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When biotech experts met: Truth behind the facts

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When biotech experts met: Truth behind the facts

Three Nigerian ministries had top level representation at the Biotechnology and Biosafety Experts Meeting at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja on 15 August 2016. The Minister and Minister of State for Environment were present. So were the Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as Science and Technology. Interestingly, rather than the Minister of Science making remarks at the opening session of this meeting, he ceded the space to the Director-General (DG) of the Nigerian Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA).

A panel discussion session during the meeting
A panel discussion session during the meeting

In his remarks, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, asked, “Who will educate the politicians?” That quote, he informed the gathering, was from a one-time president of the USA, Richard Nixon. He then went on to say that genetic engineering is about science but that it had a cloud of fear, doubts, sentiments and political agitation hanging over it. He pointedly stated that at the end of the day “science will prevail.” Probably because his comments were brief, he did not expatiate on what he meant by that statement. He, however, said that the truth lay somewhere between the fears and the facts.

When the Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, took the floor she emphasised that the meeting was a starting point from where further conversations would be held and the larger public would have the opportunity to weigh in. She stressed the need to invest in knowledge and to strengthen the nation’s biosafety policy. She also touched on the communication gap between the scientists and the public. According to her, the wide store of indigenous knowledge must not be ignored in the building of broader understanding of the issues at stake. She generally called for healthy debates on the issues.

The outcome of the meeting has been presented to the public as being a plan by the Federal Government to sensitise Nigerians on the benefit of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). To some of us that were at that meeting we would not endorse such a summation. Why do we say so?

The meeting, although jointly called by the three ministries mentioned above, was driven by Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB), a biotech industry (non-governmental?) organisation headed by an assistant director in NABDA and deeply embedded in NABDA. Indeed, before the meeting started, a continuous stream of video clips was used to serenade participants with the success stories of GMOs and the wonderful process that gave birth to Nigeria’s National Biosafety Management Act 2015 and the National Biosafety management Agency (NBMA). When the Minister of Science gave way to the DG of NABDA, she took the stage to sell GMOs to the crowd of mostly converts to the technology. Those of us with strong doubts and who reject modern biotechnology as the panacea for Nigeria food issues were a token sprinkle you could count on the fingers of one hand.

The DG stated that GMOs started from the time of Adam and Eve in the Biblical Garden of Eden. Imagine modern biotechnology as old as Adam and Eve. She further on cited the roundly discredited letter signed by 109 Nobel Prize laureates that claimed that Greenpeace was hampering the adoption of the so-called Golden or GMO rice engineered for enhanced levels of vitamin A. The truth is that the rice in question is yet a failed project and is not hampered by anyone other than its failure to deliver on its promoters’ promises. The Institute of Science in Society and the Third World Network had this to say of the Golden Rice: The “golden rice” – a GM rice engineered to produce pro-Vitamin A – is being offered to the Third World as cure for widespread vitamin A deficiency. (Our) audit uncovers fundamental deficiencies in all aspects, from the scientific/social rationale well as financially bankrupt agricultural biotech industry. The scientific/social rationalisation for the project exposes a reductionist self-serving scientific paradigm that fails to see the world beyond its own narrow confines. The “golden rice” is a useless application. Some 70 patents have already been filed on the GM genes and constructs used in making the ‘golden rice’. It is a drain on public resources and a major obstruction to the implementation of sustainable agriculture that can provide the real solutions to world hunger and malnutrition.

The DG also stated that potatoes are naturally GMOs. No comment on that!

There were three panels, all of which had a paper presenter followed by panel discussions. The first panel was on the Socio-Economic Effects of GMOs and the lead presenter was Prof Ishyaku Mohammed, a key player in the development of GMO beans in Nigeria. The second panel was on Strengthening Biosafety Institutional Framework with Jeremy T. Ouedraogo – Head of NEPAD West African Biosafety Network Regional Office of the African Biosafety Network of Expertise. The third panel looked at Strategies for Effective Education and Communication. The lead presenter here was Prof. Diran Makinde, Senior Adviser, African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE).

The good thing about this meeting was that there were some voices on the panels speaking up on the known socio-economic, health and environmental dangers of GMOs and citing examples of countries that have banned agricultural/food applications of the technology. The biotech promoters used the platform to characterise food sovereignty campaigners as acting out scripts of supposed funders in exchange for a life of luxury in air-conditioned officers, cars and what not. The response to that was that this was cheap blackmail that would not deter opposition to risky technologies.

