The Bonga oil field has produced about 702 million barrels of oil since inauguration in 2005, and operated at more than 92 percent availability in 2016, Managing Director of the oil field operator, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Bayo Ojulari, has said.
L-R: Head, Turnaround Maintenance, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Tunde Olasubulumi; Engineering Manager, Chiedu Ejiofor; General Manager, Deep-water Production, Effy Okon; Managing Director, Bayo Ojulari; Communications Manager, Sola Abulu; Business Relations Manager, Alan Udi; and Transformation Manager, Toun Mustapha, at a press conference on the just completed turnaround maintenance of the Bonga deep-water asset held in Lagos… on Tuesday.
The volumes came from the Bonga main field and Bonga Phases 2 and 3 that unlocked the nearby Bonga North West field in August 2014. It has capacity for 65,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Addressing media executives in Lagos on Tuesday, May 23, 2017 on the new lease of life of Bonga after a major turnaround maintenance which was completed in April, Ojulari said one of the highpoints of the turnaround was the engagement of about 65 Nigerian contractor and subcontractor companies. Over 1,000 people were involved, spread across worksites and vessels in the exercise described as the biggest in scope in the 12-year history of the asset.
He said, “The exercise stimulated growth of support industries vital to deep-water asset management. It provided a wider benefit to the Nigerian economy by boosting demand for a range of goods and services including offshore vessels and platforms, materials, floating hotel and helicopters.”
According to Ojulari, the turnaround witnessed an optimisation of resources and was safely completed within schedule. The exercise included statutory and regulatory checks and inspections; repairs and replacement of equipment; and upgrade of facilities.
A critical success factor, according to Ojulari, was the collaboration by more than 10 functions who benchmarked their contributions against a robust execution plan. Procuring materials from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) saved cost and ensured seamless delivery, and the project team sourced key equipment and carried out fabrications within Nigeria. This innovation, he said, marked a turning point in SNEPCo’s efforts to develop the capabilities of Nigerian companies in the provision of goods and services in deep-water oil and gas production.
Ojulari expressed delight at the increasing number of women on the frontline, noting that more women were involved at every stage of the turnaround compared to any of the three previous exercises. “I’m very pleased that over 95 percent of these women are Nigerians and they add to our growing pool of Nigerian deep-water professionals produced through the asset,” he said.
He commended the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its co-venture partners for their timely support in the safe delivery of the turnaround.
SNEPCo is credited with producing the first generation of Nigerian deep-water oil and gas engineers, and in 2016, Bonga won “Asset of the Year” Award in the Shell Group.
Bonga is Nigeria’s first deep-water development in depths of more than 1,000 metres, and is located 120km offshore Nigeria. The Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel receives crude and gas from production wells on the seabed and has the capacity to produce 225,000 barrels of oil and 210 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
SNEPCo operates Bonga in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deep Water) Limited, Total E&P Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited under a Production Sharing Contract with the NNPC.
In an initial public statement, the Complaints Panel of the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) condemned Plantaciones de Pucallpa (PdP) for its destruction of primary forests in Peru in violation of the RSPO’s code of practice. The RSPO’s findings come despite PdP’s withdrawal from the membership in October 2016. A full report from the complaints panel addressing the human rights impacts is still forthcoming.
Peruvian government law enforcers and community representatives document continued and illegal deforestation in lands of Shipibo community of Santa Clara de Uchunya by Peruvian palm oil company Ochosur Sac (ex Plantaciones de Pucallpa). Photo credit: FECONAU
“The RSPO Complaints Panel has found Plantaciones de Pucallpa (PdP) (Peru) to be in breach of RSPO Code and Conduct and RSPO Principles and Criteria (RSPO P & C) during its membership period from 14 October 2013 to 12 October 2016.”
After over a year of deliberation and an independent satellite analysis commissioned by the RSPO, the Complaints Panel concurred with the complaint filed in December 2015 by the Shipibo community of Santa Clara de Uchunya that PdP had deforested over 5,000 hectares of forests, including primary forests.
In so doing, it had failed to comply with RSPO’s restrictions on the conversion of primary forests to plantations, measures to address risks to forests considered of High Conservation Value (HCV) and requirements to disclose all information about planting and conversion plans to the RSPO and affected communities.
