In a bid to create a platform for critical stakeholders to share ideas, explore opportunities for collaboration and co-create pathways for the commercialisation of research outputs, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is partnering Triple Helix Nigeria (THN) to host the maiden edition of the SciBiz Annual Conference 2024.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Felix Omatsola Ogbe
Themed “Integrating Research Innovation and Policy: Triple Helix Pathway to a Digital Nigeria,” the event, slated from October 23 to 25, 2024, brings together the academia, industry and government – known as the three arms of the Triple Helix – for the purpose of formulating strategies to bridge the gap between scientific discoveries and their practical applications in solving societal challenges.
The group notes that “The Triple Helix model…has been a proven mechanism for fostering innovation ecosystems in advanced economies,” but that it has been largely lacking in Nigeria because of limited interaction among the three aforesaid arms, with the result that the potential synergy has remained untapped.
The Conference, which is being sponsored by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), is touted as a strategic response to “the urgent need to strengthen innovations that convert research findings into marketable products and services, generate employment, and stimulate economic growth.”
Key programme elements, as announced, include Plenary Sessions, featuring expert keynote speakers from Nigeria and abroad; Panel Discussions in which leaders from the academia, industry, and government, would explore how to overcome barriers to research commercialisation and innovation in Nigeria, and Innovation Pitching Competition, to be conducted in collaboration with OxFounders, featuring presentation of projects undertaken by startups and innovators to potential investors and partners.
Other key elements are Workshops and Breakout Sessions, involving discussion groups focusing on research funding, intellectual property management, and fostering entrepreneurial mindset in universities; Exhibition, a platform for innovators, startups, research institutions, and industries to showcase their products, services, and technologies to a diverse audience, and Diaspora Engagement, for which a dedicated subcommittee is in place “to facilitate collaborations with Nigerian professionals to leverage global expertise for local challenges.”
Target audience for the Conference are academics and researchers from Nigerian and international universities, representatives from industries, including startups and small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), government officials and policymakers in science, technology, and innovation sectors, investors and venture capitalists, international organisations and development partners, innovators, entrepreneurs, and students.
Charlie Henson is the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) Foundation friend of the month. Charlie is from the United Kingdom and recently joined the team as Programme Manager for Stockpile Management
Charlie Henson
Please tell us a little bit about your childhood and were you interested in conservation and environmental issues from a young age?
I grew up in the countryside in Lincolnshire, in the midlands of the UK. I come from a farming community, and my family has always been involved in agriculture in some way or another. Horses were a big part of my life growing up, and I was fortunate to spend most of my free time in the saddle. Living in a very rural area, conservation was something that was always central to everything we did. I often worked planting trees, cutting and laying hedges, and establishing grassland to help balance our ecosystem with large areas of cultivation nearby. This involvement with the environment and its impact on our wildlife at a young age established my passion for working in nature and helping to preserve and improve our habitat for the future.
What was the career path which bought you to the EPI?
I have been fortunate to work with some amazing organisations over the last 10 years and gain some useful experience in austere and challenging environments, predominantly in Africa. Just before joining the EPI, I was working with a humanitarian charity, helping to provide the emergency response to displaced people in the war in Sudan. Before that, I was working in Somalia with the United Nations and the African Union, supporting the logistics for their peacekeeping efforts across the country. I have also worked in Cyprus, Canada, and all across Europe. This is my first job in the conservation sector, and I am really excited about the opportunity to make a positive impact with the EPI.
How would you like to make a difference, for the EPI and for conservation more generally?
My job is all about taking illegal animal products, such as ivory and pangolin scales, out of economic use. We do this by working closely with the EPI member governments to improve the security and logistics management of these products after they have been seized or recovered. This is vital work that will help to remove the incentives for poaching and prevent criminal and terrorist organisations from profiting from these activities. Alongside the other EPI work streams, this will help to keep our wildlife safe for future generations, and this is the main difference I hope to contribute towards with my work.
More generally, I would love to be involved in the Human Elephant Conflict and working to reduce its impact on communities and ecosystems. As with my time in the humanitarian sector, I am driven by having a positive global impact in everything I do.
Africa is, of course, world renowned for its wildlife, including elephants. What have been some of your most outstanding experiences within the continent?
