In June 2025, Burkina Faso marked a significant milestone in its commitment to elephant conservation and the fight against wildlife trafficking, with the formal validation at a two-day workshop in Ouagadougou of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the secure management of ivory and other wildlife products.
Group picture of all the attendees of the SOP training in Burkina Faso, June 2025
The technical validation workshop, organised by the Direction Générale des Eaux et Forêts (DGEF) and supported by the EPI Foundation (EPIF) and the local NGO Les Anges Gardiens de la Nature (AGN), brought together conservation stakeholders from government, civil society, and international partners, to establish robust, practical, and enforceable guidelines for the handling and storage of ivory and other seized wildlife products.
Ivory trafficking continues to be one of the major threats facing Africa’s elephants. Poor storage conditions, inadequate record keeping, and weak legal frameworks all result in stockpile mismanagement and potentially, leakages into the illegal trade. The newly adopted SOPs in Burkina Faso are a direct response to these risks and an attempt to minimise them.
The Big Picture
The workshop in Burkina Faso is part of an EPI Foundation regional project focused on Securing Wildlife Stocks in five West African Countries, funded by the UK’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund. This initiative supports Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in developing SOPs, improving storage infrastructure, and ensuring that ivory stocks are not exploited for profit.
During the workshop’s opening, the EPIF Director of State Engagement, Ulysse Korogone, highlighted the foundation’s commitment to implementing the African Elephant Action Plan (AEAP) while emphasizing the steps that need to be taken in maintaining the global ban on ivory trade, closing domestic ivory markets, and putting all government-held ivory out of commercial use.
The Content of the Standard Operating Procedures
The SOPs lay out detailed procedures for each step of the chain for seized wildlife products, from their discovery to their secure storage and eventual disposition. These result in not only technical improvements, they also reflect a philosophical shift toward transparency, accountability, and fast decision-making by authorities. Key improvements include the alignment of national legal codes with CITES provisions, standardised systems of marking and coding wildlife products, new inspection protocols and transparency in record keeping.
With the SOPs now validated, Burkina Faso is poised to implement a more rigorous and coordinated approach to wildlife product management. However, as noted in the workshop’s conclusions, successful implementation will depend on sustained collaboration across agencies and adequate resourcing for infrastructure, monitoring, and enforcement.
Participants expressed hope that the EPI Foundation would continue its support in extending SOP implementation and warehouse improvements beyond Ouagadougou to other parts of the country. Importantly, the workshop also set the stage for upcoming legislative reviews that will further entrench these new practices in law.
A Continental Movement with Global Impact
Burkina Faso’s commitment reflects Africa’s growing determination to stand firm against wildlife crime. It is a testament to the power of African-led conservation and the vision of the Elephant Protection Initiative. As more countries adopt SOPs and close the door on the ivory trade, they send a message that the future of Africa’s elephants is too important to be defined by mismanagement or corruption. It will be shaped by coordinated, courageous, and continent-wide action.
Global Credit Ratings (GCR) has affirmed and upgraded Shelter Afrique Development Bank’s (ShafDB) international and several key national scale ratings, reflecting the Bank’s strengthened capital position, risk management improvements, and growing credibility across its shareholder base.
Shelter Afrique Development Bank’s Director of Risk, Bernard Oketch
In its latest review, the Johannesburg-based rating agency has affirmed the Bank’s international scale long-term and short-term issuer ratings at B/B, with a Stable Outlook.
At the same time GCR has also upgraded the long and short-term national scale issuer ratings for Kenya to AA+(KE)/A1+(KE) from AA-(KE)/A1+(KE); Nigerian to AAA(NG)/A1+(NG) from AA+(NG)/A1+(NG); and Mauritian to BBB(MU)/A2(MU) from BB+(MU)/B(MU). All the three national scale ratings have been accorded a stable outlook.
The Agency has also upgraded the ratings of its Nigerian Series 1 Senior Unsecured Notes under the NGN200bn Domestic Bond Issuance Programme to AAA(NG) from AA+(NG).
“The upgrades reflect GCR’s confidence in the Bank’s improved risk management, strengthened capitalisation (leverage ratio up to 82.2% in FY2024), and progress in capital arrears resolution. The Stable Outlook affirms expectations of continued sound capitalisation, strategic disbursement growth, and enhanced shareholder engagement,” GCR said in a commentary.
“This recognition underscores Shelter Afrique’s growing operational credibility, commitment to quality lending, and continued transformation into a resilient and trusted multilateral development bank dedicated to delivering affordable housing and urban development solutions across Africa,” GCR added.
Welcoming the rating reviews, Shelter Afrique Development Bank’s Director of Risk, Bernard Oketch, said the rating upgrade has reinforced the Bank’s financial strength, strategic direction, and institutional credibility.
“These upgrades reflect our strong fundamentals and our unwavering commitment to reforms, growth, and sustainable impact. Clearly, we are on a solid path forward in delivering impactful, quality-driven housing finance solutions across Africa,” Mr. Oketch said.
Shelter Afrique Development Bank’s has 46 shareholders comprising 44 member States under “Category A” shareholding, and African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Africa Reinsurance Corporation (Africa-Re) under “Category B” shareholding – who will be convening in Algiers, Algeria from July 15 to 17, 2025, for the Bank’s 44th Annual General Meeting and Housing Symposium. https://www.agm.shelterafrique.org/agm-2025/
It has also “Category C” shareholding for non-African institutions and States willing to join the institution as shareholders.