The Complaints Panel rarely issues rulings after companies have withdrawn from membership of the RSPO. However, in this case the Complaints Panel found that there was “clear evidence that compensation liability would have been incurred,” but notes that “these findings and decision are of moral and persuasive value only, and cannot be enforced in light of Plantaciones de Pucallpa’s resignation as a RSPO member.”
Since its operations began in Shipibo territory, the operations of PdP, whose owners have created a new company called Ochosur SAC since leaving the RSPO, have been enveloped in controversy. Despite successive rulings, fines and suspensions on the part of different Peruvian government agencies, the operations continue and in recent weeks community members have reported further forest destruction to expand the plantation and more death threats.
One community member, Huber Flores Rodriguez, whose house and farm border the plantation, has recently reported several incidents where he has been accosted at night by groups of men threatening him and his family if they didn’t abandon their house. Mr. Flores claims that these include individuals with close ties to the palm oil company and a local land trafficking mafia connected with the regional Ministry of Agriculture. In February 2017, Mr Flores formally filed a request for physical guarantees from the Interior Ministry, but to date there has been no response.
Carlos Soria, head of the community of Santa Clara de Uchunya, said: “We are practically living under siege in our own territory. Almost every day there is more expansion of the plantation and anyone who challenges them is threatened. Our lands are still untitled and the plantations continue to operate. It seems that they are growing bolder seeing that the government is doing nothing. Do we have to die like Edwin Chota before they do anything? Where are we supposed to live? If our home is destroyed what hope for us and our future generations?”
Robert Guimaraes, President of FECONAU, added: “After a year of deliberation, the RSPO has determined that Plantaciones de Pucallpa destroyed primary forests and compensation should be paid. But what are our own authorities doing? There are lawsuits that were filed by the community almost three years ago that remain unresolved, the government ordered the suspension of the operations almost two years ago but the plantations and destructions continue to expand and the community and its allies are subjected to increasing aggression and threats while their lands remain untitled.
“Yet at the same time the government is receiving millions of dollars from the Norwegians, the Germans and the World Bank for its programme to protect Peru’s forests and title indigenous territories. What will it take for the government to finally step up and meet its promises to protect Peru’s forests and our rights as indigenous peoples?”
Conrad Feather from Forest Peoples Programme notes: “We welcome the RSPO’s initial resolution and await the findings on the requirements to respect indigenous peoples’ customary land rights. However, what hope of justice or redress for communities if companies can neutralise a complaint simply by resigning? The RSPO must address this if it is to have any credibility in Latin America.”
Frank Bainimarama, Fiji’s Prime Minister and incoming president of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn in November (COP23), on Monday, May 22, 2017 at the 8th Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin, Germany notes that it is only by the entire world coming together as one to address the impacts of climate change can the phenomenon be effectively tackled
Frank Bainimarama, Fiji’s Prime Minister and incoming president of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn in November (COP23), speaking during the 8th Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin, Germany
The Petersberg Dialogue was a critical path to the historic agreement we all reached in Paris at the end of 2015. After further success in Marrakesh, we are now into the implementation phase – which is why the theme of this dialogue is so appropriate – working together on solutions.
Because as I keep saying at every opportunity, only by the entire world coming together as one to address the impacts of climate change can we effectively tackle this crisis – one that affects every person on earth and especially those in vulnerable countries like Fiji.
I am convinced that when we act in the interest of the most vulnerable, we are acting in the interests of us all – because we are all vulnerable and we all need to act.
Fiji would not be able to give voice to the most vulnerable as president of this process without the help of Germany. Indeed, the combination of Europe’s largest economy and a small island developing state like Fiji is symbolic of the kind of cooperation that we need to succeed. It is a partnership rooted in the firm belief of both our nations that the fates of the developed and developing world are inter-connected.
To put it simply, we are all in the same canoe together. And the sooner that idea takes root around the world, the sooner we can provide hope and security for our own children and succeeding generations.
Today is all about dialogue – the Petersberg Dialogue. And we have our own name for this process. We call it Talanoa and we intend to bring it to COP23 Fiji in Bonn. Along with the Bula spirit and Fijian culture that has made our nation famous.
Talanoa is the Pacific concept of a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue that builds empathy and leads to decision making for the collective good. It is not about finger-pointing and laying blame. It is about genuinely listening to each other, learning from each other, sharing stories, skills and experiences. And we are convinced that this very Pacific process will help us all work together on solutions – as your theme so appropriately highlights.
