More than 15,000 children in Kenya will be unable to return to school next week due to heavy rains and floods.
Flood victims residing at Valley Bridge Primary School in Kiamaiko, Nairobi. Photo credit: The Standard
A global charity on Friday, May 10, 2024, said the rains had submerged or destroyed at least 62 primary schools across the country.
Save the Children said the informal settlements in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi have been particularly hard hit, with families losing their homes and livelihoods.
According to the charity, more than 7,000 people have been displaced by the heavy rains and flooding in the Mathare slums alone.
“The impact of the floods on children is disastrous and threatens their rights.
“As a child rights organisation, we recognise the importance of coordination of efforts to ensure that children’s lives and those of their families are restored to normalcy,” Mohamed Abdiladif, Save the Children’s acting country director for Kenya and Madagascar, said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
A report released this week by Kenya’s Ministry of Education showed the extent of damage to schools, as well as health facilities and homes.
The raging floods has killed more than 160 people and displaced over 250,000 since mid-March.
The reopening of schools has been postponed twice to ensure the safety of children.
Meanwhile, more than 40 cases of cholera have been reported along the Tana River, and there are fears that this number could rise as children return to school.
The heavy rains were exacerbated by the El Nino weather pattern, a naturally occurring climate phenomenon typically associated with increased global heat, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy rainfall elsewhere.
“This climate disaster has also affected children and families who are yet to recover from the impacts of drought,” the charity said.
Save the Children called for the response to the climate crisis, including climate finance, to be child-responsive so that children’s rights, such as the right to learning are factored into decision-making about their future.
Over centuries, bird migration has awed humanity. Every year millions of birds travel thousands of kilometres, transversing continents in search of breeding, feeding and resting grounds. During migration, birds play key roles in the environment including controlling pests, pollination and economic benefits through bird watching.
Migratory birds
Twice each year, the world celebrates World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) to raise awareness about birds and the plight they face while migrating along the migratory routes known as flyways. The 2024 WMBD theme is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”, highlighting the importance of insects for migratory birds. Insects are essential food sources for most migratory birds. However, insect populations are declining at alarming rates, with the world losing roughly 9% of the world’s insect population each decade.
Deforestation, industrial agriculture, the overuse of pesticides, light pollution, and climate change are major factors driving this trend. This year’s WMBD theme provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of insects, to educate, and to learn. Consequently, taking actions to reduce insect declines including restoring ecosystems where insects thrive, will benefit birds.
Protecting critical sites
Further, migratory birds rely on critical sites including wetlands, grasslands and forests for feeding, breeding, and resting. In addition, these sites play an important role in providing ecosystem services. Including flood control, absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, in addition to supporting livelihoods of millions of people across the globe.
However, these critical sites are disappearing at an alarming rate driven by various factors including climate change, human activities such as agricultural activities, urbanisation, and pollution among others, thereby negatively impacting the birds. Consequently, protecting and restoring these critical sites is paramount to maintain healthy migratory bird populations.
One of the ways through which this can be done is through collaborative Partnerships. For example, BirdLife International in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the East Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership Secretariat (EAAFP), launched a $3 billion Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI) in 2021 in the Asia’s East Asian Australasian Flyway stretching from Siberia and Alaska to New Zealand and Australia, transversing 37 countries.
The initiative aims at protection and restoration of more than 50 key wetlands sites along the Flyway which are critical for millions of migratory birds, while supporting livelihoods of millions of people through fisheries and agriculture among others. Such models can be replicated across flyways, benefitting nature and people.
Mitigating impact of energy developments
Another threat facing migratory birds today along the flyways, is the increase in poorly deployed energy infrastructure including wind turbines and powerlines which end up killing millions of migratory birds every year. Africa is at the heart of the African-Eurasian Flyway which is used by about two billion birds annually. With many of these energy developments situated in places which also host or are utilised by the migrating birds, the magnitude of this threat can only become more severe.