In the panel on strengthening biosafety institutional framework, the lead speaker mentioned two errors that National Biosafety laws could fall into were either being too permissive or being too restrictive. A close look at the National Biosafety Management Act 2015 shows that it is highly permissive and was couched for easy entrance of GMOs and related products in Nigeria. We gave examples. First is the fact that the Governing Board of NBMA is populated by biotech promoters, besides the statutory membership of federal ministries. The only slot for NGOs is conditioned on the representative being from a conservation NGO. Membership of the Board includes NABDA, an agency set up to promote GMOs in Nigeria. This agency teamed up with Monsanto Agriculture Nigeria Limited to apply and receive permission to conduct confined field trials of two GMO maize events in Nigeria. This shows a clear case of conflict of interest and we duly called for the removal of NABDA from the board of the Biosafety Agency. If NABDA partners with Monsanto we need to be convinced that they are depending solely on funds from the Ministry of Science for the discharge of their duties and that they are working under undue external influences.

Neither farmers nor consumers are represented on the NBMA board. Indeed, the Biosafety Board as presently constituted by the Act can be seen as an old boys’ club. If, as was agreed at this meeting that, the Biosafety Act is basically not to stop GMO, we need to know if it is NBMA’s duty to promote GMOs.

We also stressed that there should be a board that would consider recommendations of the Biosafety Agency before permits for GMOs are granted or rejected. At present decisions by the leadership of the Biosafety Agency with regard to applications are not subject to any form of oversight in the Act. This must be redressed. Recommendations should be subjected to consideration by either the Agency’s Board or preferably by an inter-ministerial committee. It is too risky and utterly dangerous to place the food safety and future of Nigeria into the hands of one person. The GMO approvals given to Monsanto and their partner, NABDA, were approved within a few months of the filing of the applications – a record of Olympian proportions.

The present Act allows for the display and receipt of comments on GMO applications to be made within only 21 days. In the case of the approval for Monsanto’s GMO cotton, the application was displayed only at Zaria and Abuja. There was no public hearing or consultation before the approval was given. The Agency was acting as empowered by the clearly deficient Act. This must be rectified to ensure that sufficient time is given for submission of objections/comments and that there are public hearings before decisions are made. Such applications must also be displayed at accessible locations across the nation and where possible in language that the public can understand.

Health of Mother Earth Foundation’s review and comments of the Nigerian Biosafety Act identifies many loopholes that raise red flags about the Act and thus demand action.

That is the Act that one of the lead presenters declared is so robust it requires no review!

Knowing the trend in development of GMOs – veering towards extreme biotechnology such as gene-editing and what is termed gene drives, scientists are working to overturn nature, avoid the sharing of traits that happens in natural reproduction, and instead pass on a predetermined trait in every reproductive event, to the extent that wiping out species through having offsprings that are of same sex becomes a possibility. The danger in this trajectory is that for some organisms a release of just one engineered individual could wipe out all relatives in the environment over a short period of time. Experiments are ongoing on utilising this technology to fight rats on an island.

If the public requires sensitisation, what is needed is to inform the public about the Biosafety Act, so that Nigerians can judge for themselves whether GMOs are the solution to food shortages in Nigeria. It is also essential so that the public would know their rights or lack of rights in the biosafety administration in Nigeria.

Some of us do not accept that nutrition and food security must be manufactured in science laboratories. And we should never forget that Nature is the ultimate scientist. The wise person works with Nature because fights against Nature are not only often futile but could become fatal.

It cannot be the duty of government to sensitise Nigerians about the desirability of GMOs. Government has a duty to assure Nigerians that we have a sound and truly robust Biosafety Act that they can depend on for environmental and food safety. The biotech promoters should campaign for funding from government to carry out their experiments in their laboratories and continue to build knowledge and expertise. We are fed by smallholder farmers and experts assure that it will remain so into the future. GMOs are not silver bullets that solve all problems. Our farmers need extension services, rural infrastructure and access to markets.

We must learn from the failure of GMO cotton in India, Pakistan, Burkina Faso and elsewhere. Having experts make excuse for a failing and risky technology cannot be said to be the best way to do science.

If anyone needs sensitisation in Nigeria about GMOs, it is the biotech promoters. They need to be sensitised that Nigerians don’t want GMOs and certainly do not want to be ambushed into eating what they do not want to eat. We have a right to choose what we eat. No one should have anything forced down his or her throat. There are other areas that modern biotechnology can focus on without having to tamper with our food systems in a process that would also introduce toxic chemicals that accompany their herbicide tolerant monocultures.

By Nnimmo Bassey (Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation – HOMEF)

Shrinking Lake Chad: A wake-up call to address insurgency, violence

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Shrinking Lake Chad: A wake-up call to address insurgency, violence

Lake Chad basin that happens to be an endorheic lake ( a closed drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water) is bordered by four different countries including Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria on the edge of the Sahara Desert. The name Chad is a local parlance meaning ‘a lake’ or ‘large expanse of water’. The primary inflow of this lake is from Chari River and empties its water into the Soro and Bandele depression.