One of the most incredible experiences I have had was to visit the beautiful coastline in Kenya. The mangroves in Mida Creek in Watamu are alive with incredible wildlife and are one of the most amazing places I have ever visited. It is an example of a highly successful conservation project, and seeing how people have learnt to live in harmony with nature there is truly inspirational. Also in Kenya, I was really lucky to visit Laikipia last year, where I saw elephants, zebras, and giraffes in their natural habitat. It was stunning in so many ways and drove my motivation to work in conservation.
Finally, please describe your perfect weekend away from work.
My perfect weekend away from work is spending some quality time with my family. A long walk and an open-water swim, followed by cooking on an open fire somewhere beautiful. Rounded off by reading the Sunday papers and a good film.
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) says outstanding collectible revenues due to the Federal Government in the oil and gas industry have risen to $6.071 billion and N66.4 billion as at June 2024, respectively.
Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary, NEITI
NEITI disclosed this on Thursday, September 26, 2024, in Abuja at the public presentation of its 2022 and 2023 Independent Oil and Gas Industry Reports.
The report is being preferred by the NEITI Board and the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG).
The report was unveiled by Mr Ola Olukoyede, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alongside Sen. George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman, NSWG, NEITI and other dignitaries.
The breakdown of the report showed that outstanding liabilities were $6.049 billion and N65.9 billion in unpaid royalties and gas flare penalties, due to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) as collectible revenues by Aug. 31, 2024.
It also provided a detailed analysis of the information and data regarding who owes what in outstanding revenues due to the government.
A further breakdown showed outstanding petroleum profit taxes, company income taxes, withholding taxes, and Value Added Tax (VAT), due to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), amounting to 21.926 million dollars and N492.8 million as of June 2024.
On fuel importation, the latest NEITI report disclosed that a total of 23.54 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) were imported into the country in 2022, while 20.28 billion litres were imported in 2023.
This represented a reduction of 3.25 billion litres, or a 14 per cent decline, following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
A detailed 10-year trend analysis (2014–2023) in the NEITI report showed that the highest annual PMS importation into the country, 23.54 billion litres, was recorded in 2022, while the lowest, 16.88 billion litres recorded in 2017.
The NEITI report also disclosed that a total of N15.87 trillion was claimed as under-recovery/price differentials between 2006 and 2023, with the highest amount, N4.714 trillion, recorded in 2022.
On crude production, fiscalised crude production in 2022 stood at 490.945 million barrels, compared to 556.130 million barrels produced in 2021, representing an 11 per cent decline.
However, in 2023, NEITI’s independent report revealed total fiscalised production of 537.571 million barrels, and 46.626 million-barrel or 9.5 per cent increase from total production recorded in 2022.
A 10-year trend (2014–2023) of fiscalised crude oil production in Nigeria showed the highest production volume of 798.542 million barrels was recorded in 2014, while the lowest, 490.945 million barrels, was recorded in 2022.
The NEITI report further provided detailed information and data on crude lifting, disclosing that in 2022, total crude lifting was 482.074 million barrels compared to 551.006 million barrels lifted in 2021.
“In 2023, total crude lifting stood at 534.159 million barrels, representing an 11 per cent increase of 58.08 million barrels,” the report stated.
On oil theft and crude losses, a total of 7.68 million barrels of crude were either stolen or lost in 2023, representing a significant drop of 79 per cent (29.02 million barrels) compared to 36.69 million barrels either stolen or lost in 2022.
NEITI’s independent industry report carefully reviewed all aspects of the regulatory framework for the oil and gas industry.
This included the legal framework, fiscal regime, roles of government entities and reforms, as well as laws, Petroleum Industry Act (PIA 2021) and regulations relating to addressing corruption risks in the oil and gas sector.
The event was supported by the European Union and the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme being implemented by International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IIDEA).
Ahead of the Global Fund Replenishment next year, Heads of State and Government gathering at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) warned on Thursday, September 26, 2024, that funding for malaria must be increased to prevent the number of cases and deaths rising.
Malaria vaccine
Their warning follows new modelling conducted by the Malaria Atlas Project, which reveals an additional 300,000 lives are in jeopardy.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is one of the primary sources of funding for the control and elimination of all three diseases. Funded largely by governments, it pools the world’s resources to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, raising and investing money in three-year cycles known as Replenishments.
