Minister Seeks Resuscitation Of ECOWAS Environment Forum

The Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed has harped on the need to resuscitate the ECOWAS Best Available Techniques/Best Environmental Practices (BAT/BEP) Forum which she described as the platform for development, diffusion, deployment and transfer of BAT/BEP for addressing emissions in priority industrial sectors.To this end, she sought for the establishment of a sub-regional Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) for effective information exchange to address the challenges of illicit trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste.She stated this in Abuja at ECOWAS Sub regional workshop on Chemical Information Exchange Network (CIEN) in support of the Implementation of International Conventions, hosted by the Ministry of Environment with support from United Nations Environment Governance Affairs Office and Basel/Stockholm Conventions Regional Centre (CRCBS-AF Senegal), Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Green Cross Switzerland.Mohammed appreciated the support of UNEP towards the clean-up of Ogoni Land oil spills in Niger Delta adding that the federal government has initiated deliberate and robust efforts by deploying men, materials and money towards remediation in line with UNEP Ogoni Clean up report and global best practices.Mohammed who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Bukar Hassan encouraged UNEP to establish an operational office in Nigeria for effective implementation of programmes and projects at national and sub-regional levels.The minister disclosed that unsound practices such as movement of Illicit electrical electronic equipments, land degradation, forest loss, climate change, chemicals-in products, high sulfur levels in Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and diesel threaten the actualisation of the Africa Union Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals of 2030.According to her, Stakeholders should focus on meeting human resources and infrastructural needs for harnessing information, scientific and socio-economic researches, environmental and biotic monitoring, indigenous and traditional knowledge, as well as, technical and socio-economic surveys for coordinated sub-regional policy actions.Also speaking, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki regretted that dumping of illicit waste is increasing daily in West Africa adding that Nigeria has stepped up measures to forestall such ugly scenario.Saraki who was represented by Senator Foster Ogola stressed that Nigeria and West Africa are endangered over the importation of hazardous chemicals into the countries.On her part, the Country Representatives of United Nations Organisations (UNOs) in Nigeria, Ms Fatoumata Keita-Ouane maintained that African continent should not be exposed to the hazardous effect of chemicals without knowing how to control them.
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