Nigeria has been ranked 152nd among the 188 UN member states in the Human Development Index (HDI). This puts the country on Low Human Development.
Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed
This is according to the 2016 report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Abuja on Tuesday, April 18, 2017.
In the report launched by the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, Central Africa Republic ranked 188.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that HDI is a composite statistics of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators, which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development.
Nigeria in the report retained its 2015 status as there was no forward or backward shift from the computation of 0.527 which was two points above 2014 computation of 0.525.
Nigeria’s HDI value for 2016 positioning it at 152 of 188 countries put the country on Low Human Development.
The country is followed closely by Cameroon in 153 and Zimbabwe in 154th position.
The report places Nigeria below neighbouring Ghana and Zambia positioned at 139th, Gabon, 109th, and Equatorial Guinea, 135th.
Kenya was placed at 145th position on the list of countries ranked low.
The report, however, showed a positive outlook for the country.
It revealed that Nigeria’s HDI increased from 0.466 to 0.527, a 13.1 per cent increase in the last 10 years under review between 2005 and 2015.
The feat recorded a three-point increase over what it had between 2005 and 2014, when Nigeria HDI’s value increased from 0.467 to 0.514, an increase of 10.1 per cent.
The HDI indicates the number of people with access to education and other basic amenities. Human development is about enlarging freedoms so that all human beings can pursue choices that they value.
NAN reports that the global report was officially launched on March 25, 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden while the Nigeria version was launched on Tuesday.
According to the report, Norway tops the table as the number one country in the HDI and is closely followed by Switzerland and Australia which came joint second, Germany on the fourth position and Denmark number five.
For the first time, digital audiences can be transported to a sub-antarctic penguin colony to immerse themselves in the lives of penguin species, thanks to a new 3D 360-degree film launched on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 produced with Visualise for BirdLife International’s “Protect a Penguin” global campaign.
Penguins
BirdLife International, believed to be the world’s largest nature conservation partnership, has worked with London-based virtual reality producer, Visualise, to create Walk with Penguins, an engaging 3D 360 short nature film used to connect audiences with penguin protection – the first of its kind.
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, with only one species, the Galapagos penguin, found north of the equator.
Despite being loved the world over, penguins are the world’s second most threatened group of marine birds, with 10 of the 18 species threatened with extinction due to competition with fisheries, bycatch, marine pollution, disease, habitat disturbance and climate change. Urgent action is needed to better protect them, but public awareness of their situation is low.
BirdLife International wanted to bring the daily challenges and threats to penguins closer to its audiences, and created a high-quality 3D 360 film as part of its digital campaign “Protect a Penguin”.
Richard Grimmett, Director of Conservation, BirdLife International, said: “BirdLife Partners across the globe are already working to tackle some of the threats to penguins, but the size of the challenge demands that efforts are redoubled. Using 3D 360 film, we can get people closer to penguins and give people that magical feeling of being with them – and ultimately that can lead to a greater support for their conservation.”
During the five-month project to capture penguins in their native habitat, the Visualise production team travelled to the remote Falkland Islands in November 2016 (during the breeding season) and filmed incredible scenes using the Google Jump stereoscopic camera system in 3D 360, which provides unfettered, intimate action with penguins and their offspring.
“A fluffy King Penguin chick walks up to you and stares you in the eye; you duck your head as an albatross soars overhead; you are almost splashed with water as penguins squabble for a shower; and you share intimate moments with Southern Rockhopper Penguins, threatened with extinction. As the sun sets on the penguin colony within which you stand, you can’t help but feel an emotional connection to the penguins there, especially as you learn of their plight through the voice over,” added Dr. Grimmett.
Filming proved a major challenge, using untested camera rigs on precipitous cliff faces and in remote environments with no infrastructure. With experience in this arena, Visualise team had to balance the necessity of getting near to the penguins, to ensure great 360 shots, without upsetting the birds in their natural habitat. The net result is one of the world’s first nature films shot using 3D 360 technologies – never before has the action of penguins been captured in such immersive detail.
