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Rainy season: Calabar gets a facelift

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Rainy season: Calabar gets a facelift

The Cross River State Government on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 said it had begun the recovery of green areas in parts of Calabar, the state capital, in order to restore the town’s aesthetic values.

Calabar
Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

Mr Mike Eraye, the state Commissioner for Environment, said this on Tuesday while addressing newsmen in Calabar.

Eraye said that drainage channels in the city were also being cleared ahead of the commencement of the rainy season to avoid perennial flooding.

“What we are doing now is to recover the green areas and to clean the drains to allow free flow of water into the channels.

“We are preparing for the rains around April; we want to avoid flooding in parts of the city during the rains,’’ he said.

He alleged that some residents of Calabar were frustrating the efforts of the state government in maintaining the greenish status of the town.

“We did a lot before the carnival to clean up the city and now you can see that the drains are blocked again just few weeks after the event.

“Some residents who do not like the beauty and cleanliness of Calabar are bent on destroying it and frustrating our efforts,’’ he said.

According to him, the ministry has established a mobile court to try those flouting the sanitation laws of the state.

Eraye urged the residents to key into the state government’s vision of returning Calabar to its original status of most beautiful town in the country.

“I also want to tell the residents that they should desist from carrying out trading activities in the green areas.

“Anybody found violating the environmental laws of the state will be punished accordingly,’’ he warned.

The commissioner accused some big business concerns such as petrol stations of harbouring traders in their premises, thereby destroying the green areas.

According to him, government will take appropriate actions against such businesses while it takes measures to recover the green areas.

By Benson Ezugwu

ERA calls for mass action against tobacco use

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ERA calls for mass action against tobacco use

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has asserted that enforcing tobacco control laws in Nigeria is everyone’s duty; hence all hands must be on deck to ensure that the laws are implemented to the letter.

ERA tobacco
L-R: Oluseun Esan, programme manager of Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA); Akinbode Oluwafemi, deputy executive director of ERA/FoEN; and Philip Jakpor, ERA/FoEN Head of Media and Campaigns, at the media briefing in Lagos on Monday, January 22, 2018

Akinbode Oluwafemi, deputy executive director of ERA/FoEN, told newsmen at a press briefing in Lagos on Monday, January 22, 2018 that the delayed implementation of the National Tobacco Control (NTC) Act three years after the bill was signed into law was dangerous.

He, however, disclosed that ERA might take to street protests to drive home its point, “since it seems to be the language the government understands.”

For the non-governmental organisation, tobacco companies have proved to be recalcitrant in keeping to the regulations on tobacco use, which necessitated the mass action.

“Despite our wish to have a prosperous and smoke-free New Year, a quick analysis of some of the activities of the tobacco corporations as 2017 drew to a close show that the industry is unrepentant and will continue operating with the same impunity in 2018 unless concrete actions are taken to checkmate their activities by all levels of government,” ERA said.

Accusing the companies of underhand transactions, Olufemi cited some media reports last year indicting some big corporations.

“A Guardian of UK report in August 2017 accused British America Tobacco (BAT) of paying militias instead of taxes to governments, introducing illegally huge amounts of money into war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo for fraudulent transactions, collaborating with rebel groups to conduct business, and providing firearms to its employees, among others, while it still claims to adhere to highest business and ethical standards,” he said.

He also quoted Reuters news agency as reporting a more damning story of the same company. “A Reuters report linked the tobacco giant to years of secret global campaign to undermine the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC). It was also enmeshed in controversies of a so-called Foundation for a Smoke-free World, which it announced it would fund to the tune of $80 million over a period of eight years. It is remarkable that WHO distanced itself from that Foundation and asked global governments to do same.”

Considering the lack of enforcement of the regulations on tobacco, Oluwafemi disclosed that ERA might take to protests to drive its point home, “since it seems to be the language the government understands.”

On the trend of tobacco companies using celebrities to promote their products, ERA said: “Something serious needs to be done about using the entertainment industry to promote tobacco.”