I intend as incoming President of the COP to do the following: To work with Morocco to design the process for the Facilitative Dialogue of 2018 in Poland, and to work with Poland to ensure its success.
I also commit to making demonstrable progress on the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement. And also to advance all other aspects of our collective effort across a broad front – whether it is increasing the take-up of renewable energy, providing affordable insurance for those who are most vulnerable or boosting the development of sustainable agriculture; and all the while focusing on the impact of climate change and the urgent necessity to strive towards remaining within the 1.5 degree Celsius boundary.
We understand that at COP23, there is a formal and informal process. And I have made it a large part of my mission as incoming president to ensure that we bring together governments at every level and the people they govern, whether it is the private sector, civil society or ordinary men and women across the world. So in Bonn I will be dividing my time between what we are calling the Bula Zone – the formal negotiations – and the Bonn Zone – which is where much of the action will be. And where we can encourage the non-state actors to further initiatives that connect the global and the local.
While I have said that I will be president for everyone, it is only natural given the part of the world I come from, that we want to see climate action in the Pacific. We have a particular interest in our oceans and seas because they are our lifeblood.
Rising sea levels, as well as ocean acidity and warmer waters have a direct effect on our reefs and fish stocks and the prosperity of our coastal communities. So oceans and climate change aren’t separate. They are interlinked. A point that I will be making very strongly in June when I co-chair – with Sweden – the World Oceans Summit in New York.
I will also be emphasising as the year unfolds the absolute imperative of a technological and business transformation that can make the economic lives of our people better, while at the same time, reducing emissions. We are excited by some of the advances in renewable energy, battery storage, electric vehicles and other innovations. And the challenge is to take these innovations and scale them up so that they can become more accessible around the world.
David Moyes resigned in the afternoon of Monday, May 22, 2017 as Sunderland manager without compensation. Moyes, who was Everton, Manchester United and Real Sociedad manager, departed after a meeting with Sunderland’s owner, Ellis Short and the Chief Executive, Martin Bain in London.
David Moyes
He leaves the relegated club without compensation after presiding over only six Premier League wins all season, falling out with some key players and failing to persuade Short to agree to his proposal, of signing virtually an entirely new team this Summer.
Nonetheless, Moyes was allowed to spend £30 million last Summer, but his signing failed to impress and, with the team struggling, he privately considered walking out as early as last Autumn.
Sunderland is seeking is eighth manager in six turbulent years after David Moyes concluded a calamitous 10 months on Wearside by resigning.
Reports have it that Moyes could soon be a candidate to replace the currently vulnerable Gordon Strachan as Scotland coach, but his departure represents a loss of face for Short, who recruited the 54-year-old Glaswegian at the fifth attempt last July.
Lagos State Cycling Association has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Cycling Lagos team to stage Cycling Lagos 2017, one of the biggest cycling events in Africa.
L-R: Olabamiji Adeleye, Managing Director/CEO, Addefort Limited; Soji Adeleye, Chairman Cycling Lagos; Dr Ajibola Keshinro, Chairman, Lagos State Cycling Association (LSCA); and Mr Sunday Moses, Secretary, LSCA, during the signing of the MoU for the Cycling Lagos 2017 event in Lagos
Cycling Lagos is an annual event designed for cycling enthusiast, professionals and corporate organisations in Nigeria. Beyond the central idea of encouraging healthy living through regular exercise among corporate executives, the event will champion healthy competition among individuals and corporate organisations. The organisations through their participations are to encourage the general public to engage in cycling in their various communities for healthy living.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Lagos, Mr. Soji Adeleye, Chairman, Cycling Lagos, described the signing as historical to the development of cycling as a sport and its potential to enhance tourism in Lagos and Nigeria.
“We are very excited about this MOU because it is historical; it is historical because of the potential of this event to not only promote tourism potential of Lagos but also enhance the development of cycling in Lagos and Nigeria,” Adeleye stated.
Chairman Lagos State Cycling Association, Dr Ajibola Keshinro said the association was committed to supporting relevant organisations in promoting cycling in Lagos.
According to him, “the event will be packaged to showcase the best of Lagos State to the world.”
He commended the Cycling Lagos team for the laudable initiative that will further help to develop cycling as a sport in Nigeria and create wealth in Lagos.
