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Ikebiri spill: No more hiding place for Agip, says group

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Ikebiri spill: No more hiding place for Agip, says group

It is time for the slowly-grinding wheel of justice to crush the Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC) and its subsidiary, which had evaded justice for long.

L-R: Philip Jakpor, head, media & campaigns of ERA/FoEN; Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo, executive director; and Akinbode Oluwafemi, deputy executive director, at the media session on the Ikebiri Community oil spill suit against Agip

This is the position of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) during a media session in Lagos on Tuesday, May 9, 2017.

Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo, said it took six days for NAOC to agree to a joint inspection visit where it was concluded that “equipment failure” caused an oil spill at Ikebiri community in Bayelsa State. NAOC, he added, operates seven wells and eight pipelines with several flow lines in Ikebiri.

“You will be shocked to know that after that visit, the leak was closed; but the surrounding polluted area of bush was set ablaze in a state-of-the-art clean up technology often deployed by Agip and without the consent of the local community. No other clean-up has taken place since,” he said.

The Ikebiri community comprises several villages in Bayelsa State. Its main economic activities include palm-wine tapping, canoe carving, fishing, farming, animal trapping and traditional medical practices.

 

The spill

On April 5, 2010 an oil pipeline operated by ENI’s Nigerian operation, NAOC burst 250 metres from a creek north of Ikebiri. The spill affected the creek, fishing ponds and trees essential to the local community, damaging the livelihoods of the local community.

A joint inspection visit led by NAOC on April 11, 2010 cited “equipment failure” as the cause of the spill, for which NAOC/ENI are liable.

NAOC operates seven wells and eight pipe lines with several flow lines in the area. The leak was closed, and the surrounding polluted area of bush was burnt without the consent of the local community. This is common practice, but is an inadequate, dangerous and polluting method for cleaning up oil. No other clean-up has taken place since.

The Ikebiri Community has engaged in discussions with NAOC/ENI for emergency relief materials and compensation. An initial payment of N2 million was made to the community for relief materials. However, to date, the community has received no compensation for damages as a result of the spill. An initial offer of N4.5 million in December 2010 was rejected by the community as insufficient, and ENI has since discontinued discussions with the community regarding compensation.

 

Significance of the case

The company involved this case is the Italian oil major, ENI. This case is unprecedented in Italy.

Friends of the Earth Nigeria and Friends of the Earth Europe will be supporting Ikebiri in the case against ENI in Milan, Italy, seeking clean-up and compensation for the pollution that ENI has brought to their land in the Niger Delta. The King of Ikebiri is the plaintiff, and the lawyers representing them are Luca Saltalamacchia with Chima Williams supporting from Nigeria.

ERA/FoEN have open lines to the king and members of the community aware of the case.

 

Optimism

According to Ojo, ERA is very optimistic that the case will yield good fruit.

“We hope that this case will be successful, being the first instance of an Italian company having to face justice in Italy for its actions in destroying the environment overseas,” he says.

According to him, another area that gives stakeholders hope is that the case “will help end the impunity and offer hope to other communities that have suffered damages as a result of pollution from oil wells or pipelines operated by Agip/ENI or any other multinational firm operating in the Niger Delta and elsewhere”.

 

Consequences

The court case, described as a product of four years of painstaking research and documentation and the patience of the Ikebiri people suffering this ordeal this past seven years, according to the activists, will:

  • Compel ENI and its Nigerian subsidiary to clean up the spill in the community and compensation of two million euros to the Ikebiri community.
  • Stop oil companies from acting with impunity in the Niger Delta, neglecting the communities severely impacted by their operations and getting away with this due to their above the law status.
  • Put in place adequate enforcement mechanisms through agencies like National Oil Spills Detection and Remediation Agency (NOSDRA).

South-South Cooperation crucial for global goals, climate action, says report

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South-South Cooperation crucial for global goals, climate action, says report

A new report highlighting the role of South-South Cooperation in sustainable development and climate change challenges was launched on Wednesday, May 10, 2017 at the UN Climate Change Conference (SB46) holding in Bonn, Germany.

