The 21st president of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Dr Femi Olomola, has unfolded a seven-point programme that he intends to implement during his tenure. He made the disclosure last Friday in Lagos during an investiture ceremony to usher in the group’s new National Executive Council (NEC).
According to him, the schedule entails:
Law & Constitutional Matters
Promoting National Security & Reducing Fraud
Improving the Asset Base of the Institute
Improving Current Operational Modalities
Need for NITP Strategic/Master Plan
Sustaining Human Capital Development, and
Extensive Publicity & Public Enlightenment on the Value of the Profession
Dr Femi Olomola (middle) after being decorated by the immediate past president, Chief Steve Onu (left). Mrs Kunbi Olomola (right) looks on
The first item, for instance, will take stock of the near-zero implementation of the Nigerian Urban & Regional Planning Law in states and at the federal level, ensure a 100 percent commitment to the implementation of the provisions of the institute’s constitution, promote internal democracy, and overhaul the operational modalities of the examination board and professional development programme.
While item Two will be realised via the introduction of a Land Use Planning Report prepared by Registered Town Planners that shall accompany several applications, item Three involves the completion of the body’s Bawa Bwari House in Abuja, and on-going renovation of Franklin Akinyemi House on Victoria Island in Lagos.
President, Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC), Prof. Layi Egunjobi, in a goodwill message, urged Dr Olomola and the Exco members to “exhibit your educational and professional training acquired over the years for effective and purposeful leadership to advance the course of the profession.”
Dr & Mrs Femi Olomola with past presidents of the Institute
He adds: “I urge you all to remain focused and let discipline and many of your good moral conduct be your watchword, you are expected to conduct yourself with decorum and high sense of discipline as ambassadors of the Institute.”
While listing achievements during his reign, the immediate past president of the NITP, Chief Steve Onu, thanked the officers that worked with him.
“To the elected executive members, I want to thank you for your services. To our staff, I want to thank them for their support and hope they will show more commitment to the Institute with the current leadership,” he says.
A past president of the Institute and chief executive of Frontline Consultants, Remi Makinde, congratulated Olomola, saying: “We note with pleasure your records of service to the Institute at the Lagos State Chapter where you rose to the post of the Chapter Chairman before you sought for elective positions of the 2nd and 1st Vice Presidents at the National Level.
“You willingly and successfully participated at several Committees at the State and National levels over the last 25 years as a demonstration of your willingness to serve our institute and lift the Profession of Town Planning to greater heights.
“We therefore have no doubt that you will carry out any restructuring necessary to facilitate your ambition to raise the Institute to greater heights.”
There is a growing national momentum to tackle problems associated with cooking energy in Nigeria. Recently, over one hundred stakeholders representing energy companies, policy makers, donor agencies and NGOs gathered in Abuja to deliberate over rising challenges of cooking energy. This is coming on the heels of the Federal Government’s award of a contract of N9.6 billion for the supply of clean cookstoves, NNPC’s launch of the “kerosene correct” campaign as well as a new presidential initiative on cooking gas soon to be launched.
Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Mallam, talking to the press. On her left is Ewah Eleri, Executive Director of the International Centre for Energy, Environment & Development (ICEED) and Coordinator of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves
In his welcome address, Ewah Eleri, Executive Director of the International Centre for Energy, Environment & Development (ICEED) and Coordinator of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, claimed that Nigeria is facing a silent energy crisis.
“Twenty-five million households cook with wood in traditional open fire. Smoke from the kitchen kills over 100,000 women and children every year. It leads to deforestation and costs poor families money and time that could be used for food, education and health care. The time to act is now,” he said, even as he thanked the Federal Government, the Nigeria LPG Association and the organised private sector for rising to the challenge.
Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Mallam, restated her ministry’s commitment to work with the organised private sector to ensure an effective implementation of the N9.6 billion clean cookstoves project. The minister used the opportunity of the conference and expo to meet with partners of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. She emphasised the need to ensure that Nigerian producers of clean cookstoves and fuels participate in the project.
In his presentation, Robert van der Plas, a leading international household energy consultant, estimated that one million additional households are created in Nigeria every year.
“For the Nigerian National Clean Cookstoves Market Development programme to be effective, it must be ambitious and built on sound fundamentals. A private sector-led market is a necessary condition for success,” he said.