Will McMaster, Head of VR at Visualise said, “We have loved working with BirdLife and the penguins they are supporting on this project. This film is one of the first nature documentaries created in stereo 360. While most 360 film is shot monoscopic, and therefore has no depth, stereo 360 means that the viewer can see the physical depth of the scene. This means that audiences will be able to feel even more like they’re there, like they could almost reach out and touch the penguins, rocks and the sea. We hope this unique level of immersion will provide an emotional connection with audiences and generate greater support and donations for the campaign. Let’s save the penguins!”
The film has been condensed into a five minutes, and will be live from Wednesday 19 April. For maximum audience reach, the film will be viewable on Facebook and YouTube 360 – as well as through Virtual Reality headsets at BirdLife fundraising events.
As U.S. President Donald Trump this week decides the fate of the Paris Agreement on climate change, some unexpected but powerful forces are urging Mr President not to abandon the 2015 deal brokered among more than 175 nations.
Jubilation greeted the adoption of the Paris Agreement in December 2015 in Paris, France. Photo credit: unfccc.int
Surprisingly, it’s the big oil companies who are vocally supporting the climate agreement, joining others in the administration that include Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Specifically, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and BP are all in favor of America staying in the Paris COP21 pact, which former President Obama hailed as “the moment that we finally decided to save our planet.”
A BP spokesman told CNNMoney that it “welcomed the Paris Agreement when it was signed, and we continue to support it…
“We believe it’s possible to provide the energy the world needs while also addressing the climate challenge,” BP said.
Chevron told CNNMoney it “supports continuing with” the Paris deal because it “offers a first step towards a global framework.”
Exxon, the biggest US oil company that Tillerson used to lead, sent a letter to the White House last month hailing the Paris Agreement as an “effective framework for addressing the risks of climate change.”
A Shell spokesman confirmed that the energy giant remains “strongly in favor” of the Paris deal.
At first glance, it might seem surprising to hear that Big Oil isn’t seizing on the shifting political environment to poke holes in a deal that undermines fossil fuels like crude oil.
After all, Trump himself has called climate change a “hoax” and blasted COP21 as a “bad deal” for the U.S. (Trump later told The New York Times he has an “open mind” about the agreement).
But these traditional energy companies have a vested financial interest in the Paris deal. That’s because COP21’s crack down on carbon emissions favors natural gas, which emits much less pollution than coal.
While Exxon, BP and Shell are primarily identified as oil companies, they are actually diversified energy firms that rely heavily on natural gas to make money.
For instance, 42% of Exxon’s total daily production last quarter was actually in natural gas, according to FactSet. BP and Shell also lean on natural gas for a large chunk of their output.
“These companies view natural gas as a key growth area going forward for them. It just makes sense for them to be at the table,” said Brian Youngberg, senior energy analyst at Edward Jones.
Natural gas production has soared over the past decade, thanks to the abundance of shale gas in North America.
And now there’s the added benefit that governments are cracking down on carbon emissions.
BP’s statement mentioned its commitment to “reducing emissions in the power sector by producing and marketing natural gas.”
And Shell needs to protect its massive $50 billion investment last year to acquire BG Group, a sizable producer of natural gas.
Shell put out a report in February predicting that demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) – natural gas that is turned into a liquid to ship it where it’s needed – will jump by 4% to 5% each year to 2030. The report highlighted that governments like that natural gas produces half the greenhouse gas emissions that coal does when it’s burnt to produce electricity.
“You’re going to see extreme growth in LNG,” Youngberg said.
A General Assembly of partners to the Global Water Partnership (GWP) – Nigeria held recently in Abuja saw the emergence of Moses Beckley as the new Chair. He succeeds Dr Hassan Bdliya, has served two terms in office from 2010 to 2016.
Participants at the General Assembly of Partners of the GWP Nigeria, held recently
Mr. Beckley is currently the Director General of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) and has more than 30 years of active service and experience in the water development sector. He is expected to bring his wealth of experience into GWP-N and assist the Country Water Partnership attain its corporate goals and objectives.
In a related development, the Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso-based Regional Water Partnership for West Africa (GWP/WA), the regional body of the GWP, is seeking candidates for the position of its Chair.
The GWP aims at supporting countries in the sustainable management of their water resources with a view to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The mission of GWP recognises that the broader development goals of eliminating poverty, improving social well-being and economic growth and protecting natural resources cannot be achieved if water resources are not used in a sustainable way. GWP is promoting Integrated Water Resources Management.
