies to restore the Lake Chad basin.
Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo
Osinbajo said this in Abuja at the opening of the International Conference on Lake Chad, with the Theme: “Saving the Lake to Revitalise the Basin’s Ecosystem’’.
According to him, saving the Lake is a huge task that should be done to preserve the livelihood, fight insecurity and solve the humanitarian crises, as the implication of its shrinkage is grave.
Osinbajo said the lake, which had shrunk from 25,000 square meters in the 60’s to 2,500 square meters presently, had no fewer than 30 million people relying on it for livelihood.
He said the past 30 years had seen tremendous efforts such as the Lake Chad Basin Water Transfer, and the proposed Inter-Basin Water Transfer project from the Ubangui River in Congo.
“Lake Chad issue is an international issue with a global challenge, saving the lake is preserving the livelihood of millions of people.
“Nigeria would implement all recommendations made to restore the Lake Chad at the end of this conference.’’
In his remarks, the Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, said despite poverty and the security challenges, the fresh water body was still a source of water supply for drinking, fisheries and other socio-economic activities.
He said saving the Lake Chad in a sustainable manner required the collaboration of all relevant stakeholders, adding that all hands should be on deck to save the lake from extinction.
“The lake is the epicenter of human, animal and plant life for the region, it contains a variety of habitats.
“The UN Environmental Programme in 2006 reported that persistent drought and ravages of rapidly growing human population have decimated it.’’
Adamu called on all stakeholders to support the processes to restore the glory of the region, saying that all hands should be on deck.
Mr Sanusi Abdullahi, the Executive Secretary, Lake Chad Basin Commission, said insurgency, climate change, and nonpayment of annual contributions were some of the challenges militating against full implementation of its programmes in the region.
According to him, there is the need to mobilise partnership for reversing the devastating effect of the Lake Chad.
Abdullahi said that the huge progress made toward the realisation of the inter-basin water transfer project to recharge the basin and save it from extinction was worthy of note.
Sanusi said the programme to rehabilitate and strengthen the resilience of the basin was ongoing, despite challenges, and expressed the hope that it would pick up by the end of the first quarter of 2018.
Lagos State Government has begun the distribution of the 2018 Land Use Charge demand notices for properties across the state, the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Akinyemi Ashade, said on Monday, February 26, 2018.
Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor of Lagos State
Ashade said the distribution, which commenced last week, ought to have been carried out much earlier in the year but was delayed by a review of the Land Use Charge Act by the State House of Assembly.
He said the review process entailed a repeal of the old law, public hearings and enactment of a replacement by the House of Assembly on January 28, before it was signed into law on Feb. 8.
According to Ashade, the State House of Assembly decided to review the law in the light of some of the inefficiencies that had become associated with the old Land Use Charge act.
“As noted by the Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, only a small fraction of taxable properties were actually remitting Land Use Charge to the government.
“To make matters worse, the land use charge rates had over time gradually become rather obsolete,’’ Ashade said in a statement.
In addition, he said, determination of the rates payable by property owners was often questionable because the formula could be applied in a subjective manner.
“The new Land Use Charge regime sets out to correct the shortcomings in the previous regime.
“For instance, the new regime allows for property owners to calculate by themselves the rates payable by them, once they have determined the market value of their properties.
“This way, rates payable are transparent and standardised such that property owners are charged identical rates for properties of identical dimensions being used for identical purposes in the same locality.’’
Ashade added that the government was very mindful of the impact of the current economic situation in the country on residents of the state, pointing out that the new Land Use Charge regime had several inbuilt reliefs for Lagosians.
“For instance, senior citizens (citizens aged 70 years and above) who live in their own houses, are exempted from paying Land Use Charge.
“The same applies to properties owned by religious and not-for-profit organisations where such properties are not profit-yielding.
“Physically challenged citizens also enjoy considerable discounts on their computed charges. In the same light, every Land Use Charge bill benefits from a discount of 40 percent and an additional 15 percent discount if the bill is paid promptly.
“The new Land Use Act as recently passed by the House of Assembly is designed to enhance the overall efficiency of the Land Use Charge regime to enable government become even better equipped to continue the infrastructure regeneration that is currently being aggressively implemented across Lagos State,’’ he said
“We have been very encouraged by the responses we have received so far as a good number of Lagosians have since gone ahead to make payment.
