In what looks like a game changer for elephant conservation, China has announced plans to end domestic ivory trade by the end of 2017. With this decision, the country aims to reduce demand for elephant ivory and help end the global elephant poaching crisis.
Poaching: Forest elephants are poached for their ivory and threatened with extinction
The international nature conservation community is celebrating what appears to be another big win for elephant conservation with China’s game-changing decision to end domestic ivory trade by 2017. The new regulations come as part of the government’s efforts to reduce demand for elephant ivory and help end the global elephant poaching crisis.
“China’s announcement is a game changer for elephant conservation,” said Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF. “The large-scale trade of ivory now faces its twilight years, and the future is brighter for wild elephants. With the US also ending its domestic ivory trade earlier this year, two of the largest ivory markets have taken action that will reverberate around the world.”
Last September, President Barack Obama and China’s President Xi Jinping made a joint commitment to impose near-total elephant ivory bans in their countries. The US finalised new regulations in June that will help shut down commercial elephant ivory trade within its borders and stop wildlife crime overseas.
China and the US are two of the world’s biggest consumer markets for wildlife products. Their historic decision to phase out commercial elephant ivory trade in both countries is a monumental step that few would have predicted a year ago.
The decision helped shape discussions at the world’s most important wildlife trade conference which took place in South Africa this past September. Representatives from 182 Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) gathered to discuss critical trade issues impacting species under threat, including a proposal to end all commercial domestic elephant ivory markets. In 2013, China and 18 other Asian and African countries were asked to develop and put into effect National Ivory Action Plans to address the poaching crisis.
Poachers kill between 20,000 and 30,000 African elephants each year for their tusks, primarily to satisfy the demand for ivory products in Asia, where China is a key part of this trade. The epidemic threatens Asian elephants as well, but on a smaller scale.
Now that two of the world’s largest domestic ivory markets – the US and China – have shown great leadership in taking significant stands towards elephant conservation, it is WWF’s hope that other consumer markets follow suit.
A recently published study by WWF and TRAFFIC says that an ivory trade ban in China is feasible and could help reduce current threats to African elephants. Creating that ban could set an example for and influence other countries to tackle the illegal ivory trade.
“We’d like to see China continue its efforts to reduce demand for ivory; raise public awareness about wildlife crime; and work with other governments, conservation organisations, the private sector and local communities to help end the illegal ivory trade – and give elephants a future free from poaching,” said Roberts.
Green bond issuance worldwide could cross $200 billion in 2017, doubling the 2016 record, as it continues to be driven by the Paris climate agreement, China’s clean energy campaign, as well as new issuers and structures, rating agency Moody’s said on Thursday, 19 January 2017.
The Mongolian eco-bus service. Green bonds are debt instruments used to raise funds for projects involving renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean transportation or encouraging a low carbon economy
Issuance of green bonds – debt instruments used to raise funds for projects involving renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean transportation or encouraging a low carbon economy – rose 120 percent in 2016 to 93.4 billion.
That surge was on the back of Chinese borrowers rushing to the market. Still, the doubling of volumes will continue in the current year with the tally seen rising to $206 billion.
“With continued momentum attributable to the Paris climate agreement and factors such as issuer and geographic expansion, green bond issuance will likely reach another milestone in 2017,” the report said.
The 2015 Paris Agreement, signed by almost 200 nations, aims to end the fossil fuel era by shifting to renewable energy in the second half of the century.
New instruments, such as green money-market securities in the form of short-term commercial paper, or preferred stock, and a variety of structured as well as securitised transactions, could also drive this expansion, it said.
The ratings agency said that green bond issuance increased every year by an annual average of 163 percent between 2011 and 2015 and set consecutive issuance records during 2013-2015.
China-based issuers were the biggest source of these bonds in 2016 accounting for $32.9 billion – more than a third of the volume issued.
China needs at least 2 trillion yuan ($308.8 billion) of green investment annually over the next five years to promote environmental protection and reduce the effects of pollution from its rapid industrial growth over the past three decades.
At the same time demand for green bonds is growing, with many pension funds and money managers in the West mandated to invest in socially responsible and environmentally friendly assets.
Even at 2016’s record issuance of $93.4 billion, green bonds still represented just 1.4 percent of global capital market debt issuance in 2016, which reached around $6.7 trillion, according to Moody’s.