Amina-Mohammed
UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed

The report, tagged “Catalysing the Implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions in the Context of the 2030 Agenda through South-South Cooperation,” was created in a joint effort by the United Nations Executive Office of the Secretary-General, and the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, said: “As we face the spectre of growing unilateralism, protectionism and isolationism, it is increasingly vital that we empower partnerships for sustainable development. In this context, the efforts of the global South are gaining traction.”

UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, said: “To encourage and enhance South-South cooperation, the United Nations is committed to supporting the global South. We commit our knowledge and resources to this effort and will mobilise other actors within the United Nations system whenever possible.”

The report focuses on the linkages of national climate action plans (nationally determined contributions, or “NDCs”) and sustainable development goals (SDGs), and highlights how a country can further climate action through South-South Cooperation. Developing countries can benefit significantly from southern solutions that can address both climate change and multiple development challenges through South-South Cooperation.

A crucial focus is placed on how the priority areas outlined in countries’ nationally determined contributions (NDCs) can act as an entry point for South-South cooperation and can boost climate action and sustainable development. Continuing a step further, the report outlines how the implementation of NDCs which are based on national development priorities will generate substantial co-benefits for the achievement of the SDGs.

South-South Cooperation has gained momentum in the past few decades, with the global south engaging through the exchange of experiences, and the provision of human, technical and financial resources. Many developing countries have also accumulated unique knowledge and experiences by adopting sustainable, low greenhouse gas emission and climate resilient development pathways, and by engaging other countries with development needs. There is huge potential for South-South Cooperation today and in the future to complement the support of developed countries.

The international community and the United Nations can play an important role to promote and facilitate this cooperation, particularly in regard to development and climate action, further unleashing its potential for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The full report is available here.

Indigenous peoples and conservation: A call to action

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Indigenous peoples and conservation: A call to action

The United Nations’ Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has made a series of recommendations to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples in the context of conservation activities.

Milka Chepkorir
Milka Chepkorir

The Permanent Forum met in New York for the last two weeks, and, as part of the proceedings, heard from Milka Chepkorir, a Sengwer woman from Kenya, who presented a joint statement on behalf of Forest Peoples Programme, Natural Justice and 20 other organisations. The statement highlighted the lack of implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the context of conservation policies and practices.

Milka Chepkorir shared with delegates recent human rights infringements from Kenya, where well over 90 Sengwer homes were burned down, allegedly by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), a government body. The incident was not isolated but was one of many forced evictions resulting in the destruction of Sengwer homes since the 1970s: evictions that have intensified since first the World Bank and now the EU began funding KFS.

The apparent justification for the human rights violations is that the Sengwer should not be on conserved areas, yet, under international law and according to Kenyan Constitution, the Sengwer have a right to their ancestral lands, lands they have occupied – and indeed have conserved effectively – for generations.

Speaking after the Forum, Milka Chepkorir said: “Too often, indigenous peoples like the Sengwer are evicted from their land in the name of conservation. We Sengwer have lived in harmony with our forests for generations. Evicting us from our land doesn’t protect it; it makes our lands vulnerable to exploitation by others, including those who present themselves as conservationists in order to try to justify evicting us and taking our ancestral lands. We need protection to stop this happening, and to secure our communities, our forests and our future.”

Joji Carino, senior policy advisor at Forest Peoples Programme, added: “This year marks 10 years since the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The conservation community must show greater commitment and action to address the continuing human rights violations inflicted on indigenous peoples, on whose lands and territories, biological diversity is sustainably used and most effectively conserved.”

The Permanent Forum made a number of recommendations for action over the coming year, including undertaking a study to examine Conservation and Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights by two of its expert members. The Forum addressed the specific situation in Kenya, urging the government there to recognise and formally protect the land and resource rights of the Ogiek and Sengwer peoples.