The new models show that if there is a flatlining of malaria resources (with the Global Fund Replenishment again achieving approximately $15.6 billion in total and allocations across the three diseases remaining on par with the current cycle), the world could see an additional 112 million malaria cases and up to 280,700 additional deaths across the three-year period, with upsurges and outbreaks happening right across the continent of Africa.
Current funding levels will be inadequate to tackle the disease because of multiple challenges converging. Insecticide and anti-malarial drug resistance are on the rise, reducing the effectiveness of existing malaria interventions. There are now highly effective new tools, such as dual-insecticide mosquito nets, that address resistance but the costs to roll out these interventions are higher. Climate change and humanitarian crises are also coinciding with deadly effect and leave those affected even worse off and more vulnerable to malaria.
The situation will be even worse if the total Global Fund Replenishment sees a cut to resources and takes funding away from malaria.
In the event of a lower replenishment of $11 billion, and a reduction in the malaria allocation, the modelling forecasts we can expect an estimated 137.2 million additional malaria cases and up to 337,000 additional malaria deaths.
The world is already facing insufficient funds based on the current cycle. There is an estimated gap of more than $1.5 billion to sustain services at 2023 levels; but with the new challenges we are facing, even this will not be enough to get the fight against malaria back on track.
The new projections were raised on Wednesday by President Umaro Sissocco Embaló at a fireside chat – “Confronting the Malaria Perfect Storm”, convened by the African Leaders Malaria Alliance. They expressed concerns that malaria will quickly resurge if appropriate action is not taken in this Replenishment cycle.
Dr Michael Charles, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, said: “The evidence is clear that there is significant risk of malaria epidemics if funding isn’t increased, and high-burden areas are unable to deliver critical malaria prevention services. Unlike HIV and TB, malaria is concentrated in lower income countries, particularly across Africa, so often these countries have the least ability to afford the fight. Everyone, no matter where they live, has a right to health. Malaria is straining health systems and making it difficult for people in low-income countries to fully enjoy their right to health.”
“Allocating the funds from the Global Fund Replenishment is complex, as of course all three diseases urgently need attention. But it is crucial that malaria receives an increase in its funding from the Global Fund, if we are to avoid a wide-scale resurgence. If this doesn’t happen, we can expect cases to spike and increased mortality. We already know this will impact women and young children hardest, as they are disproportionately affected by the disease.
“It will also push more people into poverty and overwhelm already fragile health systems, with economic consequences that will ripple across the world. We simply cannot afford to let this happen. The world has a duty to ensure our most vulnerable populations are not further disadvantaged and to do this we need to ensure the right funding is in place, starting with the global fund replenishment.”
At the Climate Week NY on Thursday, September 26, 2024, the COP Troika, – the United Arab Emirates (COP28), Azerbaijan (COP29), and Brazil (COP30) – hosted the high level-event “Roadmap to Mission 1.5: Driving the next generation of climate action and ambition”.
COP Presidencies Troika: Sultan Al Jaber, the President of COP28 (middle); Mukhtar Babayev, the President-designate of COP29 (left); and Ana Toni, the Brazilian National Secretary for Climate Change
The presidents stressed the need for 1.5-aligned Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), sector-specific climate goals and transitioning away from fossil fuels.
But climate activists have expressed concerns over the lack of concrete commitments of the Troika presidencies, in particular, to transition away from fossil fuels and triple renewable energy.
According to the campaigners, the Troika presidencies failed their own test to present any new and concrete commitments at their own event. COP28 President, Sultan Al Jaber, announced that the UAE would present its NDC ahead of COP29, but did not outline what it would entail.
“The Troika’s mission is to keep alive the goal of limiting global warming, but they are set to increase their combined oil and gas production by 33 percent by 2035. The expansion of oil and gas investments work against the COP28 agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, triple renewable energy capacity and double the rate of energy efficiency. New analysis by Climate Action Tracker also finds Azerbaijan’s climate action ‘critically insufficient’.
The next two months serve as a critical litmus test for climate ambition ahead of the UN climate conference in Azerbaijan, COP29, in November 2024. The COP Troika, the UAE, Azerbaijan and Brazil must lead by example. To start, they must present NDCs that explicitly lay out how they will phase out fossil fuels and expand renewable energy projects fairly, in line with what they agreed at COP28,” the group, 350.org, submitted.