“This is very commendable and we extend our thanks and appreciation to them for discharging their civic responsibilities promptly.’’
Ashade, who acknowledged that some others have raised questions about their bills said: “We are also engaging a handful of Lagosians who have raised legitimate concerns about their bills.
“We have a full-fledged Help Desk manned solely dedicated to managing and resolving such complaints.’’
He advised Lagosians seeking more clarity about their bills to contact the Lagos Land Use charge Help Desk, adding that the Help Desk contact details including email and telephone numbers were clearly written on the demand notices.
Property enumerators, Ashade added, were also being deployed across the state to verify not only the dimensions and reasonable market value of properties but also the use to which these properties were deployed.
He explained that the essence was to enhance the accuracy of Land Use Charge determination.
“I want to appeal to my dear fellow Lagosians to kindly avail these enumerators of as much cooperation as possible to ensure accurate determination of Land Use Charge for all.’’
He added that the state’s consistently peerless performance not only in the area of providing infrastructure but also prompt payment of workers’ salaries among others, is attributable to its formidable internally generated revenue model which is now being copied by all.
“We crave your support and understanding as we jointly strive to continue to build a mega city of the future for which our children shall be proud.’’ The commissioner said.
The Director-General, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr Rufus Ebegba, says the agency will soon educate journalists on the use, risks, benefits and handling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
Director-General and CEO of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr Rufus Ebegba
Ebegba said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, February 26, 2018 in Abuja.
He said that the agency was ready to support all efforts aimed at promoting sustainable livelihoods via better understanding and safe use of science and technology.
“The training will give journalists the insight into what GMOs are all about, while updating them on the workings of biotechnology.
“It is the responsibility of journalists and communicators to ensure that science is better understood and exploited for national development and sustainable livelihoods.
“Journalists should also be objective; they should and avoid sensationalism in their reportage of national issues,’’ he said.
Ebegba urged journalists to support the efforts of NBMA to ensure the safety of genetically modified (GM) products that were consumed by people, their health and the environment for the good of the society.
He said that some individuals were feeding the media with unfounded information so as to cause panic and instil fear about GMOs in the citizens.
“Of late, groups parading themselves as representatives of civil society organisations and farmers have been going around, leading protests for the repeal of the NBMA Act.
“There is no iota of truth in what they are saying and I call on the media to probe them and cross-check the information they are reeling out,’’ he said.
The director-general said that the same people calling for the scrapping of the agency were part and parcel of the processes that produced the NBMA Bill and its passage by the National Assembly.
“So for them to now turnaround and say that the NBMA Act is weak and defective or that government should scrap the agency is unpatriotic.
“The issue of bio-safety is purely scientific and NBMA is prepared, in terms of manpower and facilities, to regulate bio-technology processes and applications,’’ he said.
Ebegba said that the agency was prepared to regulate bio-technology processes and applications with scientific tools and not sentiments, adding that its actions would, therefore, be guided by evidence-based scientific results.
“We will not be distracted by any sponsored campaign seeking to misinform Nigerians and we will continue to carry out our mandate, as stipulated in the NBMA Act,’’ he said.
He said that apart from its public enlightenment programmes, NBMA had the requisite personnel, tools and legal backing to carry out its regulatory functions.
“The bottom-line is that Nigeria has the facilities and personnel to properly regulate modern biotechnology; we only need your cooperation.
“It is my hope that after the training, the media will be in a better position to teach the people about safe science and biotechnology applications, while promoting the reorientation of the public on GMOs,’’ he said.
Ebegba said that the agency had been striving to educate the public and the media about its regulatory functions as to modern biotechnology processes and applications in Nigeria.
“Accurate and scientifically-proven communication will help in analysing the benefits of modern technologies,’’ he said.
He said that NBMA had created a vibrant and interactive website (www.nbma.gov.ng), as well as active social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to enable the public to have accurate information on its activities.
Ebegba said that the agency had been providing evidence-based information about bio-safety through these platforms to the public.
He stressed that NBMA was an unbiased umpire in matters relating to GMOs in the country.
“Our key responsibility is to serve as an unbiased umpire to ensure that the practice of modern biotechnology is safe for the citizens, while boosting the nation’s economy,’’ he said.
