In a makeshift camp for people displaced by floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo, father-of-three, Cyprien Seka, anxiously watched his baby nap on the floor of a crowded tent and wondered if it would ever be safe to return home.
Flooding in DR Congo
Torrential rains swelled the Congo River to its highest level in over 60 years in late December and forced around 500,000 people to flee the rising waters.
“It’s been almost a month since we left our homes because of the flooding… We are suffering,” Seka said at the camp on the grounds of a Catholic church on the outskirts of the capital Kinshasa.
Like many others, Seka’s family lost almost all their possessions in the rush to escape.
With some areas still underwater, around 2,400 people have been crammed into this compound for weeks.
Many have to sleep outside on the ground due to a lack of space in the shared tents.
“The night here is horrible,” said 55-year-old grandmother, Pansel Moto Pamba.
“There are many people spread out, crowded … it’s suffocating, you cannot breathe,” she said, showing the scrap of matting she lies on to sleep.
Sixteen of Congo’s 26 provinces are grappling with the fallout from the floods, which killed at least 221 people, damaged tens of thousands of homes, and exposed already vulnerable communities to increased risk of malaria and typhoid, according to the Congolese authorities and medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières.
The scale of the emergency has underscored the urgent need for improved flood management and response, particularly around the capital, said hydrologist Raphaël Tshimanga at the University of Kinshasa.
“The fear is enormous for Kinshasa, which receives the cumulative flow of the entire Congo basin,” he said, adding that high levels of deforestation were also worsening the impact of heavy rains.
Congo had the second-highest rate of tree-cover loss in the world in 2022 after Brazil, according to Global Forest Watch.
This exacerbates flood risk because a forest’s canopy and roots trap rainwater and lessen flows into rivers, said Tshimanga.
More floods could threaten the 83 million people living near a major river in the Congo basin, which stretches across central Africa.
“What we’ve seen is likely to get worse … as far as analyses are concerned, we’ve entered a wet period when we’re likely to see more of these rare events,” Tshimanga said.
The Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), a civil society organisation, has called for the declaration of a state of emergency on water and sanitation in Kogi State without further delay.
Gov. Usman Ododo of Kogi State
Mr Idris Abdul, the Executive Director of CHRCR, made the call in a statement on Friday, February 16, 2024, in Lokoja, the state capital.
According to him, sanitation policy in the state needs to be reviewed under the new administration.
“As the new government in Kogi under the leadership of Alhaji Usman Ododo settles down, there is a need to review the sanitation policy in the state.
“To reflect the current challenges, Kogi witnesses not less than 10,000 vehicles crossing the state on a daily basis, posing environmental challenges because of human attitude due to negligence of basic hygiene.
“It is condemnable that a state capital like Lokoja will stay without water; open defecation has become alarming in Lokoja town and across the state.
“Refuse is scattered across the town, without the evacuation as and when due; worst of all, the refuse dump sites have remained unkempt without proper management.
“We call on the state of emergency on water and sanitation in Kogi State without further delay,” he said.
He recommended that a specific date be set aside for cleaning the markets and motor parks to improve sanitation in those places.
Abdul further called for a stakeholders’ conference on environmental sanitation in the state as it would generate ideas on how to move the sector forward.
The Federal Government says it is seeking collaboration with the Republic of India to achieve a unique and sustainable geospatial information in the country.
Surveyor General of the Federation, Mr Abuduganiyu Adebomehin
The Surveyor General of the Federation, Mr Abuduganiyu Adebomehin, stated this on Friday, February 16, 2024, when he received the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Bala Subramanian, in his office.
In a statement issued by Mr Sani Datti, Head of Public Affairs in the Surveyor General’s office, on the visit, Adebomehin said the partnership would be of mutual benefit to both countries.
The Surveyor General said the Federal Government is determined to collaborate with relevant partners to advance the exchange of technical expertise on geospatial mapping, remote sensing, carbon mapping and auto imagery.
He said Nigeria is willing to leverage on India’s strength on geospatial information in planning for decision making and other related matters.
“Indian government has established its geospatial data infrastructure and we can share experiences as we work toward establishing ours.
“Another area of the proposal is agriculture, to see how India’s geospatial data can be applied in the area of food production and security.