Poor infrastructural deployment proffer negative interactions between birds and the man-made energy structures. Consequently, power utilities also suffer significant losses through to power outages, shutdowns, and costly repairs.
To address this challenge, collaboration between conservation organisations and energy sector stakeholders such as governments, power developers is needed. BirdLife and Partners are collaborating with stakeholders in the energy sector to provide practical and scalable solutions. For example, support informed decision-making on location for energy developments, BirdLife has developed risk screening tools, such as Avian Sensitivity Tool for Energy Planning (AVISTEP) which is being rolled out in Africa and elsewhere. AVISTEP is an online open-source application to help decision makers identify where renewable energy infrastructure could impact birds and should, therefore, be avoided, ensuring that facilities are developed in the most appropriate locations.
Other measures developed by BirdLife and partners include the Shut-Down-On-Demand (SHOD) protocol at the 240 MW Gabal-el Zayt wind farm in Egypt to address the threat of bird colliding with wind turbines, consequently averting massive bird mortalities and without significant power losses to the wind farm. In Sudan and Ethiopia, BirdLife and partners have retrofitted killer powerlines responsible for the death of thousands of migratory birds, thus averting further birds’ deaths.
Migratory birds connect countries, and their conservation will require cooperation beyond national boundaries to address the myriad threats that they face. As we celebrate World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, May 11, 2024, let us renew our commitments to protect them.
By Alex Ngari, Migratory Birds & Flyways Programme Manager for Africa, BirdLife International. Email: alex.ngari@birdlife.org
Nigeria’s Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, who doubles as the Chair of the Executive Board of UN-Habitat and the Chair of the 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) Bureau of the Shelter Afrique Development Bank (ShafDB), is advocating for a strategic partnership between Shelter Afrique Development Bank (ShafDB) and UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa
The move, Dangiwa said, would be critical in addressing Africa’s pressing housing challenges, asserting that effective long-term housing crisis management on the continent will depend on such collaborations.
Speaking at a dinner hosted in his honour by ShafDB at the bank’s headquarters in Nairobi, Dangiwa said the partnership between ShafDB and UN-Habitat would be complementary for both institutions in delivering their respective goals in Africa.
“As the chair of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) bureau of Shelter Afrique Development Bank and also the chair of the executive board of the United Nations Human Settlement programme, I’m committed to fostering strategic collaboration between these two institutions. This is because I believe that the partnership between ShafDB and UN-Habitat would represent a powerful alliance for addressing the housing deficit and promoting sustainable development across Africa,” Dangiwa stated.
“By leveraging our respective strengths, expertise, resources and abilities to leverage concessional funding from DFI’s, we can through this partnership increase the size of our interventions and amplify impact and accelerate progress towards our shared goals of affordable housing for all,” the minister added.
Lauding the move, Shelter Afrique Development Bank Managing Director, Thierno Habib Hann, said that, by joining forces, the two institutions would be able to leverage their complementary strengths to implement innovative solutions and initiatives tailored to Africa’s diverse housing landscape.
“There are various areas where ShafDB and UN-Habitat can collaborate including financing, research, data exchange, capacity building, policy development, and even community participation. The best part is that both organisations are based right here in Nairobi and understands Africa’s housing challenges pretty well,” Hann remarked.
Growing Deficit
Dangiwa noted that Africa is experiencing fast urbanisation and population growth, which had increased demand for affordable and environmentally friendly housing to critical levels.
“With close to 52 million people lacking adequate housing, Africa is facing a pressing humanitarian concern with profound socioeconomic implications. It is therefore critical that Shelter Afrique acts as catalyst for change to bridge this housing gap and ensure access to affordable housing for all as a matter of urgency,” Dangiwa stated.
He urged ShafDB to put in place initiatives to empower governments, developers and communities across the continent to undertake large scale housing projects to help reduce the housing deficit.
Bonga, Nigeria’s first deep-water development, has been an outstanding producer due to effective leadership, cutting-edge technology, continuous improvement, integrated delivery and collaboration with partners and stakeholders, Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Company Limited (SNEPCo), Elohor Aiboni,. said on Thursday, May 8, at the 2024 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas in US.
