Mohammed Sabtuwo does not just want to talk about how agriculture has changed his life; he wants to show us.
Mohammed Sabtuwo
Before we know it, he is up from his seat and whisking us away to his house, a sense of urgency in every step.
On the way, he points to a small house, about half the size of a car garage that is made of timber slats and a tin roof.
This is how he used to live, in a small house, providing shelter from the elements and a place to sleep, but not much else.
Now, he has one of the largest houses in the neighborhood, and one that is about 10 times the size of his old house.
He opens the door and leads us through to a large open area with many rooms opening on to it.
You can sense his pride and joy at being able to tell his story.
“I’ve been building this house for the past two seasons (crop growing seasons) and after this harvest I hope to finish it,” he says pointing to the last two rooms that still need walls and a roof.
“Before I started working with Pangabu, I was planting 12 hectares and only harvesting 15 bags per hectare (roughly 0.75t/ha).
“Now I am planting two hectares and getting 63 bags (or 3.12t/ha),” Sabtuwo adds.
Pangabu is the owner of Pee Farms, a seed and agro-dealer company based in the Ashante region of Ghana, one of the country’s largest regions in terms of size and population.
Pee Farms is a grantee of the Scaling Seeds and Technologies Partnership in Africa (SSTP) an initiative between the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and USAID that is working to deliver improved seed and technologies to farmers.
Improved seed and technologies can have a dramatic impact on farm yields and incomes, for example, most farmers in Ghana are harvesting around 1.7t of maize to the hectare, significantly lower than the potential yield of 6t/ha.
Seed variety, plant spacing, weeding and the use of fertilizer all contribute to higher yields, but the challenge remains to ensure farmers are able to access these inputs and training to help transform their lives.
This is where partnerships like SSTP become important, as they help build the capacity of companies like Pee Farms to produce and disseminate high-quality seed to farmers.
Each year, Pee Farms uses its own farms and out-growers – farmers who are contracted to grow seed – to produce seed, which is harvested, packaged and distributed through Pee Farm’s networks.
Sabtuwo is one of the 400 out-growers that Pee Farms is working with.
As well as providing seed for planting, Pee Farms is also teaching farmers agronomic practices, such as plant spacing, which can dramatically improve yields.
“Pangabu has demonstration sites that he takes us to, so when the tractor is clearing the land or planting seed, he takes us to see it, so we can watch and then go back to our own farms and practice what we saw,” he says.
As well as using demonstration plots to highlight the strengths of improved seed, Pangabu regularly gets on the local radio station to promote the benefits of using improved seed.
Speaking with many of the farmers in Ejura, the village where Pangabu is based, you can get a feeling of the impact his is having on the local community.
“Since we have started helping Pangabu (as out-growers), Pangabu, has been helpful to us,” one farmer says.
“He helps us to buy seed and the fertilizer and with the training; so we are really happy,” he adds.
Pangabu says he will not have been able to grow as he has without the support of SSTP, but he also highlights how this grant is more than just about Pee Farms and his success.
“As I grow, I will grow with my out-growers, and I am growing along with my out-growers, I can’t leave them behind.”
Courtesy: Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
Following the weeklong Capacity Enhancement Workshop that held in Abuja last week, the Rural Women Energy Security (RUWES) will now embark on a campaign to solely focus on women and girls in Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs).
L-R: Sir John Odey (Chairman, RUWES Advisory Board), Mrs Bahijjahtu Abubakar (National Coordinator, Renewable Energy Programme), Mr Daouda Toure (Coordinator, United Nations Systems in Nigeria) and Mr Luka Mangset (Director, Enterprises, Development & Promotions in the Federal Ministry of Youth & Development) …during the Capacity Enhancement Training Workshop, in Abuja
Supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the RUWES initiative aims at promoting access to clean energy technologies and develop market and entrepreneurship skills for women and girls to eradicate poverty and improve their livelihoods.
The maiden edition of the RUWES Capacity Enhancement Workshop, which had “Unveiling the potential of the rural women,” as its theme, was graced by dignitaries and featured events such as exhibitions, training sessions, drama, site visits, woman-to-woman talk and paper presentations.