Lake Chad viewed from Apollo 7
Lake Chad viewed from Apollo 7

The Kanuri people are one of the earliest settlers around this lake in far northern Nigeria with fishing and farming as their major occupation. According to historians, Lake Chad Basin was the remnant of former inland sea, named paleolake Mega-Chad.

It was, however, considered by the Europeans in 1823 as one of the largest lakes in the world. But, ironically, this lake has continued to shrink over the years due to shifting climate patterns, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Lake Chad Basin Commission. More so, an alarming increase in population and unsustainable human water usage are some of the factors responsible for this disappearance over time.

Coe and Foley in their article titled “Human and natural impacts on the water resources of the Chad Basin” stated that “according to the Global Resource Information Database of the United Nations Environment Programme, Lake Chad shrank as much as 95% (25, 000km2 to less than 1,500km2) from about 1963 to 1998”. It is no gain saying that this unprecedented change was caused largely by overgrazing, which resulted in desertification, and decline in vegetation affect millions of dwellers, all of whom depend on the lake as their main source of livelihood. They rely on the lake for drinking, irrigation and feeding. This unabated shrinking led to the extinction of hundreds of species of animals that rally this region and also attests to the reality of climate change.

We should know and hold this singular fact in mind that when people’s source of livelihood is being threatened, crime and other social vices will become cheap and rampant. This gives credence to the battle of ownership experienced in the Chad Basin region. The Fulani herdsmen need it to feed their wandering cattles, the local farmers are not left out in their own quest for irrigation and the fishermen want it to stay in shape for hunting prey.

This amongst many other things resulted into violence as to right of ownership. As if that is not enough, poverty, hunger and hatred will continue to spread like pandemic in this volatile region if government fails to restore hope. Boko Haram festered in this region for years because most of the inhabitants have lost their livelihood and want a means of survival by hook or by crook.

Mahatma Gandhi could not have said it better when he opined that “poverty is the worst form of violence”. Therefore, in order to forestall future occurrences of terror in this volatile region, the government must swiftly take action by funding numerous programmes. There should be a project centered on Lake Chad’s reversal, underlining a germane aspect of the climate change. The indigenes should be sensitised in their local parlance through their leaders in gatherings, seminars and symposiums on climate actions in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action). Skill acquisition and empowerment programmes should be flagged-off through vocational centres so as to reduce poverty and avert violence of all forms in the future.

By Alabede Surajdeen (environmentalist and SDGs advocate; alabedekayode@gmail.com; @BabsSuraj)

Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam to showcase NAMAs at carbon forum

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Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam to showcase NAMAs at carbon forum

Building on the fresh momentum resulting from the Paris Climate Change Agreement, 2016 is a crucial year to translate global commitments on climate change and development finance into concrete actions and plans. In light of this, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) secretariat has organised a NAMA Market Place session to be held during this year’s Asia Pacific Carbon Forum from 5-7 September in the Republic of Korea to facilitate implementation of nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) from countries in the Asia Pacific region.

Climate change mitigation: the Mongolian eco-bus service. At the Asia Pacific Carbon Forum, the country will shed some light on its GHG mitigation policy, which focuses on the use of energy efficient appliances and on reducing heat loss in buildings
Climate change mitigation: the Mongolian eco-bus service. At the Asia Pacific Carbon Forum, the country will shed some light on its GHG mitigation policy, which focuses on the use of energy efficient appliances and on reducing heat loss in buildings

Since 2010, developing countries including Nigeria have made efforts in preparing their NAMAs, which have the dual objective of contributing toward national sustainable development goals and to global efforts to address climate change. They are also a major vehicle in implementing developing countries’ nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

The NAMA Market Place session will provide experts from four countries – Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam – with a platform to present their NAMAs to a panel of public donors and private investors. Confirmed public donors include the NAMA Facility, which last month announced its 4th Call for project proposals, and the Green Climate Fund, which recently approved its first funding proposals for 2016 totalling $256.6 million. The private investors serving as panellists are still to be confirmed.

A short description of the four NAMAs that will be showcased at the event are hereby highlighted.

 

Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions in the Construction Sector in Mongolia

The energy sector in Mongolia is by far the largest contributor to the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Increased demand for housing as a result of economic growth and a surging rural to urban migration has caused a corresponding spike in energy requirements, projected to rise at an average rate of over 10% from 2015 to 2035.