Also at the briefing were Oluseun Esan, the programme manager of Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA); and Philip Jakpor, ERA Head of Media and Campaigns, among others.

Open grazing law: Benue urged to review embargo as Taraba adopts gradual execution

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Open grazing law: Benue urged to review embargo as Taraba adopts gradual execution

The Deputy Governor of Taraba, Alhaji Haruna Manu, on Monday, January 22, 2018 said the state government would implement the anti open grazing law gradually.

Open grazing
Open grazing

Manu disclosed this in media briefing shortly after a closed door meeting with traditional rulers in the state.

He said there would be aggressive awareness campaigns across the state before the implementation of the law, scheduled to take effect as from Jan. 24, 2018.

He added that traditional rulers in the state had accepted ranching as best option to feed and take care of animals, noting, however, that implementation would be in phases.

The deputy governor said “our anti open grazing law which is slated to take off on Jan. 24 would be implemented gradually.

“The Taraba Government would establish pilot ranches in the three zones of the state and carry out aggressive awareness campaigns in the state, local government and ward levels.”

He urged the people of the state not to politicise the law, saying it was meant to enhance peaceful coexistence between herdsmen and farmers.

Similarly, a civil society organisation (CSO),  Search for Common Ground, on Monday in Abuja urged the Benue State Government to review its Open Grazing law to end perceived discrimination against individuals or groups in the state.

Dr Chris Kwaja, Research Fellow of the organisation, made the call after its investigations into the “Implication of Open Grazing Prohibition Laws’’ between farmers/herdsmen in the Middle Belt region of the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that report of the investigations was made available to newsmen.

The report said that while legislation could be useful in addressing drivers of conflicts, it should not be used as a panacea.

It added that while the law was enacted in response to incessant conflicts between farmers and herdsmen, its effectiveness to manage the conflict was yet to be determined.

“There is a clear distinction between the procedure and mechanism for land acquisition with respect to citizen’s of Nigeria who are not indigenes of Benue on one hand and the indigenes of the state.

“There is the need for the Benue government to review this procedure and mechanism procedures for land acquisition to remove clauses that are discriminatory.
“The law and its implementation deepened division between farmers and herdsmen in the state so the government needs to counter the narrative that the law is to evict herdsmen.

“The government also needs to facilitate a platform to address the concerns of herdsmen and lastly ensure farmers, herdsmen and relevant experts jointly develop inclusive and gradual implementation plan for the law.’’

The report said that the multi-stakeholder engagements should also be a platform for the parties to highlight aspects of the law that could be interpreted as discriminatory and recommend possible amendments of such aspects.

The report also urged Benue government to look beyond the “binary do or do not open grazing options’’ to identify alternatives with incentives that would attract herdsmen to gradually embrace ranching in line with the law.

It further advised the government to engage investors to invest in industrial ranching and develop incentives to stimulate ordinary herdsmen to establish subsistence and community –based ranches in the short, medium and long term.

This, it said would aid in curbing the diverse implications of the law across economic, cultural, security and religious dimensions.

It said that the situation in Benue had presented a unique opportunity for state governments to be conflict sensitive in the development and implementation of legislation that addresses the farmer-herdsmen conflict in Nigeria.

By Angela Atabo and By Gabriel Yough

Kano tomato growers lose N1b over Tiga dam closure

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Kano tomato growers lose N1b over Tiga dam closure

Tomato growers in Kano State have lost over N1 billion this dry season farming following the recent closure of Tiga Dam by the Hadeja-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority (HJRBDA).

Dam
A dam in Nigeria

The Secretary General of the Tomato Growers Association of Nigeria (TOGAN), Alhaji Sani Danladi-Yadakwari, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano, the state capital, on Monday, January 22, 2018.

According to him, the closure of the water from the dam which is the main source of water for irrigation activities at all irrigation sites in the state had negatively affected tomato production this irrigation season by 60 per cent.

“Kano State is producing over 400,000 metric tons of tomato every dry season because farmers cultivate over 2,000 hectares of irrigable land.