However, according to Daouda Toure, Resident Coordinator, United Nations Systems in Nigeria/Resident Representative of the UNDP, unveiled the follow-up to the RUWES initiative “that will ease the burden of women caring for their families while still in the IDP camps.”
He said: “The second phase of the initiative will be a pilot post-IDP camp empowerment programme, which will be in form of training women and girls in the IDPs camps in community clusters to set up community-based skill acquisition centres and small viable businesses with guaranteed support from the state governments to ensure sustainability.”
Toure lauded the RUWES project, saying that its objectives align with the goals and ideals of UNDP Nigeria.
“Thus UNDP is pleased to collaborate with RUWES in organising special training and skill acquisition workshops targeted at conflict affected women and girls as well as to further strengthen the RUWES as a self-help grass root organisation,” he added.
Former Environment Minister and Chairman, RUWES Advisory Board, Sir John Odey, stressed that RUWES is responding to challenges such as felling of trees to meet energy needs, enlightening and providing rural women with access to clean energy solutions and empowering them to drive the demand for clean energy – towards a climate resilient and low carbon economy in the country.
He called for collective efforts by all stakeholders in the clean energy space to scale up efforts by RUWES and UNDP and their partners.
His words: “The business community is encouraged to use part of their funds earmarked for corporate social responsibility (CSR) for projects to scale up access to these clean energy technologies and provide funding to rural women under the RUWES initiative to startup businesses in the clean energy market space. The funds should be directed through the UNDP to help scale up projects and further position Nigeria to lead the region in the clean energy revolution. We further reach out to the government and lawmakers to become advocates of clean energy.”
National Coordinator, Renewable Energy Programme in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Bahijjahtu Abubakar, disclosed that 100 trainees including IDPs took part in the Abuja training workshop, pointing out that RUWES has so far registered about two million women.
“RUWES deals with cooperative societies (with a minimum of 30 persons), which gets a package comprising of stoves and solar units upon the payment of N5,000 for registration. RUWES provides the goods so that the women can buy in instalments, such that the goods are affordable to their members. The cooperative gets the package for free and sells for a little profit,” she stated.
RUWES Admin. Coordinator, Mrs. Halima Kolo Mohammed, in a vote of thanks, expressed hope that all experiences shared, lessons learnt, best practices and challenges encountered in implementing RUWES’ programmes would be useful in future efforts aimed at giving rural women, internally displaced women and girls, as well as widows of the insurgency, clean energy for the necessary lift out of poverty.
After many years of behind-the-scenes work,InfoCongo, a newGeoJournalism website from Internews’Earth Journalism Network (EJN) that combines interactive maps, visualised data on natural resource issues and traditional journalism stories, has been launched at a ceremony in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Managing Editor of InfoCongo, David Akana, facing the DRC media after the launch of the interactive mapping platform in Kinshasa
A day after the launching ceremony, EJN specialists with support from development organisations working on similar topics in the Congo Basin such as the Central African Programme on the Environment (CARPE) and The Observatoire Satellital des Forets d’Afrique Centrale (OSFAC) organised a half-day capacity-building workshop on “Data journalism: Emerging Practices to Tell Impactful Environmental Stories.” Twelve local reporters with expertise in environment reporting from major media organisations participated in the training.
“InfoCongo represents a new opportunity to better understand the changes that this important region is undergoing,” says David Akana, the site’s managing editor. “We are aiming for it to become a vibrant platform for the exchange of information about sustainable development between journalists, scientists, policy makers and the public at large.”
As the second largest rain forest in the world after the Amazon, the Congo Basin faces a myriad of challenges ranging from deforestation, illegal logging and wildlife trafficking to climate change. InfoCongo is designed to raise awareness and improve public understanding on these issues. In addition to bringing a new approach to collecting, analysing and disseminating environmental data coming out of the Congo Basin, the site’s approach of using networked journalism is able to syndicate content into a single space and provide greater visibility to stories from local media and development organisations.
InfoCongo is part of a series of interactive web platforms initiated by EJN to strengthen environmental reporting around the world. Combining visually compelling maps, data, and stories from local reporters, InfoCongo intends to spotlight emerging challenges facing the Congo Basin.