“While green bonds continue to gain momentum and have been extremely successful in generating attention for climate change and climate solutions, green bond-linked funding and investments continue to fall short of reaching the scale needed to play a significant role in the transition to a low-carbon economy,” Moody’s said in the report.
Moreover, challenges could emerge in the shape of the incoming US administration led by Donald Trump, who has called man-made climate change a hoax and said he would renegotiate the Paris Agreement.
Moody’s said there were barriers to growth.
“The need for a standardised definition and framework, including with reporting and disclosure practices, remains a bottleneck in the growth and development of a robust green bond market,” it said.
Minister of Environment and United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Designate, Amina Mohammed, on Thursday, 19 January 2017 in Lagos was guest speaker at the 15th Chief S. L. Edu Memorial Lecture, organised by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF).
Ms. Mohammed spoke on the topic: “Decline of vultures: Consequences to human health and the economy.” Chairman of the Day was Chief Newton Jibunoh, who is Founder, Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE); while Chief Ede Dafinone, Chairman, National Executive Council of the NCF, was Host.
Amina Mohammed delivering her lecture on “Decline of vultures: Consequences for human health and economy”.Ede Dafinone (second left) and Amina Mohammed, with other dignitaries on the high table. On the left is Adeniyi Karunwi, Director General of the NCFDr Newton JibunohEde DafinoneAll set for the NCF lecture…On behalf of the NCF, Dr Jibunoh presents a gift to Ms. MohammedMinister of Environment/Guest Speaker, Ms Amina J. Mohammed (2nd right). receiving an award of Honour from Chairman of the Occasion/Founder, Fight against Desert Encroachment,(FADE), Dr.Newton Jibunoh (2nd left), while Chairman of the Council, Nigerian Conservation foundation (NCF), Chief Ede Dafinone (right), and Director General, NCF, Mr. Adeniyi Karunwi (left), looks on during the 15th Chief S.L Edu Memorial Lecture organised by the NCF
The minister makes out time to address the young ones…The minister stresses a point as she addresses tomorrow’s leaders…
Amid the lush and rolling hills of Mubuga, 100 km outside the Burundian capital of Bujumbura, some 2,500 people on Wednesday, 18 January 2017 celebrated the festive ground-breaking for a 7.5 MW solar field that will add 15% to the East African country’s generation capacity.
Michael Fichtenberg of Gigawatt Global greets Burundian dignitaries and the diplomatic community in a festive groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for the company’s second African solar field. Photo credit: Gigawatt Global
In a colorful and drum-accented ceremony attended by government officials, international investors, religious leaders and the diplomatic community, Gigawatt Global, a solar and social development enterprise, announced the $14 million pioneering project in one of the world’s least developed nation.
“Empowering economic and social development is at the heart of our green energy business,” said Michael Fichtenberg, VP for Finance and Business Development of Gigawatt Global. “This high impact development investment supported by leading international financial institutions signals that Burundi is open for development and business.”
According to sources, this will be the largest private international investment in the power sector in Burundi in nearly 30 years, with the power being sold for 25 years to REGIDESO, the national electric company.
“We are very excited at the groundbreaking of the Gigawatt Burundi solar field,” said Come Manirakiza, Burundi’s Minister of Energy and Mines. “After their success in Rwanda, Gigawatt Global has proven it can be relied on to deliver efficient, clean renewable energy at reasonable cost, contributing greatly to our economy and society. We look forward to the speedy completion of this project, and are thankful for the collaboration and cooperation with Gigawatt Global as energy in Burundi is a clear priority.”
Gigawatt Global, an American-owned Dutch developer, is a founding member of the White House Power Africa initiative and financed and developed the first commercial scale solar field in continental sub-Sahara Africa (outside of South Africa) in neighboring Rwanda in 2014.
The project has been supported by a grant from the Energy and Environment Partnership (a Finland, UK, Austrian fund) and the Belgian Investment Company for Developing countries (BIO) to cover the relevant studies. The project is also supported by African-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme (RECP) and the Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP), currently engaging in project due diligence.
