The marketing and use of conventional plastic bags in Cape Verde are now banned by a law that came into effect on Sunday, January 1, 2017.
Disposing plastic bags and sachets in Cape Verde
This is the culmination of a battle waged by the Association for Environmental Defense and Development (ADAD) within the framework of a programme named “Cabo Verde sans pratiques” (Cape Verde without Plastic) in partnership withMAVA and PRCM. The Association was supported in this cause by partners such as the Ministries in charge of Environment, Housing and Land Management and Tourism, Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, the network of parliamentarians for the Environment, the municipalities, and industrial manufacturers.
According to “PACO News”, a publication of the Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso-based Central and West Africa Programme (PACO) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the law will now make it possible to punish the economic agents that persist in the sale and use of these sachets.
The ADAD reportedly initiated the project in order to sensitise policy makers and citizens on a scourge that pollutes seas and small islands and causes damages in the cities with the engorgement of sewage sledges.
“The proliferation of this waste in the cities and seas has even prompted the Ministry for Environment to conduct a study that has revealed that plastic bags account for about 11% of the volume of solid waste in Cape Verde,” states PACO News.
On 9th March, 2017 in Oyo, In a related development, the Republic of Congo’s Ministers for Environment and those for Foreign Affairs on Thursday, March 9, 2017 in Oyo launched the “Blue Fund” for Congo Basin.
The launch held at the end of a ceremony chaired by the Head of State of Congo (Sassou Nguesso) who was assisted by his counterpart of Togo (Faure Gnassingbé). Former Heads of State such as Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Alpha Omar Konaré of Mali were also in attendance.
The Blue Fund is part of the blue economy and covers all water bodies (lakes, ponds, rivers, seas, ground water) and coastal areas. The main branches of the economic activity in Africa that are based on marine and aquatic resources are fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, transports, the port sector, the mining sector and the energy sector.
For this reason, the Blue Fund will play a key role in the promotion of the blue economy in the Congo Basin to achieve economic growth, sustainable development and the well-being of the people.
Ministers from Africa’s Atlantic seaboard countries approved an amended text of the Abidjan Convention and three new protocols at the 12th Conference of Parties (COP12) to the Convention, held on 27-31 March in Abidjan, Cote d’ivoire, conditioning their approval on the incorporation into the drafts of comments made at the meeting.
L-R: Executive Secretary, Abidjan Convention, Abou Bamba; South Africa’s Environment Minister and Chair of COP12, Edna Molewa; and Côte d’Ivoire’s Environment Minister and Chair of COP13, Anne Oulotto, during a session at the Abidjan Convention COP12… in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
The ministers requested the Convention’s secretariat to organise a meeting of plenipotentiaries to adopt the amended convention and the protocols, which relate to integrated coastal zone management, sustainable management of mangroves and environmental norms and standards for the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas.
They also approved the Convention’s 2017–2020 work programme and expressed support for the process of developing its monitoring and evaluation system, requesting the secretariat to present the final version of the system at the 13th Conference of Parties (COP13) in 2020.
The Abidjan Convention for Cooperation in the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Atlantic Coast of the West, Central and Southern Africa region (Abidjan Convention) was signed in 1981, under the auspices of the United Nations, and ratified in 1984. It is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment).
Ministers approve key financial decisions
The Ministers requested the Executive Director of UN Environment to extend the life of the Abidjan Convention Trust Fund through 31 December 2020. They approved the revision of the Trust Fund’s 2017 budget, passed the Convention’s 2017-2020 budget and decided to authorise the opening of a bank account in Abidjan to facilitate the secretariat’s work and its cooperation with financial partners.
The Conference of Parties is the Abidjan Convention’s highest decision-making body. This year’s Conference, held from 27 to 31 March, marked the end of a period of revitalisation launched about 10 years ago. In that period, the number of States Parties increased considerably – 19 of the 22 countries in the Convention area have now ratified the accord. More countries have been paying their contributions and arrears, while productive partnerships have been developed by the secretariat with a broad range of institutions and organisations, UN Environment Executive Director, Erik Solheim, noted in his report on the convention, presented at the Conference.
In the words of South Africa’s Environment Minister, Edna Molewa, chair of COP12, the Convention “has travelled a long road from a near moribund state to the actively functional Convention it is today”. However, formidable challenges remain, said Molewa, who on Friday handed over the reins of the Conference of Parties to COP13 Chair, Anne Oulotto, Côte d’Ivoire’s Environment Minister.