“InfoCongo can serve as an important addition to the region’s and the world’s understanding of Central Africa,” adds Gustavo Faleiros, EJN Manager and the founder ofInfoAmazonia. “When combined with our existing GeoJournalism sites in the Amazon,Indonesia,the Himalayas, and upcoming sites in the Mekong region and elsewhere, we will have an unprecedented ability to monitor environmental change in the Global South.”
InfoCongo is operated by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network, and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through NASA and the University of Maryland. Top government officials from the DRC, leading civil society organisations working on the Congo Basin and select local and international media based in Kinshasa are expected at the launch ceremony.
InfoCongo is built on the principle of collaboration, partnership and participation. Do you know of any stories, maps, data or any other information that is not on InfoCongo? Please let us know (contact@infocongo.org).
Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partners report significant progress on 56% of the 383 commitments tabled by 43 developing countries and 12 donors at the 2014 High Level Meeting.
Catarina de Albuquerque, Executive Chair of SWA. Photo credit: un.org
Most of the commitments aim at removing barriers to progress, eliminating inequalities and ensuring sustainability of water and sanitation services.
Countries report significant progress on half of their commitments, including a tenth nearly or already achieved. In particular, they report progress on commitments to improve the visibility of the sector, develop and implement national monitoring systems, and increase institutional and human capacity.
Countries also report slow progress on almost 40% of their commitments, including 7% facing major barriers. Although there are some specific good examples of increased budget allocations for the sector, overall, country commitments related to financing are lagging behind.
Donors achieved significant progress on 81% of their commitments, including more than a quarter either already or almost complete. Most of this progress is concentrated on commitments around financing, improving visibility of the sector and decentralisation. Donors also report slow progress on 19%, mostly on the few commitments related to increasing evidence and improving coordination and alignment.
These are the main conclusions of the Mid-Term Review of Progress, the consolidation of SWA partners’ self-monitoring midway through April 2016, by when most commitments should be achieved. The commitments are set and monitored by governments, together with the main in-country stakeholders.
“We are encouraged by the results of the Mid-term Review and partners’ participation in it: 40 of the 43 countries and all 12 donors that made commitments reported back a year later,” said Catarina de Albuquerque, Executive Chair of SWA. “The spirit of the reporting is about learning from experience. We look at where we are making progress, and where we are still facing challenges, and this strengthens our resolve to do better.”
The Shell Petroleum Development Company Joint Venture (SPDC JV) has declared force majeure on Bonny Light exports effective August 27, 2015 following the shutdown of both the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) and Nembe Creek Trunkline (NCTL).
Osagie Okunbor, head of SPDC Nigeria
A leak was reported on the TNP at Oloma in Rivers State, while the NCTL is shut down for the removal of crude theft points.
SPDC says it is working to repair and reopen the two lines as quickly as possible.
Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) and WaterAid Uganda (WAU) have partnered to implement a three-year water and sanitation project in Bulangira Town in Kibuku District worth one billion Uganda Shillings equivalent to $2.8 million.
Over half of all people in developing countries suffer at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits
“Bulangira is a challenged town with minimal infrastructure to support social services and limited access to land for water and sanitation services for the underprivileged. When WaterAid alerted us of this situation, we decided to come in to help deliver proper access to clean safe water through our Water of Life programme,” said Julie Adell-Owino, Representative of the EABL Foundation.
The “Bringing Safe Water and Sanitation” project will be implemented in partnership with Sanitation Solutions Group, Bright Technical Services, Kibuku District Local Government and Bulangira Sub-county. The first phase starts this year with a feasibility study and other start-up activities.
“The main objective of the project is to provide sustainable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation to Bulangira small town residents. The project includes construction of a water scheme, institutional latrines, mobilisation of communities on water, sanitation and hygeine (WASH) behavioral change, advocacy and measures to improve the management and coordination capacity of the town authority,” said Spera Atuhairwe, Country Representative, WaterAid Uganda.
In a bid to leverage stakeholder participation ownership and eventual sustainability, Uganda Breweries, the EABL Foundation and WaterAid Uganda organised a one-day start up workshop in Bulangira town to launch the project and ensure ownership, leverage support and commitment to various project outputs by partners in line with the donor expectations.