He said that the agency was not established by the Federal Government to stop or promote GMOs, adding that its mandate was to ensure that GMOs were safe for human consumption and the environment.
“Biotechnology is very crucial to our national economic efforts, as it will bring about more agricultural yields, while boosting food sufficiency in Nigeria and profits for its farmers,’’ he said.
For the third time running, Shell has won the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games (NOGIG), posting a commanding victory streak in the history of the 30-year old biennial competition. At the end of the week-long NOGIG 2018 in Lagos, Team Shell topped the medal table with 11 gold, 11 silver and eight bronze, leaving the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and ExxonMobil in second and third places respectively.
L-R: General Manager External Relations of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Mr. Igo WelI; Group Managing Director ofNigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru; and SPDC Community Relations Coordinator and Vice Chairman Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games (NOGIG) Organising Committee, Mr. Alex Onumbu, at the presentation of the 2018 NOGIG Overall Tournament Champion trophy to SPDC in Lagos
“I’m excited at the performance of the team for making us proud,” said Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) Ltd and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, while reflecting on the performance of the contingent. “The games present a good opportunity for all of us in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria to be physically active and network in an atmosphere of healthy rivalry, and I commend Team Shell for the hard work and commitment which have earned them a top place at the medal table for three consecutive years.”
NOGIG 2018 – the 17th edition – was held February 18 to 24 with 12 companies competing in football, squash, table tennis, lawn tennis, scrabble, chess, snooker, swimming, golf, basketball, 100 metres dash and 4×100 metres relay. The games came to a climax at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos with the finals of a football match, 100 meters sprint (men/women), 200 metres sprints (men/women) and 4 X 100 metres relay.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the NNPC GMD, Dr Maikanti Baru, chief host of the games, commended the athletes for competing keenly and fairly, and hoped that the quality of the games would continue to improve in the coming years. Both the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu and the Lagos State Governor, Mr Ambode Akinwunmi, echoed the same sentiments in the goodwill messages they sent to the ceremony. General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli, represented Shell at the event and received the winner’s trophy from the NNPC GMD amid cheers and jubilation.
Manager Team Shell, Alex Onumbu, who is the also the Vice Chairman of the local organising committee of the games, thanked the management of Shell companies in Nigeria for their support and the athletes who made Shell proud.
He said: “The amount of hard work and discipline that underpin our participation and victory can only be imagined. We want to pay tribute to our athletes, who in addition to their normal work, took the time and pains to train, compete and win. And of course, we also own a huge debt of gratitude to our management, because without their untiring support, we would have gone nowhere. This record victory is not just for Team Shell – it is for all of us!”
NOGIG began in 1986 as a squash tournament in Eket, Akwa Ibom State. The 18th edition of the games is expected to hold in 2020.
The Federal Government on Sunday, February 25, 2018 confirmed that 110 schoolgirls of Government Girls Technical School, Dapchi are unaccounted for in the Boko Haram attack on the school last Monday.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this to newsmen in Damaturu after a closed door meeting between a Federal Government delegation,Yobe State Government, security agencies, community leaders and parents of the missing schoolgirls.
“It was a meeting between stakeholders to get a first hand information and, out of the total register of 906 students in school that day, 110 students are unaccounted,” he said.
The minister said far reaching decisions were reached among which included the deployment of police and Civil Defence Corps to all schools.
He said security agencies were synergising to ensure the rescue of every student abducted by the insurgents.
“No stone will be left unturned in our determination to rescue these girls,” the minister assured.
He said the federal, state governments and parents would collaborate with security agents to work towards successful rescue of the students.
Mohammed reiterated that the insurgents were being contained and now looking for soft targets.
“Government will remain focused and resolute in the fight against insurgency to rescue the students and every Nigerian in their custody.”
NAN reports that Government Girls Technical College Dapchi was last Monday attacked by Boko Haram insurgents and, abducted the schoolgirls.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Air Force (NAF), says it has intensified efforts to locate the missing Dapchi girls by deploying additional air assets, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms to the North East Zone.
The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice-Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
Adesanya said that the deployment of ISR was a renewed effort at locating the missing Dapchi girls.