Bent on addressing these challenges, the ministers issued a series of decisions that chart the way forward for the Convention in areas such as ocean energy, integrated ocean management, climate change, marine and coastal biodiversity, pollution, coastal cities, and areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Integrated ocean management policy, lessons from Phakisa
They requested the Abidjan Convention secretariat to develop an integrated coastal and ocean management policy for the Convention area, in collaboration with relevant international institutions, and to organise broad regional consultations to agree on a final version of the policy, to be presented for review and adoption at COP13.
They also undertook to “promote the mainstreaming of gender concerns in the management of the coastal and marine environment” in the Convention region, according to the final declaration of the Conference of Parties, issued on Friday, March 31, 2017.
The ministers expressed appreciation to South Africa for sharing its experiences and lessons learnt in respect of Operation Phakisa : Oceans Economy, a South African programme focusing on sustainable and integrated development of marine resources, and asked for explanatory material on the programme to be translated into French and circulated to all countries.
Operation Phakisa was the subject of one of 10 presentations made by experts in fields related to integrated ocean management at a workshop held on the opening day of the Conference of Parties, 27 March. These and related issues were also highlighted at parallel events – exhibitions presentations, debates and panel discussions – organised by partners of the Abidjan Convention on the margins of the Conference.
In their final declaration, the ministers called for research on how countries could maximise economic opportunities in the oceans for the people of the Convention area, possibly using the Operation Phakisa approach and methodology.
Secretariat asked to work with World Bank on WACA Programme
On the issue of climate change, the secretariat was asked to work with States Parties to ensure that issues related to oceans and coastal zones are considered in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals 13 and 14 on climate change and the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources respectively.
The ministers also decided “to support and promote the implementation of the West Africa Coastal Areas (WACA) Management Programme initiated by the World Bank Group, whose objective is to reduce the risk to coastal communities and promote multi-sectoral integrated and climate-change-resilient management of coastal areas”.
The programme, which helps countries access expertise and finance to sustainably manage their coastal areas, is of vital importance in a region battling climate change-related events such as sea-level rise and warming, land subsidence, storm surge, and increased coastal flooding, and where coastlines are eroding as much as 10 metres per year in some areas. The ministers asked the secretariat to be involved in implementing it and to hold discussions with the World Bank Group to extend it to more countries.
In their final declaration, the Ministers also noted their decision to request Contracting Parties to “recognise the importance of safeguarding biodiversity located in areas beyond national jurisdiction and ensuring their sustainable use under the Convention and in conformity with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”.
Regional approach on invasive species
Invasive species of plants, such as the sargassum seaweed – a major threat to biodiversity, economies and livelihoods in parts of West and Central Africa – also came in for mention in the ministers’ final declaration. In this regard, they invited the region’s governments to “strengthen their cooperation with partners and stakeholders on the western shore of the tropical Atlantic Ocean so as to acquire a better understanding of transnational issues linked to invasive species, with a view to jointly developing appropriate solutions”.
They also approved a regional strategy against invasive species, asking governments to adopt and implement it and to “develop national action plans, exchange information, and facilitate rapid provision of mutual assistance against invasive marine and coastal species”.
Other decisions include asking the Parties to implement the African Strategy on Combatting Illegal Exploitation and Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora in Africa, and to encourage partners to support its implementation.
On the issue of pollution, the secretariat was asked to “initiate, as soon as possible, consultations with partners to prepare a study on the state of the environment, including the level of pollution, of lagoon areas and the socioeconomic development opportunities they provide”.
The Ministers also asked the secretariat and its relevant partners to “create a database on marine waste for use as a basis for strategies on marine waste, thus contributing to well-grounded decisions and policies at the municipal, national, sub-regional and regional levels”.
Another task now conferred upon the secretariat is “to develop and implement a regional initiative on urban planning in coastal cities in order to improve the living conditions of coastal populations”, and to report on it at COP 13.
New action plans requested on ocean energy, parliamentarians
The secretariat has also been requested to update its overall Action Plan to protect and develop the marine environment and coasts of West, Central and Southern Africa and present it at COP 13. It has also been asked to develop – and present at COP 13 – two new action plans, one on ocean energy and the other related to the creation of an alliance of parliamentarians and local counsellors from Abidjan Convention Contracting Parties.