The Forum also urged the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to establish a task force on conservation and human rights to work with indigenous peoples’ communities and organisations both to articulate the rights of indigenous peoples in the context of conservation initiatives, and to continue to promote grievance mechanisms and avenues for redress in the context of conservation action, including the Whakatane Mechanism.

The full recommendations will be published in June.

Johanna von Braun, from Natural Justice, noted in response to the challenge faced: “While we certainly have seen over the last 10-15 years improved rhetoric by conservation actors on the need to respect human rights when establishing protected areas, implementation has been poor. It is time to fully implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, not only when we are dealing with more ‘traditional’ land-related conflicts like infrastructure development or the extractive sector, but also in the conservation context.”

FPP and Natural Justice look forward to working together with partners across the world, and with the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, in making sure that concrete steps are taken to reduce the gap that persists between policy commitments and conservation practice in some areas.

Youth video, Pacific island journalism competitions offer COP23 coverage opportunity

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Youth video, Pacific island journalism competitions offer COP23 coverage opportunity

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) starting from Wednesday, May 10, 2017 invited young people around the globe to share what they are doing to combat climate change in the Global Youth Video Competition on Climate Change.

Nick Nuttall
UNFCCC Spokesperson, Nick Nuttall

Two winners will get a trip to the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn in November (COP23), where they will join the UNFCCC communications team as videographers and reporters. According to the UNFCCC, the competition is open to young people between the ages of 18 and 30 and videos must be submitted by 18 August 2017.

Nick Nuttall, Spokesperson and Director of Communications at the UNFCCC, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be launching the Global Youth Video Competition for the third year running.

“I am even more excited about viewing the video shorts that young people from across the globe will be making and sending in, in order to win a place at the UN climate conference in Bonn in November.”

“With the Pacific island of Fiji presiding over COP23, I would like this year to especially urge young, creative people from small islands and vulnerable coastlines to get out their cameras and their smart-phones and submit cool, amazing and inspirational videos about how they and their communities are taking climate action,” added Mr. Nuttall.

“We are seeking to inspire collaboration and learning sharing stories presented by young people that could be of interest for their peers around the world,” said Angelica Shamerina, Programme Advisor with the UNDP-GEF Small Grants Programme, which is supporting the competition.

“For our programme, support of the young generation is a priority, especially on the issue of climate change given that the young people will face the most severe climate impacts and are the future leaders of efforts curb greenhouse emissions and build resilience,” she added.

The two categories for this year are: Climate friendly and resilient cities; and Oceans and climate change.

Also on Wedenesday, the UNFCCC launched a journalism competition that will ensure that 10 journalists from the Pacific island region get the unique chance to travel to and report from COP23, which holds in Bonn, Germany on November 6 to 17, 2017.

The competition will award journalists from print, on-line and radio/TV with the prize of sponsored participation in the conference, media training at the prestigious DW Akademie and access to UN and other experts.

The UN body says the decision to launch a Pacific island journalism competition reflects the important role the small island developing State of Fiji will be playing at the 23rd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – the official title of the conference.

Fiji will be presiding over COP23 and the Fijian Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, will undertake the key role of COP President on behalf of all countries attending.

The competition has been generously funded by the German Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thomas Meister, Head of the Ministry’s Division for International Climate and Environmental Policy said: “The media play a central role as navigators and mediators between the international climate talks, the science community and civil society. The German Foreign Office is thus happy to support a media training centered around COP23 for 10 journalists from the Pacific region, a region that is among those worst affected by climate change.”

Nuttall, who is also Spokesperson for COP23, said: “We are thrilled that Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs agreed to support this competition. Both the government and the UNFCCC were concerned that the costs of getting to and from Bonn would have been prohibitive for many journalists from that region.”

“Yet we both acknowledged that it was vital to have media from that location here to report to their publics and witness the negotiations, the rich array of Global Climate Action events taking place and the cultural activities that surround such conferences,” he added.

John Connor, the Executive Director of the Fijian COP23 Presidency Secretariat, encouraged all Pacific journalists with an interest in climate change to take part in the competition.

