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The Society for Planet Prosperity (SPP), in collaboration with the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike (AE-FUNAI) Centre for Climate Change and Development (CCCD) and Global Environmental and Climate Conservation Initiative (GECCI), is hosting a virtual workshop for stakeholders in the environment and climate change sector.

The virtual workshop, entitled “Understanding and Implementation of Nigeria’s Climate Change Act: Implications for Nigeria’s Net Zero Target”, is aimed at engaging the leaders of civil society and non-governmental organisations in the country.

The aim of the workshop is to gain knowledge, share ideas and provide insights on the role and involvement of CSOs in implementing the core provisions of the Nigeria Climate Change Act and open conversations on how to ensure public understanding of the climate change law.

Speaking on the upcoming workshop, the Chair of Society for Planet Prosperity and Director, CCCD AEFUNAI, Professor Chukwumerije Okereke, said that the forthcoming virtual workshop would bring together leaders of about 50 CSOs and NGOs to discuss on how to assist the government in implementing the core provisions of the Climate Change Act and increase public awareness of the climate change law.

He stated that the workshop would bring together the leaders to inform and analyse the Act, to aid better understanding, as well as to examine the state of affairs since the passing of the Climate Change Act. According to Professor Okereke, the event would generate ideas that the CSOs and the Nigerian Government could use to increase public awareness and implementation of the Climate Change Act, as well as generating ideas that would be documented and submitted to appropriate and relevant government agencies for actions and implementations.

The workshop, which is scheduled hold on Thursday, July 14, 2022, will feature Barr. Nkiruka Stella Okonkwo, the CEO and founder, Fresh and Young Brains Development Initiative; Nnaemeka Oruh, Ag. National Coordinator, GLOBE as speakers, while Professor Okereke is the host and will moderate the session. The Director, Department of Climate Change in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs Iniobong Abiola-Awe, will deliver the opening remarks.

It will be recalled that, in November 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Nigeria Climate Change Act, which provides a solid framework for climate actions at the national level.

Nigeria’s 2021 Climate Change Act provides for an ambitious framework for mainstreaming climate actions in line with national development priorities and sets a net-zero target for 2050-2070.

However, despite the signing of the bill into law and the promises the provisions of the law have to coordinate and ensure climate action in Nigeria, the government and relevant stakeholders have not taken any known steps to implement the basic provisions of the Act, such as setting up the National Council on Climate Change several months after the signing of the act into law.

By Chinedu Nwasum

The Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) is supporting the Global Environmental and Climate Conservation Initiative (GECCI) in the organization of Nigeria youths post COP26 conference across the Six geo-political zones of Nigeria with the theme “Outcome of COP26 and where do we go from here”. GECCI is organizing the event in collaboration with the United Nations Information Center (UNIC) Nigeria (Host). The first of the series was held in Port Harcourt (South South) while the second series will be holding at the Federal University of Technology (FUTA), Akure (South West) January 22, 2022 in collaboration with Elomgreenie and Environmental Conservation Club, FUTA with other series already planned for the remaining geo-political regions of Nigeria.

 The conference is expected to bring together participants from government and non-profit organizations, the private sector, members of academia, and civil society organizations, it will provide better understanding of the different environmental issues affecting the different regions of Nigeria and encourage inclusiveness, It will also create a unique opportunity to hear leading experts, including those who attended COP26 in person share experience and respond to questions and a platform to give special recognition to Green Actors with awards of excellence.

According to the CEO, GECCI, Dr. Abdulhamid Tahir Hamid, the conference is expected to achieve the following key objectives: To gain a better understanding of the COP26 outcome and what it means for Nigeria’s climate policy and economic development; develop a roadmap for the domestication of the outcome of COP26; Empowering youth to explore innovative ideas to tackle development challenges; creating an Opportunity for Joint Reflection of Key Stakeholders and Experts on the Outcome of COP26 and the Implications for Nigeria; Develop an Implementation Roadmap for National Climate Actions that will Leverage the Opportunities for Just Green Transition that were Created at COP 26 while Strengthening Nigeria’s Resilience Against Climate Change; Providing youth with the tools to build and engage in impactful projects while Identifying interest in opportunities for capacity development, partnerships, and further action.

Society for Planet and Prosperity is committed to promoting climate action and climate advocacy. SPP is also committed to advancing the course for effective implementation of the Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and facilitating resilient and green recovery approach for a just transition to net zero. SPP is being represented at the South West conference by Gboyega Olorunfemi on the panel alongside eminently qualified panelists. The keynote speech for the South West conference will be delivered by Professor Ahmed Balogun of the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, FUTA while the event will be moderated by Kayode Ojeola of Elomgreenie club, FUTA.