Mrs. Elohor Aiboni, Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited
Since coming on stream in November 2005, Bonga has maintained a track record of production that saw it achieve one-billion-barrel export on February 13, last year. Aiboni reflected on the success factors that enabled the milestone in a presentation titled “The Bonga Journey to a Billion Barrels.”
“SNEPCo is grateful for the contributions of all the parties to the Bonga story and we can all be proud of the milestones,” she said.
“Bonga has been consistent. In 2014, nine years after coming onstream, it achieved half a billion barrels of crude and doubled it in 2023. We have worked relentlessly to ensure excellent asset management, project and wells delivery and deployment of technology and innovations in our operations.
“These factors, coupled with the supportive partnership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and our co-venturers – TotalEnergies, EP Nigeria Limited; Nigerian Agip Exploration; and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited – make Bonga stand out as a world-class investment case.”
SNEPCo also enjoyed the support of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in the success of Bonga operations.
Aiboni spoke of the challenges of keeping the Bonga Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel full as the asset ages and dealing with unexpected developments with subsea wells and equipment.
“SNEPCo responded with a campaign of operational excellence, which among other initiatives, led to the creation of a programme known as the Bonga Business Improvement Plan that continually reviews and identifies improvement initiatives and drives sustainability in operations and upskilling of staff,” she stated.
The Bonga success story is said to have been led by Nigerians who have been managing directors of SNEPCo since it was established in 1993, in a deliberate policy by Shell to develop indigenous manpower for deep-water operations in Nigeria. Today, some 97% of the SNEPCo workforce is Nigerian and, overall, Bonga has helped to create a new generation of Nigerian deep-water professionals.
Aiboni added: “Our vision at SNEPCo remains to be the best deep-water business, powering growth and achieving net zero emissions in line with Shell’s Powering Progress strategy.”
April 2024 has been the hottest record month. Yet the transition from the scorching heatwaves to the heavy rains has been seamless as “hot” April hands the baton to May’s “rainstorm and floods”.
Flooding in DR Congo
The hours between April and May have recorded the loss of hundreds of lives swept away by floods in Kenya, Tanzania and Brazil. In the UAE, up to 50,000 cars have been damaged by record rainfall and subsequent flooding, with preliminary insured loss excessing $150 million.
And in Ghana, parts of Accra have already experienced flooding after heavy rains and strong winds uprooted trees, damaged vehicles, blocked roads and disrupted commuting.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says the “unprecedented and devastating” flooding in East Africa has triggered widespread displacement of thousands from their homes in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Tanzania.
Roads, bridges, dams, homes and other infrastructure are damaged in such rainstorms. Businesses and other economic activities are adversely impacted, and the health risks could also be profound, especially waterborne diseases like cholera and diarrhea.
When the Brazilian President said “we still don’t know the exact dimension of the floods”, and the people also say “we’ve never experienced anything like this”, they are echoing the obvious critical reality of climate change.
These extreme weather events tell climate mitigation cannot wait.
The climate change factor
According to the forecast of the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), regions of the north, Accra and other parts of the country will experience heavy rains and windstorms in the coming weeks till the end of July.
The GMet observed that “it is likely that the winds will be stronger than what we have experienced lately” and cautioned the public to take safety precautions from the intense downpour and windstorms.
The exceptionally heavy rainfall hitting countries is an ever-increasing threat due to a warming climate.
A study by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) found that global warming “most likely” exacerbated the intense rains in UAE.
The recent heat waves, floods and storms are exacerbated by climate change, which recent analysis shows could cost global GDP by 17 percent by 2050.
Building resilience to mitigate and adapt
The economies of African countries remain fragile and vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather events, like floods.
It takes a combination of resilience and adaptation techniques to properly handle the problems that extreme weather occurrences bring. While mitigation measures work to lessen the severity and impact of flooding occurrences, adaptation strategies concentrate on building resilience and decreasing susceptibility to floods and rainstorms.