“Thanks to the generous support of the German Government, this is a wonderful opportunity for ten journalists to attend the foremost international conference on climate change, an issue of absolute priority in the region. Joining the world’s media in Bonn, they will be able to tell the story of how the world is responding to this escalating crisis from the Pacific perspective – ensuring that Pacific voices are heard. They will also bring the experience and training they gain home with them, boosting the standard of climate reporting across the region,” he said.

DW Akademie Director Christian Gramsch said: “As DW Akademie, we are pleased to offer media training for journalists from the Pacific Islands during COP23, contributing to independent quality journalism in the field of climate change. The selected journalists will report first hand on climate topics that are crucial to their audiences. It is a pleasure to work so closely with UNFCCC on this innovative project.”

Table tennis: Nigeria, Egypt on superior list in Africa

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Table tennis: Nigeria, Egypt on superior list in Africa

Africa’s super powers in table tennis, Nigeria and Egypt, confirmed their superiority on the continent as the two nations have been in the seeding list of the double event of the 2017 IWTF World Championship holding in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Segun Toriola
Segun Toriola, Nigerian top table tennis player

In the seeding list released by the table tennis ruling body, previous performance and other championships by these countries counted for the double seeding for the 2017 World Championship.

Nigeria’s duo of Haruna Quadri and Olajide Omotayo are the Africa’s highest men’s doubles tieing at 22nd while Egyptians Saidi Rashin and Ahmed Sala are seeded 26th.

In the women’s doubles seeding, African Champions, Egypt’s Yutra Helme and Dolna Mestrep, are rated 19th while Nigeria’s Funke Oshonaike and Cameroon’s Sara Hamfu are 32nd in the seeding list.

Africa’s mixed double champions, Egypt’s Omasa and Dinah Mestrep, are seeded 19th while Nigeria’s Segun Toriola and Funke Oshonaike are rated 18th.

Meanwhile, President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has been appointed to head two special committees in the organisation of football in Africa.

Pinnick is to head the organisation committee for the African Cup of Nations and also in charge of CAF Media Committee.

These appointments were made at the CAF Executive Committee meeting held in Bahrain.

Other decisions taken at the meeting include the election of Kwesi Twanteki of Ghana as CAF first Vice President and Constantine Selamane of DR Congo as CAF second Vice President.

Also adopted at the meeting is CAF competitions symposium to be organised in Morocco, between July 15 and 16, 2017.

The symposium will dwell on all issues related to CAF competitions and will bring together various stakeholders of African football, players, coaches, referees, media and administrators.

By Felix Simire

Nigeria develops funding proposal to access climate fund

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Nigeria develops funding proposal to access climate fund

Bothered by the fact that it is yet to access the the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Nigeria has kick-started moves to turn things around and ensure the financial capability to battle the effects of the changing weather.

Nigeria-GCF-Forum
Some participants at the “Stakeholders’ open forum towards the development of Nigeria’s funding proposal to the Green Climate Fund (GCF)” held in Abuja

The Department of Climate Change (DCC) in the Federal Ministry of Environment, in its capacity as the nation’s Designated National Authority (DNA) to the GCF, is driving the process of developing funding proposals to the GCF to source concessionary funds for the purpose of implementing sustainable climate adaptation and mitigation projects in the country.

The GCF is a fund within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) founded as a mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.

Intended to be the centrepiece of efforts to raise Climate Finance of $100 billion a year by 2020, the GCF is supporting projects, programmes, policies and related activities using thematic funding windows.

With the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the DCC between Thursday, May 4 and Friday, May 5 in Abuja hosted a Stakeholders Forum to iron out inherent issues.

Nigeria-GCF
Prof. Francis Adesina of the Obafemi Awolowo University (standing) speaking during an expert panel session

As part of the preparation for the future funding allocation, the DCC, it was gathered, has adopted an all-inclusive process for project identification across the length and breadth of the country to ensure optimal projects which fall into one or more of the three chosen sectors identified and targeted for funding.