Mongolia’s GHG mitigation policy focuses on the use of energy efficient appliances and on reducing heat loss in buildings, aiming at a 20% reduction in heat loss by 2020 and 40% by 2030 compared to 2014 levels, targets that have been well reflected in Mongolia’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC). A pronounced challenge in translating these pledges into action has been the lack of financing. This NAMA can help the government catalyse finance and support to achieve transformational GHG reductions in the construction sector, while achieving sustainable development targets. Total resources required over the three-year period 2017-2020 amount to $8,169,863.

 

Pakistan: Renewable Energy Distributed Generation NAMA

As in Mongolia, Pakistan’s energy sector is the largest contributor to GHG emissions in the country, despite a shortfall in electricity generation. As highlighted in Pakistan’s Vision 2030, ensuring availability of affordable energy is the bedrock of the country’s future development. To address both issues, Pakistan’s Renewable Energy Distributed Generation NAMA promotes the development of renewable energy projects in the near and long term by addressing a number of existing technical and financial barriers.

The NAMA seeks to establish a Financial Mechanism to enable Pakistani commercial banks to enter the DG RE market, while a Risk Sharing Facility (RSF) will offer a guarantee for losses incurred for non-performing loans under the programme. It also seeks to establish RE technology certification and a vendor accreditation programme to reduce the perceived risks by financial institutions and end-users.

 

Philippines: Enabling Distributed Solar

Despite the policy push in the Philippines to enable renewable energy, consumers are not taking advantage of these opportunities, mostly due to a lack of available financing options at competitive interest rates. This NAMA targets an increase in residential, commercial and industrial rooftop solar installations in on-grid utility service through specific financial and technical measures.

The financial component will establish a Credit Guarantee Fund, engage local financial institutions to expand the financing options available for distributed solar projects, and initiate a pipeline of “finance ready” projects. The technical component will reduce technology risks currently perceived by both consumers and banks. The total international support required is Euro 20 million. The NAMA support project is expected to directly leverage Euro 89 million in private sector funds and catalyse the distributed solar market estimated at Euro 400-800 million annually.

 

NAMA for the solid waste sector in Vietnam

Sustained economic growth in Vietnam coupled with increased consumption are pushing up solid waste generation rates. As of 2010, approximately 26,000 tons of solid waste was generated daily in Vietnam, with most of it being disposed in open dump sites and unsanitary landfills without prior treatment, highlighting the need to shift to more sustainable practices.

This NAMA aims to reduce the solid waste generated and to implement waste segregation. It foresees biological treatment of organic waste through composting and anaerobic digestion, and the recovery, reuse and recycling of inorganic waste.

The cost of implementing the measures proposed by the NAMA is estimated at an average minimum investment of $110 million per year until 2020 in solid waste treatment facilities. It is proposed that 80% of these investment requirements be met by domestic sources of financing, both public and private, with the remainder coming from international sources.

This year’s Asia Pacific Carbon Forum is taking place during the Global Green Growth Week 2016.

Courtesy: NAMA News

CIFOR, USAID develop interactive wetlands map

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CIFOR, USAID develop interactive wetlands map

The Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) on Tuesday launched an interactive, web-based map of the world’s wetlands on the sidelines of the 15th International Peat Congress in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

A wetlands ecosystem
A wetlands ecosystem

The Global Wetlands Map is a new initiative by the Sustainable Wetlands Adaptation and Mitigation Programme (SWAMP), a collaborative effort between CIFOR and the United States Forest Service, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It aims to build shared knowledge of wetlands, histosols (or peaty soils) and carbon stocks – a key tool for identifying and prioritising action on developing climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

The online map shows the estimated distribution of wetlands around the world. According to CIFOR, all users are free to explore the map and its data, while registered users can verify and contribute to the map based on their own research and on-the-ground knowledge.

An aspiring user can explore the Global Wetlands Map and become a registered user here.

CIFOR disclosed that the interactive nature of the map is designed to improve its accuracy, and at the same time promote data-sharing among the wider research community. Mapped datasets are available for free download, and can be used to conduct further work using geographic information systems software such as ArcGIS, added CIFOR.

Scientists believe that wetlands play a fundamental role in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, and provide essential ecosystem services. However, it appears that not enough is known about their precise distribution and extent, particularly in the tropics.

Daniel Murdiyarso, the CIFOR Principal Scientist and Principal Investigator for SWAMP, says that knowledge of wetlands will be crucial to direct action to restore and protect degraded and intact wetlands for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

“Wetlands are carbon-rich ecosystems that face tremendous pressure from human interventions through land-use change. Their potential to mitigate climate change is widely recognised. Through the ecosystem services they provide, wetlands are equally important for climate change adaptation,” he said.