Environmental activists and legal practitioners are calling for unity in the pursuit of environmental accountability in Nigeria and want Nigerians to utilise the ongoing constitutional amendment exercise to demand for a review of the environmental laws in the country. They reject a system that puts absolute power over Nigeria’s natural resources in the hands of the federal government, abandoning the victims of oil and gas pollution in local communities.
Some of the participants at the EDEN event
This was their position at a one-day hybrid programme organised by Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN), in collaboration with the Nigeria Chambers of the International Law Association and the Chima Williams and Associates at EDEN Head office in Benin City, Edo State.
The programme explored the negative impacts of climate change on local communities, the role of polluting corporations and how the Nigerian constitution has aided pollution, derailing environmental accountability.
Executive Director of EDEN, Barr. Chima Williams, who spoke on “The Drive Towards Climate Justice and Environmental Accountability” highlighted parts of the Nigerian constitution that place utmost power on the federal government, inhibiting the state and regulatory agencies and citizens’ right to demand environmental accountability from polluting corporations.
“There are provisions of the Constitution that put petroleum resources under the exclusive legislative list of the constitution, which means it is only the federal government that can regulate it. This has also denied states legislatures and the judiciary from having anything to do or say about petroleum issues. Our constitution has bestowed on the federal government the right over all our mineral resources. These policies do not provide openings that ensure that our environment is well protected or accountability in our environment sector. So the starting point is our very constitution.”
Expanding on issues concerning “Community Organizing for Climate Resilience”, Deputy Executive Director, Comrade Alagoa Morris, highlighted the increasing impact of climate change in the Niger Delta, manifested in increased rainfall and severe flooding such as was experienced in 2022. He explained that rural communities are struggling to adapt to climate change, with farmers replanting quickly between floods to avoid food insecurity.
He revealed that the pollution crisis in the Niger Delta is further compounded by the actions of the military and NNPC surveillance contractors, who burst containers of illegally acquired crude oil and refined products, flooding the environment with toxic hydrocarbon contents.
“These agents also set ablaze boats, vessels, and trucks transporting suspected stolen or illegally refined crude oil, which further denies the people of the Niger Delta clean air and water.”
He noted that while lawyers are often ready to support communities in seeking environmental justice, the scientific community is not providing sufficient backing through research, limiting the ability of communities to hold polluters accountable, and allowing companies to escape liability despite visible evidence of pollution on the ground.
EDEN’s Director of Programmes, Philip Jakpor, spoke on the place of the “Media in the Nigerian Climate Change Narrative”, pointing out that the role of the media is to document and shape public perception and the understanding of climate change, serving as a bridge between complex research findings and policymakers as well as the general public.
“For climate coverage to have real impact, stories should revolve around the immediate environment, such as agriculture, water stress in rural and urban areas, and rising temperatures. We need to tell the stories of people affected by climate change, including communities, women, children, vulnerable groups, and workers, while linking these stories to local and national economic impacts in clear and understandable terms. It is important to spotlight the fossil fuels companies behind the climate crisis as well as agro-industrial plantation companies.”
Speaking on “Maximising Global Climate Movements to Combat Climate Crisis”, EDEN’s Director of Climate and Energy Justice, Maimoni Ubrei-Joe, said the essence of climate justice movements is to keep individuals, governments, and industries accountable while redirecting the world toward climate action.
He explained that there are several global movements that have been instrumental in mass mobilisation, protests during COPs, bilateral engagements, policy advocacy, and legal actions.
“The challenges in climate justice organizing are greenwashing, false solutions, and distractions such as geoengineering, the carbon market, and waste-to-energy initiatives. These approaches delay real climate action and are often reflected in existing policies. While some call for new laws, there is a need to clean up the current laws so they reflect and protect the interests of the ordinary people. There is a need to demand divestment from fossil fuels and to channel resources into renewable energy.”
On his part, Associate Professor of International and Environmental Law from the University of Derby, UK, Dr. Eghosa Ekhator, pointed out that climate laws are not effective in Nigeria. He stressed that the impact of climate change weighs more on the vulnerable people in society.
“The African character has been part of Nigerian law since 1983. There are very few environmental justice cases. We need the expertise of scientists. We need local communities who are the real victims to start talking about environmental and climate justice.”
He charged civil society organisations and environmental activists to start developing the capacity of local communities for climate litigation and build their knowledge to realise that they can seek for environmental justice and accountability through the court.
Other speakers at the event included Eric Omare Esq, a legal practitioner who highlighted the role of the Petroleum Industry Act and how local communities can apply it in litigation processes. Professor of Environmental law, University of Benin, Prof. Ngozi Stewart, pointed out the need to move from law to impact by strengthening climate litigations and environmental governance. Senior lecturer of the Faculty of Law, Delta State University, Dr. Brown Umukoro, exposed the potential of children and youth focused climate litigations that maximises the impact of climate change on the younger generation.
The programme which was both in-person and virtual was attended by civil society organisations, women led groups, environmental activists, legal practitioners and the media.