The role of the GWP/WA chairperson is to lead the regional partnership to accomplish its fundamental mission that is to form alliances and reinforce the institutional capacities of the members in order to encourage and strengthen research, information and expertise networks on IWRM in the region. The chairperson presides over the Assembly of Partners and the Steering Committee and represents the Partnership in all its civil life transactions.
The GWP/WA chairperson is appointed by the Steering Committee for a term of two years renewable only once.
Coach of Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt, Stanley Eguma, has called for full concentration ahead of the second-leg of the CAF Confederation Cup play-offs.
Stanley Eguma, Coach of Rivers United FC
Eguma, who is still basking in the joy of the 5-2 victory of the first-leg of the competition against the Royale Sports of Rwanda last Sunday, said advancing to the group stage was not yet guaranteed until the return fixture is played.
“We are not yet celebrating because the game would be the decider, as we intend to qualify for the next group stage. Our match was tactical as our opponents are also a very good side,” he said.
One goal from Guy Ekweme and another from Emeka Acholoma ensured the Port Harcourt-based club go into the return tie with a three-goal advantage.
Rivers United and Royale Sports meet again on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at the Amahoro National Stadium, Kigali.
Meanwhile, the Union Bank Hockey team of Lagos, over the weekend, emerged the best champion of the one-day 2017 Rivers State Hockey Fiesta.
The men’s team won all four games to secure 12 points in a five-team competition played at the hockey pitch of the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Captain of the team, Musa Bello, said the event would help prepare them for the Super League which comes up in July.
“We are already planning to visit Ghana next week for the League competition. We have to prepare ourselves very well as this one is just a season for us to win the competition,” he sated.
Chairman of the Rivers State Hockey Association, Arthur Jombo, expressed happiness with the level of the organisation and the skills displayed by the players, and called for more improvement on the game.
“We need to have this more often, even if it is quarterly. If the government really wants to help the sport, then they need to beam their searchlight, even if is as popular as football.”
Lagos State Young Stars came second with seven points, Port Harcourt United followed third with five points, while Ocean Warriors are fourth. Rivers Kings had no point after four games.
In the women category, Rivers Queens Two emerged champions after their victory over Rivers Queens One.
Ghana now has in place a “Drinking Water Quality Management Framework” (DWQMF) that has adopted the risk-based approach as the foundation to managing the quality of drinking water in the country. It is an integrated system of approaches and procedures that addresses the key factors governing drinking water quality and safety; and provides a risk management method, which is comprehensive from catchment to consumer.
Dr. Kwabena Nyarko of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
The Framework is basically an approach that promotes an understanding of the entire water supply system, the events that can compromise drinking water quality and the operational control necessary for optimising drinking water quality and protecting public health. Additionally, it is set to provide stakeholders with clear direction for drinking water quality and protection of public health, covering urban, rural, packaged water, tanker suppliers, and self-generated supply among others.
With this adopted risk-based approach, the era of traditional compliance monitoring approach in the management of drinking water quality in Ghana is supposed to be over now. It had limitations that made the quality of drinking water suspect.
According to Dr. Kwabena Nyarko of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the traditional approach did not take into consideration risk factors that undermine drinking water quality. He was interacting with some members of the Ghana Watsan Journalists Network in Accra. The occasion was a special media briefing session that took place on Tuesday, 4th April, 2017 as part of activities marking this year’s national celebration of World Water Day.
Touching on the limitation of the traditional approach, Dr. Nyarko said for instance, “treated water will have reached domestic consumers, before results of tests on its quality are ready.” He noted that “unlike unsafe food that can be easily recalled, drinking water that has been distributed cannot be recalled. Besides, water volumes tested are not statistically representative and there is limited capacity to detect short term fluctuations.”
Obviously, these disturbances along the value chain of drinking water compromised the quality of water reaching a household. So even though, Ghana had won the commendation of the UN for exceeding one of the targets of the water related goal of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which was to reduce by halve the number of people without access to safe drinking water by the close of 2015, concerns were raised about the actual quality of drinking water, because of the identified risk elements.
Consequently, the erstwhile Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing (MWRWH), with support from UNICEF, carried out an assessment of the drinking-water quality management system in Ghana in in 2014 to 2015. The result was published in April 2016. Dr. Nyarko was the national consultant who worked with the international consultant on the assignment.