Olu Ajayi, managing director of Messrs Kazona Maycroft, consultants to the project, disclosed that two proposals would be eventually developed, even as he wondered why Nigeria, despite being a leading economy on the continent and also one of the most vulnerable nations, has been unable to access the fund.

In the light of the fact that conditions to access the funding seem “very strict”, consultants Prof Mobolaji Aluko and Bolade Soremekun want the nation’s priorities to be taken into consideration.

“We should look at our country’s vulnerable areas, and develop projects related to our vulnerability, with our national circumstances taken into consideration,” they stated.

However, Dr Samuel Adejuwon, erstwhile director of the DCC, offered a word of caution, saying that there should be a careful consideration of what has been done before in this regard, in relation to what is to be done.

“Let us make it somewhat open-ended, such that other consultants can come in to implement, or take to a different level,” he said.

The gathering comprising diverse stakeholders explored topics such as Coastal Resilience, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Environmental, Social and Gender Issues, Legal and Regulatory Issues, as well as Financial Issues/Barriers.

The forum convened expert panel, discussions, Q&A, as well as breakout sessions to address stated topics. A plenary review brought delibrations to a close.

Nigeria-based Africa Finance Corporation and Côte d’Ivoire-based African Development Bank are accredited entities to the GCF.

Lions escape from South Africa’s Kruger National Park

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Lions escape from South Africa’s Kruger National Park

Armed South African wildlife rangers and police scoured farmland around a small town near the Mozambican border on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 for five lions that escaped from the country’s main national park.

Lions
Lions

The animals broke free from the Kruger National Park on Monday morning close to Komatipoort, a community of about 5,000 people.

“We believe it is five lions, and they are in the sugar cane fields near the border with Mozambique,” said park spokesman, Reynold Thakuli.

Trackers will attempt to recapture them using tranquiliser guns.

The area around Kruger, one of the country’s main tourist attractions, contains villages and farms that also raise cattle, putting livestock as well as people at risk of attack.

In 2015, a lion named Sylvester crawled under an electric fence at another park and went on a three-week sheep-killing spree before he was found by rangers taking a nap.

The cat was earlier this year released back into wild from a 200-hectare holding enclosure.

South Africa is virtually the only African country that contains its big, dangerous wildlife in fenced reserves.

In other African states, whose governments do not have the resources for fencing or capture operations, lions and other alpha animals frequently stray outside the boundaries of protected areas.

Nations take stock as SAWAP/BRICKS project explores fresh opportunities

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Nations take stock as SAWAP/BRICKS project explores fresh opportunities

Teams from the 12 nations of the Sahel and West Africa Programme in Support of the Great Green Wall Initiative (SAWAP) are utilising the opportunity of the project’s 4th Conference holding in the Ghanaian capital city of Accra to present the success stories of their projects, as well as the lessons learnt from their experiences.

Sawap-Bricks-Accra
L-R: Mr. Henry G.R. Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Ghana; Dr. Djime Adoum, Executive Secretary, Permanent Interstate Committee for drought control in the Sahel (CILSS); Prof. Frimpong Boateng, Minister for Environment of Ghana; Mr. Elvis Paul Tangem, Great Green Wall Coordinator, African Union Commission (AU); and Mr. Jean-Marc Sinassamy, Representative of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), during the opening session of the 4th Sahel and West Africa Programme in Support of the Great Green Wall Initiative (SAWAP) Conference, on Monday, May 8, 2017 in Accra, Ghana

The international forum, which began on Monday, May 8, 2017 and will be rounded up on Wednesday, May 10, will, on the basis of the project’s achievements, identify future actions and new support needs for SAWAP national projects.

SAWAP is part of the Building Resilience through Innovation, Communications and Knowledge Services (BRICKS), a six-year World Bank-funded regional knowledge and monitoring platform being implemented by the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) and the West and Central Africa Office of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

In an opening speech delivered during the opening session on Monday, Prof. Frimpong Boateng, Minister for Environment of Ghana, lauded the SAWAP/BRICKS initiative, even as he expressed gratitude to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the World Bank for supporting the implementation of the Ghana Sustainable Land and Water Management Project (SLWMP), which aims to support farmers in the Northern Savannah Zone to adopt sustainable land management practices to help reverse land degradation and desertification in northern Ghana.