Biodun Olaore of Envirofit International, a clean cookstoves producer, stated, “Government has no business distributing free stoves. Did the government give away free GSM phones to create the market for the growth of the telephone market in Nigeria?” he queried.
Happy Amos, a young beneficiary of the Federal Government’s You-Win programme, demanded, “Why should the government that gave me money to start a stove factory in Niger State turn around to destroy the market for my products by giving away free stoves?”
Amos used her You-Win funds to start a factory that produces efficient charcoal stoves. Through this investment, she has employed several other young people. The partners concluded that free stoves will undermine the long-term viability of investments in the household energy market.
Many demanded that the government create an enabling policy environment for a private sector-led growth of the cooking energy market estimated to be about N800 billion annually. They proposed a reduction or removal of duties and VAT on cooking energy and equipment.
Dayo Adeshina, President of the Nigeria LPG Association, insisted that the government should reduce tariffs, expand LPG infrastructure and provide access to finance.
“Nigeria is a gas nation and our current production of LPG is over ten times the local consumption. We must set the policies right for this sector to grow,” he insisted.
Participants agreed that, despite the fact that we must all work to ensure that cooking gas gets to all parts of the country, widespread poverty would consign a large segment of the population to continue to use wood fuel for cooking. There is need to ensure that the market is created for modern and efficient wood stoves, they argued.
Partners of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves unanimously agreed that the Federal Government should use the N9.6 billion to stimulate local production of cylinders and cookstoves, adding that this will trigger private sector investments and create jobs.
Rather than spending this huge amount of money on free stoves, this fund should be used to provide low or no interest loans to investors, support the expansion of LPG infrastructure and create public awareness on the benefits of clean cooking. The N9.6 billion should form the basis for launching a household energy fund and removal of duties and VAT on household energy equipment, they noted.
Besides supporting the private sector to grow the market for clean cooking energy, stakeholders proposed approaches to enhancing demanded for clean cooking energy products.
Christine K, the Country Director of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, a German international environmental NGO, said, “Seeing is believing. We need pilot projects at state and community levels. Let people see that clean cookstoves save money, their health and their environment. Let people see these stoves at work in their neighbourhood. This can be more important than jingles and large scale adverts.”
Partners resolved to strengthen the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves as a pressure group to interface with government. They insisted that the voice of the industry must be heard for any new government initiative to be effective.
Lack of safeguards for indigenous land rights opened the door for accelerated deforestation and palm oil plantations across Indonesia; as Ebola recedes, Liberia faces the same threats
Andy White, coordinator of the Rights and Resources Initiative. Photo credit: trust.org
A new report finds that Indigenous Peoples and local communities control less than one sixth of tropical forests – despite living in or near the forests and safeguarding them – in eight of the 11 countries accepted by the World Bank for initiating the proposed carbon market. The report, produced by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), identifies only two countries participating in the market that have laws defining who has rights to forest carbon, and not one with a law defining how to trade it.
“For centuries, governments have been handing out Indigenous Peoples’ forests to supply the next commodity boom – whether rubber, oil palm, cattle or soy,” said Andy White, coordinator of the Rights and Resources Initiative. “The carbon market is the next global commodity from tropical forests and, once again, there is a major risk that Indigenous Peoples are not recognised as the owners of the forest. The World Bank sets the investment standards that many national governments and private companies follow. They are now proposing to weaken their own safeguards and are encouraging governments to sell carbon rights without first ensuring human rights. This puts at risk both the forests and the credibility of the carbon market. There are good examples, such as Mexico, that should be followed.”
The World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) is helping developing countries sell their right to deforest, or avoid deforestation. The proceeds of these “emissions reductions” would ostensibly be used to keep forests standing. Looking for Leadership, RRI’s annual review of forest and land rights around the world, stresses the urgency of securing the land rights of forest peoples before extracting yet another commodity – in this case, the rights to the carbon in the live trees – from their land. Without safeguards for these rights established and implemented, all nations participating in the carbon market face the “resource curse,” in which countries that industrialise and trade their natural resources achieve corruption and stagnation rather than social and economic development.