The action plan for producing and distributing clean energy from the ocean would be based on a study of the energy potential of marine and coastal ecosystems in the Convention zone, which the ministers have asked the secretariat to undertake. Once it is drawn up, the secretariat is to organise regional consultations to finalise it for COP 13.
The other action plan, to be developed together with relevant international organisations, is aimed at ensuring the effective functioning of an alliance of parliamentarians and local elected representatives whose creation the Conference of Parties has decided to support. In this regard, the secretariat will be required to undertake national consultations in States Parties to develop an operational and administrative framework for the alliance.
Another new initiative adopted by the Conference is the establishment of a platform of exchange and reflection known as the African Forum on Seas and Oceans of the Southeast Atlantic. The ministers decided to ask the Convention secretariat to “lead the reflection on this issue” and report on it at COP13.
Almost 200 African civil society organisations on Thursday, April 6, 2017 condemn what they perceive as European manipulation and compromising of the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI), a transformative, Africa-owned and Africa-led inclusive effort to accelerate and scale up the harnessing of the continent’s huge renewable energy potential.
Mithika Mwenda, Secretary General of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA). He says AREI has been a great example of African leadership in rising above political stalemates to tackle the climate crisis. Photo credit: cloudfront.net
Tensions appear to have erupted over the actions of France and the European Commission, who are accused of risking the initiative’s African sovereignty, and of bypassing processes including social and environmental criteria to push approval of projects, to the cost of African citizens.
The AREI was launched in 2015 in Paris during COP21 as an African-led initiative with the goal of providing at least 10 GW of new renewable energy to Africa’s peoples by 2020, and put the continent on course to add at least another 300 GW and achieve universal access to energy for all Africans by 2030. It was supported by $10 billion in pledges for 2015-2020 by developed countries in Paris, and has been hailed as a groundbreaking effort to bring clean, affordable, and reliable energy to millions of people in a democratic, human-rights focused approach.
However, African civil society groups understand that at a recent AREI Board Meeting, France and the European Commission abused their position as donors to override the views of several Africans on the AREI Board, by announcing and pushing through approval of 19 projects that were not subject to AREI evaluation criteria or social, environmental, and gender safeguards.
They did so apparently without being formal Board Members, in the face of objections by several African Board Members, and apparently without participation of the countries hosting the projects. They furthermore pushed for the undue imposition of EU technical experts to supposedly influence AREI’s future development. France and the EU have pledged to provide funds to support “new and additional” renewable energy capacity, but these promises are being broken in their attempt to rebrand some already existing projects as AREI projects.
The compromising of AREI principles threatens its very core and has prompted a diverse swathe of African civil society to rally behind a set of demands, in an attempt to regain control of the initiative for African countries.
A letter signed by almost 200 African civil society organisations is demanding:
That African countries immediately take action to put AREI back on track and ensure full independence from donors and other third parties.
That EU and France abandon aspirations to have seats as Board members.
That AREI Board “endorsement” of the 19 existing EU projects be suspended until they are subject to a thorough review against AREI criteria, environmental and social safeguards, and have the prior informed consent of states and citizens concerned.
That all further funding and proposed projects be genuinely “new and additional,” with no more accounting tricks.
That AREI be fully accountable, transparent and participatory for African states and for civil society in all aspects.
And that active participation by all civil society constituencies be ensured at all levels of AREI
“This clear undermining of African governance belongs to an era we supposedly left in the past. The AREI is meant to be an African-led initiative, but here we have the EU undermining years of work by going over the heads of African governments and pushing through projects without public participation or adequate safeguards. The sad irony is that this power grab flies in the face of what the EU and France themselves agreed,” said Kumi Naidoo of Africans Rising for Justice, Peace, and Dignity.
Mithika Mwenda of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA): “AREI has been a great example of African leadership in rising above political stalemates to tackle the climate crisis. Now the EU is claiming credit for the hard work of African peoples and governments, while at the same time making it harder for AREI to hit its targets of delivering 300 GW of new renewable power by 2030.”
Titilope Akosa of Centre for 21st Century Issues: “This continent has seen too many bad development projects already, which is why AREI was created with robust safeguards in mind to ensure that all stakeholders could be consulted and that human rights would be respected. With the EU pushing through approval for these 19 projects without review according to AREI’s criteria, they are effectively trampling over badly needed protections for women, indigenous people, and other constituencies.”