The majority of people in Bulangira have no access to safe water, with water coverage at 62% compared to the 100% Millennium Development Goal target in Uganda for urban and small towns. This has led to the continued use of unsafe water sources such as springs that are highly contaminated. In addition, the sanitation coverage is low; many residents lack convenient private latrines and residents are forced to practice open defecation. The other challenges faced include increase in housing deficit, poor quality informal structures, inadequate services such as solid waste management, and inadequate financing.
Currently, Bulangira town has only one deep borehole and a spring well serving the entire town of five villages, which has no functional water supply system. The poor households in the small town buy water from vendors for between UGX 200-500 per 20-litre jerry can, depending on whether the season is wet or dry – which is 10 times more expensive than water supplied by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC).
In regard to sanitation, residents in Bulangira practice illegal and indiscriminate dumping of solid waste into water sources and small streams hence posing a serious threat to public health and the environment. Construction of latrines by residents is challenged by loose, sandy soil texture, solid rock and a high water table which presents latrine design challenges. All these, coupled with inadequate private sector engagement, poor planning and coordination, exacerbate the water and sanitation problems of Bulangira town.
The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have signed an agreement to strengthen the cooperation between the two organisations in minimising the illegal killing of and related illegal trade in elephants and other CITES-listed flagship species in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific region.
John E. Scanlon, the Secretary-General of CITES. Photo credit: cities.org
The agreement was signed in the context of the project known as MIKES (Minimising the Illegal Killing of Elephants and other Endangered Species), funded by the European Union.
Speaking following the signing ceremony,John E. Scanlon, the Secretary-General of CITES, said, “This enhanced collaboration between IUCN and the CITES Secretariat draws upon the comparative advantage of both organisations in advancing our collective efforts to minimise the escalating poaching of, and growing illegal trade in, elephants, as well as to protect other CITES-listed flagship species, such as rhinos, great apes and marine turtles. Through this enhanced collaboration, CITES will benefit from IUCN’s presence on the ground in African elephant range States, as well as in the Caribbean and the Pacific, in stepping up efforts to minimise the illegal killing of these flagship species.”
Echoing these sentiments,IUCN’s Director General Inger Andersensaid, “Poaching and illegal wildlife trade have reached unprecedented levels in recent years, pushing many of the most iconic species to the brink of extinction and undermining years of conservation efforts. This is a global challenge which can only be tackled through collective, international action.
IUCN’s Director General Inger Andersen. Photo credit: pinterest.com
“As the world’s largest conservation organisation, IUCN is committed to building effective partnerships to deliver viable solutions to this burning issue. We highly value our close cooperation with the CITES Secretariat in implementing the CITES MIKES Programme and other conservation initiatives. This new agreement will reinforce our collaboration, and provide new opportunities to build upon our mutual strengths. It will also bolster the efforts of IUCN’s global membership to address the illegal wildlife trade, and conserve elephants and other threatened species in African, Caribbean and Pacific States.”
Over recent years, there has been a surge in illegal trade in wildlife, with elephants, rhinos, pangolins and some precious timber species among the most heavily affected. The illegal trade in these species is global in nature and is taking place at an industrial scale. Over 100,000 elephants are estimated to have been poached for their ivory from 2011 to 2013 across the African continent. In 2014, 1,215 rhinos were killed for their horns in South Africa alone – a figure that has risen alarmingly since 2007 when just 13 rhinos were poached.
In combatting illegal wildlife trade, States are increasingly being confronted by transnational organised criminals, and in some cases rebel militia and rogue elements of the military, which have been driving poaching and illegal trade destined for illicit markets. The same illegal infrastructure is used for the illegal trafficking in drugs, weapons and humans.
Increasing collective efforts are underway to combat wildlife crime, yet it continues to be a major problem worldwide, estimated by some to be worth up to 20 billion U.S. dollars a year. This ranks it amongst some of the most serious transnational crimes, including people and arms trafficking.
The new CITES-IUCN agreement will build upon the active participation of elephant range States in the CITES Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme over the past 15 years, but with an enhanced focus to include other CITES-listed flagship species threatened by illegal trade, and extending operations to the Caribbean and Pacific regions. The new CITES MIKES project also includes initiatives aimed at strengthening the capacity of wildlife management and law enforcement agencies to combat poaching both within MIKE sites and at the national level.