On its current path, carbon trading will allow governments to make the decisions, and control the proceeds of the market, undermining local peoples’ rights, and putting at risk the protection of the forest itself,” said Joji Cariño, director of Forest Peoples Programme. “Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who have been stewards of the land for generations, are likely to be further marginalised and dispossessed. Stronger leadership is needed by the World Bank to respect local rights and help governments direct benefits to support local forest owners.”
Industrial Oil Palm Development, a complementary report released alongside RRI’s annual review, explores how palm oil developments altered the economic trajectories of Indonesia and Liberia. The World Bank invested more than $2 billion in the palm oil commodity without ensuring the implementation of strong safeguards, and as a result, Indonesia, one of the countries participating in the World Bank’s carbon market, has seen its forests decimated by palm oil plantations. Liberia has now staked its economic development to palm oil production even though the price of the commodity has declined 40 percent since its 2011 peak.
“Liberia’s focus on palm oil and other raw commodities devastated its rural communities and their ancestral forests, and then Ebola hit,” said Silas Kpanan’Ayoung Siakor, the founder of Sustainable Development Institute in Liberia, who spoke at the panel discussion on the state of global land rights where both reports were released. “Now that Ebola is receding, oil palm companies are already accelerating the land-grabbing again. We need to protect our forests and rebuild our country, with a focus on our people first. Our land can provide the foundation for this recovery, but only if we have the rights to it.”
Without Rights, Expect to Repeat the Resource Curse
RRI’s analysis looked at the legal systems in eight of 11 countries now deemed “ready” to sell carbon by the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). Not one country had a law governing how forest carbon could be traded, and only Guatemala and Mexico had laws defining forest carbon rights.
In a related analysis, governments were found to claim ownership over 79 percent of the forests in those eight countries. The rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, on the other hand, are only recognised for 16 percent.
Mexico again stood out – its government controls only 4.4 percent of the nation’s forests, while Indigenous Peoples and local communities have rights to 70 percent. The other governments claim large portions, if not all, of their nation’s forestland:
Democratic Republic of the Congo, 100 percent;
Republic of the Congo, 98 percent;
Vietnam, 98 percent;
Indonesia, 96 percent;
Peru, 71 percent;
Nepal, 68 percent; and
Costa Rica, 40 percent.
The results of this analysis call into question how the countries accepted by the FCPF would establish carbon as a tradable commodity without viable legal frameworks in place. Fortunately, there are examples of how this can be done right. Mexico respects indigenous land rights and has established national funds to compensate forest communities for their carbon, as has Costa Rica. El Salvador is planning such a system as well.
The sidestepping of local land and human rights is reminiscent of how other new commodities are established. In Kenya, for example, the government placed a higher value on the water flowing from the Cherangany Hills than on the rights of the Sengwer people who live in the region. In a World Bank-funded project, the Sengwer were forcibly removed from their homes to safeguard the drinking water and irrigation supplies of the people downstream.
“Forest management and water conservation should never include burning the homes of forest peoples,” said Peter Kitelo, coordinator of the Kenya Forest Indigenous Peoples Network, and another speaker at the RRI event. “As the spotlight on human rights continues to brighten, we need better leadership from global institutions, especially those promoting development. The land may produce valuable commodities, but every human life holds a much higher value.”
Palm oil is another commodity example; the industry has long been criticised for its role in deforestation, abuse of local land rights, and lax production standards. The second report explores how the business model of the industry also does not share its economic gains with the countries or the people hosting its plantations. For example, Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil, yet the commodity contributes less than two percent to the country’s GDP. Since 1990, the number of jobs in the rural sector, where palm oil plantations are located, has remained stagnant.
“When it comes to palm oil, there are no positive outcomes for our communities so far,” said Mina Setra, deputy secretary general of the Indonesia’s Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN). “Oil palm plantations have been major issues for indigenous communities. Companies violate our rights, break the laws, pollute the environment, and never share any of the profits. Criminalisation to community members and violence still happen today. This is not an economic model that any other country should adopt.”
Yet despite the evidence and its new commitments to stop deforestation, the Liberian government continues to embrace palm oil as a commodity that can fuel its economy, and it has not insisted on stronger safeguards for rural communities. The report makes clear that a continued reliance on exporting raw commodities like palm oil will never build the local manufacturing and infrastructure that can support the modern economy envisioned by the government.