Namrata Chowdhary, 350.org Leader, said: “While this is not entirely unexpected, today’s event led by these petrostates has once again revealed their continuing willingness to put greed before the planet’s needs. How will they transition away from fossil fuels in line with the outcome of the Global Stocktake and improve their targets? Without concrete commitments to halt fossil fuel expansion, it was an unforgivable exercise in mere rhetoric.
“The decisions made now are some of the most important policy changes in the next decade. They will decide the future of our planet. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, this reluctance to put aside profits in favour of the common good is simply unforgivable. Unless Azerbaijan and the UAE commit to more bold climate action they will continue to be on the wrong side of history. We must also be vigilant that they do not keep using dangerous offset and funding scams to claim that they are leading on climate action.
“The COP Troika must set the tone for other countries: As world leading fossil fuel producers, their NDCs need to lay out clearly how they will transition into a fair renewable energy-led economy.”
Ilan Zugman, 350.org Latin America Managing Director, said: “If Brazil is serious about a 1.5-aligned NDC, as mentioned in Lula’s speech and in this event by COP30’s president, it must tell us that it will stop fossil fuel projects and lay out a plan to fairly transition towards renewable energy projects that benefit all.
Brazil has a great opportunity to step up. It must lead by example domestically if it wants to truly be a climate leader internationally. Fossil fuels do not amount to development and cannot go hand in hand with the scaling of renewable energy.
“Brazil is rightly calling on rich countries to fulfill their obligation to reduce emissions drastically and finance mitigation and adaptation for developing countries. However, all countries have their fair share, and Brazil, as one of the world’s biggest economies and the G20 and COP30 host, has immense potential to phase out fossil fuels and lead by example.”
Makerusa Porotesano, Pacific Climate Warriors Council Elder, said: “Every year, we show up to COP and show the world what it stands to lose if we don’t immediately end fossil fuels and choose safe, renewable energy. To speak frankly, the Pacific is tired of simply being a place where the world’s climate anxieties can be visualised and not acted upon.
“This COP troika has an immense responsibility, in this critical decade, to push for the implementation of a fossil fuel phase out and an ethical renewable energy build. We are already demanding that Australia, as the potential COP30 president, step up its climate action significantly. The standard that the UAE, Brazil, and Azerbaijan set this week could determine just how high Australia’s ‘step-up’ will be.”
Highlighting that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) should be seen as an opportunity to deliver socioeconomic growth, COP28 President, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, on Thursday, September 26, 2024, called on Parties to issue a third round of NDCs that “meet the urgency of the moment” and represent a “comprehensive response plan” to the UAE Consensus.
COP28 President, Dr Sultan Al Jaber
Parties should view their NDCs “not as a burden but as platforms for new streams of growth, green jobs and a clean future,” the COP28 President said at a high-level COP Presidencies Troika event, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“The UAE Consensus gave us a blueprint for transformation: we must now act on it,” Dr. Al Jaber said at the COP Presidencies Troika’s “Roadmap to Mission 1.5: NDC 3.0” event. The COP Presidencies Troika, an unprecedented collaboration between the COP presidencies of the UAE, Azerbaijan and Brazil, is primarily focused on stimulating the “highest level of ambition” in the next round of NDCs, Dr. Al Jaber said.
While Parties must submit their next round of NDCs by February 2025, submitting them earlier would help build momentum, Dr. Al Jaber said, announcing that the UAE will submit its third NDC ahead of COP29, due to be held in Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22, 2024.
“Let me take this opportunity to call on all Parties to be early movers and to provide concrete signals on their NDCs by or before COP29 to build momentum during this critical decade of action,” the COP28 President said. “Let’s deliver transformational NDCs backed by serious investment to deliver on the mandate of the UAE Consensus, and let’s drive a new era of sustainable socioeconomic growth that keeps 1.5°C within reach, advances prosperity and leaves no one behind.”
The UAE’s NDC will “cover all greenhouse gases and every sector of the economy, including energy, industry, transportation and waste,” he said. “It will leverage the latest technologies, including AI, to drive decarbonisation and enhance adaptive resilience by transforming food, health and early warning systems. And it will back all efforts with a robust legal framework that holds every sector accountable to specific, timebound goals.”
