Africa’s Ministers for Environment committed to Protect Biodiversity

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

African Ministers of Environment together with partner organizations committed to an ambitious action agenda taking a coherent approach to addressing the interlinked challenges of biodiversity loss, land degradation and climate change.

 

Under the theme “Land and ecosystem degradation and restoration: priorities for increased resilience in Africa,” the African Ministerial Summit on Biodiversity was held on 13 November 2018 at Sharm El-Sheikh International Congress Center, bringing together more than 100 delegates including over 30 ministers responsible for the environment and other sectors, six ambassadors plus other heads of delegation along with key partners.

The delegates discussed Africa’s biodiversity priorities and identified strategic actions and opportunities to upscale commitments for combating land degradation and enhancing ecosystem restoration.  Their deliberations represented the opening sessions of the 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference.

Add captionDr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment of Egypt.

“I am honoured to have hosted this first African Ministerial Summit on Biodiversity which I am convinced will lead the way to promoting natured-based solutions for increased resilience and wellbeing of people in Africa” said Her Excellency Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment of Egypt.

Dr. Cristiana Pașca Palmer, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said, “The adoption of the African Ministerial Declaration on Biodiversity and the Pan-African Action Agenda on Ecosystem Restoration for Increased Resilience by the Summit provides an impetus for the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and will contribute to shaping a New Deal for Nature and People in 2020.

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“Your political leadership, paired with the support of the African Union Commission, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Agency, and the United Nations system, has elevated the importance of restoration in achieving our 2050 Vision of “living in harmony with nature”. The Secretariat of the Convention stands ready to further support this work.”

In a series of interactive dialogues, the summit participants reviewed the status and trends in land and ecosystem degradation in Africa and their impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services and people’s wellbeing.  They shared experiences, successes and lessons learned on ecosystem restoration in the region.

The Pan-African Action Agenda, endorsed by the Summit, will be submitted for adoption by the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government at its 32nd Ordinary Session in January 2019

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It is expected that the Pan-African Action Agenda will provide a strategic direction for ecosystem restoration in the region, promote continent-wide awareness and political support for restoration efforts, help to accelerate and upscale ecosystem restoration commitments and targets; and galvanize synergetic and integrated action towards the achievement of those commitments and targets.

The UN Biodiversity Conference continues, with the High-Level Segment being held from 14 to 15 November, and the opening of the negotiations by the Parties to the Convention on 17 November 2018.

Johnson & Johnson Launches Africa Innovation Challenge awards, Winner to take home USD$50,000

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Johnson & Johnson has launched the Champions of Science Africa Innovation Challenge 2.0, the second continent-wide competition challenge will see the best Innovator in science and Environment receiving about USD$ 50,000 in funding and mentorship

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The 2.0 challenge is   designed to address the critical unmet needs of the continent and local communities in Africa while providing support to Africa-based entrepreneurs in creating innovative health care products and services. . The challenge focuses on identifying scalable and sustainable solutions to six major health and environmental problems for Africa’s population.

 Among the selection criteria, entries must demonstrate the potential for scale from proof of concept stage to long-term sustainability. Commenting on the development Josh Ghaim, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. and member of the Johnson & Johnson Research & Development Management Committee said Africa’s Environmental and Health challenges can be mitigated through supporting innovators to come up with solutions.

 “The growing number of innovation hubs throughout Africa is sparking a new generation of entrepreneurs who are innovating and finding new solutions for issues facing their communities, our goal with the second Africa Innovation Challenge is to expand our support for the region’s entrepreneurs by pushing the boundaries of creative solutions to meet several areas of urgent need. With six new solution categories,” He explained.

He added by explaining that at Johnson & Johnson, they  believe in principle that  a great idea can come from anyone, anywhere, and we work with entrepreneurs around the world to relentlessly pursue innovations that advance and enhance the health of everyone, everywhere.

. The Africa Innovation Challenge provides an important platform to support emerging entrepreneurs and help accelerate the development of unique, sustainable health care and environmental solutions

 Speaking at the same occasion during the Launch of 2,0 Africa challenge in  South Africa  Alma Scott, Vice President, Operations and Partnerships, Global Public Health, Johnson & Johnson. Said   that solving last-mile challenges through local empowerment offers the greatest potential impact in the fight against public health challenges, and that it can also help fuel the local economy and catalyze infrastructure investments

The challenge’s six new solution categories aim to address significant threats to Africa’s health care systems and environment and they include Botanical Solutions: Sixty to eighty percent of households in Africa still rely on traditional medicine to care for themselves  and loved ones. Johnson & Johnson are seeking naturally-derived, plant-based solutions that tap into traditional knowledge and deliver consumer health and wellness benefits through topical application.

Packaging Innovations: Managing packaging waste from the increasing consumption in Africa is a challenge for many communities. We The organization  are seeking sustainable innovations for packaging of single-dose units and other affordable product sizes that will reduce or eliminate waste, while protecting the product.

Thirdly the challenge also focus on Mental Health: Caring for someone with mental illness, especially the youth, can be very challenging for rural communities. As a result, 75-85% of persons living with mental illness in Africa may not have access to mental health care.  We are seeking innovations that create awareness for mental illness as a public health problem and offer solutions for patients, caregivers, and their communities to address these issues.

Other areas where the innovators can submitter their entries include Health Worker Support, Digital Health Tools, and Essential Surgical Care. According to the organization Challenge submissions may originate from anywhere in Africa, and from one or more individuals, teams or companies; subject to certain eligibility requirements set out in the terms and conditions for the challenge.