”We have benefited from India’s technical training in the past and we are therefore appealing for the reactivation of training as human capacity development is key,’’ he said.
In his response, the Indian High Commissioner said the aim of the visit was to strengthen collaboration and see how Nigeria could tap from the new geospatial policy being piloted by his country.
He said hydrography, remote sensing, surveying training and exchange of technical expertise are key areas where both countries could work together.
”We are ready for this partnership and you have our assurances that the pending Memorandum of Understanding on Hydrography between both countries will be attended to soon,” he said.
The UK Government invested more than £300 million delivering programmes and peacekeeping to bolster African nations’ stability and security last year, to the benefit of people in Africa and the UK.
L-R: Minister of State in the UK Cabinet Office, Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence, Senator Ahmad Lawan; and the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, at the National Assembly in Abuja
Minister of State in the UK Cabinet Office, Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, is in Nigeria to cement the UK-Nigeria partnership and demonstrate the UK’s commitment to the security of the wider region. She will see first-hand the impact funding is having in Nigeria and how the two countries are tackling shared security challenges in West Africa, particularly the threat posed by cyber-attacks.
The visit comes days after the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership talks where the two countries reached agreements on cybersecurity, defence cooperation, counterterrorism, human rights and civil-military cooperation.
As part of the investment, more than £15 million went to strengthening Nigeria’s security. which, as a result of the UK’s direct support, benefitted Nigerian and British nationals by detecting and seizing more than 3 tonnes of illegal drugs.
In North-Eastern Nigeria, UK funding has also helped more than 500 people fleeing violent groups re-settle into communities. It supported vocational training, religious counselling, psycho-social support, drug counselling and numeracy and literacy lessons.
The UK and Nigeria’s cooperation on regional threats to stability included the contribution from the UK to UN efforts to stabilise communities in the Lake Chad Basin after a decade of violence by extremist groups. Almost 11 million people across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger have been affected by this violence so the support provided is vital.
Speaking in Abuja, Minister of State, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, said: “The United Kingdom and Nigeria are firm security and economic partners. I am proud that, through the CSSF, the UK has been able to play such a valuable role in bolstering Nigeria’s security.
“Investment in Nigeria and the broader region has been instrumental in tackling some important challenges, from drug smuggling to cybercrime and human displacement. These challenges are transnational, so by supporting our partners in Nigeria and West Africa we are also helping to safeguard people in the UK.
“Closer collaboration is vital in ensuring we can respond to threats and to promote a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace, which is why the UK and Nigeria recently committed to working more closely together to tackle cybercrime.
“As the largest economy in Africa, Nigeria’s stability and security is vital to the security of the wider region and the UK. I look forward to our partnership strengthening as we continue to work together on shared challenges in the years ahead.”
The British High Commission to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, said: “I am delighted that the UK/Nigeria partnership continues to grow stronger, including on important issues of security and stability. The UK will remain a committed friend, working with the Nigerian Government to respond effectively to domestic and regional security challenges.
“The UK’s Conflict, Security, and Stability Fund offers practical assistance that is making a real difference in Nigeria, from tackling human traffickers to supporting the resettlement of people fleeing violent groups in the northeast of the country. The UK is proud to stand with Nigeria as a close partner in these endeavours.
“We look forward to developing our partnership further, working together to tackle mutual challenges including cyber threats, serious organised crime, and violent extremism.”
Bolstering Nigeria’s and other West African countries’ resilience to cybercrime is a central aim of the UK’s investment in the region.
Last year, the UK contributed funding to the Africa Joint Operations Against Cybercrime and strengthened the capability of African law enforcement agencies to fight cybercrime. The funding enabled the 25-country Africa Cyber Surge II operation, resulting in the arrest of 14 suspected cybercriminals and identified 20,674 suspicious cyber networks, linked to financial losses of more than $40 million.
The UK is also supporting capacity building for Nigerian judges and prosecutors across Nigerian states to support investigations involving digital evidence and to successfully prosecute and deter cyber offences.
During the recent UK-Nigeria Security & Defence Partnership talks, the UK Deputy National Security Advisor and the Nigerian National Security Advisor signed a memorandum of understanding on cyber cooperation that commits the two nations to closer working to tackle mutual cyber threats.