“This project is a great example of Burundians, Americans and other international partners working together for the economic development of Burundi,” said Anne Casper, U.S. Ambassador to Burundi. “The success of this project will be a positive signal to other potential investors, who are watching Gigawatt Global and the Government of Burundi to see if investing in Burundi is stable, predictable and easy to do. We are working together very hard and very closely with the U.S., Burundi, the Netherlands, and Gigawatt Global to make this project a success, and to enable the whole country to get energy; and this will lead to the country’s economic development.”
U.S. Power Africa Coordinator, Andrew Herscowitz, underlined the importance of Gigawatt Global’s work, saying, “As a founding Power Africa partner, Gigawatt Global continues to demonstrate its industry leadership with this investment in Burundi.”
Hendrikes Verwein, the Dutch Ambassador to Burundi, said, “The Kingdom of the Netherlands supports Gigawatt Global and commits to assist the company in the pursuit of its investments. The Kingdom of the Netherlands expresses its wish that the contractual commitments included in the agreement protocols for the construction of the solar plant in Mubuga be rapidly implemented.”
“Gigawatt Global is expecting to deploy $2 billion in renewable energy projects in Africa as partners of the White House Power Africa initiative in the coming years as renewables are taking the lead in power generation in Africa and emerging markets,” said CEO, Josef Abramowitz. “We are targeting sub-Sahara Africa as a high impact and high growth market, with a portfolio of small, medium and large power projects in the highest priority development areas.”
The construction and interconnection of the project to the national grid is expected to be concluded in the fourth quarter of 2017.
A new report offers a strategic guide for cities in developing countries to access green bond market flows, a potential source of finance for cities looking to secure investment in low-carbon, climate-resilient infrastructure to meet the water, energy, housing and transportation needs of their expanding urban populations.
The $137 million bond from Johannesburg in South Africa is the only municipal green bond issued by a developing country city
The report is titled: “Green Bonds for Cities: A Strategic Guide for Policymakers in Developing Countries.”
Since 2007, $131 billion in green bonds have been sold to institutional and retail investors attracted by their link to green projects, goods and services. The last three years has seen an exponential 13-fold increase in the value of annual bonds issued, from $3.2 billion in 2012 to $44 billion in 2015. This is projected to reach $75 billion by the end of 2016.
As of November 2016, 271 cities in developing countries had committed to developing climate mitigation and adaptation plans. However, they currently have limited access to the capital necessary to implement these plans.
There would seem to be considerable room for these cities to access increased finance from the green bonds market. The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analysis of the projects underlying green bonds currently in the market shows $2.3 billion in value is linked with city-based projects in developing countries, including urban mass transit systems, district heating and water distribution networks. To put this in context, this represents:
1.7% of total green bond market flows since 2007.
6% of all flows to developing countries: A total of $38 billion of the proceeds from green bonds issued by development finance institutions (DFIs), commercial banks and corporations has been directed toward projects in developing countries.
11% of flows to all city-based projects worldwide: $17 billion has been raised by cities in developed countries such as the US, France and Sweden.
Choosing a strategy to access finance from green bonds
Developing country cities’ own creditworthiness is the key constraint limiting their ability to issue bonds themselves. As of November 2016, the $137 million bond from Johannesburg in South Africa is the only municipal green bond issued by a developing country city. Most finance that flowed to developing country city-based projects did so indirectly: 94% from green bonds issued by DFIs such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
The subsequent sections of the report help cities to decide on the most appropriate short and long-term strategies based on their current creditworthiness, regulatory context and financing goals.
Overfishing is threatening food security off Africa’s western and central coast as many fish species in the region face extinction
The Madeiran sardine
If urgent action is not taken to stem the tide, the popular fish delicacy – the sardine – may soon disappear from the food menu in African homes
This is because numerous marine fish species – including the Madeiran sardine – are in danger of global extinction due to overfishing along the coast of western and central Africa, threatening food security in the region, according to the Eastern Central Atlantic Red List of Threatened Species published on Thursday, 19 January 2017 by the nternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The report is the first complete assessment of the conservation status of 1,288 bony fish species – a group which comprises the vast majority of fish species – in marine waters from Mauritania to Angola, including offshore islands like Cape Verde. According to its findings, 37 of the assessed species are threatened with extinction and 14 Near Threatened – many of them important food sources. Other threats to those species include the degradation of habitats, pollution, climate change and invasive species, according to the report.