The 15th International Peat Congress is hosted by the Malaysian Peat Society and the International Peatland Society until 19 August. The conference aims to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to share knowledge of peat and peatlands in the tropics.

Kaduna residents lament dearth of potable water

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Kaduna residents lament dearth of potable water

Residents of Kakura community in Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State in Nigeria are lamenting a lack of potable water within their village despite closeness to the city.

A woman fetching water for drinking
A woman fetching water for drinking

A recent visit by this reporter to the village with about 1,000 inhabitants revealed that the community lacks access to good and clean water to drink. In fact, the people drink from a pond that appears to be covered in dirty particles particularly during the dry season.

Village head, Ishaya Gwamna, disclosed that, during the dry season, virtually all the wells in the village are dry.

“We do suffer a lot during the dry season because all wells within the village get dried up. The only borehole provided to us by an NGO in year 2,000 has stopped working. Now, our women fetch water from a well but as soon as the rains stop they move to the pond to fetch water,” he said.

Another community leader, Sunday Kakura, said they are not happy drinking from a pond shared by people and cows.

“We have no option but to drink from same pond because we just have to survive. But we need assistance from any individual to provide us with boreholes in the village. We are subsistence farmers and need government intervention in our village,” he said.

Gwamna also expressed sadness with regards to lack of potable water for his people.

“We vote during elections because politicians do come to seek for our votes. But they never fulfill their promises to us.

“We are appealing to philanthropists, other agencies and even the state government to provide us with a primary health care centre where our women and children can access health care. We equally need drinking water in the community which is a big challenge to us,” he said.

By Mohammad Ibrahim

Buhari urges rich nations to save disappearing Lake Chad

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Buhari urges rich nations to save disappearing Lake Chad

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has urged rich countries to do something urgent to save Lake Chad from extinction, a situation scientists have attributed to the effects of climate change.

Scientists say the Lake Chad has shrunken by 95 percent over the past 50 years. Photo credit: AP/Christophe Ena
Scientists say the Lake Chad has shrunken by 95 percent over the past 50 years. Photo credit: AP/Christophe Ena

Receiving the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Ms Irina Bokova, in Abuja, President Buhari warned that failure to regenerate the Lake Chad would lead to another round of migration by people living in the area.

Buhari, who was in the company of seven ministers at an interactive meeting with the UNESCO chief, said Nigeria and the other countries of the Lake Chad Basin lacked the billions of dollars required to channel water from the Congo Basin into the lake to check its rapid depletion.

Senior Special Assistance to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement.

“Those living in the Lake Chad region have suffered untold hardship and displacement because of the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists. If there is no farming and fishing, they will dare the desert to migrate.

“Unless the developed countries make concerted efforts to complete the feasibility study, mobilise resources and technology to start the water transfer from the Congo Basin, the Lake Chad will dry up. The people will go somewhere and they will create problems for those countries,” the president told the visiting UN official.

President Buhari commended UNESCO’s support to Nigeria particularly on the ongoing rehabilitation work in the North East and reintegration of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

He said the pathetic situation of IDPs requires immediate and urgent response from international organisations such as UNSECO to provide infrastructure, health and education for the people in the area.

Ms. Bokova, who commenced a week-long visit to West and Central Africa on August 6, said she was in Nigeria to strengthen the organisation’s programme in the areas of science and technology, gender and youth development, culture, water resources development, as well as health and environment.

By Mohammad Ibrahim

Breast cancer care partnership launched in Kenya

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Breast cancer care partnership launched in Kenya

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta inaugurates partnership between government of Kenya and Roche to improve care of women with breast cancer

An impression of breast cancer tumor
An impression of breast cancer tumor

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, Kenya Ministry of Health and Roche Pharmaceuticals Limited on Monday in Nairobi launched key activities that will facilitate access to improved care for patients with breast cancer in Kenya. The launch reportedly builds on the country’s 2015-2020 National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases and represents a comprehensive approach to battling the disease.

The programme also complements the campaign from African First Ladies who are committed to expanding access to prevention and treatment services for women with breast cancer.

The public-private partnership’s planned activities include breast cancer awareness programmes, improvements in screening and diagnostics, including the placement of a diagnostic instrument capable of advanced testing for seven types of cancer. Additionally, the collaboration will train five new oncologists and six oncology nurses, provide surgical oncology training, support the development of best practice national treatment guidelines and an increase the number of cancer treatment centers in Kenya.  Access to medicine will be made available patients seeking treatment at public institutions with the government of Kenya and Roche jointly covering the costs. The aim of these measures is to improve access to timely and precise diagnostic services and tailored cancer treatment to make cancer therapy much more effective.