He said that NAF, following confirmation of reports that some of the girls were yet to be accounted for, had deployed some ISR platforms and helicopters to search for and possibly locate the missing girls and the Boko Haram Terrorists.
“Although these search operations were conducted in a covert manner for obvious reasons, the efforts did not yield the desired results.
“Accordingly, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, directed the immediate deployment of additional air assets and NAF personnel to the Northeast with the sole mission of conducting day and night searches for the missing girls.
“It is noteworthy that the renewed efforts at locating the girls are being conducted in close liaison with other security forces while the NAF will spare no efforts at possibly locating the girls via its air operations.
” It also seizes this opportunity to call on anyone, especially the locals, who might have any information that could lead to the location of the girls to bring such information forward to NAF authorities or other relevant security agencies,” he said.
The Concerned Stakeholders of Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWMN) on Sunday, February 25, 2018 condemned a statement credited to an aggrieved group within the association faulting the resolve to work with the Lagos State Government and an environmental utility group, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions, to ensure cleaner and healthier environment.
CLI and Visionscape officials placing waste bins at a spot
The aggrieved group, in a statement by its Chairman, Oladipo Egbeyemi, had distanced itself from the agreement to work with the state government to rid the state of filth adorning major streets and highways, describing the resolution as misleading and untrue.
Responding, the concerned stakeholders, in a statement signed on their behalf by Kasumu Afis Olasehinde of Gafista Concepts Limited, said the statement by the aggrieved stakeholders was not only in bad taste but had shown them to care less about the interest of Lagosians.
The stakeholders, comprising of 48 Private Sector Participant (PSP) operators in waste management, said their resolve to work with the state government to ensure the success of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) was borne out of the genuine desire to protect the environment and prevent outbreak of any epidemic in the state, considering the resurgence of refuse in public places.
The statement said, “This kind gesture was warmly received and accepted by the government but, to the surprise of many, a group believed to be aggrieved from AWMN, has come out to disown us for offering a helping hand, you must ask why? Are they angry with progress? Are they people-oriented at all? Is this challenge a thing of pride and ego to them or service to the people?
“We have been rendering unequalled outstanding waste management service to Lagosians for decades and it is the state of things that necessitated our group’s initiative to offer help and also collaborate with Visionscape. The Visionscape group sees us as partners who will learn a lot from each other and they are willing to collaborate with us to make Lagos clean.
“We also state that the wellbeing of Lagosians is utmost in our mind, and as we approach the raining season, we cannot just watch but also intervene to avoid epidemic, which is what the aggrieved group does not care about.
“We can’t afford to let the Cleaner Lagos Initiative fail because, if it does, we will also be considered as failure, hence a need to take responsibility as a people-oriented group to render service whether paid or unpaid; laudable to say the least and quite commendable and any progressive would agree with my group,” Olasehinde said.
While describing change as inevitable, Olasehinde said it was surprising that some people who in the past had benefited from change were working against progressive change, and also attempting to discourage those who were genuinely willing to help government in the best interest of the people.
“Change is inevitable, other aggrieved operators can collaborate to deliver service with Visionscape without making drama out of it. It should be a collective joy to see people of Lagos living in comfort, you don’t wish failure on a vendor because you feel you can do better, and finally, it is unruly to attempt to pour cold water on the bravery and courage of the noble men who tried to swallow hurts and offer help. If we all contribute something, Lagos will work for us all by default,” he said.
While standing by the resolve of the stakeholders to work with government, Olasehinde commended the state government for coming up with the Cleaner Lagos Initiative, saying the policy and the law promulgated to back it up would no doubt proffer a permanent solution to waste management in the state.
He particularly lauded the clear distinction under the CLI between commercial and domestic waste, among other innovations geared to revolutionise waste management in the state.
Besides, Olasehinde said there was no existing agreement between the state government and PSP operators, and wondered why some aggrieved members were working against the state government.
Since formalised global action on forestry development began some 91 years ago, when the first World Forestry Congress was organised by the UN Food and Agriculture Organsiation (FAO) in Rome in 1926, international efforts to address associated problems has been gaining momentum.
Ghana’s Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu
And the launch in December 2012 at the UN Climate Conference or COP 18 in Doha, Qatar, of the global movement to restore 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2020, known as the “Bonn Challenge,” catapult international afforestation efforts.