Narrating the background to the Framework, he said, the assessment exposed the limitations in the traditional approach to managing the quality of drinking water, and it was recommended that “a single source document that relies on risk based approach as the foundation for the Drinking Water Quality Management Framework for Ghana” should be developed.
Dr. Nyarko explained that “the risk-based approach considers all the barriers to prevent contaminants reaching the public from the catchment to the users.” These barriers are needed to prevent contaminants from entering the raw water, remove contaminants from the water, maintain the quality of the water during distribution and prevent contamination when handling water.
He further explained that the required steps in the process include “identifying events that may introduce hazards, possible causes of each event, estimate the level of risk associated with each particular event, institute preventive measures to avoid events and corrective actions when preventive measures fail.”
This is not a simple matter and the list of drinking water contaminating events would include “galemsey” or illegal mining, environmentally unfriendly agricultural practices such as farming in water beds, residual from agricultural chemicals that sips into water bodies, open defecation, lack of adequate household sanitary facilities, untreated wastewater discharged directly into water bodies, and improper waste management among other things. Others will be burst pipelines that allow dirt and faecal matter into water as well as storage in the households.
Some of the events like “galamsey,” are complex. A closer examination will reveal that “this very harmful means of livelihood,” has been perpetuated following the legalization of open or surface mining in Ghana. Hitherto, “galamsey,” operators did not have this kind of audacity to assault water resources like they are doing now. It is complex because the practice is underlined by high rate of unemployment among the unskilled, unschooled or at best basically schooled young people, coupled with unreliable and unsustainable sources of livelihood.
How the Framework will facilitate the handling of these complicated and sometimes amorphous events is yet to be seen. But the good thing is that, it has outlined key components necessary to move the process forward. The Framework identifies the water supply chain from the catchment to use including the sources of water, treatment, transportation and end users. It has established the legal and policy framework, set out the roles and responsibilities of the various players; and highlights the required commitments to risked based water supply management and multi-stakeholder involvement.
Since its completion, a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a National Coordinating Committee for the Management of Drinking Water Quality has been signed; Coordinating Committee inaugurated; indicators for monitoring have been finalised and submitted to the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), for consideration among other things.
Dr. Nyarko said the next steps include dissemination of the Framework across the country and the development of a plan to build capacity for full implementation.
In a related development, Samuel Obiri of the Water Research Institute (WRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), met with members of the Watsan Journalists at an earlier special media briefing session on Thursday, April 6, 2017. He talked to them about the environmental and public health implications of wastewater and noted that certain current developments are eventually making wastewater a vital resource to be cherished and not discarded.
Mr. Obiri mentioned the developments as including “global climate change that will cause significant disruptions in the world’s natural hydrological cycles that will have significant impacts on water quality and supply, and how we manage water resources,” and added that “increased acceptance and reliance on reclaimed water will play a key role in mitigating the impacts of global climate change.”
He mentioned some challenges inhibiting effective wastewater management in Ghana as lack of good governance, weak enforcement of laws and regulations as well as institutions, limited sector funding, improper pricing of wastewater facilities leading to under recovery, and deficient monitoring regimes.
Mr. Obiri was optimistic about the role wastewater will ultimately play in the nearest future and said “wastewater needs to be more fully recognized within the overall water cycle, as one of the greatest untapped opportunities to enhance sustainable development.”
Meningitis has killed no fewer than 10 persons in Shagari Local Government Area (LGA) of Sokoto State in the last few weeks, its Chairman, Alhaji Jabbi Shagari, has said.
Sokoto State Health Commissioner, Dr. Balarabe Kakale
Shagari said on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 in Sokoto that “the deaths were recorded out of the several cases that are being treated across the local government”.
He said: “Happily however, the epidemic had been brought under control in the area, just like in many other parts of the state.”
Shagari also commended the state government for donating assorted drugs and medicament worth over N2 million to the local government.
The chairman said the drugs had helped tremendously in combating the menace, saying: “They were distributed to all the health facilities in the area”.
He added: “All the victims were treated free with the drugs and this was a formidable factor in combating the epidemic.
“I must particularly commend the Health Commissioner, Dr. Balarabe Kakale, for his swift response to the outbreak of the epidemic across the state.”
Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital city, has emerged fifth among the leading regional destinations on the Fortune 500 list, according to a new report released on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 by Infomineo, a global business research company specialising in Africa and the Middle East.
Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor of Lagos State
The report focuses on multinationals looking at entering, or already present, in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. Overall, there was a 17% increase in the number of Fortune 500 companies in MEA in 2016 compared to 2015, with Johannesburg being the leading destination for Africa.
The leading regional destinations on the Fortune 500 list include Dubai, Johannesburg, Casablanca, Nairobi, Lagos, and Cairo. Egypt remains behind the leaders due to political instability; however, it has seen a 250% increase in Fortune 500 investment since 2015.
The Middle East Africa (MEA) region has become increasingly important for the majority of global Fortune 500 companies.
The Infomineo analysis includes the regional footprint of multinationals in the MEA region, the most commonly chosen cities, and the factors which influence the selection of a region, country and city – each element revealing the dynamic growth patterns within the region and a clear trend of Fortune 500 companies establishing presence in MEA.
In 2016, 196 Fortune 500 companies had established a dedicated regional headquarters in the MEA region. In the Middle-East, Dubai is the most popular choice with 138 companies establishing a dedicated entity in the city. There has also been a marked uptick in companies deciding to cover MEA from outside of the region – 38 companies up from 22 have established a regional headquarters in areas such as London, Brussels and Paris.
Industry type plays a pivotal role in the selection of city and country. Financial services are more likely to base MEA coverage from London, while technology companies are more inclined towards Casablanca or Lagos. The latter city is also the premier location for organisations looking to manage their operations across Western Africa with 12 Fortune 500 companies already established in the city. Automotive and Healthcare tend to have a presence in both Africa and the Middle East, while Technology is more inclined to having a presence from the outside.
Nairobi, in Kenya, is the leading destination for the FMCG companies and tends to be the top choice for organisations looking to service Eastern Africa. Dubai and Johannesburg are the most popular hubs overall, but both Casablanca and Nairobi are rapidly gaining traction and international awareness. Casablanca has the highest growth rate overall, while Dubai has the highest count. The same can be said for London, which has tripled its number of regional HQs serving the region, acting as an MEA hub. Given the geographical proximity and the talent pool present in the city, it could be that London is playing the role of a first step into the MEA region, especially for Japanese and North American companies.
There are numerous factors which impact on the organisation’s selection of a specific city. These include the local market potential, maturity of the industry, existing competitors, political stability and the quality of the employment market, among others. Determining the attractiveness of a location along these clear lines assures the Fortune 500 companies of a stable and profitable investment and significantly mitigates risk. The most attractive cities are Dubai, Johannesburg, Casablanca and Nairobi, and at the lower end of the spectrum, Cairo, Paris, Algiers and Cape Town
In December 2015, officials from 197 countries (nearly every country in the world) met in Paris at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) and negotiated a global agreement to limit global warming. On Earth Day, April 2016, the U.S. and 174 other countries signed the agreement, with most of the others following suit since then.
On Friday, Politico reported that President Trump’s senior advisors, including Jared Kushner, Gary Cohn, Rex Tillerson, Rick Perry, Scott Pruit, H.R. McMaster, and Steve Bannon are meeting this week (Earth Week), perhaps Tuesday, to decide whether the US will stay in the Paris agreement or not.
What do American voters think about U.S. participation in the Paris Agreement? And what do Trump voters think.
By a more than 5 to 1 margin, voters say the U.S. should participate in the Paris Agreement.
In a nationally representative survey conducted after the election, we found that seven in 10 registered voters (69%) say the U.S. should participate in the COP21 agreement, compared with only 13% who say the U.S. should not. Majorities of Democrats (86%) and Independents (61%), and half of Republicans (51%) say the U.S. should participate (including 73% of moderate/liberal Republicans). Only conservative Republicans are split, with marginally more saying the U.S. should participate (40%) than saying we should not participate (34%).
Most voters want the U.S. to participate in the Paris climate agreement
About half of Trump voters say the U.S. should participate in the Paris Agreement.
Almost half of Trump’s voters (47%) say the U.S. should participate in the Paris agreement, compared with only 28% who say the U.S. should not.