“Strong, healthy women are the foundation of families, of our country, and today in Kenya their health is threatened by a disease that we must catch early. Many women are being diagnosed with breast cancer too late and are dying needlessly when there are treatments available that give them a chance to fight this disease,” said First Lady Margaret Kenyatta. “This partnership between the Government of Kenya and Roche demonstrates that we all must play our part to ensure that our mothers, sisters and daughters have the opportunity to fight and win the war against breast cancer.”

Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer in women in Kenya with more 50 percent of the cases presenting in women below the age of 50. This places their families and the economy at a great disadvantage. Every year, approximately 4,500 patients are diagnosed with the disease and 2,000 patients lose their lives to this disease. This burden reflects an increasing trend in the number of women being diagnosed with the disease. Early diagnosis and treatment could greatly reduce the burden of breast cancer and improve treatment outcomes.

The Kenya agreement is part of Roche’s Africa Strategy which began in 2015 in seven countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Angola, Ethiopia and Gabon. Based on country needs and capabilities, Roche is implementing a wide selection of activities in collaboration with local partners, including healthcare system strengthening, such as local data generation and advocacy for healthcare prioritisation; disease management support, such as awareness, advocacy campaigns and treatment guidelines; and education and market access solutions, including healthcare professional training, private health insurance with local companies and price-volume agreements with governments.

“We are honored to have First Lady Margaret Kenyatta here today to launch this important initiative for breast cancer patients and to demonstrate Kenya’s commitment to improving cancer care,” said Markus Gemuend, Head of Roche sub-Saharan Africa Region. “With access to healthcare, women are empowered to build the futures they want for themselves and their families. This comprehensive agreement ensures that breast cancer patients in Kenya will have not only improved access to care and life-changing medicines, but also that the overall healthcare system is stronger to support all Kenyans battling cancer.”

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in Kenya recording 4,500 new cases every year with 1,969 deaths. Although it occurs in both men and women, more than 90 percent of the cases present in women. Risk factors include: gender (being female), family history, alcohol and tobacco use, being obese or overweight and exposure to estrogen hormones through contraceptives.

In terms of frequency, breast cancer comes second after cervical cancer and is followed by prostate cancer. Aside from the investments in public-private partnerships, the Ministry of Health is installing mammography machines through the Managed Equipment Services project to enhance early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer countrywide. It is also providing specialised training opportunities for cancer healthcare professionals to boost capacities at the county level.

Monsanto Tribunal: Judges, prosecutors, ambassadors unveiled

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Monsanto Tribunal: Judges, prosecutors, ambassadors unveiled

The Monsanto Tribunal, an international civil society initiative to hold Monsanto accountable for human rights violations, crimes against humanity and ecocide, has unveiled a team of legal practitioners that will handle courts sessions at the Tribunal, scheduled to hold between 14 and 16 October 2016 in The Hague, Netherlands.

Ms. Francoise Tulkens, one of the judges
Ms. Francoise Tulkens, one of the judges

The People’s Assembly, which provides the opportunity for social movements to rally and plan for the future, will take place parallel to the Tribunal.

A group of diplomats, who will promote the campaign in their communications, were likewise named.

Eminent judges will hear testimonies from victims, and deliver an advisory opinion following procedures of the International Court of Justice.

According to Monsanto Tribunal, the Judges who will preside the court in The Hague in October are:

  • Ms. Dior Fall Sow, Senegal, a former advocate general at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda;
  • Ms. Francoise Tulkens, Belgium, a former vice-president at the European Court of Human Rights;
  • Mr. Upendra Baxi, India, former president of the Indian Society of International Law.

“We are pleased that these distinguished international judges have agreed to co-chair the International Monsanto Tribunal. Their collective and exceptional experience will ensure that the tribunal process is held to the highest standards, thus lending validity and credibility to their final advisory opinions,” the group disclosed in a recent statement.

Additionally, Dr. Jackson Nyamuya Maogoto will be dealing with the question of whether Monsanto is complicit in war crimes as defined in Article 8(2) of the International Criminal Court. He is a senior lecturer in international Law at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

“The potential for businesses to be perpetrators of international crimes was legally recognised by the Nuremberg Tribunal which held private German industrialists criminally liable for their support of the German war effort. This important Nuremberg legacy has quietly been subsumed over decades by the military-industry complex. It is time that the complicity and liability of corporations is reactivated The International Monsanto Tribunal will serve to resurrect the Nuremberg legacy, ‘remind’ and re-energise the international law framework – business actors can be involved in international crimes,” stated the Monsanto Tribunal.