Since that time, various initiatives launched such as the New York Declaration on Forests, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals, are also seeking to address aspects of the associated issues. And one common trend running through all of these recent initiatives is the goal for countries to mitigate and or adapt to climate change.
It is worthy of note that the 23rd UN Climate Change Conference or “COP 23,” which took place in November 2017 in Bonn, Germany, witnessed the initialing of similar initiatives. Of particular interest was the “Joint Framework Action Ghana,” signed between the Government of Ghana and the World Cocoa Foundation, under the auspices of the Cocoa and Forests Initiative.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu, signed on behalf of the Government and the Chairman of the World Cocoa Foundation (WFC), Barry Parkin, signed for his organisation.
The Framework underpins a commitment by the Government of Ghana and the World Cocoa Foundation to stop deforestation and restore forest cover through cocoa cultivation. “We, the Government of Ghana – through the Minister of Land & Natural Resources – and undersigned companies, commit to work together to end deforestation and promote forest protection and restoration in the cocoa supply chain in Ghana through this Joint Framework for Action,” says the Joint Framework Action Ghana document.
According to the document, it was developed through a multi-stakeholder process involving government, private sector, farmers and farmers’ organisations, national and international civil society organisations, development partners, and other stakeholders in Ghana and at the global level.
Indeed, one very important personality who has been a backbone to this development is His Royal Highness, Prince Charles of Wales. Among other things, he hosted the High Level Meeting on Cocoa and Forests on March 16th, 2016, during which a Collective Statement of Intent to end deforestation and forest degradation in the cocoa supply chain, with an initial focus on Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, was signed.
Jointly organised by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) and Prince Charles’ International Sustainability Unit (ISU), was the first of its kind covering the global cocoa supply chain. The partners made various commitments including making significant investments in programmes to improve cocoa productivity for smallholder farmers working in the cocoa supply chain.
The agreement charged the participating companies to present a joint public-private framework of action to address deforestation at COP 23. Thus, the signing of the Framework on Thursday, November 16, 2017 at COP 23 was historic, timely and specific – targeting the cocoa industry of the agricultural sector.
The Framework is structured around three main themes. These are forest protection and restoration, covering conservation and rehabilitation of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Wildlife Resource Reserves, Forest Reserves, and unprotected off-reserve forest lands. The actions identified under this theme include a commitment by the parties to disallow further conversion of any forest land for cocoa production and to stop the production and sourcing of cocoa from National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, and Wildlife Resource Reserves, except from farms with existing legal status, as of January 1, 2018.
The second theme is sustainable production and farmers’ livelihood, which aims to intensify and diversify production in order to increase farmers’ yields and income as well as to reduce pressure on forests. This theme is being pursued based on the recognition that intensifying sustainable agriculture in environmentally suitable areas and increased farmer income are essential pre-requisites for reducing pressure for agricultural encroachment into forests, and strengthening the resilience of cocoa farming to climate change.
To this end, actions identified include promoting investment in long-term productivity of high quality cocoa in environmentally sustainable manner and growing “more cocoa on less land,” through intensified farming practices, provision of improved planting materials, introduction of yield-enhancing methods and training in good agricultural practices.
Another action is to intensify establishment of shaded cocoa landscapes in line with the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme (GCFRP), to promote Climate Smart Cocoa and sustainable livelihoods and income diversification for cocoa farmers.
Additionally, government is to prepare operational guidelines covering resettlement and livelihood restoration of any affected parties by June 30, 2018, with relevant input from private sector, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders, in line with global standards.
The third theme is community engagement and social inclusion. This focuses on engaging civil society and community engagement to establish the required social safeguards to protect farmers and local communities. The actions identified are information sharing, consultation, and informed participation of cocoa farmers and their communities who are affected by proposed land-use changes under the Framework; and to promote community-based management models for forest protection and restoration.
With regards these proposed actions, a cross section of civil society organisations (CSOs), have begun voicing their concerns over the idea of intensified cocoa cultivation. Members of Forest Watch have questioned “in whose interest such a measure will be.” This was at their 2018 Annual General Meeting held from the 7th to the 9th of February, 2018 at Larteh, Akwapem, in the Eastern Region, during which members discussed the issue.