Developing country representatives on the Board of the UN’s Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) have issued a critical joint statement expressing concerns over the scale and status of resources, noting that a lack of transparency from contributors is “severely limiting” the ability to program funds and reducing confidence in the long-term commitment of partners. The statement was issued during the Fund’s 6th Board Meeting in Cebu, Philippines.
brahima Cheikh Diong, Executive Director of Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD)
The statement from the developing country constituency highlights that while funding needs for economic damages alone are estimated to be around $395 billion in 2025, only $348 million is currently available in the Fund. This comes after total pledges of $788.68 million, revealing a significant gap between promises and payments. The constituency underscored the “urgent and immediate need for new, additional, predictable and adequate financial resources” to help developing countries respond to escalating climate disasters.
The developing country constituency maintains its position that the Fund must programme at least $100 billion a year by 2030 as a minimum and called for the Board to shift its priorities towards launching an initial capitalization and replenishment process that goes “far beyond the initial pledges.”
The press conference featured an important video statement from Jotham Napat, Prime Minister of Vanuatu, who highlighted the need to scale up funds to address the actual needs of developing countries.
NEW Global Campaign – “FILL THE FUND” Launched
In direct response to this crisis of inaction, a global coalition of climate justice movements and civil society groups representing thousands of organisations launched “Fill The Fund,” a new global campaign to demand wealthy nations and corporate polluters meet their historical responsibility to pay for the climate crisis.
Jotham Napat, Prime Minister of Vanuatu, in a recorded statement: “Pledges alone cannot rebuild what has been erased by the climate crisis in Vanuatu and across the world. A single cyclone caused over $500 million in damages, yet we are capped at receiving just $20 million a year from the Loss and Damage Fund.
“The question now is whether the fund will be able to mobilize the scale of resources needed to meet the moment and deliver – especially when we consider that children in developing countries suffer more than $400 billion in impacts annually.”
Elena Cristina Pereira Colindres, FRLD Board Member (Honduras), speaking on behalf of the G77 constituency:“The current financial situation and the lack of clarity on the overall scale of the Fund will likely affect the start-up phase and the long-term scaled financing needed from the Fund.
“We therefore raise the question of whether the Board should now shift its priorities towards launching an initial capitalisation and replenishment process of new, additional, predictable, and adequate resources at a scale that goes far beyond the initial pledges.”
Richard Sherman, Co-Chair, FRLD Board (South Africa), speaking in his national capacity:“We have to build the abacus, so to speak, of the fund’s financial architecture: how we mobilise money, how we bank contributed funds, and how we disperse money to countries. Although this is a small step, it has a big, big, big footprint.
“We need to continue our work with vigilance, and with the support of civil society all around the world, to ensure the fund remains accessible, open, and inclusive—which is not necessarily a simple thing to do.”
Ambassador Elizabeth Thompson, FRLD Board Member (Barbados):“Middle-income nations like Barbados are on the frontlines of climate impacts, yet we often cannot access the finance needed. When Hurricane Beryl struck us, we lost 90% of our fishing fleet and significant coastal infrastructure.”
“That is why the Board’s decision in Barbados this past April was a critical step forward: it established the Barbados Implementation Modalities (BIM) and, crucially, ensured that 50% of the funding goes to LDCs and SIDs as grants, not loans.”
Daniel Lund, FRLD Board Member (Fiji): “Our red line- the imperative to keep the global average temperature rise below 1.5 degrees – is on the brink of being breached. Recent science suggests that an overshoot may be unavoidable.”
“This must be a fund that works differently and thinks differently; one that can effectively work with national systems and be responsive to the needs on the ground. We must incentivize social protection and avoid the fragmentation and administrative burden that the current project-based financing regime continues to create.”
Harjeet Singh, Convenor of the new Global Campaign “Fill The Fund” on Loss and Damage Finance, and Founding Director of Satat Sampada Climate Foundation said at the launch event: “The creation of this Fund was a historic victory, but it will be a meaningless one if it is not filled with new, additional, and accessible public grants. This campaign will unite the voices of thousands of organizations to demand that developed countries stop shirking their responsibilities.
“The ‘Fill The Fund’ campaign will coordinate global advocacy, track pledges and payments through a public dashboard, and mobilize citizens to pressure governments ahead of key moments, including the COP30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil.”
Claire Miranda, Deputy Programme Manager for Climate Justice, APMDD (Philippines) and member of the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice (DCJ): “It is significant that the FRLD Board is meeting here in Cebu, one of the cities hardest hit by Super Typhoon Rai in 2021, which left a vast trail of death and devastation across our country.
“Bringing the Board discussions here is not just symbolic; it is a reminder of who this fund must serve. But symbolism is not enough. We need substance. We need decisions that move us from delay to delivery, from pledges to actual contributions, and from rhetoric to real reparations. We need to fill the fund.”
Tasneem Essop, Executive Director, Climate Action Network International: “The establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund was a major political achievement, thanks to the leadership and pressure from civil society and developing countries. However, the real test will be how this Fund is filled. With increasingly devastating climate impacts, felt mainly in the Global South, we are talking billions, not millions, that are needed for recovery and rebuilding.