“The growing extinction threat to fish off the central and western coast of Africa could seriously undermine food security across the region, impacting on progress towards the first two Sustainable Development Goals in addition, of course, to undermining SDG14 on life under water. Fish provide a major source of animal protein for coastal communities, which account for around 40% of this region’s population,” says IUCN Director General, Inger Andersen. “In a part of the world where poverty reduction remains a challenge, preserving the rich diversity of marine fish species will help safeguard the livelihoods of local communities.”
Species caught commercially and in small-scale fisheries were found to be most threatened, with 39 of the 51 threatened and Near Threatened species exploited; many of them staple food sources for local people. The Madeiran sardine (Sardinella maderensis), now listed as Vulnerable, is one of three sardine species which are all considered overfished within the region. The Endangered Cassava Croaker (Pseudotolithus senegalensis) is estimated to have declined by 30-60% over the past 10 years, primarily due to overfishing. Croakers are particularly important to local subsistence fishers, who will be most affected by stock declines.
The region houses a rich diversity of fish species in its coastal waters, mangroves, lagoons and major river estuaries such as the Niger delta. Many of these habitats are degraded by oil exploration, development, and the conversion of mangrove swamps to human uses, adding to pressures from overfishing.
Marine resources form the foundation for food security and livelihoods for the nearly 400 million people in western and central African countries with a marine coastline. Fisheries in the region are among the most productive in the world, and play an important role in household incomes and national economies. The artisanal sector dominates fishing employment throughout the region.
“For the first time, we have comprehensive knowledge of the presence and population status of all marine fishes in the region,” says Idriss Deffry, Marine and Coastal Coordinator for the IUCN Programme for Western and Central Africa. “This will provide critical information for improved fisheries and marine protected area management, and identify further research and conservation efforts needed.”
The study highlights the severely limited capacity for fisheries surveillance and enforcement in the region, leading to illegal fishing and overfishing that imperils national and regional management efforts. In many countries illegal catches represent over 40% of the reported legal catch, the report states.
The limited financial and technical capacity in the region leads to species being incorrectly identified, compounding the difficulties of understanding species distributions and population trends. This lack of information has resulted in Data Deficient listings for four of the six snappers, which are heavily targeted throughout the area.
“This report highlights the need for improved knowledge and monitoring of marine biodiversity in the region,” says Beth Polidoro, co-coordinator of the IUCN Marine Fishes Red List Authority. “Many nations are still lacking in adequate marine or coastal protected areas to safeguard marine resources, while many of the current protected areas are in need of increased capacity, funding, infrastructure and governance for effective enforcement and conservation.”
In the wake of a contentious U.S. election and despite the election of a president who has publicly described global warming as a hoax, Americans are increasingly sure global warming is happening, according to a national survey conducted by the George Mason University’s Centre for Climate Change Communication after the presidential election (Nov-Dec 2016).
The number of Americans who are “very worried” about global warming has reached a record high (19%) since the Centre’s surveys began in 2008
The proportion of Americans who think global warming is happening remained steady at 70% in 2016 – nearly matching the highest level measured since November 2008 (71%). But Americans are now also more certain it is happening – the proportion that are “extremely” or “very” sure global warming is happening (45%) is at its highest level since 2008, says the report.
The number of Americans who are “very worried” about global warming has reached a record high (19%) since the Centre’s surveys began in 2008. A majority of Americans (61%) say they are “very” or “somewhat” worried about the issue – nearly equal to the highest level last seen in 2008 (62%).
Likewise, Americans increasingly view global warming as a threat. Since Spring 2015, more Americans think it will harm people in developing countries (65%, +12 points), people in the U.S. (59%, +10 points), future generations (71%, +8 points), their family (46%, +5 points), and themselves personally (41%, +5 points).
K-12 (a short form for the publicly-supported school grades prior to college) instruction on climate change is now required as part of the STEM Next Generation Science Standards. Despite being controversial in some school districts, a large majority of Americans (76%) support teaching children about global warming in school.
The report includes several other results, including measures of public feelings of anger, fear and hope about global warming and the frames by which Americans conceptualise the issue (for example, as an environmental, scientific, political, moral, or religious issue).