Investing in resilient infrastructure designs that can withstand extreme weather events is crucial.
People would have to develop their own personal adaptation plans, such as avoiding low-lying regions that are prone to flooding as well as planting trees in their houses and other public spaces to act as windbreaks.
But at the national level, it is important to identify our vulnerabilities and prioritise adaptation measures, by integrating climate risk assessments into infrastructure planning and development processes.
In order to increase our resilience and provide extra co-benefits for ecosystems and communities, we also need to adopt nature-based solutions, such as green infrastructure and coastal restoration initiatives.
The construction of rainwater harvesting systems, retention ponds and permeable surfaces can also help reduce runoff and increase water infiltration.
We should also plan and develop our building transportation infrastructure to endure harsh weather conditions like flooding and heavy rain. During periods of heavy rainfall, the installation of suitable and efficient drainage systems can also aid in preventing water collection and lowering the chance of flooding.
To absorb surplus rainfall and lower the danger of floods, we should encourage sustainable urban development, which includes incorporating green spaces, water retention zones, and permeable surfaces into urban areas.
Extreme weather occurrences may be detected and predicted with the use of modern monitoring and early warning systems, giving time to prepare for emergencies and evacuation.
It is also important to ensure strict conduct of environmental impact assessments for all major projects, to incorporate flood risk analysis.
However, achieving sustainability will require good investment in research on climate change impacts and the deliberate quest to implement national policy on climate change.
Kofi Adu Domfeh is a journalist and a Climate Reality Leader. Email: adomfeh@gmail.com
Manufacturers have been called upon to realise that their responsibility extends beyond just creating products, and thus should start designing commodities with end-of-life considerations in mind.
Participants at the 2024 Brand Audit and clean-up exercise in Lagos
This submission formed part of the resolutions from the 2024 Brand Audit and clean-up exercise undertaken by Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev) Nigeria on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in collaboration with the Association of Waste Pickers of Lagos (ASWOL).
According to SRADev and ASWOL officials, it is not enough for producers to dissociate from their products after they have been distributed or sold.
“Too often, products are designed without considering what happens to them once they’re no longer useful, resulting in high levels of pollution within communities,” they stated, adding that manufacturers should use materials that are easily recyclable/biodegradable, design products to be easily disassembled for recycling, and adopt recycled materials into the manufacturing process of new products.
“Producers have a responsibility to ensure that their products don’t end up polluting our environment. Efforts such as collaborating with waste pickers and setting up efficient collection and recycling systems are also long overdue. These systems should also be easily accessible to all to make it easy for consumers to dispose of their waste responsibly,” noted the 2024 Brand Audit promoters.
The audit, which held at Tarmac, Oluwole Housing Estate, Ogba in Lagos State, and featured 23 participants, listed the top five polluting parent companies to include the Coca-Cola Company, La Casera Company, Grand Oak Limited, Intercontinental Distillers Limited and Heineken (makers of Farouz).
The exercise, which audited 1,706 plastics and in respect of which food packages (bottle/sachet components) constituted about 89% of the plastic brand pollutants identified, established the top five individual polluting brands as Nirvana, Adbuk (sachet water), Coca-cola, Seaman’s Schnapps, and Safrika (sachet water).
In addition to significant plastic waste generated from well-established brands, the audit found that the single-use plastic packaging of sachet water and alcoholic drinks were notable contributors to pollution within the community.
The audit also identified majority of plastics as bottle labels and PET (polyethylene terephthalate), while the least amounts of plastic types were PS (polystyrene) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene).
Apart from raising awareness about health effects of plastic pollution and providing data on plastic polluting the environment to help identify the companies responsible, other objectives of the audit were listed to include: holding corporate organisations accountable for plastic pollution, and urging further action to eliminate single-use plastics through regulatory action in Nigeria.