“We’ve got to learn this lesson: you can’t get democracy or development, and you can’t stop deforestation, without respecting citizens’ human rights, including local peoples’ rights to their land and forests,” said RRI’s White in conclusion. “Without rights you get the resource curse – whether you are talking about oil palm, forests, mining or carbon.”
The RRI is a global coalition of 14 partners and over 150 international, regional and community organisations advancing forest tenure, policy and market reforms.
WaterAid has welcomed the African Union’s official launch of the Kigali Action Plan, a 50-million euro agreement to bring drinking water, basic toilets and hygiene promotion to 10 million Africans in 10 countries.
The action plan has come as the UN enters final negotiations on the next 15-year blueprint for development in the Sustainable Development Goals. The present draft of which includes a dedicated goal on water and sanitation.
Barbara Frost, Chief Executive, WaterAid. Photo credit: wateraid.org
The programme, agreed with the African Development Bank and led by the government of Rwanda, is designed to make water and sanitation programmes a higher priority in national spending across the continent.
Ten nations are targeted in this action plan: Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Lesotho and Mauritania. The 10 states are all on the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and all but two of the targeted countries — Lesotho and Mauritania — are considered fragile states for one reason or another (ranging from conflict to the Ebola virus disease). The weak state of water and sanitation services has been highlighted in Sierra Leone and Liberia in particular as contributing to the Ebola crisis.
The 24th African Union Summit, which closed on 31 January, comes as the United Nations works on final negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals, which will serve as a blueprint for development over the next 15 years.
WaterAid with its partner organisations has called for a strong, dedicated goal on water and sanitation for all, as well as the inclusion of water, sanitation and hygiene in goals on education and health to recognise their critical role in helping children survive to adulthood and stay in school, and in helping communities become healthier and more productive.
The Common African Position on these new goals includes recommendations for people-centred development, environmental sustainability, natural resource management and disaster risk management. Achieving access to clean water, sanitation and good hygiene practice for all is a critical element of these recommendations.
Barbara Frost, Chief Executive, WaterAid, said: “Africa’s hospitals, communities and economies are struggling under the enormous burden of disease created when 324 million people in the continent have no choice but to drink dirty water, and another 644 million are without decent, hygienic toilets. It’s time to stop talking and take action on sanitation. The Kigali Action Plan is focused on delivering services and transforming lives, and we look to the Sustainable Development Goals to continue this momentum.”
This initiative is being led by His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, reflecting the country’s rapid progress in delivering water and sanitation.
In 1990, by WHO and UNICEF measures, only 30% of Rwanda’s population had basic toilets and 60% had clean water. In 2013, that number had risen to 64% with basic toilets and nearly 71% with access to clean water.
Rwanda is also one of few African nations to have met the Millennium Development Goal target of halving the proportion of its people without access to sanitation. As a whole, Sub-Saharan Africa is so far behind on providing sanitation that at present rates of progress, it would not meet this goal for more than 150 years.
Key to Rwanda’s success have been empowering communities, strong political will and accountability of service providers and governments, which have been held up as examples for other Sub-Saharan African nations as they confront their own challenges in water and sanitation.
In the Dakar Declaration of May 2014, African nations called for a dedicated Sustainable Development Goal on water and sanitation as key to ending this crisis.
Dr. Michael Ojo, Country Representative, WaterAid Nigeria, said: “The Kigali Action Plan is a great move for Africa and it will contribute significantly to changing the face of water, sanitation and hygiene on the continent. As the continent’s biggest economy however, Nigeria also has a huge role to play in contributing to sustained development in Africa. It defies logic that as influential as Nigeria is on the continent, we remain one of only a handful of countries around the world where access to basic sanitation is actually falling rather than rising. We call on our own leaders here to embrace the spirit of the Kigali Action Plan and invest the resources needed to provide safe water, sanitation and hygiene for its people.
“It’s evident that world leaders, and increasingly this includes African leaders too, are finally recognising the transformative potential and unique opportunity for change that 2015 presents. We must continue to demand that our leaders embrace new and ambitious policies that will eradicate poverty, inequality and change the future of Nigerians for the better.”
With a myriad of laws and regulations to navigate, investing in property can seem overwhelming even on your home turf. This is even truer if you are looking to purchase real estate overseas, where everything from the local customs to the legal requirements will be unfamiliar.
Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo credit: tripsgate.com
What are the laws international buyers are likely to encounter when hunting for real estate in some of the leading investment destinations in the emerging markets?
Asia: invest through leasehold, not freehold
At first glance, it may seem that buying property outright is out of the question in many countries. In the Philippines, for example, non-Filipinos are not permitted to own land. However, they can lease private land for a period of 50 years, and this lease can be renewed for a further 25 years. Additionally, the Condominium Act permits non-nationals to buy condominium units as long as total foreign ownership in the development does not exceed 40 percent.
Similarly, owning property outright in Indonesia is a right that is reserved for citizens. Hak Milik, or right of ownership, can only be held by Indonesian nationals. However, Hak Pakai, or right of use, can be issued to both foreign individuals residing in Indonesia and foreign-invested entities.
In Myanmar, a country which has attracted record levels of foreign investment following political and economic reforms, similar restrictions surrounding ownership apply. However, under the foreign investment law introduced in November 2012, international investors are eligible for land leases of up to 50 years, which can then be renewed for two 10-year periods.
Middle East: ownership allowed, with restrictions
In Saudi Arabia, foreigners can own property outright but should still expect to face some restrictions. Foreign companies must have a legal presence in the Kingdom, while individual investors have to live in the country and must also hold a permit from the Ministry of the Interior. An important exception is the holy cities of Mecca and Madinah, where only Saudi nationals are entitled to buy property.
In Jordan, similar rules apply. Individual foreign investors can buy property for residential purposes, provided that their country of residence has a reciprocal relationship. International buyers will need to seek approval from the Cabinet (Council of Ministers), as well as from the Minister of Finance or the General Director of the Survey Department. Investors from other Arab nations are exempt from this requirement.
Latin America: ownership restricted by location
In Mexico, whether a foreigner can buy property outright depends on the location. Restrictions are placed on foreign ownership of land in a prohibited zone which includes land that is within 50km of the coastline or 100km from the country’s international borders. The restriction is included in Mexico’s 1917 constitution and reflects fears from that time about the United States’ expansion. However, foreigners can still acquire property within this restricted zone through a bank trust, known as a fideicomiso.
Likewise, few restrictions exist for foreign buyers in Peru, unless the property is located within 50km of the country’s border. Elsewhere in Latin America, international investors face very few limitations.
In Colombia, foreigners looking to invest in property have the same ownership rights as citizens of the country. Even tourists can acquire property here without proof of residency.
Africa: mixed investment opportunities
Foreign investment in property in many African markets is restricted. One notable exception is Morocco, which is open and actively attracting foreign buyers. Foreigners are not required to hold residency in order to tap into the country’s booming property market. However, international investors looking to buy here should hire both a notary and a local lawyer to get expert advice for navigating the real estate market.
Elsewhere, buying property on a freehold basis is not an option for international investors. In Tanzania, where the bulk of the country’s real estate is government owned, foreigners can only occupy land when it is intended as an investment. This can be done by obtaining a right of occupancy through the Tanzania Investment Centre.
In other countries, foreign ownership is often restricted to a leasehold basis, such as in Kenya where international buyers can acquire property only on a 99-year lease.
In Nigeria, the Land Use Act restricts foreign acquisition to no more than a 25 year lease and also requires written approval from the state government.
National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) principal consultant, Emmanuel Osiegbu, has said that the agency has undertaken the process of testing all commercially packaged water in the country to make sure that they conform to the requisite standard for consumption.
DG of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii. Photo credit: thisdaylive.com
Addressing owners of water companies in Kaduna, northern Nigeria, Osiegbu said the agency cannot categorically say the percentage contribution of water to cancer, infant mortality and other water diseases because of lack of data.
“But from what we are seeing in the water that we have been analysing at least since we started this programme, we have seen lead and others and this are things that cause cancer and if you relate that with the high rate of cancer in the country. We are not saying water is the only cause of cancer but it is part of the things we have to take control.
“In terms of infant mortality if you go to the hospital every day you will see issues where diarrhoea, cholera and children are dying every day, so it is something that is related to water borne diseases and water. So the essence of this exercise is to exonerate the commercial packaged water so that people will know that the water that we produce is safe for human consumption.