In a call to all Parties, Dr. Al Jaber said that if the next round of NDCs is done right, they can “leverage” the three global megatrends of the energy transition, the rise of AI and the expansion of emerging markets and the Global South.
Dr. Al Jaber said that the UAE has been a leader in diversifying its energy mix, having already more than doubled its renewable energy capacity since 2019 and being on track to more than triple it by 2030.
He also highlighted the progress made by the Oil & Gas Decarbonisation Charter (OGDC) since COP28, which now has 54 members, covering 43 percent of global oil production. For nations looking to incentivise industry sectors in their NDCs, the OGDC demonstrates how “inclusive engagement” can lead to “meaningful results,” he said.
The COP28 President emphasised the importance of finding consensus on a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on finance at COP29 to ensure that finance goes to where it is needed the most.
As part of the Troika’s mission to raise ambition for the next round of NDCs, the COP Presidencies Troika launched an Action and Ambition Majlis series, bringing countries together at events like the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Germany and the Ministerial on Climate Action in Wuhan, China.
Global leaders have approved a political declaration at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), committing to a clear set of targets and actions, including reducing the estimated 4.95 million human deaths associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) annually by 10% by 2030.
UN General Assembly
The declaration also calls for sustainable national financing and US$100 million in catalytic funding, to help achieve a target of at least 60% of countries having funded national action plans on AMR by 2030. This goal is to be reached through, for example, diversifying funding sources and securing more contributors to the Antimicrobial Resistance Multi-Partner Trust Fund.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), known as the Quadripartite, welcome the declaration. The Quadripartite applauds countries for recognising the need for global, regional and national efforts to address AMR through a One Health approach, which recognizes that the health of people, animals, plants and the wider environment, including ecosystems, are closely linked and interdependent.
Global champions involved with the meeting include Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, AMR survivors, civil society and stakeholder organisations from around the world.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to medicines, leading to infections becoming difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
Global multisectoral action needed to reach targets by 2030
On human health, the declaration sets a more ambitious target that at least 70% of antibiotics used for human health globally should belong to the WHO Access group antibiotics with relatively minimal side effects and lower potential to cause AMR.
It also includes targets around infection prevention and control (IPC), such as 100% of countries having basic water, sanitation, hygiene and waste management services in all health care facilities and 90% of countries meeting all WHO’s minimum requirements for IPC programmes by 2030. There are also commitments on investments to facilitate equitable access to and appropriate use of antimicrobials, as well as on reporting surveillance data on antimicrobial use and AMR across sectors.
On agriculture and animal health, the declaration has commitments to, by 2030, meaningfully reduce the quantity of antimicrobials used globally in the agri-food systems by prioritizing and funding the implementation of measures to prevent and control infections and ensuring prudent, responsible and evidence-based use of antimicrobials in animal health. This is to be achieved in the context of the WOAH list of priority diseases and FAO’s RENOFARM initiative, as well as preventive strategies, including animal vaccination strategies, good husbandry practices, biosecurity, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
On the environment, the declaration underscores the need to prevent and address the discharge of antimicrobials into the environment. It also calls for increased research and knowledge on the environmental dimensions of AMR and for catalysing actions to address key sources of antimicrobial pollution.
Acknowledging that AMR is a complex problem, the declaration recognizes the need for a multisectoral response combining human, agricultural, animal, and environmental sector-specific interventions.
“The intersectoral challenge of AMR demands a One Health systems approach that unites human, animal, plant, and environmental health, backed by robust and accountable global AMR governance. Sustainable, diversified financing is essential to support the setting of clear priorities and measurable targets that drive decisive action while recognizing national and regional contexts.
“We must ensure universal access to medicines, treatments, and diagnostics, especially in developing countries and in all sectors, while promoting preventive measures and investing in research, innovation, capacity building, and bold awareness initiatives. Our health depends on safe, nutritious food, and food security hinges on healthy, sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agrifood systems.
“For nearly 79 years, FAO has been steadfast in its mission to secure safe, nutritious food for all. We fully support this declaration and remain committed to a multisectoral, multi-stakeholder approach to eliminate AMR risks in agrifood systems,” said FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu.