The Brand Audit is an annual event organised by Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and Break Free from Plastics (BFFP) (GAIA/BFFP plastics campaign) aimed at building a world free from plastic pollution.
The brand audit exercise is a participatory citizen science initiative that involves recording data on plastic waste majorly polluting our environment towards advocacy for effective plastic waste management. The audit involves documenting the brands found on plastic waste to help identify the companies responsible for plastic pollution.
The brand audit demands that top polluting fast-moving consumer goods corporations need to reveal the full extent of their plastic footprint, reduce it significantly by setting and implementing ambitious targets, and most importantly, redesign their packaging materials to be reusable or plastic-free.
SRADev Nigeria, being a GAIA/BFFP core member, participates in the brand audit exercise by identifying a commercial place to clean-up and audit plastic waste collected.
The UN health agency, World Health organisation (WHO), says the H5NI avian influenza virus has so far shown no signs of adapting to allow human-to-human transmission.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Photo credit: AFP / FABRICE COFFRINI / Getty Images
So far, one human case has been reported in the United States since the outbreak of bird flu among the millions of dairy cattle across the country.
At least 220 people are monitored and at least 30 have been tested.
“However, many more people have been exposed to infected animals, and it is important that all those exposed are tested or monitored and receive care if needed,” Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said at a news conference on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.
“So far, the virus does not show signs of having adapted to spread among humans, but more surveillance is needed,” he urged.
The WHO chief also said that though the virus has been detected in raw milk in the US, “preliminary tests show that pasteurisation kills the virus”.
“WHO’s standing advice in all countries is that people should consume pasteurised milk,” he highlighted.
Pasteurisation is a heat treatment process for milk that reduces the numbers of possible pathogenic microorganisms to levels at which they do not represent a significant health hazard. It also extends the usable life of milk.
Ghebreyesus also noted that based on the available information, WHO continues to assess the public health risk posed by H5N1 avian influenza to be low and low-to-moderate for people exposed to infected animals.
He added that the agency has a system for monitoring influenza globally through a network of centres in 130 countries, seven collaborating centres and 12 reference laboratories with the capacities and biosafety requirements to deal with H5 viruses.
“We also have the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework to support the rapid development and equitable distribution of vaccines in case of an influenza pandemic,” he said.
In recent years, H5N1 has spread widely among wild birds, poultry, land and marine mammals and now among dairy cattle.
Since 2021, there have been 28 reported cases in humans, although no human-to-human transmission has been documented.
The outbreak in the United States has so far infected 36 dairy herds in nine states.
The National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA), on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, sensitised farmers, extension agencies, MDAs, academia and students in Southeast on advancement of biotechnology and biosafety.
Director General, National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA), Prof. Mustapha Abdullahi
The workshop, which held at the Godfrey Okoye University (GOUNI), Enugu, was organised by the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa, Nigeria Chapter.
It is also an initiative of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).
The event was tagged One-Day Biosafety and Biotechnology Sensitisation Workshop for the South East zone with the theme “Genetic Modified Food Safety Stewardship: Fortifying Public Confidence”.
Addressing participants, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NBRDA, Prof. Mustapha Abdullahi, noted that the South East region had immense potential for the advancement of biotechnology and biosafety practices.
He said that the workshop would serve as an important platform to collectively explore and harness those potential in biotechnology for the benefits of all.
According to him, biotechnology holds the key to addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing agriculture, healthcare, the environment and beyond.
“From enhancing crop yields and improving food security to developing innovative medical treatments and mitigating the impacts of climate change, the potential applications of biotechnology are vast and far-reaching.
“Through this sensitisation workshop, we aim to deepen our understanding of biosafety regulations, biotechnological advancements, and their implications for Nigeria.
“By fostering dialogue, sharing best practices, and raising awareness, we can empower stakeholders at all levels to make informed decisions and participate meaningfully in the biotechnology revolution unfolding before us,” he said.
He further told the participants that their contributions were invaluable to the success of the workshop and the advancement of biotechnology and biosafety in Nigeria.