The civil society declares its official position regarding Nigeria’s actions ahead of Paris 2015 after a two-day forum held recently in Abuja, the federal capital city
Mr. Atayi Babs, National Coordinator, Climate and Sustainable Development Network of Nigeria (CSDevNet)
We, the representatives of Nigerian Civil Society under the aegis of Climate and Sustainable Development Network of Nigeria (CSDevNet), held a two-day National Consultative Workshop on Nigeria’s Road to Paris: INDCs & SDGs.
The meetings, which took place from the 12-13 of August 2015 in Abuja drew participants from CSOs, Media, Regional and International Development Partners, grassroots community practitioners, trusts, farmer cooperatives, pastoralists, youth, women and faith-based organisations.
Recognising the role of Nigeria to speak with one voice along with other African countries on the Road to Paris and desirous that this one voice should be that of and be informed by realities of the local communities; and the fact that non-state actors contribution to the UNFCCC and the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) processes and its outcomes is essential for informed policy formulation and monitoring of its implementation at all levels;
Appreciating the progress our leaders have made in coming up with a fair funding framework and tax justice mechanism at the 3rd Finance for Development Summit (FFD3) summit in Addis Ababa. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA)
Acknowledging the outcome of the 15th Ordinary Session of AMCEN held in Cairo February 2015 which recognises the role of African civil society in actively participating and contributing to the INDC process,
Affirming the authority of the Nigerian Civil Society and communities, as the expression of the sovereign will and voice of the people;
Concerned that the Post-2015 process in Africa is experiencing needless delays, slow response to INDCs submission, lack of robust preparation and inadequate participation of civil society;
Noting that the urgency for action is underpinned by climate science and the window of opportunity for avoiding dangerous climate change is rapidly closing.
Participants at the conference
We hereby declare and adopt the following as our position on Nigeria’s Road to Paris: INDCs& SDGs:
That Nigeria’s preparations on the Road to Paris leave much to be desired as the country is yet to experience sufficient mobilisation and involvement of all non-state actors in the build-up to a new climate treaty.
That time is fast running out for Nigeria as processes for successor frameworks to the Kyoto Protocol and the MDGs are at advanced stages and other countries are already preparing for the implementation of these global development frameworks, the world will not wait for Nigeria. Urgency is required if these frameworks must deliver its intended outcomes for the country.
That with the less involvement of the civil society, the media and gender representatives in Nigeria’s INDCs drafting, the process cannot be said to fully underpinned by the four guiding principles of inclusion, equity, people-centeredness and environmental sustainability.
That now is the time to lay strong foundations for the future and ensure that Nigerian perspectives are strongly reflected in the INDCs and Post-2015 development framework. Such framework must anchor on a genuine global sustainability and low carbon development pathway, and must reflect the integrated link on social, economic, cultural and environmental dimensions of development. Any development agenda that fails to integrate these dimensions in a balanced way is not feasible for addressing present and future development challenges in Nigeria.
That Nigeria should without delay set out how it intends to reduce emission from now until 2020, and set long term climate targets to make sure we limit temperature increase to below 1.5°C. That in communicating its INDCs to UNFCCC, it should be clearly stated that ambitious climate targets needed to keep us within the emissions budget should be shared based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
That a strong Nigerian voice is needed to ensure that the next global framework truly reflects Africa’s priorities and needs as the time for Nigerian civil society to forge alliances and constructively engage all state and non-state actors in demanding for climate action and a sustainable Nigeria is now!
That in recognition of the implications of leadership at regional and global levels the world bestows on Nigeria, we must begin to demand immediate and countrywide mobilisation and awareness activities on the Road to Paris processes and extensive collaboration between Government and Civil society at all levels.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE IN THE NEW AGREEMENT
ADAPTATION
Given that the consequences of and responses to the 2 degrees warming challenge vary significantly across African countries, and are often concentrated where resources are the scarcest, a coherent and comprehensive approach on adaptation under the UNFCCC is a precondition to an efficient and fair global response.
Adaptation efforts should systematically and effectively address gender-specific impacts of climate change in the areas of energy, water, food security, agriculture and fisheries, biodiversity and ecosystem services, health, industry, human settlements, disaster management, and conflict and security.