The Society for Planet and Prosperity, Power Shift Africa and Positive Agenda Advisory would like to invite you to a High-Level Pan-African webinar titled “Opportunities for a Resilient Post-COVID-19 Recovery in Africa” scheduled for Thursday, September 16th, 2021, at 12PM (GMT) / 1PM (BST) / 3PM (EAT) / 1PM (ABUJA).
The Pan- African Webinar will feature key attendees from multilateral stakeholders, including CSOs, NGOs, government officials and academics to discuss the options, approaches and concrete opportunities for a green and resilient post-COVID-19 recovery in Africa.
Professor Chukwumerije Okereke, President of the Society for Planet Prosperity, will moderate the esteemed panel guiding the conversation consisting of:
1. Professor Rym Ayadi – Founder and President, Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA)
2. Mr. Saliem Fakir – Executive Director, The African Climate Foundation
3. Dr. Innocent Onah – Climate and Green Growth Expert, African Development Bank Group
4. Dr. Fathallah Sijilmassi – Founder and CEO, Positive Agenda Advisory
5. Mohamed Adow – Director, Power Shift Africa

We hope you can join us as we discuss ways to create a green, resilient and sustainable future for our continent.

You can register for the webinar https://bit.ly/2WWuivf and see attached flyer for more details that you can share to your network
For enquiries on this report and webinar, Kindly contact Gboyega Olorunfemi – gaolorunfemi@gmail.com

CONCEPT NOTE

BACKGROUND:

We are organizing a high-level event to discuss options, approaches, and concrete recommendations that can help facilitate green and resilient post Covid-19 recovery in African countries with a specific focus on Nigeria and the rest of West Africa.

Covid-19 is an unprecedented event with socioeconomic consequences of immense proportion for Nigeria as well as other West African countries. While the number of cases and deaths linked to Covid-19 in the subregion remains below projected figures in March 2020, the pandemic has and continues to stretch regional and global health, financial and socio-economic resilience to their very limits. The pandemic has also triggered multiple impacts on the environment, exacerbated inequalities and food security, and upended Africa’s economic growth projections. The subregion is being faced with plummeted GDP and a sudden spike in inflation with a projected fall in international remittances and FDI.

Covid-19 could result in lower emissions but also to the reversal of efforts to achieve SDGs in West Africa. The current economic challenge could lead to slow progress in the development of the technologies and innovation needed to make long-term sustainable progress in tackling climate change and moving the economies along the green development paths. Some projections indicate up to 30 million jobs could be lost and about 28 to 49 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty.

At the same time, the situation presents opportunities for governments and other stakeholders to use the Covid-19 recovery efforts to shift their economies from a brown and unequal trajectory to a much greener and equitable path. It has been argued that that tackling climate change is not a needless inconvenience that should be set aside in the pursuit of the recovery of economic growth; but rather a necessity that needs to be tackled alongside, and indeed as part of the economic recovery plan. The concept of green recovery and building back better have gained some level of popularity in the last six months but there has been limited national and international discussion about what these concepts mean for Africa and the concrete recommendations on the kinds of system thinking, strategic planning and concrete actions required by key actors in Africa to steer the continent on the path of green resilient recovery.

 

OBJECTIVES:

The objectives of the High-Level Event on Green and Resilient Recovery in Nigeria and the rest of West Africa are to:

(1) Explore the multi-faceted impact of Covid-19 on Nigeria and the rest of West Africa and the importance of green recovery-driven policies, practices and investments and how these will positively impact on socio-economic sustainability and resilient of sub-Saharan Africa

(2) Provide a forum for the exchange of views on the ideas, options and approaches that can help West African countries integrate climate change action as a central objective in the planning and implementation of their post Covid-19 economic recovery plans in support of UN Decades of Action and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Africa Unions’ Agenda 2063.

 (3)  Facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experiences among global and regional leaders, thought leaders and experts on effective policies/approaches that can promote green recovery resilient post Covid-19 era.

 (4) Facilitate a dialogue to help ensure that no one or sector is left behind in the effort being made by African countries to identify investment opportunities create green jobs and steer the continent on the path of just green transition.

(5) Provide an opportunity for key policymakers to develop new partnerships across sectors that will champion a renewed frontier for green recovery post covid-19

 

PARTICIPATION:

Target participants include (1) Senior-level policymakers and political leaders; (2) Representatives of multilateral institutions and key donors; (3) Representatives of NGOs and civil society, (4) The academia, and (5) Private sector organizations with local and international presence.

EVENT FORMAT:

The high-level event will be an open event to be held virtually as two (2) hour session in a World Economic Forum panel format between 10:00AM – 12:00 Noon.