Further support from the UK this year will integrate overseas and UK security and further tackle transnational challenges such as smuggling, illicit finances and large-scale migration. It will strengthen the UK’s ability to export world-leading expertise to international partners such as Nigeria and other West African countries.
Nigeria has a unique opportunity to benefit from using Sustainability Linked Loans (SLLs). Unlike green loans, SLLs offer the flexibility to use the funds for general business purposes while promoting sustainable practices and supporting economic activity. This approach can help Nigeria meet its goals and achieve a thriving, sustainable future.
Dr Eugene Itua
Furthermore, adopting NDCs and LT-LEDS to transition to a low-carbon economy can further support Nigeria’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. By implementing SLLs and sustainable practices, Nigeria can lead the way to a brighter and more prosperous future for its citizens and the world.
This is especially imperative today because Nigeria faces a complex economic situation as a populous African nation. The country faces many challenges that could hinder its economic transformation agenda. The current issues in Nigeria can be attributed to resource inefficiency, budgetary constraints, and macroeconomic challenges/reforms. Historically, Nigeria has inefficiently allocated resources, including subsidies for petrol, electricity, and foreign exchange (resource inefficiency).
Unaccounted-for subsidies make budget tracking and scrutiny challenging (budget constraints), and macroeconomic reforms are vital to improving development outcomes but beset with different hindrances.
To address these resource inefficiencies, fiscal constraints, and other challenges, Sustainability-linked loans (SLLs) can play a crucial role in Nigeria’s economic landscape, which is plagued with many challenges.
What are sustainability-linked loans (SLLs)? How can the government and Businesses benefit from SLLs? The Series of articles under Unlocking Sustainable Growth: The Role of Sustainability-Linked Loans in Nigeria aims to shed light on the potential of Sustainability-Linked Loans (SLLs). They are designed to inspire a collective effort toward a more sustainable and resilient Nigeria in light of the mounting challenges of raising and accessing sustainable finance.
What is Sustainability-Linked Loans (SLLs)?
SLLs are financial instruments where the terms are tied to the borrower’s sustainability performance. They encourage companies to achieve sustainability goals by linking loan terms (interest rates, fees, etc.) to specific ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) targets.
Differences Between Green Loans and SLLs
Unlike green loans, SLLs do not require proceeds to be used for specific green projects; they are often structured as revolving credit facilities for general corporate purposes. The variation in the loan’s financial terms (such as interest rates) depends on whether the selected KPIs reach the predefined sustainability targets (SPTs).
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not directly regulate this market. However, it emphasises the importance of ensuring market integrity and transparency in sustainable finance.
Key Components of SLLs:
The following are the key components of SLLs:
Selecting KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). This involves choosing material KPIs that align with a nation’s core sustainability and business strategy. It also addresses relevant challenges such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving water quality, enhancing workplace safety, and promoting diversity.
Calibration of SPTs (Sustainability Performance Targets): This includes defining ambitious and meaningful SPTs that countries commit to achieving within a predefined timeline. It evidences the level of ambition the borrower commits to.
Loan Characteristics: This involves Structuring the loan based on sustainability outcomes. The International Capital Markets Association (ICMA) and Loan Markets Association (LMA) guidelines can be leveraged for SLLs.
Reporting and Verification: this includes regularly monitoring and reporting progress. External Verification to ensure transparency and credibility gives it the integrity that it deserves
Benefits of embracing SLL:
There are several benefits associated with SLL, such as the following:
Alignment with SDGs: SLLs promote sustainable practices aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Incentivizing Positive Impact: Borrowers are incentivized to improve their ESG performance.
Risk Mitigation: Lenders assess sustainability risks and reward positive impact.
As Nigeria journeys through its sustainability path, it can embrace SLLs in sectors listed in its Nationally Determined Contributions and the Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies to overcome the difficult economic Landscape. Specific locations, such as ports, airports, farms, etc, can benefit from SLLs. Embracing sustainability-linked financing would help align the nation with global goals and foster transparency.
The following further demonstrate why Nigeria (government and businesses) should embrace Sustainability-Linked Loans:
Greening Sources of Finance:
All sources of finance in Nigeria, including borrowings and investments, may soon be required to respect and reflect sustainability principles.
The Central Bank of Nigeria expects most large Agriculture, power, and oil and gas projects to meet certain requirements.