Robert Glasser, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Patricia Espinosa, executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, in this joint treatise stress that climate change is not the only driver of disaster risk but it is the joker in the pack as the world tries to understand how it combines with other key risk factors
Robert Glasser, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction (left), and Patricia Espinosa, executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
It’s a simple fact that as we continue to pump record levels of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere we are ramping up disaster risk around the globe now and for generations to come.
It goes with the sobering reality of warming and rising seas and widespread changes in the Earth’s systems that are influencing storms, winds and rainfall.
The toll this takes on human life, economies and government expenditures will be high on the agenda when world leaders gather in Mexico for the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in late May.
Latest figures show that disasters – 90% of which are classed as climate related – now cost the world economy $520 billion per year and push 26 million people into poverty every year.
In the 22 years that have passed since COP1, the first UN conference on climate change, we have seen greenhouse gas emissions reach critically high levels which bodes ill for those who already live in dry lands, on cyclone-exposed coastlines, flood plains, below unstable hillsides or in parts of the world dependent on glacier meltwater.
Over that time span we have also seen a doubling of weather and climate related disasters, which can further weaken least developed countries like Haiti which lost over 600 lives and around a third of its GDP when it was struck by Hurricane Matthew last October.
By some recent estimates the bill for Haiti’s recovery from that Category 4 hurricane comes to $2.8 billion, an extraordinary sum for a country where 60% of the population live in dire poverty.
The Philippines lost thousands of its citizens partly due to the slow passage of Typhoon Haiyan across the warming, rising waters of the Pacific Ocean in 2013. And again, the economic losses and the cost of building back better ran into billions.
Meanwhile the drylands of the Sahel and southern Africa already at high risk from rising temperatures, breached the limits of their capacity to sustain human life adequately in the last twelve months as country after country declared a state of national emergency and millions suffered the devastation of hunger and the loss of their livelihoods.
Just five years after the first famine of the 21st century was declared over, Somalia is again on the brink underlining the fact that 80% of the world’s hungry live in countries which are heavily prone to hydro-meteorological disasters.
Climate change, aggravated by phenomena like El Niño, is not the only driver of disaster risk but it is the joker in the pack as the world tries to understand how it combines with other key risk factors such as poor risk governance, rapid and unplanned urbanisation, poverty and environmental degradation.
Much of this understanding and better planning needs to be done now and at the local level. Adopting the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction two years ago, UN Member States agreed to substantially increase the number of national and local disaster risk reduction strategies in place by 2020.
These strategies will be the bedrock for decreasing disaster losses by 2030 through reducing mortality, economic losses and damage to critical infrastructure.
It is imperative that we break down any silos that exist between the exponents of disaster risk reduction whose remit extends beyond climate-related hazards, and those whose focus is on climate action.
The achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals including those related to poverty, hunger, climate action, sanitation and clean water depend on this.
Both of us recognise that reducing greenhouse gas emissions and keeping global temperature well below 2 degrees C is the greatest long-term contribution that governments, local governments and the private sector can make to disaster risk reduction.
Meanwhile local planning for improved disaster risk management helps create a grass-root, societal demand for action and ever rising ambition nationally and globally for climate action above and beyond existing pledges.
The outcome of this fifth Global Platform has the potential to bring the worlds of disaster risk and climate risk closer together and that can only be a good thing for resilience; people everywhere and the future stability of our world.
While it is the poor and the vulnerable that are in the firing line now, no country or continent will be immune if we don’t take responsibility and seize the opportunity to act today.
The Bill outlawing open grazing in Benue State has been signed by the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, into law.
Herdsmen grazing their cattle
Governor Ortom, who assented to the bill at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Benue People’s House, Makurdi, on Monday, May 22, 2017 described the development as a right step taken in a right direction.
According to Ortom, his administration would do all it could to protect the state from intruders and criminals.
While thanking those who sponsored the bill, the governor urged them to continue to support his government’s vision of making Benue a great state.
It will be recalled that the Benue State House of Assembly on Thursday, May 4 passed the bill prohibiting Open Rearing and Grazing into law.
The law states: “Nobody will be permitted to carryout open grazing outside the permitted ranches.
“Any person who contravene this act shall be guilty and upon conviction be sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with a fine of N1 million.
“Where damage is done to the crops the farm will be evaluated and the manager of the livestock be compelled to pay.
“Movement of livestock on foot within the state is hereby prohibited. Any person who contravenes this shall pay be sentenced to one year imprisonment or pay a fine of N500,000.