“The process of land degradation in Ghana and Africa is increasingly being recognised as a key development issue because of its impact on the productive capacity of the land. In Ghana, rural households are the most affected by land degradation because of their heavy dependence on agriculture and other natural resources dependent activities as sources of their livelihoods,” he said.

According to him, climate change is expected to exacerbate land degradation pressures, reducing capacity to buffer further climate change impacts. The minister underlined Ghana’s commitment to addressing the issue of land degradation, in the light of the economic and social significance of land management, as it contributes to economic growth, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, food security and women empowerment.

Henry G.R. Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, in a welcome speech, expressed concern over the steadily deteriorating state of soil, water, vegetation and other natural resource assets of peoples living in Africa’s drylands as a result of unsustainable management, and expanding human settlement that is generating increased demand for food, fodder, fuelwood, land and water.

While lamenting that land degradation and natural resource depletion are increasingly leading to migration and coflicts over natural resources, Kerali emphasised that these challenges transcend institutional and geographic boundaries, and require collaborative vision and action.

“Addressing natural resource degradation and desertification requires multi-sectoral collaboration at the landscape level,” he declared, even as he expressed the World Bank’s happiness “to see emerging success, and the potential for scale-up and replication”.

Jean-Marc Sinassamy, Representative of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), stated that, by addressing desertification and land degradation, the SAWAP/BRICKS programme demonstrates the importance of ecosystem services provided by lands, soils, water, and vegetation. Protecting and restoring these natural services have economic and social consequences, he added.

His words: “The SAWAP is a good illustration of the nexus between land productivity, food security, and poverty eradication.  Some of the results from this project, for instance in Ghana, have already been scaled up in the GEF6 Integrated Approach Pilot for food security. And, these results could not be timelier.

“The GEF is entering into the replenishment discussions and Naoko Ishii, the Chair and CEO of the GEF, is proposing innovative ways to move forward with a set of impact programmes, including on food systems, on landscape restoration, on sustainable drylands, on other subjects well reflecting the interdependence between land degradation, biodiversity, climate change and resilience issues. The issues we all working on are rising to the top of the agenda.

“It is a very good time to discuss and show the results of the SAWAP, not only to the participating countries, but to the whole continent, to the donors, and all our partners. The next replenishment meeting will take place in Ethiopia in October.”

Elvis Paul Nfor Tangem, Coordinator, Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI), Africa Union Commission (AUC), said that, few years from the initial implementation of the programme, the benefits of the GGWSSI are “very clear today”.

He stressed: “Through various projects and multiple partners, we can now proudly show concrete results from the implementation of the initiative in over 15 member states on the continent and beyond. Thousands of hectares of degraded and barren lands have been restored and millions of trees planted, livelihoods have been improved and thousands of jobs created in communities that are attributed to the initiative.”

According to him, the GGWSSI have become a political, technical, exchange and connecting platform, connecting the capacities of countries, organisations, initiatives and expertise far beyond the continent of Africa.

“The initiative has made tremendous political and diplomatic progress, mainstreaming land degradation, drought and desertification and the contribution of policy makers, leading to the harmonisation and close relationship between the policy makers and all other stakeholders and actors in the sector, in Africa and even globally. We have initiatives that were implemented in the image of the GGWSSI in the Caribbean and Pacific regions.”

Speaking on the conference and the prospects of the projects, he submitted:

“Now is the time to reflect on what has been achieved so far within the SAWAP/BRICKS projects and the initiative in general. The SAWAP/BRICKs project remains the largest in size, time frame and amount of funding, the successes is determinant to the future funding of the initiative as it will set an ethos for large scale financing The project is laying the groundwork for the effective  development and future  large scale financing of the initiative.