Public Finance Reform:
Nigeria must address inefficiencies in its public finances to promote inclusive and sustainable development.
Inefficient and regressive subsidies were historically allocated to petrol, electricity, and foreign exchange. Addressing these issues will promote a more sustainable economic future.
Business Benefits:
Today, Corporations that voluntarily adopt sustainability policies tend to have better organisational processes and outperform companies that adopt fewer policies, making sustainability practices beneficial to businesses.
By integrating sustainability principles into financial decisions, businesses can enhance their long-term viability and competitiveness.
Environmental Impact:
Sustainability-linked loans are crucial in driving positive environmental outcomes. Green mortgages should be introduced in Nigeria to ensure homes have fewer environmental issues and reduce risk for financial institutions.
Conclusion
Embracing sustainability-linked loans is crucial for Nigeria’s economic growth, environmental well-being, and long-term prosperity. To make this happen, Nigeria can leverage SLLs to fund sustainable projects (Sustainable finance). It is essential to continually encourage businesses and investors to consider ESG factors in decision-making (ESG Integration) and link loan terms to specific SDGs, promoting positive impact SDG Alignment. A clear reporting mechanism should also be in place to track sustainability progress (Transparency and Reporting).
Stay tuned and discover the latest insights on Sustainability Linked Loans (SLLs) through a captivating article series. Gain valuable knowledge and expertise in the field by reading these articles and stay ahead of the curve in the sustainable finance industry. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn from a respected leader and join the movement towards a more sustainable future. Check out the article series today!
The next articles will provide examples of how to implement successful SLLs.
An article Series on Sustainability Linked Loans (SLLs) written by Eugene O. Itua, Ph.D., CEO of Natural Eco Capital and SDG Impact Standard Accredited Trainer, eugeneitua@gmail.com
TECH Mahindra, a leading digital solutions company, has partnered the Africa Clean-up Initiative (ACI) to plant 40 trees on behalf of MTN Nigeria.
Tree planting
The tree planting exercise took place on Thursday, February 15, 2024, at Government Senior Model College, Badore, Ajah, a suburb of Lagos.
Speaking at the event, Mr Subrat Mansingh, Regional Sales Head, TECH Mahindra, said that the tree planting exercise was part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the company to boost environmental sustainability and climate action.
Mansingh said that his company undertakes a particular CSR project each year to give back to the environment.
According to him, the company is intentional in caring for the environment through its numerous CSR projects.
He noted that MTN had been his major client in Nigeria, adding that in 2023, TECH Mahindra planted 100 trees in India on behalf of MTN to boost environmental sustainability and climate action.
” We have planted 40 trees in this school for the benefit of the students.
“We intend to do this monthly; we hope to supply tree samplings in various communities in Lagos to promote the grow green initiative”.
He said that the company also undertook the clean-up of Elegushi Beach on Jan. 26, adding that he intends to sustain beach clean- up every quarterly.
Mrs Chibuzo Raphael-Daniels, MTN Nigeria, IT team member advised the students to cultivate the habit of caring for the environment through imbibing the practice of tree planting.
Raphael-Daniels expressed gratitude to Tech Mahindra for all it is doing for humanity and the environment.
Also speaking, Mr Elvis Umunna, Operations Lead for the African Clean-Up Initiative, the implementing partner, expressed delight in partnering with TECH Mahindra in the reduction of carbon footprints through the tree planting exercise.
Umunna noted that the students and staff of Government Model School, Badore defiled the intensity of the sun to commit to a course which in a few years time would be profitable to all.
According to him, the school stands to benefit a lot from the trees planted as some of them were of economic value, whose fruits can be eating, while othérs are capable of shielding them from the intensity of the sun.
He expressed gratitude to the management and staff of TECH Mahindra, MTN, and the school for making the tree planting exercise a success.
The Principal of the school, Alhaja Azumi Ajikobi, while expressing gratitude for the honour done the school, said that the tree planting exercise would impact the school positively.
Ajikobi said that she would ensure that the students of the school would sustain and nurture the plants.
The event was facilitated by MTN Nigeria IT under its Chief Information Officer (CIO), Shoyinka Shodunke.
In pursuit of meeting the targets of 20% (unconditional) and 47% (conditional) greenhouse gas emission reduction as contained in the Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement signed by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, the NNPC Ltd/TotalEnergies Joint Venture has achieved zero routine gas flare in all its assets.