Godwin Ojo of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria: “AREI is one of the major legacies from COP21 in Paris and gives us all hope, yet France and the European Commission’s heavy-handed efforts in AREI place this legacy at risk, and undermine trust in the UN climate change process to deliver real solutions for our peoples, and in Europe as a genuine partner for sustainable development in Africa.”
Rhoda Boateng of the International Trade Union Confederation – Africa: “European donors know how to talk the talk but do they know how to walk the walk? If the latest developments are anything to go by, they don’t. A just transition to clean, affordable, democratic energy requires billions – billions which were promised but which we are now told will appear by magic as a result of a much smaller investment of a few hundred million. People in Africa need concrete investments in renewable energy, not a lottery ticket.”
Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world with a production of about 54 million tons, but its yield per hectare of cassava roots is about eight tons, less than half of the realisable yields of more than 20 tons per hectare
L-R: Lawrence Kent, Senior Programme Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Hemant Nitturkar, Programme Director of BASICS; Folusho Olaniyan, Chief Executive Officer of Contact Consulting Nigeria; Alfred Dixon, IITA Director for Development and Delivery; and Graham Thiele, Director of the CGIAR Research Programme on Roots, Tubers and Bananas, during the annual meeting of BASICS in IITA Ibadan, Oyo State
Seed sector professionals have said that businesses selling improved varieties and high quality cassava stems for cultivation could help African farmers significantly raise their productivity. This will mean more Naira from the same land, inputs and effort. The benefits of this raised productivity will be enjoyed by all the stakeholders across the value chain in a sustainable way.
This was part of the resolutions from a national stakeholder conference on cassava seed system organised by the project, “Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Cassava Seed System” (BASICS) that was held at the Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday, March 30, 2017.
The meeting, which reflected on the experiences of BASICS in 2016 and refined the project plan for 2017 and beyond, brought together national and international researchers, academics, policymakers, the private sector, non-governmental organisations and farmers to a roundtable.
Making the case for urgent need for all the stakeholders to work towards a sustainable seed system in Nigeria, Hemant Nitturkar, Project Director for BASICS, reminded the participants that Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world with a production of about 54 million tons, but its yield per hectare of cassava roots is about eight tons, less than half of the realisable yields of more than 20 tons per hectare. Researchers say one of the factors responsible for the low yield of cassava is the low adoption of clean and healthy seeds of improved varieties of cassava by farmers.
“We have to start with the right planting material and nurture it with good agronomy and weed management practices. Each of these three components has the potential to raise the productivity of cassava by 30 percent. If we do not improve our practices in seed, weed and agronomy, we are incurring a lost opportunity of about N200 billion annually from each of the three issues,” he explained.
BASICS is commercially piloting two distinct pathways of seed delivery. In one, called Village Seed Entrepreneur (VSE) model, in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Benue and with National Roots Crop Research Institute (NRCRI), in Abia, Imo, Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, the project is helping develop a network of 130 community based seed enterprises.
These VSEs will source certified stems of improved varieties of cassava from NRCRI and IITA to multiply and sell to the farmers in their vicinity. This way, the farmers will not have to go far to source quality stems for planting. In the second pilot called Processor Led Model (PLM), in partnership with Context Global Development, the project is working with large processors of cassava who will then make available quality stems to their outgrowers with a buy back arrangement for the roots produced.
Slow and low multiplication ratio has been a key constraint in cassava seed system. The project is piloting a new technology called Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) for vastly rapid seed multiplication. Once this technology from Argentina is adapted and perfected in Nigeria by the Project, it is expected to have a significant impact on the ability of early generation seed businesses to quickly bring suitable varieties within reach of farmers. The project is also working with National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and Fera of UK to improve the quality certification system in Nigeria.
Lawrence Kent, a senior programme officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said the aim of the Project is to build an economically sustainable seed system that is profitable both to the sellers of quality stems and to the farmers who purchase and plant those stems. He encouraged all to create reusable bridges to continuously link technology developers with farmers through business oriented approaches, like the one being implemented under BASICS.
Graham Thiele, Director for the CGIAR Research Programme on Roots, Tubers and Bananas led by the International Potato Center (CIP); Alfred Dixon, IITA Director for Development and Delivery, and Project Leader for the Cassava Weed Management Project; Amin Babandi, Director of Agriculture, FMARD, represented by Segun Ayeni, Deputy Director, Roots and Tuber crops, FMARD; Folusho Olaniyan OON, CEO, Contact Consulting Nigeria and Programme Director, AgraInnovate West Africa; Emmanuel Okogbenin, Director of Technical Operations, AATF and Robert Asiedu, Director R4D, IITA-West, all shared perspectives and added their voice for all stakeholders to jointly build a strong and sustainable seed system for cassava in Nigeria and wished all the stakeholders well.