FINANCE
The finance chapter of the new agreement should aim to ensure that the post-2020 financing framework encourages a dramatic scale up of climate investments and provides support to the world’s poorest. Developed countries made a commitment at the Cancún climate summit to mobilise US$100 billion annually by 2020 to finance mitigation and adaptation actions in developing countries. Parties have agreed that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) will be one of the main instruments to channel this finance. Pledges to GCF are urgently converted to commitments so as to quickly start addressing the climate financial needs of the developing countries.
Keeping global temperatures below the 2 degree warming ceiling will require an economy-wide shift in investments from business-as-usual to low-carbon, climate-resilient models. Predictable international support mechanism to addressing climate change especially in developing countries and switching to low-carbon development pathways by all parties should underpin the new climate agreement in Paris.
LOSS & DAMAGE
The establishment of an international mechanism to provide expertise to help developing nations cope with loss and damage caused by climate impacts will remain an exercise in tokenism until the mandate and scope of the mechanism are strengthened to meet the needs of the vulnerable.
In agreeing to establish a loss and damage mechanism, countries have accepted the reality that the world is already dealing with the extensive damage caused by climate impacts, and requires a formal process to assess and deal with it, but they seem unwilling to take concrete actions to reduce the severity of these impacts. The Paris agreement should underscore the need for loss and damage.
TRANSPARENCY
The transparency framework under the new agreement will have components on mitigation, adaptation, and finance. Progress has been made since Cancún on the transparency of mitigation. Developed countries have been requested to report biennially on mitigation policies vis- à-vis targets and a mechanism for peer review has also been set up.
Looking ahead, as mitigation targets and policies are to be determined at the national level in the INDCs, establishing a transparent and credible framework for communicating between parties will be important to ensure that information disclosed will help to build trust, reputation and reciprocity. Lima signalled how difficult this would be, as countries rejected a process for scrutinising their INDCs in the coming year before these are inscribed in the 2015 agreement.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Developed countries must remove intellectual property rights, pay full incremental costs of technology transfer to protect developing countries and contribute for peaking and declining of global emission. We oppose efforts to sell rather than transfer appropriate technologies, or to strengthen rather than relax intellectual property rights.
Developed and developing countries should support the adoption and development of indigenous and locally innovated technology as well as ensuring efficiency in technology transfer and deployment.
With a membership of over 300 organisations cutting across the six geo- political zones in Nigeria, Climate & Sustainable Development Network of Nigeria (CSDevNet) brings together organisations, comprising grassroots community practitioners, trusts, federations of slum dwellers and pastoralists, home based caregivers, youth, media, women and faith-based organisations, including those working on child welfare, the elderly, people with disabilities and those focusing on livestock and animal welfare, to commonly promote and advocate pro-poor, climate-friendly and equity-based responses to climate change.
CSDevNet aspires to unify and coordinate isolated civil society efforts on climate change advocacy in Nigeria to ensure that people-centred response mechanisms are accorded desirable attention and relevance as climate change is increasingly mainstreamed in national and global poverty reduction and sustainable development strategies and actions.
Apparently determined to find a lasting solution to the social development and reproductive needs of youth in the country which had hitherto been neglected, the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) has unveiled documents that will assist governments to address the needs in a deliberate evidence-driven fashion.
President of NAS, Prof. Oyewale Tomori
The documents are the product of a project titled: “Mobilising official support for developing, implementing and sustaining livelihood and life skills development among the youth” conducted by the Academy.
Ekiti and Nasarawa were selected as pilot states where a survey on assessing the social and reproductive health needs of the youth and development of the livelihood and life skills of the youth (a strategic plan) were conducted.
Specifically, the strategic action plan, expected to span a two-year period (2015-2017), was intended to make available to the government and relevant Ministries and Development Agencies (MDAs) a document that is state-specific based on the identified needs, to be used in the design and delivery of programmes and interventions that will positively address the youth problems and challenges.
The initial needs assessment was conducted to identify the specific needs of various categories of youth in the two states selected for the intervention.
At a Media Roundtable held in Lagos on Friday, August 28, 2015 where the published project reports were officially unveiled, Principal Investigator, NAS, Prof. Akinyinka Omigbodun, said that in Nigeria, 70 percent of the population can be classified as the youth, with 60 percent of them living below the poverty line.