“Rich nations, who caused harm historically, must pay up. We are talking about public, grants-based finance. The attempts by the World Bank to get the private sector involved in financing the Fund is yet another escape clause for rich nations. You cannot profit off of suffering. Rich nations must pay their dues. They can find the money to fund wars and subsidise fossil fuels, so there can be no argument that there is no money.”
Brandon Wu, Director of Policy and Campaigns, ActionAid USA:“When rich countries say they don’t have the money to contribute to global climate solutions, it’s a bluff. In this fiscal year alone, the US government plans to spend nearly $200 billion on border security and immigration enforcement. That is almost 11,000 times more than its paltry $17.5 million contribution to the Loss and Damage Fund – money that will go towards persecuting everyday people rather than supporting their needs.
“This has never been about a lack of resources; it has always been about a lack of political will. When those in power decide something is a priority, they can mobilize untold amounts of money at the drop of a hat. It’s time that rich countries choose to prioritize survival and dignified life for billions of people around the world. Living up to their obligations to contribute to the FRLD is a core part of that choice.”
Liane Schalatek, Associate Director, Heinrich Böll Foundation Washington, DC, said: “Only 358 million US Dollar in the bank when at least the same number in billions is needed per year – this is the sad state of efforts to mobilize financing to #FillTheFund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD).
“Announced with much fanfare at COP28 in Dubai 20 months ago, developed countries have so far failed to fulfill their legal obligation and moral duty to help marginalized people and vulnerable communities in developing countries to cope with ever more devastating extreme weather events with hurricanes, floods and droughts, glacier melt and sea level rise, and more and more lives and livelihoods lost. No more excuses and evasions.
“We need public grant finance delivered to the Fund in the billions as a matter of urgency and climate justice. If countries in the Global North can find money for military expansion, subsidizing fossil fuels, beefing up border controls and tax gifts for the richest, they can summon the resources to #PayUp4LossAndDamage – NOW!”
Chiara Liguori, Climate Justice Senior Policy Adviser, Oxfam GB:“The establishment of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage in 2022 was hailed as a historic moment. But little money has followed since then. We have only seen more excuses and delaying tactics.
“What would be really historic now is for rich countries to live up to their responsibilities, honour their obligations and pay up for the losses and damages they have caused. Only this would ensure justice to the people left displaced, hungry or sick by the reckless behaviour of the richest and biggest polluters.”
Lien Vandamme, Senior Campaigner, Center for International Environmental Law, said:“States and corporations with historic and current responsibility for the climate crisis have legal obligations to pay for the damage. While we celebrated the historic step taken at COP27 to establish a Loss and Damage Fund, this fund remains an empty shell and people and communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis have yet to receive the first penny.
“2025 is the year to change this: as countries are discussing how to scale up resources of the Loss and Damage Fund, international courts are confirming State obligations to repair climate and environmental harm, at home and abroad. COP30 must tie all of this together and deliver a clear path forward towards the urgent delivery of hundreds of billions needed annually. The delay must end and polluters must pay.”
Brenda Mwale, Finance Lead, Loss and Damage Collaboration, said:“Adequate funding for the Loss and Damage fund is not merely a financial necessity; it constitutes human rights and legal imperative to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable nations. Sufficient resources are essential for supporting recovery efforts, and ensuring a more equitable global response to climate-induced disasters.
“The current state of resources in the Fund highlights the reluctance of developed countries to assume responsibility and support frontline communities at the scale required. This issue should be treated with urgency and see the delivery of Loss and Damage scale of at least 400 billion USD a year. The response to COVID-19, demonstrated the capacity and availability of resources to support vulnerable communities. The money is there! ”
Ineza Umuhoza Grace & Nicolas Gaulin, Global Coordinators, Loss & Damage Youth Coalition, said: An empty Fund means more droughts, floods, and temperature extremes. An empty Fund means broken homes, displaced families, and unchecked destruction and disease. An empty Fund means foregoing development to pay for a crisis the primary victims didn’t create. An empty Fund means developed countries continue to downplay and reject their historical responsibility in fueling the climate crisis. An empty Fund means no trust in real action. Developing countries and frontline communities have the right to new, additional, predictable, public, grants-based and easily accessible funds to survive and thrive.
“These funds are neither charity, nor development aid or investment opportunities. These funds are meant for equitable climate action that addresses real pain at the frontlines. Nothing short of trillions will rectify this egregious breach of justice and global solidarity, consistently perpetuated by a collective of wealthy nations. The Fund must be filled today, tomorrow, and until it matches the scale of needs on the ground.
Nithi Nesadurai, Director & Regional Coordinator, Climate Action Network Southeast Asia, said: “Given the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and their rising intensity, which are aggressively adding to the loss and damage being incurred in the developing world in particular, it is imperative that developed countries meet their obligations by contributing significantly to the Fund with immediate effect. Delay tactics cannot be tolerated anymore.”
Dr. Isatis M. Cintron-Rodriguez, Founder and Director, Climate Trace, Puerto Rico, said:“Trust is in high demand and as the currency for climate justice it hinges on developed countries stepping up with public finance that is new, additional, high quality, non-debt inducing, and commensurate with the harm incurred. Anything less risk turning a promise into betrayal for the world’s most affected communities.”