Environment related issues such as climate change and sustainable development rank high on the agenda at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Photo credit: Ruben Sprich/Reuters
According to the World Economic Forum 2017 Global Risks Report released in time for the meeting, the environment dominates the 2017 global risk landscape in terms of impact and likelihood.
Extreme weather events, large natural disasters and failure to curb greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to climate change are listed as the most prominent global risks.
Climate change ranks as one of the top three trends to shape global developments over the next 10 years.
The WEF report highlights that even though the risk will play out over the long term, actions have to be immediate and long-lasting to have any hope of reversing the trajectory of climate change, and that the current pace of the transition to low carbon and resilience is not fast enough.
It adds that international cooperation is fundamental to address challenges posed by such risk, from managing “global commons” such as oceans and our atmosphere to enacting international accords such as the Paris Agreement and the progress made last year at the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech, Morocco (COP22).
Meanwhile, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Patricia Espinosa, is attending the event, where she will speak to business, government and civil society leaders about how the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals can be translated into actionable strategies.
The UN Foundation, GSMA, the UN’s Department of Public Information, Guggenheim Partners, and other partners are collaborating to engage people around the world in the important conversations happening at Davos via a digital platform called “SDGlive”.
Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who is undertaking a series of interactive engagements with oil-producing communities, said on Monday, January 2017 in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State, that the years of official neglect and corruption in the Niger Delta region is a thing of the past and that now is the time to prepare for a future of progress and development
Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo
The Niger Delta that we see today including this great kingdom is an area of poor infrastructure, few schools, few hospitals and a severe pollution, as Niger Delta of today is one of daily pipeline vandalisation.
In 2014 alone, there were over 3,700 incidents of pipeline vandalisation, from January to June 2016, there were over 1,447 incidents of vandalisation.
The Niger Delta of today is one where, aside from environmental degradation, between 1998 and 2015, over 20,000 persons have died from fire incidents arising from breaching of the pipelines.
The city is poor and thousands have health challenges especially as a result of environmental pollution.
The Niger Delta of today, anywhere you go, there are signboards of proposed infrastructural projects mostly uncompleted and many are simply abandoned. Many of the initiatives, if you check, the story has not been able to make the big changes required.
From the Niger Delta Development Board in the 60’s, the OMPADEC, the NDDC, & the Amnesty Programme, many of these projects have not been able to meet the objectives that were set for them.
The status-quo of Nigeria, years of official neglect, corruption and malfunction of oil companies have yeilded a massive whole pain till today.
But my message to you today is that it is time to prepare for the future. Our future is not a future of environmental degradation, poor infrastructure; it is not a future of no roads, harrassment.
It is a future of progress and development.
Unfortunately, there is no time because the future is already here; every citizen should ensure that the future is not worse than today and to prepare for a great and promising future of the Gbaramatu Kingdom and the people of the Niger Delta as a whole.
Now, three things must happen and I want you to follow me closely:
We must also recognise that the Niger Delta is a special place, a special economic zone for this nation and so must be treated as a special development zone.
We must recognise a unique environmental and daring challenge of Niger Delta.
The third thing that must happen as we prepare for the future is to realise that the future is full of challenges for the oil industry
Special Development Zone Long ago at the Willinks Commission, it had been acknowledged that, because of the peculiar environment of the Niger Delta, and the profound challenges, it should be treated as a special development zone.
And I agree entirely that this zone has to be treated as a special development zone, but what does this mean in practical terms?
It means that the Federal Government, State Government and the National Assembly representatives alongside NDDC and the Civil Society representatives of the Niger Delta people must sit together and develop a plan and concrete arrangements for development of the Niger Delta.
There is no excuse for not planning together; the Federal Government alone cannot solve the problems of the Niger Delta just as my dear brother President of the Ijaw Youth Council said.
It is impossible for Federal Government alone, but we can, with the State Government in this delta region, National Assembly members and Civil Society Organisations, plan for this special development zone and make sure that they carry it out and they deliver on the promises that we have made to the people.
The State Government should also be prepared to devote substantial portions of there budgets to this special projects.
The PANDEF have submitted a concise list of 16-dialogue issues that will be extemely helpful in ascertaining the key development priorities. That bounded document is an important working document.