“In relation to funding, there is a need for innovation and look more at leveraging; pull domestic and diaspora fund and other sources. The AUC sees a lot of opportunities at the level of the continent especially with the increasing confident private sector and philanthropy (Moo Ibrahim, Tony Elumelu and Aliko Dangote).

“We have to change our approach from requesting governments to act to showing why they should (Cost Benefit Analyses). Show measures to de risks investments, to reduce uncertainty, manage and mitigate risks to promote Private investment.  We should also expand to other projects like the renewables.

“We should also embrace innovative funding approaches, like green ATM cards, green bonds, crowd funding, and leveraging pension funds for investment. Lets innovate, the capital market has unlimited possibilities spanning regional and national networks. Lets, work with the water investors, those in dams, hydroelectric, and tell them that protecting watershed is part of the investment.”

CSOs in Ghana want illegal mining tackled beyond the ordinary

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CSOs in Ghana want illegal mining tackled beyond the ordinary

Ghanaian civil society organisations (CSOs) have commended the on-going media advocacy on illegal mining popularly known as “galamsey” for succeeding in establishing the evils of the practice, particularly as it relates to destruction of water bodies and in stopping the practice for now.

Illegal-mining-Ghana
Mrs. Hannah Owusu-Koranteng making her contribution on the scope of illegal mining at the just ended two-day meeting in Accra of the Legal Working Group

But they are of the view that the issue of illegal mining goes beyond shaming and isolating galamsey operators, and halting their infamous trade. It involves subtle and intricate issues that must be tackled beyond the “man with the pickaxe and shovel.”

To this end, CSOs have been investigating the issues of mining in general and illegal mining in particular, to establish pertinent matters for urgent attention.

On May 8 to 9, 2017, a cross section of CSOs met in Accra, under the umbrella of the Legal Working Group, an initiative of ClientEarth a group of environmental lawyers, and deliberated on the knotty multi-dimensional issues of illegal mining, among other issues. The session was facilitated by Albert Katako of Civic Response and Mrs. Hannah Owusu-Koranteng of Wacam.

Mr. Katako stated that “illegal mining is not only associated with galamsey activities, but that multinational companies and registered Ghanaian companies doing large scale mining are also involved in illegal surface mining, with some of them using permits for prospecting to engage in full scale surface mining.”

He contended that galamsey operators become scapegoats because, “it appears the negative effects of their activities are more visible,” adding that “galamsey used to be based on the use of simple tools like shovel and pickaxes, hence minimal environmental damage occurred.”

Mr. Katako said “the invasion of the galamsey sector by foreign nationals and the introduction of heavy earth moving equipment changed the dynamics,” with the visible results of “the pollution of water bodies and the Birim, Densu, Pra, Ankobra and Tano rivers have become highly polluted with heavy metals and high level of turbidity.” He added that these are sources of potable water for about half of the population in rural communities and urban areas.

He noted that the subtle implications include high cost of water treatment that is if treatment is possible; the likelihood of Ghana resorting to importing drinking water; and environmental degradation, which is manifesting in forest loss, and drying up of sources of water bodies. Others are food insecurity, pollution of the food chain with heavy metals; and risks posed to human health.

Mr. Katako pointed out that, “associated with all these, are the disrespect for laws, lack of law enforcement, and the complicity of politicians, law enforcers, and public officers.”

Buttressing Mr. Katako’s points, Mrs. Owusu-Koranteng argued that “the current discussion on illegal mining is too parochial and advocacy campaigns should begin to highlight the distortions in mining such as capital flights to develop other countries and the manipulation of the economy by big mining companies.”

“Mining,” she said, “has not only disrupted the livelihoods of community members, but has also introduced violence into communities, which the stoppage of galamsey is likely to heighten.” Mrs. Owusu-Koranteng was in no way propagating the continuation of galamsey, but she was drawing attention to the need for the on-going advocacy to delve into how operators can be absorbed into much more responsible and sustainable livelihood ventures.

She was of the view that the answer to this question lies in the government’s agenda of “one district one factory.” The thinking is that if this agenda is strategically packaged, systematically implemented and well-coordinated on the ground, most of the now jobless galemsey operators will be gainfully engaged.