Gas flaring
This feat was announced on Thursday, February 15, 2024, during an inspection tour of OML 100 in South-eastern Niger Delta, off Port Harcourt, by a joint NNPC Ltd and TotalEnergies Team to ascertain the success of the OML Flare Reduction Project launched in December 2023.
The NNPC Ltd/TotalEnergies Joint Venture, which is the concession holder of four leases, had hitherto achieved zero routine flaring across OML 99 (2006), OML 102 (2014), and OML 58 (2016), leaving OML 100 as the only lease with routine flaring going on.
The significance of this achievement is that the last routine flare volume of about 12MMscf/d (twelve million standard cubic feet per day) of gas has now been eliminated, giving rise to a greenhouse gas emissions reduction of about 341KtCO₂e/yr.
The achievement is an outcome of a programme introduced by the NNPC Ltd to galvanise action towards achieving the zero routine flare by 2030 across its portfolio of assets.
NNPC said that it is also a testament to its prioritisation of sustainability anchored on the “first R” of its 5R Strategy (Reduce, Replace, Renew, Re-plant, Repurpose), as it strives to reduce its carbon footprint.
Work is ongoing across all other assets within NNPC Ltd’s Upstream Directorate to ensure that all assets achieve zero routine flaring by 2030 or earlier.
As part of its advocacy to close the knowledge gap about the level of talent in northern Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, the Northern Ecosystem Working Group (NEW-G), a body established to foster a sustainable, inclusive, and forward-thinking environment, has called for increased collaboration to accelerate growth in the region.
Participants at the stakeholder engagement meeting on the status of the northern innovation ecosystem, held in Abuja by the Northern Ecosystem Working Group (NEW-G)
Despite its reputation as a hotbed of innovators, creatives, entrepreneurs, and other successful ventures, northern Nigeria remains lowly ranked in the innovation landscape. This is a depressing situation for which the group provided multiple explanations, citing several surveys and discussions that pointed to general issues that, if resolved, could significantly improve the region’s ecosystem’s status.
Jamila Aliyu Mohammed, the head of experimentation and public sector innovation at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), says that, to address some of the complex development challenges that have caused the region’s setbacks and to enable it to realise the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), new methodologies and approaches must be developed urgently.
Speaking on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, in Abuja, during a stakeholders’ engagement meeting organised by the NEW-G with support from the UNDP, Mohammed highlighted that one of the solutions to the crisis is to put the region on the map so it can gain the necessary visibility, which she believed would lead to a frontier challenge that could help the region attract funding and investment to the ecosystem.
According to her, this need prompted the NEW-G’s Ecosystem Mapping Project (EMP), which was carried out to accurately chart and analyse northern Nigeria’s innovation terrain.
She continued by clarifying that this all-encompassing strategy is expected to spur improved knowledge, collaboration, and focused action, ultimately contributing to the development and growth of the region’s robust, interconnected, and dynamic innovation ecosystem.
“If I had a magic wand, I would wave it and have everyone work together,” she said, because right now “we are working in silos,” which allows falling into the same trap of repeating and recreating the same thing over and over again.
As a result, she believes that bringing the stakeholders together in a single space will foster a shared understanding among the diverse industry players and lead to a collective solution to the problem.
Elaborating more about the purpose of the gathering, Musa Ali Baba, the coordinator of NEW-G, hinted that his group had brought the participants together to make sure the innovation ecosystem in the northern region of the country is elevated to a certain degree of prominence and to highlight the accomplishments that have already been made.
This, according to him, is because change starts with conversations, and the reason for the forum is to ensure that private conversations become public conversations to bring people and ideas together.
“We don’t pretend to have answers to everything; what we are doing is creating a platform for that to happen,” Ali Baba said.
However, the NEW-G has created a data platform to gather information that helps bring reputation to both the opportunities and issues that require urgent attention going forward.
“That starts with the conversation,” and then “we move on to the collaboration,” to address some of the region’s challenges, such as infrastructure and capacity development, said the group’s chieftain.
Data, he believes, will drive and foster the projected collaboration because the NEW-G is already collaborating with investors and entrepreneurs to create incentives for individuals.