They were of the view that such an action was tilted towards industry’s interest and prices set will favour industry and not farmers. They also felt the need to closely follow the issue of resettlement, as it might involve human rights abuses and implications.
However, officials in the formal forestry sector have hailed the Framework, its action plans and subsequent developments towards implementation, as a positive move.
This is because, studies over the years, have established that of all the factors driving deforestation in Ghana, agriculture is prime with cocoa cultivation being the leading cause of forest conversion in the high forest zone.
One such study titled, “A Rapid Assessment of Forest Degradation in Ghana,” was carried out by the Nature and Development Foundation on behalf of ClientEarth, a group of environmental lawyers.
The findings of this study established the need for a strategic and well-coordinated approach to addressing this delicate driver of deforestation. Cocoa cultivation is lucrative for farmers and one of the leading avenue of revenue generation for the country. The industry is powerfully situated in the national economy and so over the years, due attention was not given to the problem of encroachment into forest reserves to expand cocoa farms.
The Technical Director in-charge of Forestry at the Ministry Lands and Natural Resources, Abu Diwan, noted that the initiative was unique. “Its uniqueness,” he said, “lies in the fact that while the idea of encouraging the cultivation of cocoa under shade is not new in Ghana, the entire package has been given a new twist as it seeks to re-orient the mentality of farmers, who have abandoned the practice in favour of cultivating cocoa in the open…”
Abu Diwan further noted that “the novelty of this initiative can be seen in the coming together of the private sector in both Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, and the recognition that cocoa does deforest and coming together with public institutions, and working with farmers is the way to go.” He added that “the pooling of resources by the private sector, government and development partners to tackle the associated problems is worthy of note.”
It is also interesting to observe the current good will among all the partners to pursue a common course – to address deforestation triggered by the cocoa industry. Since, the signing of the Framework, progress towards fine-tuning and finalizing the actions have been on-going. And sometime this week, a stakeholder consultative meeting will be held to discuss, amend and validate the actions for adoption.
From the Ghana side, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is leading the process working with the Ministries of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI); and Food and Agriculture; COCOBOD; and the Forestry Commission. These government agencies are collaborating with the WCF and IDH to ensure a successful implementation of the initiative.
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Friday, February 23, 2018 restated its commitment to safeguarding the Lake Chad and promoting the interests of people who depend on the lake for their livelihood.
Scientists say the Lake Chad, that borders Nigeria and some other countries, has shrunken by 95 percent over the past 50 years. They have also linked the Boko Haram insurgency to the lake’s situation. Photo credit: AP/Christophe Ena
UNESCO made the pledge in a statement signed by its Communication and Information Sector Advisor, Yachat Nuhu, and made available to News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
The organisation noted that at the upcoming international conference on Lake Chad, the project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) would also seek out ways for all stakeholders and member-states to promote the survival of the lake.
According to UNESCO, the Lake Chad Basin is an important source of fresh water on which more than 40 million people in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Niger and Nigeria depend.
The UN agency noted that rainfalls had declined over the past 50 years and the surface area of the lake had shrunk by more than 90 per cent, thereby affecting the region’s ecosystems and economy.
UNESCO said that it would be implementing the BIOPALT project, which focused on research, rehabilitation of wetlands and wildlife corridors as well as promotion of sustainable income generating activities for the region.
“Funded by the African Development Bank for a period of three years, the project aims to take stock of Lake Chad’s water and other natural resources alongside socio-economic and cultural factors.
“It also aims to reinforce local capacities in natural and cultural heritage preservation and undertake pilot activities for the rehabilitation of some ecosystems and the promotion of a green economy.
“In close consultation with local populations, BIOPALT will contribute, for example, to the rehabilitation of wildlife migration corridors between Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria, notably for elephants, while preserving oases and preventing the drying up of water supplies by restoring ponds.
“It will also focus on income generating activities such as the production of spirulina, an algae traditionally harvested by women, and support efforts to preserve Lake Chad’s iconic Kuri cattle, an endangered species.
The Lake Chad Basin Commission was established in 1964 to ensure the sustainable and equitable management of Lake Chad and the preservation of ecosystems in its basin.
Its members are Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Libya and Niger. The commission is funded by its member states.