Answering a question on how best to balance development with the protection of the environment, Mrs. Owusu-Koranteng stated: “The act cannot be balanced as mining has done more harm than good.” She made reference to a World Bank report to support her claim saying, “as far back as 2005 a World Bank Evaluation Report explained that ‘the transfers from the sector to the economy as a whole have been particularly disappointing because of several factors, including contractual arrangements that give the Government a limited share of revenues and the problem of transfer pricing.’”

Mrs. Owusu-Koranteng emphasised that “under no circumstances must mining be allowed in protected forests such as Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs), it should be No.” This is because “once a forest is exploited to an extent that community members can no longer pick snails or mushrooms, its integrity is lost forever.”

She also touched on sector laws and policies, which she said have been crafted to favour companies to the neglect of community members and urged CSOs in their advocacy, “to push for legal provisions that can sustain the livelihoods of community members.”

Contributing to the discussions, an associate of ClientEarth, Clement Akapame, said: “Stopping illegal mining is a huge challenge for government and industry. But strong forest and mining laws mapping clear guidelines for areas where mining is not permitted, and rules for where they are, is critical when forests and gold deposits overlap.”

ClientEarth law and policy advisor, Caroline Haywood, said: “The Government’s current strategy for addressing illegal mining does not consider the impact that illegal mining has on Ghana’s forests. It overlooks the role that forest laws and officials could play in addressing illegal mining – bringing more manpower, potentially more financial resources, as well as experience working in forests – and misses some important allies in the fight against illegal mining.”

The discussions raised further questions on how the momentum can be sustained after arresting the threat to water security and environmental degradation. The consensus was for a thorough examination of the political economy of mining, especially small scale alluvial mining so that livelihoods of communities who depend on the practice are not disrupted because of the effects of elite capture.

The meeting flagged for further discussions issues including the adequacy or inadequacy of current laws and policies to address the identified challenges, the conflicts in sector policies, the cost of mining to the country’s environmental integrity, and how best to deal with polluted water bodies and lands that have been degraded and polluted.

The CSOs who have been mostly sensitising community members and lobbying policy and decision makers, have now positioned themselves to strengthen the on-going advocacy. So, on Wednesday, May 17th, 2017, Wacam and Tropenbos Ghana are facilitating a national forum in Accra on irresponsible mining.

By Ama Kudom-Agyemang in Accra, Ghana

AFCON: NFF insists Mikel must play against S/Africa

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AFCON: NFF insists Mikel must play against S/Africa

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has said that former Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi, will be sufficiently recovered to play as Nigeria takes on South Africa in an African Cup of Nations qualifier next month.

john-mikel-obi
John Mikel Obi

The Super Eagles skipper under went surgery in England on the 29th of last month and was expected to be out of action for a minimum of three weeks.

Mikel has been left out of the Super Eagles camp in France, but the NFF insists that he would be in the squad to face South Africa in a month’s time in Uyo.

Assistant Technical Director of NFF, Siji Lagunju, was quoted as saying that the match is a month away and Mikel should be fit in time for the match.

Both Mikel and Tenjin Tedan FC of China have announced that the Nigerian star will begin his rehabilitation this week.

In a related development, the Bauchi State Government has dissolved the management of Wikki Tourists Football Club with immediate effect.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State government, Alhaji Bello Shewulela.

The statement added that the coaching crew has also been relieved of their appointments. The local coaches working with the team have been directed to take over the affairs of the club until a new management is appointed.

The state government had appointed the Wikki Tourists management board under the leadership of Alhaji Issa Musa Matori in 2015.

Wikki Tourists ended last season in third position, thereby picking a continental ticket. But the club failed to maintain their feat.

It was knocked out in the preliminary stage of the CAF Confederation Cup and is currently placed 19th on the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) chart this season.

Wikki, however, won the State FA Cup at the weekend, beating its Feeder team 1-0. Both sides will represent the state in the Federation Cup.

By Felix Simire

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