Managing Director and CEO of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Tony Attah, has called for a review of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to align with current economic and sector realities.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance, Tony Attah
Speaking on the theme “Nigeria Oil and Gas: From Reforms to Recovery,” at the 2025 BusinessDay Annual CEO Nigeria Forum held in Lagos on Thursday, July 10, Attah, noted that while the PIA was a landmark reform when signed into law in August 2021, it had been in development for over two decades, during which time the global energy sector underwent significant transformation.
“The PIA was a bill for 20 years, and while we were busy trying to get it right, the rest of the world moved on,” Attah said. “It doesn’t take cognisance of digitalisation, doesn’t recognise AI, and, in today’s world, you cannot survive without digitalisation. The PIA came late even for its time.”
Attah commended the Nigerian government for recent reforms, including the Executive Order raising contract approval thresholds from $500,000 to $10 million, which he described as a “game-changer” for operational flexibility in a multi-billion-dollar industry.
He also praised the evolving regulatory environment, noting that over 50% of Nigeria’s oil production is now driven by indigenous companies, a testament to the success of local content policies and regulatory support.
“Government reforms are working. Nigerians are taking over. But while the reform is on, there’s still a lot more to be done,” he added.
Attah highlighted pipeline security as a critical challenge, urging regulators to define clearer frameworks for safeguarding infrastructure and ensuring that production reaches the export terminals without disruption.
“Production is no longer the problem. It is getting the product to market, that is. Between production and point of sale lies the pipeline, and that’s all about security,” he said.
Reaffirming Renaissance’s commitment to national development, Attah described the company’s vision as Afro-centric, focused on enabling energy security and industrialisation across Africa in a sustainable manner.
“We want to move Nigeria to centre stage as the true African giant. The renaissance has begun for our company and for our country,” Attah said.
Renaissance operates Nigeria’s largest upstream joint venture alongside NNPC Limited, TotalEnergies, and AENR, with a portfolio of 15 onshore and 3 shallow-water Oil Mining Leases, and the Bonny and Forcados crude export terminals.
In its first 100 days of taking over Shell’s shares in the defunct SPDC, Renaissance increased crude oil production by over 40%, including significant gas deliveries to Nigeria LNG Limited.
The Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP)inaugurated a Review Panel on July 8, 2025, to review the methodology and scoring matrix for the forthcoming second edition of the Climate Governance Performance Rating and Ranking of Nigeria’s 36 states.
The Review Panel was carefully invited to provide advisory on the methodology and scoring matrix with a view to improving it and ensuring transparency and objectivity in the overall evaluation process.
During the virtual Inauguration session of the Review panel, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke welcomed the distinguished experts and expressed gratitude for their willingness to contribute their time and expertise in service of the collective goal of improving climate action, especially at the subnational level.
He emphasised the need to continually strengthen the ranking process to better reflect what states are doing to tackle climate change and to inspire greater climate ambition.
Prof. Okereke added that there is need to enhance and improve the process to ensure that it delivers its core objective of accurately shining a spotlight on what states are doing to combat climate change and to motivate them to do more.
“There is a growing consensus that in contexts where legislation may be weak, tools like climate governance rankings can help stimulate accountability and progress,” he said.
“I am delighted that you have accepted to be part of this expert review panel. In a political environment where legislation is not strong, one way to improve climate governance is through climate governance ranking. While no one tool is sufficient, the subnational ranking has gained traction and credibility following the success of the inaugural ranking, helping to stimulate accountability and progress. Your contributions as experts will be critical to ensuring its continued relevance and effectiveness,” he added.
Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, the Director, Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, reiterated the commitment and support of the Federal Ministry of Environment to the Climate Governance Performance Rating and Ranking of Nigeria’s 36 states, and re-assured that states are better empowered to drive climate action, while encouraging other relevant stakeholders and experts to be part of the process of empowering subnational governments.
“I appreciate the SPP team for their commitment to the success of this subnational ranking. Following the success of the first ranking, we have seen a number of states share best practices to ensure that climate policies are enacted and implemented in their states,” she added.
Participants commended the progress in climate change initiatives at the subnational level, while emphasising the importance of measuring governance commitment and tracking implementation impacts.
Dr. Priscilla Achakpa highlighted the need for states to prioritise climate change governance and expressed appreciation for the platform, which she noted has set a precedent for subnational climate action in Nigeria.
Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba lauded the initiative as a welcome development in improving climate governance at the subnational level, stating that what cannot be measured cannot be improved.
In her contribution, Mrs. Halima Bawa noted that while projects undertaken at the subnational level such as solar panel installations are important, she emphasised the need to prioritise nature-based solutions, especially forest conservation and reforestation.
Other participants acknowledged the progress made at the subnational level, highlighting the importance of evaluating governance frameworks and tracking the impact of their climate actions and policies.
Dr Eugene Itua commended the efforts of the SPP and DCC team from the first edition and kickstarting the second edition.
The panel’s recommendations are expected to inform the revised framework for the upcoming edition of the ranking, which will build on the success of the inaugural report to deepen climate ambition and implementation at the state level.