“My appeal to everyone is to contribute their best as we try to fashion out strategies on how to ensure that the country is food-secured.”
While thanking partners, Abdullahi added that as stewards of science and technology, they had a responsibility to ensure that their actions were guided by principles of safety, sustainability, and social responsibility.
Welcoming the stakeholders, the Vice Chancellor of GOUNI, Prof. Christian Anieke, said the workshop came in at the right time given the food insecurity faced by Nigerians that were on increases on daily basis.
Anieke, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, Gozie Ogbodo, explained that biotechnology had wide application to the improvement of life of anything that had DNA, rising from Agriculture, environment, medicine and others.
He said that it improved productivity, properties of food crops and flowers, adding that to achieve economic understanding, adoption and acceptance of biotechnology, it was important to sensitize the zone on the benefits.
“GOUNI had always been in the fore front of advancement of biotechnology in Nigeria as it offers biotechnology as a course with approved curriculum by the National University Commission.
“The university is the only DNA learning centre in Africa and seven in the world, as biotechnology will improve productivity, quality of food crops and income of the farmers,” Anieke said.
Also speaking, the Country Coordinator, PSB, Nigeria, Dr Mathew Dore, said they were working in Enugu on cassava to be more productive and develop resistance to challenges and environment.
“We are working on how we can make cassava richer as biotechnology is being used for cassava while cowpea and maize is about 5 years old in the country.
“It took time to multiply the seeds which needed to go round to farmers in the rural areas,” he noted.
Dr Ayo Enwerem, Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Imo State Chapter, revealed that it had been more than 20 years since the issue of genetic improved crops came up, but they had never been given the seeds, stressing that farmers could not find them.
Enwerem requested for the seed to be given to farmers to enable them to multiply the seed.
A lawmaker, Sen. Ned Nwoko (PDP-Delta), has said that, when completed, the Ogwashi-Uku dam will serve 60 communities in the senatorial district of Delta State.
Sen. Ned Nwoko
Nwoko who said this during an interactive session with newsmen on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Abuja, said plans were ongoing for the construction of a second dam in the senatorial district at Idumuje Ugboko.
He said the dams were initiated to address the problem of water supply and seasonal farming in the district.
According to him, with the two dams in the senatorial district, the problem of water supply has been solved and an opportunity for all round farming through irrigation has been created.
He said the Ogwashi-Uku dam was near completion with the Federal Government completing its side of the project.
The senator said he was in talks with the Delta State Government to play its part, by providing a reservoir and water treatment plant to ensure safe water supply to the communities.
Nwoko urged the communities to embrace the project and take advantage of the opportunities it would create when completed.
The senator said he had initiated a motion to step down 100 megawatts of power from the power plant in Okpai in Ndokwa land to improve power supply in the area.
He said the initiative was initiated to address the delay in the supply of electricity to Ndokwa land, and urged the state government to execute the project when the motion was finally passed.
Nwoko said the Federal Government would make a refund for the cost that would be expended by the state government in the step-down project.
Gov. Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has directed the Ministry of Environment to immediately construct embankments in flood prone areas to check the menace of flooding in the state.
Gov. Umar Namadi of Jigawa State
The governor said the measure became necessary as the 2024 rainy season is fast approaching.
Hajiya Zainab Rabo, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media Affairs, made the position of Namadi known in a statement in Dutse on Thursday, May 9, 2024.
Rabo said the governor has directed the state Commissioner for Environment, Dr Nura Ibrahim, and other officials of the ministry to kick-start the project on Wednesday.
The governor’s aide said that Namadi equally gave approval to the ministry of environment to adopt other immediate measures to ensure better flood control in the year.
She said that the measures which include distilling of water drainage systems as well as prevention of throwing solid waste in the water channels, were imperative to curtail the menace of flooding in the state.
According to her, the proactive measure will lead to protecting the lives and property of people in the state.
Rabo said that a nine-member committee has been set up by the state to go round and mobilise community support on the successful implementation of the directive.