Furthermore, Australian Dr. Gwynn MacCarrick is also a part of the legal team. She was former legal officer at the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and former defense Counsel for a Militia Commander charged with 23 counts of Crimes Against Humanity before the United Nations Special Panel for Serious Crimes in Dili, East Timor. She will compose the plea on Ecocide.

“The work of the Monsanto Tribunal will undoubtedly contribute to the progressive development of international law, by clarifying the content of the human rights responsibilities of companies and by informing the international debate as to whether international criminal law should evolve, to include the crime of Ecocide.”

Regarded as the symbol of industrial agriculture, Monsanto, a publicly-traded American multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation headquartered in Creve Coeur, Greater St. Louis, Missouri in the US, has however of recent come under intense global criticism. Observers say its chemical-intensive form of production pollutes the environment, accelerates biodiversity loss and contributes to global warming.

“Monsanto promotes an agroindustrial model that contributes at least one third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions; it is also largely responsible for the depletion of soil and water resources, species extinction and declining biodiversity, and the displacement of millions of small farmers worldwide. This is a model that threatens peoples’ food sovereignty by patenting seeds and privatising life,” says a source close to the Monsanto Tribunal.

But Monsanto insists it is “a sustainable agriculture company”.

“We deliver agricultural products that support farmers all around the world,” said the company that was founded 1901.

It is believed however that the Leverkusen, Germany-based multinational chemical and pharmaceutical company, Bayer AG, wants to acquire Monsanto after recently tabling a 62 billion Euro offer, which was reportedly rejected. However, negotiations are said to be ongoing.

In a related development, Nigerian architect and activist, Nnimmo Bassey, has been named among ambassadors to the Monsanto Tribunal campaign.

Others include:

  • Renate Künast: former German Minister of Agriculture, the Green Party.
  • Vivienne Westwood: famous UK fashion designer.
  • Boaventura de Sousa Santos: Professor of Sociology at the University of Coimbra, Portugal; and author.
  • Richard A. Falk: US professor emeritus of International Law and former UN Rapporteur on Palestine; and author.

Five-year agriculture roadmap emerges

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Five-year agriculture roadmap emerges

The Federal Government of Nigeria has inaugurated a roadmap for the agriculture sector, tagged: “The Green Alternative: Agriculture Promotion Policy, 2016-2020.” Speaking on Monday in Abuja at the occasion, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, said the vision was to revive the agric sector to boost food production in the country.

Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh
Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh

According to Ogbeh, the policy would serve as the new fulcrum for economic diversification, inclusive growth and sustainable development in agric sector.

He said: “The launch of the ‘Green Alternative’ is an attestation that the change that the overwhelming majority of Nigerians canvassed for and openly welcomed by giving Muhammadu Buhari a resounding victory in the last presidential election is here.

“In this policy, you will see us navigating through the agricultural terrain, trucking on virtually every aspect, we launched on the human element. We will reflect on years of neglect where agriculture was seen as a refuge for the wretched and unsophisticated.”

The minister explained further that the emphasis on “Green” would capture the essence, spirit and orientation of the new policy/strategy document.

“The emphasis on green is deliberate; it is to underscore, not only the imperative of building a strong, vibrant and resilient economy, but also a green refreshing, generating, transformative-agriculture-led economy.

“It is to ensure mutual complementary between efficient, effective and productive agricultural production, system and processes on one hand and environmental sustainability, Ogbeh said.

He noted that the policy had five major strategic driving forces, namely: achievement of self-sufficiency and sustainable food security, reduction in import dependence and economic losses, particularly through value addition.

Others, he added, were stimulation of agro-exports for enhanced foreign exchange earnings, enhancement of wealth and job creation, especially provision of employment opportunities for the teeming youths. The minister also said achievement of economic diversification to make the economy less oil-dependent was among the driving forces of the green policy. Ogbeh stressed that, through the policy, farmers would have access to land, soil fertility, information and knowledge, inputs, production management, storage, processing, marketing and trade, including access to finance.

Others are promoting agribusiness and ensuring investment development, institutional setting and roles, youth and women, infrastructure, research and innovation and nutrition security.

Minister of State for Agriculture, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, explained that agricultural policy over the years had focused on conventional paradigm of harnessing the sector’s potential to provide sufficient food for the growing population.

Lokpobiri, who was represented by Shehu Ahmed, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said effective implementation of the policy required a systematic collaboration among the stakeholders.

“One significant element of this desire is the relevance and suitability of support institutions as an integral process of facilitating the consultative, entrepreneurial, coordinating and regulatory roles in the nation’s development process.

“In this regard, government’s responsibility is to continuously put in place measures that will restructure, re-orientate and strengthen the relevant national institutions as well as utilise the opportunities offered by international cooperate bodies,” he said.