On plans to tackle other sources of water, Osiegbu stated, “The agency has its own jurisdiction. But this is one area that the DG is looking into, we are starting with registered and commercial packaged water so that we can build up a data base and send the information to the National Assembly and say there is a problem let us look at it.
“Even with the water works we need the right equipment to conduct the analysis and that is what we want to see,” he said.
Kaduna State Commissioner of Finance, Alhaji Samaila Aliyu, has facilitated the enrolment of 2,000 people into the Community-Based Social Health Insurance Scheme in Makarfi Local Government Area of the state.
Alhaji Samaila Aliyu
The Commissioner, who hails from the local government, also settled their contribution to enable them enjoy free access to health care services for the next one year.
He said, “Two thousand people have been enrolled into the Community-Based Social Health Insurance Scheme and their contribution have been settled to enable them enjoy free access to health care services for the next one year.
“Equally, 42 cooperative groups have also been mobilised and facilitated their registration with a bank account for each one of the with a sum of N50,000 as seed money to enable them take advantage of the KDSG-BOI and KDSG-BOA matching funds, as well as other funding windows designed to support the development of micro small and medium Enterprises in the state.
In line with the gesture of human capital development, government has distributed motorcycles, sewing machines to women and youth groups in Makarfi Local Government Area of the state. The commissioner said the gesture was to empower such groups to be self-dependent through job creation and support to small and medium scale enterprises.
Countries on Sunday in Geneva, Switzerland will begin a fresh round of UN climate change talks as they continue work to advance the draft text of a new, universal climate change agreement which they are due to conclude at the end of this year.
The UN Palais des Nations, Geneva.Photo credit: viator.com
It entails the meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) holding in the UN Palais des Nations. It will come to a close on Friday.
The ADP is the negotiating body tasked with building the new agreement, which governments are due to deliver at the end of the year in Paris.
The Paris agreement will come into effect only from 2020, so the ADP is also finding ways to increase immediate climate action to cover existing gaps in global ambition to respond effectively to the climate challenge.
The world needs to achieve a three-part goal, if it is to prevent average global temperatures from rising more than 2C degrees, beyond which increasingly unmanageable climate impacts on societies and economies are likely to occur.
“We must peak global greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, trigger a deep, de-carbonization of the global economy and eventually reach a climate neutral world in the second half of this century,” said Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The Geneva meeting follows the annual UN climate change conference in Lima last December where countries made progress towards the final text for the Paris agreement by capturing the elements of a draft negotiating text. This is referred to as the Lima Draft. The Lima Draft contains different options for the Paris climate agreement from all countries.
In Geneva, governments will also continue to consider how to increase climate action before 2020 though Technical Expert Meeting (TEMs). A series of such meetings took place in 2014, focusing on areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, cities and land use.
The French Government has recognised the crucial role played by civil society as key stakeholder in the ongoing dialogue process for a post-2020 climate change agreement.
Speaking recently at the “Policy Dialogue on Climate Change” held in the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Nicolas Dasnois, from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, pointed out that views from all stakeholders should be considered if the world is to deliver an ambitious and all-inclusive deal for climate change.
Dasnois said that the next Conference of Parties (COP21) is the largest event the French Government has ever organised, and that “the momentum has already kicked off,’ he said at the joint event organised by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance and Development Agency, Oxfam.
Participants at the Dialogue
Over the last couple of years, various civil society groups have directed their anger towards the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) over what they term as deliberate attempt to frustrate their participation and contribute to the negotiation processes.
Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) have observed that the progressive limitation of observer participants through quota system is meant to kill their vocal stand on some critical issues and sometimes the manner in which the negotiations are conducted.
Speaking at the side-event event, top African negotiator and Tanzanian head of delegation to the UNFCCC Richard Muyungi underscored the importance of unity among African stakeholders, including the civil society, saying that this was the only way to ensure the continent’s position is respected at the global level.
“Of course we have come from far and the African Group is the most formidable block in Negotiations, we must note that that the coordination framework among key African organs and initiatives has made our voices louder,” he told participants.
“I wish to thank the people of Ethiopia and particularly the Late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi for steering the Conference of Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSOCC) which President JakayaKikwete took over. We now have the commitment of our political leaders at the highest level possible,” added Muyungi.