It is a document that shows what is required to be done and in every sense the document is an excellent roadmap for the future of the Niger Delta region.
We must also hold some of the international oil companies to the agreement to host communities relating to development of those areas. We must ensure that, in the future, in commercial opportunities rising from oil exploration activities, pipelines supervision and other such contracts should favour host communities.
We must promote indigenous participation of oil companies. Some oil companies have the excellent ideas of giving out ownerships to there host communities.
The critical issue is infrastructure, roads, rails, hospitals and schools.
In the 2017 budget we have provided for the commencement of the Lagos-Calabar rail way, the coastal railway which will go through the Niger Delta. We are doing this with the Chinese. We will be visiting Kurutie, the site of the Maritime University. The President has directed the Ministry of Petroleum to work quickly to see the realisation of all of the objectives in implementing these crucial educational institutions. The bill of the Maritime University has just passed the second reading in the National Assembly and I know we have the commitment of the members of the National Assembly to fast-track this to ensure that the Maritime University can come to fruition as soon as possible.
All of these and every one of them is listed in the bounded 16-dialogue issues projects that will benefit not just the Gbaramatu Kingdom and the entire Niger Delta.
But the issue is how to finance, there must be resources and revenues and if the revenues do not come we are deceiving ourselves and we are telling ourselves stories. Revenues can only come when we are sure that there is peace, this is the way of the obvious and l do believe that this must come with justice, legal justice itself is needed for these to be effected.
I look forward to all that has been said and all that the Youth Council have said.
His royal majesty also assured me that there is a commitment to peace, a committment to ensuring that we are able to make progress and all the revenues that will bring to fruition those things that we have promised and those things that are contained in the bounded document.
Environmental Clean-Up
The second thing that must happen in other to ensure that we prepare adequately for the future is the clean-up of environmental degradation of the entire Delta. The Ogoni clean-up has already been flagged off and an implementation committee is in place. For the clean-up not to be a waste of money, we must enforce strict environmental standard for the oil producing companies including regulatory commitments on gas glaring and all our communities must prevent vandalisation which is also a major source of environmental degradation. Future of Oil The third thing that must happen as we prepare for the future is that the future is full of challenges for the oil industry. And we must recognise that in another 20 to 30 years our oil will not be as precious as it is today and that is reality.
America has stopped buying oil from us. All the countries in the Asia that buy oil now are developing alternative sources of power; China and Japan are developing electric cars. In fact, Japan now has more charging stations than petrol stations everywhere. Solar power & other various sources of energy are getting cheaper.
We must be smart; we must act intelligently and act in time.
We have a window of opportuniy; we must use our oil to develop our people.
This Kingdom, a place like this should not be just like this, it should be better; it should look like Dubai or anywhere in the very developed countries in the world. It shouldn’t look like this, I am not satisfied but we cannot change unless we recognise that we only have a window of opportunity, may be 20, 30 years.
If we don’t take that window of opportunity we will spend that windows toying with ourselves.I pray we will work together to make sure that we are able to deliver for the future, and for all of our people.
But let me say to you all of the young men and women here, the future belongs to you. You are not the leaders of tomorrow, you are the leaders of today because the future is already here, it has come but it comes with tremendous responsibility.
The first responsibility is ensuring peace, development cannot rise without peace, the world is moving quickly, and we must not waste time.
Our President, President Muhammadu Buhari, in several times he has discussed with me, have always said one thing, and I quote “I have spent my life committed to this country, I’ve done nothing else, am not a business man, I have spent all my life in public service, every part of this nation is important to me and as long as God gives me life, I am going to prove that every part of this nation is important to me.”
This part of the nation is important to Mr. President, every word that he says, I believe him because he is a man of his words and I am assuring you that he is completely committed to ensuring that there is justice in Gbaramatu Kingdom, justice in the Niger Delta, peace and progress in the Niger Delta region.
Lagos, Nigeria’s former capital city, is in an ambulatory speed to overcome its lost glory. With its new nomenclature as a mega city, Lagos is on the fast lane to catch up with modernity in order to befit its mega city status. The change from a metropolis to a mega city started from the sudden increase of its six million populations in the year 2000 to 12.5 million in 2011 and as at 2014, the population was estimated at 21 million and the number is still on the rise.