“So the recent closure of the dam by the Hadeja-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority has affected 60,000 of our production due to drought,” he said.

According to him, tomato growers in the state had lost 250,000 tons of the commodity which represents 60 per cent of their total production.

He said the water which was closed for over 40 days would affect bumper harvest of the commodity as most of the tomato farms had experienced serious water shortage during the period.

“Many of our members had planted the tomato when suddenly the HJRBDA closed the dam and the closure had affected our farms.
He, therefore, advised the authority to always notify critical holders whenever they wanted to conduct maintenance of facilities at the dam site to avoid a repeat of similar problem.

“The authority should have given us and all other irrigation farmers three weeks notice before the commencement of maintenance at the dam.

“But they did not tell us until after they started the work and the closure had affected many tomato farms at Kura, Garunmalam, Bunkure and some parts of Rano irrigation sites,” he said.

According to him, the association had written to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, over the issue with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problem. When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Hadeja-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority (HJRBDA), Alhaji Salisu Baba-Hamza, said the authority had contacted Chairman and Secretary of the water users association before the commencement of the maintenance at the dam.

In addition, he said, the management of the HJRBDA had sponsored jingles announcement for one week on some radio stations before the repairs of the affected place was started at the dam.

According to him, the repairs of the affected place was necessary in order to avoid possible collapse of the embankment of the dam.

“What happened was that the outlet of Tiga Dam which supply water to the channels collapses and water was going through a place where it could affect the embankment of the dam.

“The project manager reported the issue and management had to close the outlet in order to effect repairs of the affected area.

“So, it is not true that the farmers were not contacted before the closure of the dam,” he said.

The Tiga Dam provides irrigation for the farmers of Kano. It is a major reservoir on the Kano River, the main tributary of the Hadejia River. The dam was built during the administration of Governor Audu Bako in an attempt to improve food security through irrigation projects.

By Tukur Muntari

NEITI hails National Assembly over petroleum bill

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NEITI hails National Assembly over petroleum bill

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has welcomed steps by both chambers of the National Assembly to pass the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB).

Waziri-Adio
Executive Secretary of NEITI, Waziri Adio

The decision of the Senate and the House of Representatives to consider the bill as priority resulting in its eventual passage is bold, courageous and progressive, says NEITI, given the challenges the bill has passed through in its legislative journey for over 10 years.

NEITI, as an agency set up to enthrone transparency and accountability in the management of extractive industries in Nigeria, has legitimate interest in the PIGB.

NEITI says its interest is in view of the urgency and strategic importance of a new law to replace the existing archaic legislations that have aided huge revenue losses, impeded transparency, accountability and investment opportunities in the nation’s oil and gas industry.

NEITI recalls that, as an anti-corruption agency in the sector, it boldly alerted the nation last year through a special Policy Brief – titled: “The urgency of a new petroleum sector law” – that the current stagnation of investment opportunities in the Petroleum Industry was as a result of the absence of a new law for the sector. This, adds NEITI, has led to huge revenue losses to the tune of over $200 billion. In the publication, NEITI argued that the “revenue losses were as a result of investments withheld or diverted by investors to other (more predictable) jurisdictions.” The publication added that “the hedging by investors stems from the expectation that the old rules would no longer apply, but not knowing when the new ones would materialise.”

In addition, NEITI reports in the sector had also disclosed that over $10.4 billion and N378.7 billion were lost through under-remittances, inefficiencies, theft or absence of a clear governance framework for the oil and gas industry. The total cost to the nation in 2013 alone was N1.74 trillion largely as a result of the absence of a new law.

NEITI is optimistic that, with the new governance law for the industry, such huge revenue losses to the nation as a result of process lapses and outright stealing will be strictly checked if not eliminated.

Furthermore, NEITI notes that the implementation of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative which Nigeria is a key signatory, have over the years been frustrated by the absence of a dynamic law that suits modern business modules and trends in the ever evolving oil and gas industry.