“Any livestock owner or manager who carries fire arms shall be treated under the penal code. All ranchers shall engage the services of security agencies.
“Any person who rustles cattle shall be sentenced to five years imprisonment or pay a fine of N100,000 per cow. Any livestock wandering shall be impounded by the department of livestock.
“Any livestock impounded and the owner not found shall be auctioned to the public and the proceeds be deposited into the state consolidated revenue account.
“There shall be established a special open prohibition Task Force and they shall enforce this laws as stipulated.”
In the light of the global celebrations of the International Day for Biological Diversity on Monday, May 22, 2017 under the theme: “Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism”, the world has been examining the positive but also potentially negative impacts that tourism can have on biodiversity.
Cancun, Mexico: A popular tourist destination
Tourism is said to represent one of the world’s fastest growing industries. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, the tourism sector grew by 3.9 per cent in 2016.
Many tourist destinations are centred on places of natural beauty and rich natural assets where people can enjoy outdoor activities, or simply relax. This provides millions of jobs, and income for local communities. For example, about 40 million people are drawn every year to the Caribbean’s beautiful beaches and marine life, providing $25 billion of revenue annually – and nearly 50 per cent of the region’s total income.
Dr. Cristiana Pașca Palmer, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said: “As we celebrate the 16th edition of the International Biodiversity Day let us all remember that by celebrating and protecting biodiversity we respect and give consideration to all forms of life that exist on this beautiful planet and that support the very existence of humans.”
Countries are already engaging in activities that support sustainable tourism and biodiversity. Protected areas, such as national parks, are popular tourism destinations. For example, some 1.4 million people visit Australian parks annually to experience their natural landscapes and culture. This contributes $23 billion to the economy.
Ecotourism is another option that promotes responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the environment and improves the wellbeing of local people. Ecotourism can provide livelihoods for indigenous peoples and local communities, as they are often the stewards of biodiversity-rich areas.
Dr. Pașca Palmer said: “Many conventional businesses, such as hotels and tourism operators, have taken steps to ensure that they adhere to sustainable tourism principles and best practices in their day to day operations.
“This is important, as countless travellers are now making choices based on whether good practices are followed by operators at their destinations.”
The Secretariat of the Biodiversity Convention works with governments on their tourism policies, with partners as they train protected area managers, as well as developing awareness-raising tools for tourists and tourism professionals.
At long last, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have now been provided with a model to deal with the nagging issue of properly managing liquid and solid waste. The model processes faecal sludge (including human faeces), food waste and sawdust into compost manure, thereby redeeming what has now become a nationwide menace into a national asset.
Dignitaries during the inaugural ceremony in Accra of the Fortifier Compost Plant on the high table look on while the Nungua Mantse Nii Odai Welentsi presents his statement
This has been demonstrated by the establishment of a compost plant to produce and supply organic fertiliser known as Fortifer to local farmers to enhance crop yields.
Fortifier is a pathogen-free, faecal sludge organic based fertiliser. In other words, all poisonous substances in Fortifier have been destroyed, making the product toxic free, so it cannot pollute food crops or contaminate water bodies or the soil and therefore has no human-related, health-associated risks, according to the expects working on the project.
Named “JVL Fortifer Compost Plant,” it is aimed at boosting the country’s liquid and solid waste management efforts, by addressing the problem of dumping or dislodging of liquid waste in water bodies and open drains, and at inappropriate open places that pose public health risks, and affect the quality of freshwater resources.
Located at Borteyman near Nungua Farms in Accra, the construction and operationalisation of the plant is the result of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) involving the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), Jekora Ventures Limited and Trends, a WASH related NGO. It is funded by Bill and Miranda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada and DFID.
It was inaugurated on the site on Thursday, May 11th, 2017, at a ceremony during which, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Joseph Kofi Adda, stated that “addressing the sanitation challenge of the country is a priority of the Akufo-Addo government.” He said his Ministry was revising the Environmental Sanitation Policy to make it more responsive to the needs of the people.
Mr. Adda also announced that “plans are underway, to establish a National Sanitation Authority (NSA) that will be devoted to managing the sanitation functions of the country.” He explained that this body, will have a Director General at the national level, with representatives at the regional and district levels. They will work with the District management team, particularly the Chief Executives, “to ensure that we are able to focus on this job and manage it more effectively.”