Traffic congestion in Lagos
Physically, Lagos’ territorial expansion is equally on a very fast lane and already creating a burst at the seams. The former outlying villages and their adjoining agricultural lands on the outskirts of Epe, Ajah, Ikorodu, Agbowa and Badagry have been consumed by rapid urbanisation. These areas are no more hinterlands as they used to be; but are colonies of new urban settlements, their deficiencies in infrastructure and basic urban services notwithstanding.
The rate of new developments in the last two decades has been phenomenal. Anywhere one turns to, construction is ongoing. The cityscape is dominated by massive office complexes, high-rise residential buildings, and shopping malls, vest pockets of upscale housing estates, local markets, and amusement parks.
In transportation planning and mass transit, the mega city is making its mark. It now has a functional Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service highly rated for its operation performance, efficiency, reliability and affordable fare. Introduced to the public transport system six years ago, the BRT, it has a “daily ridership in excess of 220,000 and a cumulative ridership of 113 million since inception in 2010.” To complement BRT is the monorail which is under construction and would be ready for commissioning in 2017. Upon completion, the Blue Line of the monorail project will start running from Okokomaiko to Marina, a distance of 27.5 kilometers with a journey time of 35 minutes.
The mega city with its huge population figure and high population density generates the humongous amount of domestic garbage/refuse on a daily. Well over 12,000 metric tons of garbage was reported in 2016 by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) as a daily figure being generated in the sprawling megacity. Getting rid of the huge amount of garbage is a daunting challenge as LAWMA self-admitted, but efforts are not being relented to cope with the onerous responsibility.
Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode as a visionary urban reformist and a game changer. When he assumed office on May 29, 2015, as the 14th Executive Governor of Lagos State, he had an ambitious plan. He was unequivocal what the State’s vision and policy thrust would be under his watch. The State vision: “Making Lagos Africa’s model megacity and global economic and financial hub.”
The State Policy Thrust: “Poverty eradication and sustainable economic growth through infrastructure renewal and development.”
What is the magic wand used by the Governor? Put succinctly, what has Governor Amode done or continue to do differently to gradually turn around the fortunes of the Lagos mega city thus far? This article is not about the adulation of the Governor. Far from it. It is about the core elements of urban management and good governance which cities in Nigeria have been short-changed from time immemorial. From this writer’s point of view as an urban planner and a planning advocate, methinks that Governor Ambode’s approach to urban governance is a clear departure from what obtains in the past. Perhaps, this is the principal factor that has contributed to the tangible achievements of his administration in Lagos State generally and as manifested in the positive turnaround of the urban conglomerate now popularly known as the Lagos Mega City.
Good governance and participatory planning were Ambode’s first guiding principle. He is a committed apostle of the inclusive government in words and deeds. For every oppourtunity that comes his way, he harps on openness and inclusiveness. He constantly assures Lagosians that they are his “first consideration in whatever decision the administration takes; and that Lagosians would participate in every plan, programme and sundry government activities in Lagos State”. The practice of this principle is amply demonstrated in the engagement of the residents in Town Hall Meetings within each precinct that constitutes Lagos Mega City as a means of the government connecting with the people. Held quarterly in the presence of a large crowd of city residents, Governor Ambode uses the forum to intimate the citizenry how the city is being managed and administered by giving a detailed account of his stewardship, particularly how public resources were expended for overall public good. The Town Hall Meeting is also used as a feedback mechanism to hear from the residents about their agitations and how best the government they democratically elected can serve them better.
Urban management is made facile and more impact effective when it is people-centred. It is a core principle that municipal governments in Nigeria should learn to emulate and practice. In every democracy, the city residents are demanding to be heard and to participate in the decision-making process on matters that affect their lives and living. Good urban governance demands that elected officials should be accountable for their actions. The driving force in promoting transparency and accountability is citizen participation, which at the level of municipal government in Nigeria is still seldom cultivated. But Governor Ambode has convincingly demonstrated how it has been done successfully in Lagos State as this piece will further highlight.