Like the previous speaker, Ali Baba exhorted stakeholders to move beyond working in silos and collaborate since inclusivity is critical to the movement’s success.
“Everybody must work together, and we hope that the academic institutions are part of this because this is not anybody’s agenda; the 19 states are equally part of this project,” he argued.
According to Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), for any type of change to occur, there must first be a sense of urgency, which is exactly what the NEW-G has done by bringing various sectorial actors together and emphasising the importance of acting quickly to protect the northern ecosystem.
The NITDA boss stated that by creating a feeling of urgency, people will understand that there is an ecosystem in the north with potential issues that require answers.
“And people will start asking, how can we solve the problem and strengthen the ecosystem?” Abdullahi added to explain how stakeholder discussions and engagement can help open the door for the expected change.
The Amazon rainforest could approach a tipping point, which could lead to a large-scale collapse with serious implications for the global climate system.
The Amazon rainforest
A new Nature study by an international research team including scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact research (PIK) reveals that up to 47 percent of the Amazonian Forest is threatened and identifies climatic and land-use thresholds that should not be breached to keep the Amazon resilient.
“The Southeastern Amazon has already shifted from a carbon sink to a source – meaning that the current amount of human pressure is too high for the region to maintain its status as a rainforest over the long term. But the problem doesn’t stop there. Since rainforests enrich the air with a lot of moisture which forms the basis of precipitation in the west and south of the continent, losing forest in one place can lead to losing forest in another in a self-propelling feedback loop or simply ‘tipping’,” states PIK scientist, Boris Sakschewski,, one of the authors of the study.
Up to 47 percent of the Amazon rainforest threatened by droughts and fires
Recent stress from increased temperatures, droughts, deforestation, and fires even in central and remote parts is weakening the Amazon’s natural resilience mechanisms, pushing this system towards a critical threshold. The study finds that by the year 2050, 10-47 percent of the Amazonian forests will be threatened by increasing disturbances, risking crossing a tipping point.
Based on a large body of scientific results, the researchers identify five critical drivers connected to this tipping point: global warming, annual rainfall amounts, the intensity of rainfall seasonality, dry season length, and accumulated deforestation. For each of these drivers they suggest safe boundaries to keep the Amazon resilient.
“We found for example that for mean annual rainfall below 1000 mm per year, the Amazon rainforest cannot exist. However, below 1800 mm per year, abrupt transitions from rainforest to a Savanna-like vegetation become possible. This can be triggered by individual droughts or forest fires, which both have become more frequent and more severe in recent years,” states Da Nian, scientist at PIK and also author of the study.
The impact of forest loss does not stop at the borders of the Amazon. The moisture transported via Amazons´ so called “flying rivers” is a critical part of the South American Monsoon and hence essential for rainfall in vast parts of the continent. Moreover, the Amazon as a whole stores carbon equivalent to 15-20 years of current human CO2 emissions. Amazon forest loss therefore further drives global warming and intensifies the consequences.
“Greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation have to end”
The study also analyses examples of disturbed forests in various parts of the Amazon to understand what could happen to the ecosystem. In some cases, the forest may recover in the future, but remain trapped in a degraded state, dominated by opportunistic plants, such as lianas or bamboos.
In other cases, the forest does not recover anymore, and remains trapped in an open-canopy, flammable state. The expansion of open, flammable ecosystems throughout the core of the Amazon Forest is particularly concerning because they can spread fires to adjacent forests.
“To maintain the Amazon Forest within safe boundaries, local and global efforts must be combined. Deforestation and forest degradation have to end, and restoration has to expand. Moreover, much more needs to be done to stop greenhouse-gas emissions worldwide,” concludes co-author Niklas Boers, leader of the Future Lab ‘Artificial Intelligence in the Anthropocene’ at PIK and professor of Earth System Modelling at the Technical University of Munich.
The climate change induced risks affecting most of our hydrological systems have tremendous impact on all the hydrological and hydro metrological processes of our activities, energy production and all the rest. It is therefore important that we recognise the value of water as a major component of a sustainable development.
Participants at the capacity building workshop on Basin Adaptation Planning: Building Coordination, in Lagos
Prof. Emmanuel Oladipo, a climate change specialist, made this submission in his remarks while presenting a paper titled “Water Tracker and Connection to other processes in Nigeria” at a workshop on Basin Adaptation Planning: Building Coordination, held in Lagos from February 13 to 14, 2024.