On a typical day, veterinarians of International Animal Rescue (IAR) make their way through choking smoke, weighed down with medical supplies, a safety net, animal carrier and face masks. They are called out almost daily to rescue orangutans and other animals trapped by forest fires and attend to their medical needs.
Orangutans
The forest had been burning for five days and the flames were creeping closer. On the brink of collapse, an orangutan desperately tried to protect her baby from the acrid smoke.
Finally, help arrived: nearby villagers had alerted International Animal Rescue Indonesia. The veterinarians tranquilised the two apes sitting in the tree, broke their fall with a net and treated them. “The mother was emaciated and suffering dehydration,” explains IAR coordinator Ayu. The baby was in better shape, and both were soon released into the safety of a nearby forest.
“We’re very worried that the fires won’t stop and that the orangutans will die if we don’t reach them in time,” says veterinarian Karmele Llano-Sanchez. “The fires are also endangering our treatment centre.”
More than a thousand orangutans live in the peat swamp forests of Sungai Putri on Borneo, a location so remote that researchers only documented the population in 2007. This large orangutan colony is described as a glimmer of hope for the survival of the critically endangered primates.
Sungai Putri’s unique forests stand on a peat layer several meters thick – a massive carbon sink. Leaving such peat swamp forests untouched is said to be the best protection against forest fires, carbon emissions and climate change.
In the wake of the disastrous fires of 2015, the Indonesian government outlawed the clearing of peat swamps and other primary forests for plantations.
“Yet that is exactly what a timber company is doing in Sungai Putri. Workers are digging canals to drain the peat – the first step toward replacing priceless orangutan habitat with a pulp plantation,” says Reinhard Behrend of the Rainforest Rescue, which has taken up a campaign to impress it upon the Indonesian government “to stop this crime against the planet”.
Seeking support for the IAR team’s rescue efforts as well as patrols to protect the forests in which the animals are returned to the wild, Behrend adds: “We have been supporting the orangutan guardians of International Animal Rescue in West Kalimantan for many years. The IAR team is called on almost daily to bring injured, helpless or orphaned animals to safety and provide veterinary care at its rescue centre.
“Robbed of their habitat, desperate orangutans often look for food on oil palm plantations. Plantation workers consider them to be a pest, driving the orangutans away or killing them. The remaining orphans are often sold as pets. Besides coordinating helpers who fight fires and work to protect remaining intact forests, IAR also holds workshops for local villagers on how to deal with wandering orangutans – and on the value of our wild cousins who are on the brink of extinction.”
The orangutans are the two exclusively Asian species of extant great apes. Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, orangutans are currently found in only the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) on Monday, April 3, 2017 confirmed its support for the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator led by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Carbon Trust.
GEF CEO and Chairperson, Naoko Ishii
The announcement was made at the SEforALL Forum, where over 1,000 high-level representatives from government, business, civil society and international organisations have gathered in New York to drive action towards a sustainable energy system.
“Industrial energy efficiency is a no regret investment,” said CEO and Chairperson of GEF Naoko Ishii. “It helps our client countries meet their sustainable development goals, create jobs, and enhance economic security. We are pleased to be working with UNIDO, the Carbon Trust and many private sector partners to accelerate the adoption of energy management systems in key industry sectors.”
Through the Accelerator, UNIDO and the Carbon Trust will work in cooperation with a number of partners on disseminating and sharing best practices, policies, and toolkits to fast-track the rate of energy efficiency deployment in the industrial sector.
The Accelerator is a platform, which supports engagement between leading government officials, business leaders, trade associations, research agencies and investors to create a clear vision of how to further mobilise energy efficiency in the key industrial sectors. It delivers across a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creating a multi-stakeholder partnership that promotes large scale initiatives to deliver more significant impacts across a range of different countries and industrial sectors. It also delivers multiple benefits from increased productivity as well as reductions in energy demand and related greenhouse gas (GHG) and local pollutants.