The expert review panel is composed of Prof. Chinedu Nwajiuba, Chair of the Board, West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL); Prof. Olukayode Oladipo, Adjunct Professor, UNILAG; Prof. Daniel Gwary, University of Maiduguri; Dr.Eugene Itua, CEO, Natural Ecocapital; Mrs Halima Bawa, Director, National Council Climate Change Secretariat; Dr. Pricilia Achakpa, Global President of the Women Environment Programme (WEP); Mr. Olumide Idowu, Executive Director, International Climate Change Development Initiative; Mr. Amara Nwankpa, Director General (Acting) Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation; Mr. Eghose Omoigui and Madam Gbemisola Akosa, Executive Director Centre For 21st Century Issues (C21st).
By Ugochukwu Uzuegbu, Communication Specialist, SPP
Keynote address delivered by Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), at the 3rd Niger Delta Climate Conference held at Port Harcourt, River State, Nigeria, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Nnimmo Bassey
When we speak of building a resilient future, we have to look at the environment in which we live and examine the state of that environment. What are the living conditions for humans and other beings that we share the planet with? The Niger Delta is a deeply polluted environment, a deeply degraded territory, one of the worst polluted places on the planet.
Researches have confirmed this sad reality. The Environmental Assessment of Ogoni land issued by United Nations Environment Program in 2021 clearly shows the desperate pollution of Ogoni land – the land, the water, and the air. In some places, hydrocarbons have penetrated the soil up to 5 meters. By the time the cleanup started, pollution had sunk as deep as 10 meters.
In 2023 the Bayesian State Oil and Environment Commission, issued a report entitled An Environmental Genocide, Counting the Human and Environmental Cost of Oil in Bayelsa, Nigeria. Now, when we speak of environmental genocide, we have to understand this by looking at what genocide itself means. Genocide is an intentional attack and annihilation of a people, ethnic cleansing. An environmental genocide can also be termed ecocide. It happens when there’s an intentional and persistent destruction of a particular environment, as has been the case of the Niger Delta over the last 68 years.
The Niger Delta is a territory that the inhabitants are literally the living dead due to horrific environmental degradation. Consider Bayelsa State that has 40% of mangrove forests gone and there is a 1.5 barrels of crude oil spilled per capita. Imagine that about 14 million cubic meters of natural gas is flared every day at 17 facilities in Bayelsa State alone releasing toxic elements into the air and causing cancers, breathing illnesses and acid rain.
Oil related contaminants such as chromium are present in groundwater at a level 1000 times beyond the World Health Organization limit, and then shockingly, total petroleum hydrocarbons exceed safe levels by a factor of 1 million. Think about that.
Now our topic is on building a resilient future. What is resilience? Other words for resilience could be toughness, strength, tenacity, power, persistence. Now, when you are resilient, it doesn’t mean you are tough to receive any kind of beating. That’s not resiliency, just being helpless, but strong.
No, resilience is a situation where you overcome hazards, where your vulnerability is removed, and disasters are not the norm. It’s a situation where what you lost is restored and what was damaged is paid for. To build an excellent future, we have to map that future. We have to change our imaginaries.We have to determine what the future would look like and then we build towards attaining that future. We need to be passionate about this. We need to be conscious of where we are, and act to get to where we want to be.
We are considering building a resilient future by integrating climate action and community empowerment. Now, what are the key climate actions that are being taken globally today. One is adaptation, and second is mitigation.
Simply put, adaptation means adapting to changing situations, making accommodation with what is coming at you, while mitigation means taking action to stop the change from happening or to reduce the change that is occurring. When we speak about climate change, sometimes our focus is on the carbon in the atmosphere, but we must also speak about the carbon in the ground that is being extracted and burnt to put that carbon in the atmosphere. If we keep looking only into the skies and forget to look at the ground, then of course, we will not really tackle the problem that affects our people on a daily basis. And so we have to look at where the rain started beating us.
That deluge drenched us when the first oil well was drilled and exports began in the late 1950s at Otuabagi in the Oloibiri oil field. Now those early oil wells have since been abandoned. They were abandoned in 1970s but they’ve never been decommissioned. The area has never been cleaned up, and as we speak, they are still contaminating the environment, and this happens because of lax regulation. Lax regulation is not accidental, just like ecocide is not happenstance. It’s all about profit for international oil companies and their Nigerian counterparts.
The Niger Delta is a sacrifice zone where anything goes and the people just manage and struggle to survive. Those of us who live in the area don’t have to be told about the level of pollution here. The reports are there, the Ogoni report, the Bayelsa report, even the Niger Delta Environment Survey that Shell commissioned in the 90s, but never released, and many others including the one by Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, which studied blood samples of women from Otuabagi area, and found them all loaded with hydrocarbons. people are literally the walking dead.
In November to December 2021 over a period of six weeks, there was an oil blowout on the Santa Barbara river, a well run by Aiteo. That spill all happened in public view. The polluters and NOSDRA claimed that a mere 3,000 barrels of crude oil was spilled. Imagine a spill from a well head at high pressure for six weeks. Experts estimate that about 500,000 barrels of crude oil was spilled in that incident. And how about Ororo-1 oil well off the coast of Awoye in Ondo State? That oil well blew up 5 years ago and is still burning and spilling as we speak – a clear indication of systemic neglect.
How can we be serious about climate action when we have an oil well burning and spilling crude for 5 years? It’s an open sore, burning, spilling in broad daylight, destroying livelihoods of communities along the coastline of the Niger Delta, especially at the Awoye area. In sum, the Niger Delta is not just a sacrifice zone, it’s a zone that holds the history of colonial exploitation, extractivism, expropriation and extermination of the people on a daily and continuous basis.