The “Sanitation Minister,” as he refers to himself, indicated that a Bill is being developed on the setting up of the proposed NSA, to be presented to Parliament.
The Director-General of IWMI, Jeremy Bird, said the inauguration of the plant was an innovation that will help Ghana and other developing nations. “This is a culmination of so many years of research to come up with innovative ways of addressing waste management problems… it shows promise not only for Ghana, but other countries like India and Sri Lanka.”
Mr. Bird traced the genesis of the debate on the construction of this waste converter system, to 10 years ago in Kumasi. This was at one of the forums, during which scientists, engineers, water and sanitation experts brainstormed on means to redeem liquid and solid waste from being a menace into a valuable asset in Ghana.
He said, “The idea is a follow-up to where water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) efforts ends, to ensure that the product of WASH, which is seen as waste, does not end there, but is rechanneled into the economy.”
Mr. Bird mentioned some of the benefits as checking health risks, reducing emission of carbon dioxide and other poisonous gases into the atmosphere, and providing organic fertiliser for farmers. He said this process, which research has brought so far, should be carried forward and will require the buy-in of stakeholders, particularly Assemblies and the private sector, as it provides business opportunities.
The Managing Director of Jekora Ventures Limited, Immanuel Nartey-Tokoli, said the Plant has the capacity to produce 500 metric tonnes of fortifier per annum. He explained that “production cycles are designed to meet the needs of both small and medium scale farmers, for the major and minor farming seasons.”
Farmers within the catchment area of part of the Greater Accra region are currently benefiting from the products at subsidised prices. Plans are underway to partner other assemblies for the production of fortifier.
Mr. Nartey-Tokoli was hopeful that through their hard work, Fortifier Compost will become a viable business venture that will attract commercial banks to support with flexible credit facilities in the near future for upscaling.
Ms Josiane Nikiema, a Scientist at IWMI re-echoed that “the waste recycling business is a viable business venture, and this fact must help drive investments in that direction.”
“Pilot trials suggest that the waste recovery process can generate enough income to earn a profit. This should attract further public and private investments to help cover the costs of waste treatment, creating more benefits for society through reduced pollution,” she said.
The Director of Crop Services at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr Seth Osei Akoto, said the new product would enhance agriculture productivity in Ghana and help the country achieve food security.
He commended the partners for the initiative, and said, “The increasing demand for food provides an opportunity to explore innovative mechanisms to improve and sustain agriculture for food security and livelihoods enhancement.”
He said this is the reason for the launch of the “Planting for Food and Jobs Programme,” by the government, to ensure adequate availability of food in the country through improved productivity.”
For his part, the Nungua Mantse, Nii Odai Welentsi saw the Plant as an industry that has to be groomed by government to reduce unemployment, and noted, “there is no waste in this universe, it is either has a primary or secondary usage.”
The Chairperson for the function was the Deputy Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, (MESTI), Mrs. Francisca Appeagyei. She pledged the support of her Ministry to document and publicise the lessons learnt from the initiative as “it is critical to the national attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Dignitaries at the ceremony included the Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mrs. Elizabeth Sackey, officials from the sector ministry, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Tema Municipal Assembly, and the newly appointed CEO of Adenta Municipal Assembly (AdMA).
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Director for Africa announced on Monday, May 22, 2017 four new flagship programmes for the region over the next two years, including a major push on adolescent health and the creation of regional emergency hubs.
Adolescent health has become a priority of the WHO in Africa
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the organisation’s Regional Director for Africa, also announced that the WHO country offices in the African region will be held accountable to a mandatory set of performance deliverables over the next two years as part of the next phase of an ambitious reform programme begun in 2015 in the wake of the Ebola crisis in West Africa.
“At the start of my tenure two-and-a-half years ago, I committed myself to instituting reforms at WHO in the African region,” said Dr. Moeti, while speaking at a side event at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. “I’m proud of what we have achieved as part of the Transformation Agenda in that time frame. Now it is time to implement the next phase of changes to better improve the health of people in the African region.”
Following the implementation of the Transformation Agenda, there has been significant progress in the effectiveness, timeliness and efficiency of actions in support of countries in the WHO’s Africa region.