About half of the President’s voters want him to participate
Will President Trump side with the nationalists on his advisory team who want to withdraw from the Paris Agreement to limit global warming? Or will he side with the moderates, including his family members, a majority of Americans, and a plurality of his own voters, who want the U.S. to continue to participate in the Paris Agreement? This decision may be an important turning point in the future history of Earth.
Africa is once again at the centre of global focus, thanks to an initiative aimed at ensuring that its marine economies are climate-resilient.
Ocean economy: A coastline in Africa
In the face of a changing global climate, Africa and its coastal communities that rely on the oceans for their food security and livelihoods are considered particularly vulnerable.
But succour may just be around the corner, going by the commencement this year of a three-year continent-wide scheme that is estimated to gulp a whopping $3.5 billion.
The African Package for Climate-Resilient Ocean Economies (or “the Package”), as the initiative is christened, was revisited during the 12th Conference of the Parties (COP12) to the 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 (or simply “Abidjan Convention”) that held March 27-31, 2017 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
Three leading multilateral development organisations – the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) – are joining forces to actualise the Package, which consists of technical and financial assistance to support coastal and island states in Africa to address the challenges of climate change as they develop their ocean-based economies and implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
To ensure easy access to international finance, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) are reportedly involved in the implementation of the Package, which as been described as a response to the outcome of last September’s African Ministers Conference on Ocean Economies and Climate Change, held in Mauritius.
Out of the estimated $3.5 billion project amount, the sum of N177 million is earmarked for Nigeria under West Africa, one of the five flagship programmes covering four coastal regions and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of Africa over a project implementation period spanning 2017 to 2020. The other programmes are for North Africa, Central Africa, Indian Ocean and SIDS.
Nigeria’s N177 million is expected to be utilised on projects related to fisheries & aquaculture, coastal protection, hydromet system/early warning and waste management.
Other countries under the West Africa programme include: Benin ($152 million), Cape Verde ($33 million), Cote d’Ivoire ($215 million), The Gambia ($3 million), Ghana ($177 million), Guinea ($105 million), Guinea-Bissau ($30 million), Liberia ($39 million), Mauritania ($144 million), Senegal ($238 million), Sierra Leone ($155 million) and Togo ($238 million).
Countries under the North Africa programme are: Morocco ($154 million; focusing on the nation’s Ceinture Bleue project) and Tunisia ($73 million).
Central Africa programme countries are listed to include: Angola ($116 million), Cameroon ($119 million), Equatorial Guinea ($99 million), Gabon ($107 million) and Sao Tome & Principe ($32 million).
Indian Ocean programme countries are: Comoros ($25 million), Kenya ($130 million), Madagascar ($112 million), Mauritius ($42 million), Mozambique ($113 mmillion), Seychelles ($42 million), Somalia ($28 million), South Africa ($50 million) and Tanzania ($30 million).
Officials disclose however that stated amounts are objectives based on preliminary estimates of needs and possibilities, and that World Bank, FAO and AfDB will work with countries, GCF, GEF and other development partners to flesh out the Package and design specific programmes.
Based on vulnerability assessments, the Package will nonetheless provide the framework to make the countries’ development pathways climate-resilient, build resilient coastlines and communities, strengthen food security, create decent employment opportunities and facilitate needed policy reforms for those most affected by climate change.
A source said: “A flagship approach optimises the impact of the interventions, while maximising their multiple benefits. It does so in an integrated and holistic way while supporting commitments from the agencies such as the World Bank’s Climate Business Plan, the AfDB’s Ten Year Strategy (2013-2022) and High Fives, and FAO’s Blue Growth Strategy.
“The assiatance provided by the three agencies in each country is through new investments funded by them as well as from the GCF and the GEF.”
According to World Bank officials, the Package draws together currently fragmented climate change knowledge and activities for ocean-related sectors and focuses on:
Understanding vulnerabilities specific to geographical context, economic sectors, including fisheries, and communities directly and indirectly dependent on those sectors.
Combining policy, technological and management best practices to improve social, economic and ecological resilience.
Identifying low-cost options for resource efficiencies, and supporting resilience and mitigation efforts.
Enhancing sustainable use of coastal ecosystems to optimise their carbon sequestration potential.
Developing hydromet and ocean observation systems for early warning and disaster readiness.