How can we speak of community empowerment in this sort of environment? What would community empowerment look like? What is community empowerment when perpetrators of environmental degradation are abandoning their responsibilities in the so called divestment moves? What kind of transition would that be? If a polluter leaves the pollution, hands it over to his allies or other companies that they set up, and moves deeper offshore to pollute from offshore and maybe turn the offshore into a situation that is akin to what they’ve left in our onshore the Niger Delta is not only suffering from loss and damage. It is a lost and damaged territory. It is almost a lost and damaged, totally damaged, irreversibly damaged territory.
And our work in community. If we want to do real community empowerment, we must take real climate action to avert a continuation of the sacrifice of the zone. And there are things we must do. Number one, there has to be a clear environmental audit across the entire Niger Delta, what has gone wrong? Who is responsible, and how can people live in that kind of society? Environment number two, health audit. What has been killing our people?
How come we don’t have adults? Children have become adults and we don’t have elderly people. Number three, remediation, we’re not only going to audit the environment, or did the health. There must be a cleanup of the entire Niger Delta. There must be reparations. There must be payment for the damage that has been done to lives and to the environment.
Gas flaring must be stopped and halted. It’s an illegal activity. It’s a crime against humanity. It’s crime against the environment, against Mother Earth. It must be stopped. The so called divestment must be started and reversed, it is time to empower the communities and take real climate action by bringing into play community control, renewable energy provision, supporting food sovereignty, building resilient infrastructure.
Still speaking about building resilience through climate reparations, it’s a time to right the wrongs in terms of energy provision, United States a very challenged environment, and electricity penetration is very low, and so to reach hard to reach communities, there must be community controlled renewable energy.
In other words, we have to bring energy democracy to the Niger Delta, so that the people who only see glimpses of light from gas flares would now have electricity with which to engage in productive activities and to light up the territory. Now, the land, the water and the air has been so contaminated, if gas flaring is stopped, pollution is cleaned up, then the people have a chance to engage in agriculture in a way that is resilient and a way that helps tackle global warming, and that would be having food sovereignty with a key focus on agroecology, cultivating crops according in line and in harmony with nature.
And then finally, one clear action that must be taken to build resilience is to encourage community democracy and have community development agencies that are truly driven by the people and not manipulated through divide and rule and rule system by either the oil corporations or the governments at various levels. And so we’re speaking about community agency the people must be on the driving seat to build a resilient future, to take real climate action and to empower themselves the people are going to empower themselves when the conditions are right, and this starts by building social cohesion and resilience through inclusive approaches to resource management, accountability and ownership, communities must be in a position say this cannot happen in our territory.
This can happen in our territory. They must be in charge of what resources are extracted in their territories and how these are extracted. And finally, we have to work to promote restorative justice. In other words, community in Agile data can only be empowered and build resilient future when there is environmental justice.
Those who do the harm the most harm must do the most to write those harms, to correct those harms. They have to pay for the harms done.
We need ecological justice. We need species justice where we understand that we are not alone on this planet. We’re not alone in Niger, there are other beings that we share the environment with, and they must be intergenerational justice. We have to keep in mind that the future we’re talking about belongs to the children yet unborn, and so what we do now must be such as would ensure that they can they’ll have a repaired resilience, strong ecosystems, ecology, systems, a week to thrive. These are some of the, these are the thoughts.
From rising seas to disappearing forests, the world’s small island developing states are facing some of the fiercest fallout from the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
Shallow reef in Papua New Guinea. Photo credit: Amanda Cotton / Ocean Image Bank
But many of these countries are fighting back. In partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) more than 30 island nations are launching ambitious efforts to save ecosystems, rein in pollution and adapt to a fast-changing climate, all while jumpstarting their economies.
“At UNEP, we are not just supporting small island developing states – we are standing shoulder to shoulder with them to chart a bold path where economic development is inseparable from ecological resilience,” said Sinikinesh Jimma, acting head of UNEP’s Marine and Freshwater Branch.
“Together, we are building futures that honour the needs of today while protecting biodiversity and its vital ecosystem services generations to come.”
The relationship is a two-way street; 20 small island developing states contribute to UNEP’s Environment Fund, the organization’s core source of funding. Last year, the world adopted the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States, which charts a course towards sustainable, resilient development. Here are five ways UNEP is helping to translate the agenda’s global targets into action on the ground.
1. Restoring vibrant ecosystems
From tropical rainforests and labyrinthian mangroves to white-sand beaches and rainbow-colored reefs, small island developing states are home to some of nature’s most stunning natural spaces. Yet, across island states, the accelerating loss of biodiversity is unraveling ecosystems, leaving communities increasingly vulnerable to climate change, economic instability and pandemics.
But several projects, driven by UNEP and partners, are underway to reverse this.
In the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, communities are working with partners to revive seabird colonies. The birds produce nutrients that support the health of indigenous vegetation, which helps shield islands from sea-level rise.