“Evidence is mounting that the environment plays a significant role in the development, spread and transmission of AMR, including transmission between humans, and animals to humans. And why if we’re to reduce the burden of AMR and its risks, the environment must be part of the solution. Today’s declaration recognises this need, and UNEP will continue to be at the forefront of efforts to reduce the burden of AMR on societies and tackle the triple planetary crisis,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.
“In the century since Alexander Fleming stumbled across penicillin in a laboratory in London, antibiotics have become a mainstay of medicine, transforming once-deadly infections into treatable and curable conditions,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Antimicrobial resistance threatens to unwind that progress, making it without question one of the most pressing health challenges of our time. Today’s declaration includes vital commitments that, if translated into action, will help to track AMR, slow it down, expand access to antimicrobial medicines like antibiotics and spur the development of new ones.”
“Antimicrobials help animals and humans live longer and healthier lives, but many of these life-saving drugs are dangerously losing their efficacy, which has devastating impacts not only on human health, but also on livestock and the economy at large,” said WOAH Director General, Dr Emmanuelle Soubeyran. “Urgent action is needed, and we welcome the numerous commitments made by countries through this political declaration. The prioritisation of preventative measures against infectious diseases in animals is of paramount importance. That is why WOAH will continue to assist countries by developing standards and guidelines, assessing policy frameworks for antimicrobial prescription and supporting the implementation of biosecurity and vaccination programmes on priority diseases that can help reduce the need for antimicrobials, among other measures.”
Clear way forward
The declaration formalises the standing Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR as the central coordinating mechanism to support the global response to AMR. It also requests the Quadripartite organisations, together with countries, to update the Global Action Plan (GAP) on Antimicrobial Resistance by 2026 to ensure a robust and inclusive multisectoral response, through a One Health approach. The declaration also gives the Quadripartite the mandate to follow up and report back on implementation of the GAP and political declaration outcomes.
It also acknowledges the critical contributions of global AMR governance mechanisms, including the Global Leaders Group and the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform, committing to strengthening the latter, among others, to facilitate the multisectoral exchange of experiences, best practices, and the assessment of Member States’ progress in implementing multisectoral national action plans on AMR.
The Quadripartite says it is pleased to take on the declaration’s request for it to establish an independent panel for evidence for action against AMR in 2025, after a global consultation with countries. The panel will support countries in efforts to tackle AMR.
The declaration emphasises key aspects, including the importance of access to medicines, treatments and diagnostics, while calling for incentives and financing mechanisms to drive multisectoral health research, innovation and development in addressing AMR. A stronger, transparent partnership between the public and private sectors, as well as academia is critical.
It further calls for 95% of countries to annually report on the implementation of their AMR national action plans through the Tracking AMR Country Self-assessment Survey (TrACSS).
The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has signed what looks like an historic agreement with Nigeria’s leading agency responsible for tackling corruption in the public sector, recognising the need for increased transparency and accountability to address environmental crime.
Dr Musa Aliyu, Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC)
On Friday, September 20, 2024, Dr Musa Aliyu, Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC), and Justin Gosling, EIA’s Securing Criminal Justice Programme Lead, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) opening the door for increased cooperation and information sharing between the respective organisations.
Dr Aliyu recognised the importance of addressing corruption within the field of environmental crime, stating: “Environmental crimes such as wildlife trafficking, pollution and those contributing to climate change pose a major threat to Nigerians.
“The role of public sector corruption is unacceptable and the ICPC looks forward to cooperating with the EIA to improve our response to this important area of criminal activity.”
The EIA has been working for almost five years in Nigeria and in West and Central Africa, developing the capacity of investigators, raising awareness and understanding among prosecutors and the judiciary, forging relationships with the public and private financial sectors and assessing and developing new endangered species legislation, in addition to supporting civil society organisations in the region.
Gosling said the new partnership was critical to evolving the response to environmental crime in the region.
“Environmental criminal networks are driven by profit and financial gain and the role of corruption in public sectors cannot be underestimated,” he said. “We welcome this groundbreaking agreement with the ICPC and look forward to developing strategies together to address wildlife trafficking and other forms of environmental crime.”
EIA’s projects in West and Central Africa are supported by the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the Defra Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, the Pangolin Crisis Fund and the Full Circle Foundation.