Prof. Oladipo noted: “The water acts as a sort of connector which addresses the challenges in the sustainable development, connects us with climate change and also connects us with disaster risk reduction.”
While referring to the recent 2023 incident of flooding in Anambra State, the specialist stressed that flooding had become much more intense than before, not only because we are not managing the water resources well but because the stunts that are rising from flash floods are more intense than before.
He mentioned the atmospheric dynamics in the United States of America (USA) which shows the capacity and the ability of warm air due to global warming to absorb so much water that when it pours, it’s like a river coming from the air. He added that these are some of extreme events that makes us to say that we must have the water as a form of commitment that we need.
He said: “The Water Tracker helps in ensuring that water resilience is integrated into national climate plans by illuminating water which is both explicitly and implicitly included in those plans and planning processes.
“In the process of trying to make water as part of the element of implementation of Paris Agreement, the Water Tracker was initiated under the water workstream of the Adaptation Action Coalition with support from the government of the United Kingdom and the Dutch Ministry of Water Resources and Infrastructure.
“The Water Tracker Method is a simple questionnaire designed to draw out how and where water is embedded in climate planning instrument. Countries like Egypt, Malawi, Costa Rica and several others have successfully made use of it which have spurred interest from the Federal Government to see how it can help in our national development plans especially in relation to river basins in Nigeria.”
In his opening remarks, Dr. Salisu Dahiru, the Director-General, National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), who towed Prof. Oladipo’s line, said: “Nigeria like many other countries is experiencing the far-reaching consequences of climate change which are manifesting in various forms including rising temperature, changing rainfall, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather.”
Represented by Mrs. Chioma Edeh, Dr. Dahiru revealed: “These changes directly affects some of our river basins which affects ecosystems that provide water resources support, biodiversity and also sustain the livelihood of millions of Nigerians.
“Major rivers worldwide have experienced drastic changes in full producing their natural ability to adjust and absorb disturbances.
“Climate scientists predict that the shift will lead to more flooding since more rain will fall than vegetation can absorb.
“Potential consequences of neglecting these issues include but not limited to water scarcity, vulnerability disaster, ecosystem degradation and also conflict of other water resources.”
Mr. Segun Babarinde of Federal Ministry of Water Resources, who noted that economic value of water cannot be quantified, also stressed: “Except you lack the water and the water we are talking about, whether it is small, that is scarcity or it is too much, that is when it is flooding, it is a problem to human existence and as such we need to work hard in ensuring proper management of our nation’s water resources.
“The primary role of the ministry is to ensure adequate supply of potable water in a sustainable manner to the populace without compromising the economic value of the environment because water resources management without proper management and sustainability of the development as it relates to conservation of the environment is not really proper.
“However, the challenges we have is that we are having this issue of climate change coming in and as such we need to marry our sustainable value, our economic value and all other attributes of national development such that human existence could be sustainably managed,” he stated.
Dr. Samuel Adewoyin while speaking on “Future Engagement Activities of The Basin Development Authorities”, described Basin Adaptation Planning as the management and governance of water and water bodies such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and aquiver to ensure sustainable development.
He highlighted the need for Basin Adaptation Planning to include responding to climate change, direct input into production in areas such as agriculture, energy, and industry, among others.
Dr. Adejuwon also raised concerns on the rate at which water resources respond to climate change, even as he listed global warming, population pressure due to urban growth, water pollution, lack of data, poor management and policy implementation as some of the factors.
He said: “As River Basin Authorities, we are looking forward to embarking on increased awareness on climate change as it impacts on the basin development, comprehensive survey of the basin detailing rivers, soil characteristics and vegetation cover, development on policy instrument on river basins.
“Others are enforcement of the rules and regulations governing the use of river basins, implementation of policy developed, budget provision for policy implementation among others.
The capacity building workshop on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Water Basin Governance and Climate Change Response was organised by the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
It was graced by delegates such as David Hebart-Coleman, Senior Programme Manager, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI); Dr. Eugene Itua, Director Natural Eco-Capital; Kolawole Banwo, Head of Advocacy, Policy and Communications at WaterAid Nigeria; and several other participants from relevant Ministries Department and Agencies across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