NEITI remains convinced that the PIGB, when assented to by the President, will provide “a dynamic governance framework required to re-position the Petroleum industry to fully embrace competition, openness, accountability, professionalism and better profit returns on investments to both companies and government”.

NEITI notes that it is encouraged that the National Assembly in this particular instance threw politics aside and dealt with the PIGB issue with the attention it deserves. The PIGB, now passed and ready for possible Presidential assent, is a product of this creative initiative, stresses NEITI.

NEITI also commends the media, civil society, development partners, industry, stakeholders and experts who it says have followed the bill in the National Assembly for their valued contributions to what has been achieved so far.

While hoping for early Presidential consideration and assent to the bill, NEITI says it hopes to work with multi-stakeholders, development partners and the industry to set the stage for informed stakeholders’ engagements to ensure effective implementation when the bill becomes law.

“Finally, we call on all the media, the civil society and above all the National Assembly to show similar coordinated attention to commence legislative process in the remaining legal frameworks in the industry especially the Petroleum Industry Fiscal Bill and the Host Communities Bill. These two key pending legislations will help complement and strengthen the provisions of the PIGB,” adds NEITI.

Burundi ratifies Paris Agreement as 174th Party

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Burundi ratifies Paris Agreement as 174th Party

The Republic of Burundi on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 deposited its instruments of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, making the East Africa nation the 174th Party to the global treaty.

Pierre-Nkurunziza
Pierre Nkurunziza, President of Burundi. Photo credit: The Telegraph

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Burundi’s ratification will come into force on February 16, 2018.

Previously, Macedonia (173rd), Montenegro (172nd), DR Congo (171st), Syria (170th), Nicaragua (169th), Switzerland (168th), the Czech Republic (167th), Dominican Republic (166th) and Cape Verde (165th) had deposited their instruments of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Before this, Liechtenstein (164th), Ecuador (163rd), Myanmar (162nd) and Bhutan (161st), had also ratified the treaty.

The Paris Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015 at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris, France from November 30 to December 13, 2015.

On December 12, 2017 governments and representatives from all over the world gathered in Paris at the instance of French President, Emmanuel Macron, to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement at the One Planet Summit. The Summit presented an opportunity to reaffirm global climate commitments to combat climate change and to emphasise the transition from negotiation to implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement entered into force on November 4, 2016, 30 days after the date on which at least 55 Parties to the Convention accounting in total for at least an estimated 55% of the total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Depositary.

The Paris Agreement builds upon the Convention (UNFCCC) and – for the first time – brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. As such, it charts a new course in the global climate effort.

The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Additionally, the agreement aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. To reach these ambitious goals, appropriate financial flows, a new technology framework and an enhanced capacity building framework will be put in place, thus supporting action by developing countries and the most vulnerable countries, in line with their own national objectives. The Agreement also provides for enhanced transparency of action and support through a more robust transparency framework.

Minamata Convention’s specific programme gets support as Lithuania ratifies treaty

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Minamata Convention’s specific programme gets support as Lithuania ratifies treaty

The secretariat of the Minamata Convention has disclosed that its Specific International Programme (SIP) received support from Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Dalia Grybauskaitė
Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of Lithuania

This is even as the Government of Lithuania deposited its instrument of ratification on Monday, January 15, 2018 thereby becoming the 86th Party to the Minamata Convention.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury (“Minamata Convention”) is an international environmental convention for global community to work collaboratively against mercury pollution. It aims at achieving environmentally sound mercury management throughout its life cycle. The Convention was adopted at the diplomatic conferences held in Minamata City and Kumamoto City in October 2013.

The 1st Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention (COP1), which gathered governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations from around the world, held in Geneva, Switzerland from September 24 to 29, 2017.

The mercury accord entered into force on Thursday, May 18, 2017 after having garnered the required 50 ratifications.

The Minamata Convention’s SIP is one of the two mechnisms for the provision of adequate, predictable, and timely financial resources. The second is the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund.

The Mechanism is to support developing country Parties and Parties with economies in transition in implementing their obligations under the Convention.