L-R: Principal Investigation Officer, Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) Youth Development Project, Prof. Akinyinka Omigbodun; President of NAS, Prof. Oyewale Tomori; Academy Secretary, Biological Science, Prof. Temitayo Sokunbi; Principal Consultant, Lonadek, Dr Ibilola Amao; and Academy Secretary, Physical Sciences, Prof. Domingo Okorie, presenting Project Report on NAS-Youth Development Project, at a Roundtable with the Media, in Lagos …on Friday, August 28, 2015. Photo credit: Sunday Eshiet
He said although there are youth development policies at the national and state levels, there appears to be a gap between policy making and policy implementation.
“While the government may have put structures and programmes in place for youth empowerment and development, it would appear that these have not reached the average Nigerian youth whose life they are meant to impart.
“This trend has left the youth feeling neglected and disenfranchised. If adequate attention is not given to this group of Nigerians who are at once full of untapped potential, yet very vulnerable, the nation’s future will be at risk,” he explained.
Omigbodun said NAS, with support from the Ford Foundation, designed the project in the two pilot states to develop strategic plans for youth development in collaboration with stakeholders from the states’ ministries responsible for education, science and technology, youth development, finance, health and women affairs.
Besides that, representatives from the legislatures of the two states and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working with the youth were also involved in the process.
The Principal Investigator added that the relevant stakeholders in the states participated in the drafting of the document and have also pledged support and commitment to ensure that the activities specified therein would be executed through the provision of resources and mobilisation of relevant support.
The study population in the project consisted of in-school youths aged 10-24 years in selected private and public rural and urban secondary schools, out-of-school youths aged 10-24 years in rural and urban communities, science teachers, stakeholders/key persons in the state ministries, NGOs and physically-challenged persons, among others.
In a keynote address on the theme: “Investing in youths and building their capacities-pathway for national transformation,” Dr Ibilola Amao said Nigeria has about 60 million youths that can be engaged in agriculture based on the large landmass of the country.
She underlined the need to invest in research and development and close the gap between academia and industry.
President of NAS, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, then unveiled and presented the project reports to journalists.
Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, has said that the state will prepare master plans for its three major cities: Umuahia, Aba and Ohafia.
L-R: Dr. C. L. Odimuko (Past President of the NITP), Dr. Femi Olomola (National President of the NITP), Chief Ude Oko Chukwu (Deputy Governor of Abia State), Mr. Lekwa Ezutah (2nd Vice-President of the NITP), Deacon Chibueze Nwaogwugwu (Chairman, Abia State Chapter of the NITP) and Elder O. C. Aguwa (Permanent Secretary, Abia State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Renewal)
The governor made the declaration recently through his deputy, Mr Ude Oko Chukwu, during the 2015 Annual Luncheon of the state’s chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) held in Aba, the state’s commercial nerve centre, on Thursday, August 20, 2015. The theme of the luncheon was: “Improving the quality of life of Abians through Physical Planning.”
Amid concerns over the alarming state of decay and broken-down infrastructure in urban centres such as Aba, and the deafening calls for a physical development blueprint to address the situation, Dr. Ikpeazu disclosed that the state government has commenced discussions with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) that will, in collaboration with consultants, drive the process.
Nigeria Programme Manager at UN-Habitat, Mr Kabir Yari, while describing the state’s intention as “both a welcome relief and development”, urged government and fellow professional planners to ensure that adequate resources are made available to implement the plans.
According to him, the challenge before the NITP is how to be a catalyst in breaking the current vicious cycle of inadequate planning and dysfunctional settlements to a vicious cycle of getting liveable, efficient and functional cities.
“I would recommend that you take the issue of plan preparation and plan implementation very seriously,” he stated, stressing that urbanisation and unplanned urban growth are associated with slums, informal settlements development, traffic congestion and inadequate basic urban services.
“Urbanisation dividend does not come automatically. The way urbanisation is planned and managed matters significantly. If cities are to contribute significantly as engines of growth, they must get necessary and adequate attention from the city authorities. This comes in terms of adequate resources – technical, financial and institutional capacities as well as tools and instruments to plan and manage cities,” said Mr Yari.