“GEF’s support for the Accelerator is very timely, as it will allow starting up in-country actions in at least 15 countries over the coming eight years to rapidly drive higher energy productivity in industry, a major segment with the potential to reduce energy use by a quarter by 2030 – or the equivalent of almost 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide. This makes a real impact in achieving SDG 7 – the goal of delivering affordable and clean energy,” said Philippe Scholtès, Managing Director of the Programme Development and Technical Cooperation at UNIDO.
James Wilde, Director of Policy and Innovation at the Carbon Trust, added: “We’re delighted to be working with two global partners, GEF and UNIDO. This will help amplify our ability to simultaneously improve industrial efficiency and tackle climate change. The Accelerator will help share experience and best practices in critical areas such as delivering financing solutions for energy efficiency deployment, broadening private sector engagement and building in-country technical capabilities.”
Expected investments and interventions by the accelerator will address barriers to energy efficiency by fostering enhanced access to information, skills, and methods to assess the costs and benefits of industrial energy efficiency policies and measures; building institutional capacity for policy design, development and implementation; reforming of distorted tariff structures and market incentives; and improving regulatory and legal frameworks to support energy service companies.
A joint agreement committing the Scottish Government and the Government of California to work together to tackle climate change has been signed.
Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon (right), with the Governor of California, Edmund G. Brown, in Sacramento sign a joint agreement committing the Scottish Government and the Government of California to work together to tackle climate change
First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, met with the Governor of California, Edmund G. Brown, in Sacramento (in California State) on Monday, April 3, 2017 to discuss how the two administrations can work together to achieve the ambitions set out in the Under2 MoU, and provide a model for other governments to follow.
They also discussed the importance of offshore wind in tackling climate change and considered how the two governments could share knowledge and best practice in developing this technology.
The Scottish Government signaled its continued commitment to the Under2 MoU, which makes a number of key commitments towards reducing emissions. It committed to pressing ahead with plans to both set and deliver ambitious domestic measures to reduce carbon emissions and provide leadership and example in the spirit of the MoU and the historic Paris Agreement.
Following the meeting, the First Minister said: “Scotland is making huge progress in delivering our climate change ambitions, but we are not complacent and there is still much to achieve.
“Today’s meeting strengthened our relationship with the Government of California and I’m confident we can work together to achieve the targets set out by the Under2 MoU.
“We have also offered to help the Under2 Coalition, representing over 1 billion people, to prepare for a major summit in 2018 which will bring together the public and private sectors, alongside NGOs, to build support and action aimed at persuading national governments to increase their efforts to tackle climate change, in what will be an important year for taking stock against progress of the Paris Agreement.”
In 2018, Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take stock of the collective efforts in relation to progress towards the goal set in the Paris Agreement and to inform the preparation of Nationally Determined Contributions.
A fortnight ago, on Wednesday March 22 2017, Ghana joined the international community to celebrate the World Water Day (WWD). The focus was on raising general awareness of the potential of waste water or sewage as a resource, which if properly handled will immensely benefit nations. Fact is, as society uses more water, the demand on natural water resources is becoming greater. And aspects of this increasing demand for water, especially for agriculture and aqua-culture, can be met by reusing properly treated sewage.
UNICEF Chief of WASH, David Duncan, delivering the message of the UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana at a briefing to climax WWD 2017 in Accra, Ghana
The need for a national realisation and action to transform this “waste to wealth,” was echoed in the statements and messages delivered at a stakeholders briefing session and flag hoisting ceremony to climax the Day’s celebration in Ghana. A statement read on behalf of the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Kofi Ada, called for a “reframing of waste water from being a problem to be disposed of, to being a resource to be valued and exploited.”
The statement hinted that one way of tackling the problem, “is to prioritise closing the gender gap through the promotion of water and waste water efficient technologies that will safeguard the well-being of domestic users particularly women and children because of unequal access to services and resource inputs.”
The statement also alluded to portions of the National Water Policy on the need for interdisciplinary and participatory research that recognises the need for water related technologies, including those for waste and waste water management for the benefit of communities and the environment. It said the government intends to give meaning to these policy directives through practical actions.
These include to employ science and technology as the most economic and efficient ways to recycle waste; ensure that the sanitation and water sector gets the needed investment to upgrade obsolete systems and put in place new systems that will address the many facets of safe water and sanitation delivery; and manage waste in ways as to reduce pollution of water bodies.