The event was held as part of policy dialogues on climate change spearheaded by PACJA and its partners to ensure African governments acknowledge the need and urgency for a progressively fair, equitable and ecologically just climate change deal in Paris that is responsive to African realities and aspirations.
The event also addressed by the African Climate Policy Centre’s Johnson Nkem and the Pan African Parliamentarians Network on Climate Change (PAPNCC) President Awudu Cyprian Mbaya was aimed at sharing reflections and perspectives on what the outcomes of COP20 means for Africa and its people as well as contributing to African Union’s debate and preparatory process in the countdown to COP21. Organisers also sought to strengthen coordination and relationship with African Union, particularly its organs and initiatives.
Lilongwe in Malawi is expected to achieve economic growth lower than 5.8 percent projected earlier for 2015.
President Peter Mutharika said in his state of the nation address regarding the current floods that preliminary assessment shows that the damage caused to the economy is estimated in million dollars, excluding the cost of the relief programmes.
Weeks of very heavy rainfall have triggered widespread flooding in Malawi. Photo credit: Water Journalists – Africa
Figures from Capitol Hill are enough evidence that business operations in Malawi have come to a halt due to heavy rains and floods. Problems of electricity, water and public infrastructure are huge and companies are feeling the pinch. While aid is being channelled to flood victims, the private sector is caught in untimely delivery or provision of goods and services.
The Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) has since said floods have adversely affected businesses. It further says agriculture and mining sectors have been affected most as they are likely to experience low productivity in the 2015.
MCCCI chief executive officer chancellor Kaferapanjira said the damage to water supply has culminated into water shortages in cities and towns, electricity blackouts have led to companies using fuel generators. The private sector body adds that floods have also jeopardised irrigation systems, food storage and processing facilities of the various companies.
He added that insurance companies are likely to spend more on insurance claims. Suffice it to say that they have an obligation to assist the need through relief items.
“Some of this donation has come in kind, for example, Carlsberg donated water worth K80 million kwacha the time the city had no water in Blantyre and they had to use Mulunguzi Dam because there was no water in town,” said Kaferapanjira.
Field observations and follow-up rapid assessments by an Inter-Agency assessment team that comprises government UN agencies and others have shown that livestock and farmlands have been affected. This is enough a sign to economists that output in the sector will be reduced.
In his state of the disaster address last week, President Peter Mutharika alluded that heavy rains and floods will, therefore, bring many negative socioeconomic effects to the Malawian economy. Mutharika said the growth for Malawi is largely driven by agriculture, manufacturing, electricity, water and mining sectors.
“In essence, this means that the problem of food insecurity among households is heightened to levels that will put a lot of pressure on the budget, to assist the households affected by the floods across the country. In this case, the budget in excess of K3.6 billion will be required for replanting. Concerns of further flooding are high as rains are forecast to continue for some months,” he said
Meanwhile members of the private sector have predicted doom for their business as companies and people will not be able to pay back credits or insurances fees timely or else such companies will have to pay out insurance claims.
Prakash Patil, chief executive officer of the General Alliance Malawi, an insurance company explains that despite such developments, they would assist their clients and victims.
“We are saddened by the floods and we join the concerned families by donating the amount through the VPs office so they buy basic needs,” he said
The Malawi Government said it is estimated that around 116, 000 farmers country-wide have been affected with 35, 000 hectares of cropland impacted.
The President said maize, rice, groundnuts, cotton, and fish has been lost. It is also estimated that a total of K2.9 billion worth of livestock has been lost.
He added that total food production of households will be reduced during the 2014/15 agriculture season unless farmers re-plant their fields, meaning that a special budget would be needed for replanting.
Meanwhile, Malawi’s Response Plan is seeking US$81 million to address immediate needs of people who have been affected by the floods and the United Nations funds totalling $150,000 are being utilised to strengthen the operation and coordination capacity at district level.
It remains a fact that heavy rainstorms and floods hit 15 out of the 28 districts in Malawi such as Rumphi, Balaka, Karonga, Nsanje and Chikwawa, among other districts. The floods have killed many people and rendered more than 638,000 persons homeless.
However, Lilongwe says, these numbers are expected to rise as more information is received and analysed, and rains continue to fall.