According to EIA, the group investigates and campaigns against environmental crime and abuse. Its undercover investigations expose transnational wildlife crime, with a focus on elephants, pangolins and tigers and forest crimes such as illegal logging and deforestation for cash crops such as palm oil.
It also works to safeguard global marine ecosystems by addressing the threats posed by plastic pollution, bycatch and commercial exploitation of whales, dolphins and porpoises.
Save the Child Initiative (STCI) and Jireh Doo Foundation (JDF) have commenced climate change awareness campaign at the grassroots to mitigate the effects of desertification.
Participants at a sensitisation session
The NGOs also enlightened the rural dwellers on community dialogue towards promoting peaceful coexistence among divers groups.
The activity was supported by the International Alert in commemoration of 2024 International Day of Peace.
Speaking at the event held at Asara community of Gwadabawa Local Government Area of Sokoto State, the STCI Programme Officer, Mr Abdulhamid Buhari, stressed the need for people, especially at the grassroots to understand the effects of climate change to their environment.
He also encouraged them to promote the culture of peace in the society where children would also learn to live in peace with one another.
Bubari observed that peace was not just the absence of conflict but also creating an environment “where everyone feels valued, respected, and be heard.”
He revealed that STCI and JDF through funding from International Alert have been working on peace building initiatives and conflict resolution with a focus on impacts of climate change.
He said the theme of the programme, “Cultivating a Culture of Peace”, was coined to bring together leaders, youth and several community members to deliberate on ways to promote unity and peaceful coexistence.
In his remarks, the District Head of Asara, Alhaji Musa Sarkin Gobir-Adiya, highlighted the significance of peace in building stronger and more resilient society.
Sarkin Gobir-Adiya urged citizens to respect individual and collective values, understand, appreciate and respect differences of one another for sustainable peace.
The activity featured discussions and a 3-kilometre road walk to sensitise people to importance of harmonious relationship, tolerance, peaceful coexistence and effects on climate change.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Initiative for the Advancement of Waste Management in Africa (Waste Africa) say there is need to reduce marine plastic pollution through recycling before 2050.
Mrs Ibironke Olubamise at the project review session
The stakeholders made call on Wednesday in Abuja at a project review session targeted at reducing marine plastic pollution in Usuman and Wupa River within Abuja through recycling.
According to them, such reduction will avert dangers of plastics on aquatic lives.
Mrs Ibironke Olubamise, National Coordinator, GEF, said that by 2050, there might be more plastics in the ocean than fishes if marine plastic pollution was not reduced.
“Everyone knows that plastic pollution has become a menace not only on the terrestrial but also on the marine environment as well,’’ she said.
She said that plastics were easily retrieved from the terrestrial but not easy to retrieve from the marine because of its peculiarity.
The coordinator expressed worry over aquatic lives in the oceans because they fed on the plastics thinking they were food.
She said that such plastics were dangerous to aquatic lives and humans who also consumed the fishes.
GEF is a UN Development Programme (UNDP) programme implemented in Nigeria to address environmental challenges.
On her part, Ms Juliet Odhikori, Programmes Director, Waste Africa, an NGO, regretted that the oceans might contain more plastics that fishes by 2050.
“Nigeria is one of the largest contributors to marine plastic pollution globally with over 80 per cent mismanaged plastic waste.’’
Odhikori said that marine pollution caused harms to both land and sea creatures.
She said the recycling project would establish 10 recycling clusters and two recycling hubs and empower no fewer than 500 women recyclers in 10 communities.
The programmes director listed the communities as Chika, Aleyita, Pyakasa, Piwoyi, Karonmajigi in Lugbe, Dagiri, Gwako, new Kutunku, Tunga-maje and Giri in Gwagwalada.
She said that the project would also provide sustained income to no fewer than 200 community members and empower 100 local waste pickers and five waste aggregators.
“We will recover and recycle 468 tonnes of waste by the end of the project and 80 per cent reduction in the volume of recyclable wastes littering drainage systems in the communities,” She said.
The District Head of Pyakasa in Lugbe Abuja, Gaza Stephen, commended the gesture and urged all the community dwellers to imbibe neatness in their domains.
Biliqis Ahmed, one of the beneficiaries of the Waste Africa training from Chika community, commended GEF for its support on marine plastic pollution reduction training.
According to her, the training has made her a better person in her community.