In her commemoration message to Ghanaians, the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Christine Evens-Klock, said this year’s celebration of World Water Day is a reminder that Ghana can move a step further in reaching all the targets of the Sustainable Development Goal on water by “paying closer attention to the way we treat and dispose of waste water in our homes, farms and industries.”
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), provide a broader global sustainability agenda by 2030. They go further than the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) they succeeded, in addressing the root causes of poverty and the universal need for development that works for all people.
The targets of the Goal on Water are to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all; attain access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations; and improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimising release of hazardous chemicals and materials, reducing by halve the proportion of untreated wastewater, while increasing recycling and safe reuse.
The others are substantially increase water use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and sustainably reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity; implement integrated water resources management at all levels including trans-boundary cooperation; and protect and restore water related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.
The UN Resident Coordinator’s message, observed that, “in Ghana, three out of every five persons drink waters contaminated with faeces, risking disease diseases including diarrhoea and cholera.” Her message, which was delivered on her behalf by the UNICEF Ghana’s Chief of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), David Duncan, further observed that “diarrhoea causes the death of 3,600 children in Ghana every year and cholera outbreaks frequently occurs in our cities.”
The message noted that while people know the importance of treating water before drinking, “we also need to focus on treating it before disposing of it.” This is because the continual discharge of untreated waste water pollutes water bodies, ground water and coastal water, while the costs associated with wastewater management, “are greatly outweighed by the benefits that include protection of human and public health, environmental sustainability and economic development.”
The message again cited the more direct benefits of waste water management as “biogas, organic fertiliser, industrial cooling water, treated water for irrigation for farms, landscapes, public parks, and residential lawns.”
The chairman for the event was the Director of the Water Research Institute, Dr. Osmund Ansah Asare. He identified part of the problem of waste water as inefficiency and poor management of water systems. Dr. Ansah Asare said disposal of untreated waste water poses sustainability challenges and undermines water security. He called for “an integrated approach to water resources management that can balance different needs in a just manner.”
As part of the climax event, participants at the briefing session also toured the waste water treatment facility at the headquarters of the Action Chapel International Church, in Accra. Rev. Nana Kofi Ahenkorah briefed them about the facility, which has been functioning since its completion in 2015. He listed the benefits as including the use of relatively smaller land space for construction; fast rate digestion of sewerage; treated waste water for irrigating lawns, assuring all year round greenery; generation of biogas that is supplementing LPG in cooking and electricity; and zero emptying of septic tanks, among other things.
The Church’s wastewater treatment facility is one of the few around the country that depicts the feasibility of such facilities on the premises of schools, hospitals, churches, estates, communities, and even in the houses of individuals. As has been stated already, the benefits of this facility greatly outweigh the associated costs, which will depend on the model, size and type of items to be used in the construction.
After interviewing 65 football coaches from all over the world, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has picked Kwesi Appiah to become coach of the Black Stars of Ghana, albeit for the second time.
Kwesi Appiah
Appiah comes back two years after he was fired from the same job.
The GFA has announced Appiah will replace Avram Grant from May 1, 2017, after the Executive Committee of the body endorsed the decision of the six-man search party.
Appiah, a former Ghana capital and assistant, will now quit his role with Sudan side Al Khartoum and return to the job he left two years ago.
He took Ghana to the 2014 World Cup finals with stunning victories over Egypt and Zambia, but the team’s poor showing in Brazil and squabbles in camp derailed most of the games from that time.
He took charge of 28 matches in that period, winning 15, drawing five and losing eight, including two at the World Cup, as Ghana failed to progress beyond the group stage for the first time.
His core mandate will be to win the 2019 Nations Cup, but he will also be required to resurrect the country’s ailing 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Nigerian forward Peter Odemwingie is set to show his wealth of experience in Indonesia this week.
Peter Odemwingie
The veteran player, who represented the Super Eagles at the 2010 and 2014 World Cup finals, has been without a club after leaving English championship side, Rotherham, earlier this year.
The 36-year-old credited the influence of Michael Essien, who plays for the rival club Persib Bandung, for making the move to Southeast Asia.
“I had no idea what it’s like here, but I had a brief chat with Michael Essien and he gave me positive feedbacks.
“To be regarded as a marquee signing is huge – I’ve played in different European countries but this place is really beautiful – and the people are very friendly.
“These are exciting times for Indonesian football and I’m happy to be a part of it,” said Odemwingie.
Madural United finished third in the Indonesian Liga 1 last season, and the 2017 campaign starts on April 15, 2017.