A city’s livability and economic viability are tied to the apron string of its local plan of action. The Ambode administration has adopted this principle to the hilt by the implementation of various plans and intervention programmes, which have started to yield positive and beneficial results for the residents of the mega city. He personally championed what this writer code named “urban renaissance.” It is an era of massive urban infrastructural renewal and development, environmental sustainability, job creation, poverty eradication and a conducive/enabling environment for public-private partnership; and to encourage local entrepreneurship. The inflow of foreign capital investment is on the increase. The mega city is the principal beneficiary of such huge off-shore capital in-flow.
The implementation strategies for each of the afore-mentioned component of the local plan of action are evident in the novel ideas, plans and intervention programmes which the Ambode administration has religiously deployed its energy.
We surmise a few pertinent examples. The Lagos State Government embarked on massive construction and rehabilitation of the mega city road networks and as a result, there was a marked improvement in road connectivity and smooth intra-city circulation. The initiations and commissioning of new projects and actual development of recreation/activity centres to boost tourism within the megacity are in full swing. The National Museum, Onikan and Tafawa Balewa triangle have been designated an amusement district of the future. The provision of urban furniture such as bus shelters, on a massive scale throughout the nooks and crannies of the mega-city, is a component of intervention programmes for public transportation. The glory of Yaba Bus Park (as a notable bus terminus of the sixties and late seventies) is being revived. The bus park is being transformed to a modern bus terminus with state-of-the-art facilities for the comfort of the public.
On urban economy and job creation, the city offers greater and diverse oppourtunities for all. To ease the problem of capital scarcities for a local business start off and poverty reduction, a fund called Employment Trust Fund has been established in order to assist any deserving applicant or new local business to break the yoke of working capital incapacity or insolvency. Job creation strategies are being employed through the establishment of industrial hubs at suitable locations within the mega city. The revival of moribund industrial estates at Oyadiran, Sabo and Ikeja is on the drawing board. The Oyadiran industrial estate will be transformed into Lagos’ version of a Silicon Valley…hub of high-tech and knowledge-based industries. The Lekki Free Zone is already a business incubator, and other holistic urban revitalisation plans to facilitate job oppourtunities for job seekers are on the ascendancy.
The Ready, Set, Work (RSW) programme is a new addition to the number of job creation initiatives introduced by the incumbent administration. Essentially, the RSW is “an initiative to enable fresh university graduates to secure internship placements in high ranking corporate organizations, and also provide a platform for those with viable business ideas to benefit from local investors and the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund.”
Environmental sustainability projects are changing the face of the mega city. Most of the unsightly waterfronts at Makoko, Ilaje, Okobaba timber mill on the mainland and Marina on Lagos Island have been cleared. The affected areas will be put to more productive/economically viable uses in order to enhance the city’s economic base and propensity for revenue generation. The majority of these developments are private sector-driven in consonance with the policy focus of the administration. The government only provides an enabling environment for prospective investors.
The mega city is gradually transforming from a filthy megapolis to a city of wholesome hygiene. The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has risen to the challenge of its responsibility to rid the city of waste. LAWMA has evidently redoubled its efforts at waste collection, disposal, and management using corporate ingenuity, the involvement of the Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators in garbage collection and recruitment of street sweepers. Also introduced are the separation of waste and the application of modern technology in waste recycling.
Concerning housing accommodation problem in the mega city, the current administration has devised a two-prong approach to facilitate housing affordability and accessibility by Lagosians. With the launching of the mortgage financed rent-to-own housing scheme and rental housing, the government is able to offer a choice for home ownership or monthly rental to residents who have a choice to partake in either of the two schemes once the applicants meet certain eligibility requirements.
Mention must be made of Lagos transformation to a Smart Mega City. The Lagos State Government has invested heavily in setting up a modern website to facilitate internet communication and e-transaction of government business in order to promote administrative efficiency. The Lands Bureau, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and Ministry of Education are examples of government establishments whose operations are over 70% web-based. This has made Lagos mega city comparatively competitive with other global smart cities.
Lastly, and instructively, we may bold to say that effective urban management is not “rocket science.” What it entails is a focused leadership with a team of dedicated municipal officials who have demonstrable professional acumen and urban management aficionados; and those who are ingeniously innovative. These are the sterling qualities that are required to formulate a local plan of action or road map for an effective urban management and other deliverables of urban basic services, using the Lagos mega city as a case study. It is the only option to obliterate the sub-human living conditions prevalent in Nigerian cities and which city dwellers have become habituated.