According to him, this is to embrace the challenges of intensifying the integration of the country’s development goals into the liberalisation principle of the world economy.

Kabir Ibrahim, President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), commended the ministry for the policy, saying it would go a long way in assisting farmers to boost productivity.

“The Nigerian farmers are seeking more availability of fertiliser, timely application of the research finding, adoption of good science and technology, provision of good seeds and small irrigation facility for all-year-round farming,” he said.

Ibrahim urged both states and local governments to key into the policy to enable the nation achieve self-reliance in food production.

Nigeria’s climate agenda to adopt gender-sensitive approach

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Nigeria’s climate agenda to adopt gender-sensitive approach

Nigeria has been asked to take urgent steps to incorporate gender sensitive approach in its implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change with full participation of all stakeholders, especially women.

A woman farmer: Women are said to be more vulnerable to the effects of climate change because they are more than proportionally dependent on natural resources that are threatened. Photo credit: ng.boell.org
A woman farmer: Women are said to be more vulnerable to the effects of climate change because they are more than proportionally dependent on natural resources that are threatened. Photo credit: ng.boell.org

Participants at the National Consultative Workshop on Gender and Climate Change that held last month in Abuja, who made the submission, called on stakeholders to work towards ensuring equal access to available climate information that reflect a gender perspective in all its components.

Stakeholders were likewise urged to take action towards integration, capacity building and financing of women and youth participation in climate change negotiation processes at the national, regional and international levels.

Participants at the workshop, themed: “Taking the Paris Agreement and Nigeria’s INDC, commended government for its commitment to adopt a National Plan of Action on Gender and Climate Change that would, according to them, provide a clear road map for innovative gender oriented solutions in order to build resilient and more sustainable societies.

While insisting on adequate and quality representation and influence of Nigerian women and youth in negotiations, government/CSOs delegation and pre-Cop22 planning meetings and beyond, the gathering asked the authorities to involve the media and adopt communication strategies to promote public awareness and education on gender-responsive and climate-compatible development.

The meeting, organised in preparation for the entry into force of the Paris Agreement and implementation of Nigeria’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), held against the backdrop of promoting greater understanding of stakeholders’ expected roles and responsibilities for an effective gendered implementation of the Paris Agreement given the unique vulnerabilities of women and children to the impact of climate change.

In 2001 at the Seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Parties agreed on Decision 36/CP.7, which focused solely on increasing the participation of women in delegations and bodies constituted under the Convention and its Kyoto Protocol. However, at COP 18, Gender and Climate Change became a permanent agenda and Parties were mandated to do more to achieve gender balance and ensure women’s participation for more effective climate policy (Decision 23/CP.18).

Moving the gender and climate change agenda forward, Parties at COP 20 under Decision 18/CP.20 established the two-year Lima Work Programme on Gender requiring a shift in the focus of the agenda item from concepts to implementation in recognition of a gap in information and understanding among Parties about gender-responsive climate policy. Parties thus recognised the fact that the adverse effects of climate change have a range of direct and indirect implications for the effective integration of gender and that the effects of climate change will be felt most acutely by those segments of the population that are already vulnerable owing to geography, gender, age, indigenous or minority status and disability.

Furthermore, COP 21, in setting an agenda for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, required Parties to develop National Work Programme on Gender and Climate Change (contained in decision 1/CP.21).

Preparation for COP22 to be held November in Marrakesh in Morocco and in recognition of the need to carry all stakeholders along in the implementation of the Paris Agreement and Nigeria’s INDC, and specifically mainstreaming gender concerns into national policies and action plans, including the development of a Gender National Roadmap on climate change, gave an impetus to the organisation of the two-day forum.

Participants observed that women commonly face higher risks and greater burdens from the impacts of climate change in situations of poverty, and that the majority of the world’s poor are women.

According to them, women’s unequal participation in decision-making processes and labour markets compound inequalities and often prevent women from fully contributing to climate-related planning, policy-making and implementation.

Some other observations were listed to include:

  • The drivers and consequences of climate change are not gender neutral; and that women are in general more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, not only because they represent the majority of the world’s poor but because they are more than proportionally dependent on natural resources that are threatened.
  • Women play a pivotal role in natural resources management and should not be seen just as victims of climate change but leaders and planners in climate change action.
  • Women and youths face peculiar challenges, including poor access to information, non-participation at decision making level on issues pertaining to climate change, adaptation, mitigation, finance, technology and capacity building.
  • Low awareness on climate change matters and inadequate knowledge and capacity to address the gender dimensions of climate change.

The forum was jointly organised by the Federal Ministry of Environment, Women Environment Programme (WEP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

 

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