The SIP is being operated under the guidance of and be accountable to the Conference of the Parties, which at its first meeting in Geneva decided on the existing entity’s hosting institution.

All Parties and other relevant stakeholders are supposed to provide financial resources to the Programme, on a voluntary basis.

The Global Environment Facility Trust Fund, on the other hand, shall provide resources to meet the agreed incremental costs of global environmental benefits and the agreed full costs of some enabling activities.

Prior to Lithuania, Armenia (December 13, 2017; 85th Party), Lebanon (October 13, 2017; 84th Party) as well as Croatia and Argentina (September 25, 2017; 83rd) had ratified the treaty.

 

Group wants government to establish electronics recycling plants

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Group wants government to establish electronics recycling plants

A non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Society for the Promotion of People’s Rights, has called on the Federal Government to set up special recycling plants for electronic scrap materials to protect the environment.

ewaste
Waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) such as computers, TV-sets, fridges and cell phones is one the fastest growing waste streams in the developing world

President of the organisation, Mr Williams Osaze, made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday, January 22, 2018.

He said that electronic waste was dangerous and harmful to human beings and the environment.

He said that the establishment the recycling plants would facilitate efforts to sort out electronic waste into usable and non-usable components.

Osaze said that nearly 75 per cent of old electronic items in the country continued to be stored in households because of the dearth of recycling options.

He noted that old electronic devices contained toxic substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium and chromium.

He, therefore, underscored the need for proper processing and recycling of electronic waste so as to ensure that the toxic materials were not released into the environment.

Osaze said that as an alternative to the expensive recycling plants, landfills could be established at specific locations across the country for the disposal of electronic waste.

He, however, warned that if electronic waste was buried in an unsystematic way, certain poisonous chemical components of the waste could seep into the groundwater, pollute the soil and cause health problems.

He urged government to redouble its efforts to safeguard the environment from the harms of electronic waste by establishing electronic waste recycling plants across the country.

By Vivian Emoni

Biosafety agency plans partnership with Science Café to train journalists

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Biosafety agency plans partnership with Science Café to train journalists

The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has disclosed plans to partner with Journalists for Social Development Initiative (JSDI) and Connected Development (CODE) through their Science Café initiative to train journalists on safe science reporting.

Science Cafe
L-R: Director General, APUDI Institute of Peace Studies and Social Rehabilitation (APIS),
Professor Danladi Atu; Coordinator, Journalists for Social Development Initiative (JSDI), Etta Michael Bisong; Head of Governance, Connected Development (CODE), Emmanuel Njoku; Director-General/CEO, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Ebegba; Publisher, Forefront Media, Mr. Amos Dunia; and Representative, Nigerian Biosafety Association, Mr. Livinus Ibiang, during the opening ceremony of the inaugural Science Cafe in Nigeria, in Abuja on Thursday, January 18, 2018

Director General of the Agency, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, who made the disclosure during the opening ceremony of a Science Café on Thursday January 18, 2018 in Abuja, described safe science as a vital ingredient and foundation for national development.

And if this ingredient is not properly mixed to lay the required foundation, according to him, the nation may not reap the desired benefit of modern technologies and harness their potentials for sustainable living.

“Communicating safe science appropriately will make Nigerians understand and appreciate the role science can play in their daily lives,” Dr. Ebegba said. “It will also inspire our youth to boldly enter various fields of scientific study.”

However, the NBMA helmsman lamented that the lack of proper awareness on how new technologies can improve human activities has negatively influenced consumer choice and acceptance of certain innovations.

The Director General, who cited the case of modern biotechnology and its products in his lecture paper at the event titled: “Science, Technology & Modern Society: Role of Communication in achieving sustainable livelihood”, expressed displeasure over how some activists have taken to misinforming as well as misrepresenting issues, and inciting the people against government agencies like the NBMA.

He explained that these misconceptions have created a serious burden by generating fear and mistrust especially influencing how quickly a technology is adopted to solve local problems and facilitate national growth.