L-R: Dr Femi Olomola, Chief Ude Oko Chukwu and Mr. Lekwa Ezutah
National President of the NITP, Dr. Femi Olomola, disclosed that priority number one of his administration’s Seven-Point Agenda is the development of a Multi User Template for land Use Planning Report and Analysis (LUPAR) that will, among others, create no less than five million units of jobs annually nationwide.
He said: “The report shall be exclusively prepared by registered town planners (RTPs). It is planned to accompany applications for: building plan approval/permits, issuance of Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-Os), opening of corporate accounts with banks, incorporation/registration of new companies with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), insurance of buildings, issuance of license by the Department of Petroleum Resources for the development of oil pipelines.
“The concept is novel and calls for creativity. This is an example of an indigenous solution/response to an indigenous problem. You cannot get any textbook discussing this concept. We made it the theme of our Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme (MCPDP) for 2015. We will launch model copies of this report at this year’s Annual Conference and General Meeting in Ilorin, Kwara State in October.”
Shedding light on the linkage between LUPAR and the theme of the luncheon, Dr. Olomola added: “If out of the estimated five million units of consultancy jobs to be created nationwide 250,000 units are domiciled in Abia State, I have no doubt in my mind that this will surely lead to an appointment in the lives of Abia State RTPs that will prepare the 250,000 LUPAR reports and their clients will enjoy a faster decision-making process in the issuance of their physical development permits, issuance of C-of-Os, etc.”
L-R: Mr. Lekwa Ezutah, Deacon Chibueze Nwaogwuwgwu and Dr Femi Olomola
In a presentation titled: “Improving the quality of life through physical planning”, Dr. Moses Olubunmi Ajayi, a Past President of the NITP, concluded that the physical planner is a major determinant of the quality of life that people live in the urban areas.
He, however, added: “The physical planners have been trained to look at the overall group interest but, in as much as we insist on our individual interest to supersede group interest, we shall all suffer the consequences.
“If we want improvement of the quality of life in our cities, we must allow the physical planners to do their work and give them all the support as individuals, communities as well as different levels of government.
“The state of quality of life of our cities is the responsibilities of all of us and therefore I can say that we have found the enemy to a good quality of life in our cities and he is all of us.”
Deacon Chibueze Nwaogwugwu, Chairman of Abia State Chapter of the NITP, described as “a jinx that has been broken” the approval by Gov. Ikpeazu for the immediate commencement for the preparation of the Aba Master Plan, among others.
His words: “This, we know, has remained almost impossible over decades ago. This is the political will we have been expecting over the years to move the state forward. Our governor is indeed a man of his words and a man sent by God to Abians.
“Individuals, groups, communities, corporate bodies and non-governmental organisations are hereby encouraged to cooperate with the consultants when they start by giving them the necessary information and other assistance that will facilitate timely realisation of the Master Plan.”
Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC), Elder Nelson Nwaosu, expressed optimism that the physical, social and economic development of the state will be enhanced when the physical planning and management of Aba, Umuahia and Ohafia are handled by professionals in that field.
He said: “The profession of Urban and Regional Planning has come of age to rise to the challenges of quackery and the works of impostors. They can give to Nigerians the type of human environment which is conducive for living, work, recreational interaction in peace and harmony.
“They can also promote growth and development in all nooks and crannied of the nation. These are only achievable through creative thinking, proactive steps and effective management of resources both human and material at our disposal for the benefit of all and sundry.”
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Renewal, Elder O. C. Aguwa, commended town planners for their role in planning for healthy and functional cities in the state.
His words: “Your worthwhile efforts in promoting understanding between the town planners and the public on one hand, and between the town planners and the policy decision makers on the other hand, must be sustained – for there lies the source of success in changing the quality of life of Abians through physical planning. I, therefore, advise that the symbiosis which exists between your Chapter and the Ministry must also be sustained to achieve the desired improvement of the quality of life of Abians using the instrumentality of physical planning.”
Meanwhile, courtesy of a directive by the state government, the NITP has been grant a free one-hour airtime on radio on the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia to henceforth educate the people on the importance of physical planning. The first edition, which was a phone-in interactive programme, held on Monday, August 24, 2015.