For example, WHO says it was key to the following achievements:
Ending Ebola virus disease in West Africa and controlling a large scale urban yellow fever outbreak in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo;
Responding quickly to the polio outbreak in Nigeria and organising sub-regional Ministerial Declaration as a public health emergency in 2016;
Conducting risk-mapping of epidemics in the region for evidence-based preparedness and training over 180 experts on outbreaks and emergencies management;
Endorsement by head of states of the Addis declaration on Immunisation on 31stJanuary 2017;
Establishment and effective functioning of the Expanded Special Project for the Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN) targeting onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, soil transmitted helminths and trachoma;
Supporting scale-up access to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria interventions in 18 countries by partnering with international organisations from October 2015 to December 2016 via the “Implementation Through Partnership” project;
Issuing the first Africa Region Nutrition Report highlighting opportunities and challenges for countries to contribute to achievement of global nutrition targets and monitor their own progress;
Establishing a regional WHO Collaborating Centre on Sickle Cell Disease – National Sickle Cell Centre in Lagos, Nigeria;
Establishing regional WHO Collaborating Centre on Rheumatic Heart Disease at the Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
As the next major reform push, WHO-AFRO is putting in place 13 mandatory changes – many of them linked to specific health targets – that each WHO country office must implement in the next two years.
These include:
HIV treatment (90/90/90 rule)
NCD prevention and control plan
RMNCAH (Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Children and Adolescent Health) plan development
DTP3-containing vaccines coverage
Health workforce coverage
Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR)
International Health Regulations (IHR)
ARCC polio certification
In addition, each country office must commit to seven country-specific deliverables.
“Our objective is to mobilise all WHO staff in the region toward common goals to boost results,” said Dr. Moeti. “At the end of two years, we want to be able to measure our contribution toward improving the health of each and every African through our support of each country’s own efforts.”
Dr. Moeti launched the Transformation Agenda in 2015 to re-establish the WHO’s credibility and health leadership in Africa. The reform programme is a vision and a strategy for change aimed at facilitating the emergence of “the WHO that the staff and stakeholders want.” The reforms have so far focused on five interrelated and overlapping priorities which are: (i) improving health security; (ii) strengthening national health systems; (iii) sustaining focus on the health-related Sustainable Development Goals; (iv) addressing the social determinants of health; and (v) transforming the African Region into a responsive and results-driven organisation.
New Adolescent Health Flagship Programme for Africa Adolescents in the African region represent approximately 23 percent of the population, and this large group has several specific needs when it comes to their health. But despite their large numbers, very few African governments have put in place specific plans and policies that target adolescents, and numerous social, cultural and economic barriers currently prevent them from accessing the health services they need. According to a new WHO report, more than 1.2 million adolescents die every year, and 45 percent of those deaths occur in Africa.
These realities are compounded by the fact that adolescents and young people represent a growing share of people living with HIV. In 2015, 250,000 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 were newly infected with HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa, girls account for nearly 80 percent of those new infections. And as most recent data shows that only 13 percent of adolescent girls and nine percent of adolescent boys have been tested for HIV in the past 12 months in sub-Saharan Africa, these figures are likely to be underestimated.
“Adolescents and young people are our future – we call them the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) generation because they will be adults by the time we get to 2030. And unless we ensure that they grow up healthy and remain healthy, we are going to face incredible challenges down the road,” said Dr Felicitas Zawaira, Director of the Family and Reproductive Health Cluster at the WHO Regional Office for Africa. “Adolescents have the potential to become productive members of our societies, but they cannot do that if they are plagued by illness, and lack the opportunities to grow.”
As part of its new Adolescent Health Flagship programme, WHO-AFRO will support countries to develop strategies and implement evidence-based interventions. Globally, such interventions have included improving immunisation coverage, tackling substance abuse, treating mental health, offering reproductive and sexual health services, and preventing accidents and injuries. The programme also recognises that while the health sector has a special role to play in leading this effort, improving adolescent health requires involvement from multiple other sectors, including education and finance and involvement of adolescents themselves.
New Emergency Hubs Over 100 public health emergencies occur each year in the African Region. A second flagship program will establish sub-regional emergency hubs over the next two years. Each hub would house a team of emergency experts who would be geographically closer to emergencies and able to respond more quickly to support member countries in their region. Each hub will be expected to be familiar with the likely emergencies in their area, with the team members also conducting preparedness activities with regional governments.
“We are seeking continuous improvement to our organisation so that we deliver the very best evidence-based health care support to the countries and people of the African region,” said Dr. Moeti in Geneva. “Our priorities are clear and our vision is focused.”