Meanwhile, across Saint Lucia, 5,000 hectares of forest and coastal ecosystems and 2,000 hectares of marine ecosystems are being brought under sustainable management, with similar efforts in the Bahamas, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The UNEP/FAO-led SIDS Restoration Flagship in Comoros, Saint Lucia and Vanuatu is expected to restore marine and coastal ecosystems while spurring sustainable blue economic growth. As part of the SIDS Flagship, the Restoration Factory, will soon help young local entrepreneurs grow businesses rooted in ecological restoration.
2. Saving coral reefs
Coral reefs, the backbone of many marine ecosystems, are disappearing at an alarming rate; climate change could kill 90 per cent of these ecosystems by 2050. Though small island developing states account for less than 1 per cent of the Earth’s land area, they are home to nearly 30 per cent of the world’s coral reefs, making their protection vital to global biodiversity.
The Global Fund for Coral Reefs, which supports reef-friendly businesses and financial mechanisms, has deployed more than US$100 million to help protect and reduce stressors on 1.3 million hectares of coral reefs globally, including in countries such as the Bahamas, the Federated States of Micronesia Fiji, Maldives, Seychelles, Palau and Papua New Guinea. The Seychelles and Solomon Islands are expected to soon receive support from the fund, which finances everything from barramundi farming in Sri Lanka to accelerating ecotourism in the Federated States of Micronesia.
3. Advancing early warning systems
When major storms approach the island nation of Timor-Leste, a network of radars and ocean sensors forecast their path, while warnings are sent to citizens through megaphones, signboards, social media, radio and mobile alerts. This initiative is one of several early-warning systems for natural disasters developed with support from UNEP in small island developing states. The push is part of the UN Secretary-General’s Early Warning for All Initiative – an effort to cover everyone on Earth with early warning systems by 2027. A core part of UNEP’s work is building public trust in the warning systems. In Vanuatu, for example, communities are helping to improve forecasts by adding traditional knowledge and real-time observations to scientific measurements.
4. Curbing pollution
With limited land and some of the highest waste management costs anywhere on Earth, small island developing states already face steep challenges in handling their own waste. But they are also forced to manage waste from the rest of the world. Ocean currents and trade winds bring vast amounts of marine litter – mostly plastic pollution – onto their shores. To combat this, UNEP is working closely with island states to tackle pollution on a multitude of fronts. That includes restricting single-use plastic products in tourism through the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, transforming municipal waste management through circular economy models, improving the management of waste and chemicals, and supporting the creation of robust national waste management plans.
5. Prospering with nature
Many small island developing states have the foundation for strong, sustainable economies, from tourism to fisheries to agriculture. But these industries rely on clean, healthy and resilient ecosystems. With support from UNEP, small island developing states are prioritizing the reduction of super pollutants, including methane and black carbon, to improve local air quality.
In Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, UNEP has secured US$4.4 million in funding from the Global Environment Facility to scale up electric public transport and develop sustainable urban mobility plans. Meanwhile, the UNEP-developed Sustainable Blue Economy Transition Framework is channeling US$75.6 million across small island developing states into ocean-friendly economic growth.
UNEP is also working to strengthen the ocean governance capacity of countries, including by supporting the ratification of the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. This agreement fosters the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources in international waters, which benefits small island state economies. “We are working together to make sure small island developing states – the world’s big oceanic states – have the science, tools, partnerships and policy support they need to continue rising as leaders of environmental action,” said Jimma.
The Senate has passed for second reading, a bill seeking an act to establish the Federal Oil and Gas Hospital in Benikrukru, Delta State.
The Nigerian Senate
This followed the presentation of the general principles of the bill by the sponsor, Sen. Joel Thomas (APC-Delta) at the plenary on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
Thomas said the bill sought to provide comprehensive and specialised medical services for workers in oil and gas industry and host communities affected by explorations activities.
He said the bill would ensure that workers in the oil and gas industry and their host communities have unhindered access to adequate and quality healthcare services.
This, Thomas said, would reduce health risks associated with oil and gas, stating that siting the hospital in the Niger Delta would also help the communities access other emergency medical services.
Thomas said that the location of the hospital would to a large extent, tame the agitations and restlessness of the Niger Delta and provide a wide range of treatment for oil and gas-related illness.
According to him, the siting of the hospital would improve exploration activities in the region for the socio-economic development of the country.
“It will interest you to know that the Delta South Senatorial District has the highest offshore oil production in Delta and second in the country.
“More specifically, the location indicated for this project is in the heart of offshore oil exploration in the Niger Delta.
“This project will benefit oil companies and communities in Delta, noting that this location is home to many oil exploration activities of Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobil, Total among other oil companies,” he said.
He said that the proposed hospital would be funded by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, adding that the project would not pose additional financial burden on the Federal Government.
Sen. Seriake Dickson (PDP-Bayelsa), said that the siting of the medical facility was the right thing to do, stating that there was need for such project in the area.
Sen. Ede Dafinone (APC-Delta) said that the facility would provide support to people who sustained oil and gas-related injuries in particular, saying that there is no alternative nearby remedy for such cases in the oil and gas industry.
He said that it was good that the establishment of the facility would not result to additional pressure on the funding of the Federal Government.
Deputy President of Senate, Barau Jibrin, (APC-Kano), who presided at plenary referred the bill to the Committee on Health for further legislative inputs and to return back to plenary in four weeks.
Barau said that the bill, when passed would help improve the well-being and health related needs of the people.