He reinforced the controversy surrounding agricultural biotechnology, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and biosafety in particular to underscore how scientific findings, public opinions and attitudes can make the public either accept or resist new technological innovations.

“Issues like these are precisely why good scientific communication is important,” he said.

The biosafety advocate referred to the media as a powerful tool which Nigeria must leverage on to move from being a net consumer of the products of scientific innovations to being a pioneer in various scientific and technological fields.

He submitted that good science journalism should help to build the consciousness of the people and educate them on the truth about certain controversial scientific and technological innovations.

During his remarks at the occasion, Director General, APUDI Institute of Peace Studies and Social Rehabilitation (APIS), Professor Danladi Atu, talked about the need to adopt a formal and an informal approach in the search for solutions to decipher the challenges facing science & technology in society.

Prof. Atu said the combination of these approaches is important to help solve the problem that the conventional way of learning science has created.

His words: “Part of the problem here is that we are so involved in conventional curriculum programmes to the point that informal approaches are neglected.”

He noted that the establishment of the Science Café is a clear departure from the conventional to a total new way of teaching science because, research has shown that there is a connection between past and present experiences.

The APIS boss urged Nigerians to accept science & technology and find a way to mitigate its impacts for progressive livelihood.

Other participants at the event canvassed the need for more scientific research, simplification of terminologies, as well as continuous engagement with stakeholders especially the private sector to help implement government blueprint on science & technology across the country.

By Etta Michael Bisong, Abuja  

IITA, AFDB, others partner to revitalise agriculture in Africa

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IITA, AFDB, others partner to revitalise agriculture in Africa

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), African Development Bank (AfDB) and other stakeholders on Monday, January 22, 2018 in Ibadan, Oyo State, inaugurated  the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme to revitalise agriculture in Africa.

Nteranya Sanginga
Dr Nteranya Sanginga, Director General of the IITA

Speaking during the inauguration, Dr Jonas Chianu, AfDB Agricultural Economist and TAAT Programme Manager, said that the multi-year  multi-partner  TAAT programme was funded by the AfDB.

He said it was conceptualised based on “Africa Feeding African”  core priority of AfDB and aligned with the bank’s 10-year strategy (2013 to 2022) for inclusive and green growth in the continent.

Chianu said that the programme was aimed at revitalising Africa’s agriculture and was conceived at a high-level conference on African agricultural transformation attended by experts in agriculture, the academia, and other stakeholders in Dakar in 2015.

“TAAT heralds a new dawn in African agricultural transformation because of its key benefits,’’ the AfDB official said.

Chianu said the initiative would lead to increased agricultural productivity and diversification, leading to improved food and nutrition security, improved socioeconomic status of farmers including women and youth due to higher incomes.

He added that it would also lead to reduced vulnerabilities to market fluctuation due to agricultural product imports, and job creation, among others.

“TAAT will execute an ambitious and bold plan to achieve rapid agricultural transformation across Africa by raising agricultural productivity along nine Priority Intervention Area (PIA) and over 18 agricultural commodity value chains.

“The execution of TAAT will involve close partnership among the AfDB, World Bank, and development partners to ensure increased financing for agricultural research and development along the value chains.

“FARA, the CGIAR System Organisation, and 11 of its 15 international agricultural research centers most active in Africa, have embraced the bank’s initiative.

“They are co-sponsoring the programme to revitalise and transform agriculture through TAAT within the shortest possible time while restoring degraded land and maintaining or strengthening the ecosystems that underpin agriculture,” he said.

Also speaking, the Deputy Director-General, Partnerships for Delivery, IITA, Dr Ken Dashiell, reiterated the need for the experts to work in harmony with other teams from other countries to see the great accomplishment of the programme.

Dashiell urged them to ensure that the plans and resolutions made at the workshop, which would last for three days, were implemented.

The Director, TAAT Programme Management Unit, IITA, Dr Chrys Akem, said part of the workshop’s objectives was to network and interact with the various TAAT programme teams.

He added that it was also to develop plans and budgets for year one of the first tier of TAAT.

By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko

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