To apply to the Challenge and review the applicable terms and conditions, please visit the Africa Innovation Challenge website. The deadline to submit applications is January 16, 2019. Neither Johnson & Johnson nor any of its companies is granted any rights to applicant ideas as a result of their participation in the Challenge. Applicants and winners remain free to continue the further development of their ideas on their own. Award recipients will be announced in spring 2019.

Protect Environment to save people’s Lives on African continent, WHO advises

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

African Ministers Responsible for Health and Environment are meeting in Libreville Gabon in West to attend the Third Interministerial Conference on Health and Environment. The objective of the policy makers meeting is to identify emerging environmental threats to people’s health and agree on a strategic action plan for the region.

According to the press statement from the UN Environment the conference   is running from the 6^th-9^thNovember 291 and is jointly organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Environment and among others the participants will discuss how to turn health and environmental policies into action.

In the statements, it’s believed that in Africa as region death is occurring due to Environmental related issues such as poor access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation which has given birth to the outbreak of diseases like cholera Dysentery among other disease.

The continent is also experiencing the outbreak of disease related to global warming which has offered conducive environment for vectors breeding such as Mosquitos which transmit malaria in most African countries.

     

 Addressing participants at the official opening of the meeting , Dr Matshidiso Moeti the World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa said African Governments need to protect the Environment from all forms of contamination that is when the region will eliminates all death forms related to Environmental diseases.

Dr. Moeti the WHO head for Africa 

    

“From the air we breathe to the water we drink, to the places we live and work the environment is intimately linked to our health unfortunately for millions of Africans, the environment can make them sick and even kill them. With climate change this is likely to only get worse. We must urgently turn this situation around,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti,

Nearly 300 delegates including Health, Environment and Finance Ministers, as well as representatives from regional political and economic organizations, big cities, multilateral agencies and experts from 54 countries are participating in the Conference.

The conference comes a decade after the historic endorsement of the Libreville Declaration by the African Ministers of Health and Environment which committed governments to take the required measures to stimulate synergies between health, environment and other relevant sectors. It also comes ahead of the 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference to be held on African soil in Egypt this month and will discuss how to mainstream biodiversity into health sector, among other sectors.

One of the participant from Somalia attending the conference.

The UN Environment officer for Africa Dr. Juliette Koudenoukpo Bio explained that for the African Continent to progress there’s the need to interlink environment and Human health 

 “Tackling the interlinkages between environment and human health can provide a common platform and multiplier effect to sustain progress across many of the Sustainable Development Goals and Africa’s Agenda 2063 in a more cost-effective and beneficial manner. By working together, the health and environment sectors have the potential to design mutually reinforcing policies and strategies and turning them into concrete actions” said Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo,.

The Conference consists of an expert meeting from 6 to 7 November 2018 and a ministerial segment to be held from 8 to 9 November.

Subsidies Agricultural mechanization machines ,Farmers asks Govt

BY  ENU REPORTER 

Although Uganda joined the rest of the World to celebrate the World Food Day on the 16/10/2018. Farmers in Uganda under our umbrella Eastern and Southern Africa small scale farmers forum (ESAFF Uganda) are demanding government to subsidies Agricultural mechanization machines to make them affordable to  small scale  farmers.

Addressing press conference,during world food day . ESAFF Uganda chairperson Hakim Baliraine said   that the current market prices for some agricultural machines such as tractors are too expensive especially to the small holder farmers yet they are the majority stakeholders in the Agriculture sector

 “The cost of production is high because of using traditional rudimentary tools therefore government should come in to ensure that we farmers can access modern farming tools  such walking  tractors, oxen ploughs and other machines  this will lower the cost of production in the agricultural sector  thus enhance agricultural production which  will  make  Uganda  food secure”. He said.

Baliraine with others during the media briefing 

However senior Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture who spoke to Business Focus  on conditions of anonymity said Government can only support farmers to acquire agricultural machines when they are in-groups.

“The challenge in the sector is that most farmers are operating at Individual basis it makes it very difficult to support such farmers let them form farming groups that is when government will respond easily to their plight” The source said.   

Apart from the tractors, the government should also work on the issue of Women owning land, though majority of Ugandan Women are accessing lands for substance farming but they don’t have the right to own such resources this has also affected their participation in Agriculture sector meaningfully.

“The more Women have equal rights on land Uganda’s Agricultural sector will grow at a high rate  since Women  contribute much in the sector but without  having the rights to own lands, in some societies this will remain big  hindrance to the transformation of the sector”. He added

Every year, on the 16th October, World Food Day is celebrated around the world to help raise awareness on issues concerning hunger, poverty and malnutrition, and to strengthen the political will to take action.

Minister Ssempija touring the stall for  ESAFF Uganda at the Nabuin Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute in Nabilatok District 

The focus of the day is that food is a basic and fundamental human right. Yet in a world of billions, 805 million people worldwide live with chronic hunger, 60% of women and almost 5 million children under the age of five die of malnutrition- related causes every day. Extreme hunger and malnutrition unavoidably create barrier to sustainable development, since many people become unproductive, more prone to diseases thus unable to improve their livelihoods,

This year’s theme of “A Zero hunger world by 2030 is possible” is derived from pillar 2 of the sustainable development goals of ‘Zero hunger” which aims at ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture. The main target to reach this goal is to increase the agricultural productivity and the incomes of small scale food producers in particular women and the grass root people

In order to achieve Zero Hunger World by 2030.Farmers demand government to respect International obligation which the Country ratified such as the Malabo declaration in which the African Heads of states agreed to allocate 10% of their National Budget to Agriculture sector. With an increment in the budget it will enhance the building of resilience to shocks, including adapting to the effects of climate change.

The mismatch in designing agricultural policies as well as lack of adequate funds for implementation of the agricultural sector policy strategies has made it very difficult to create food production systems that help maintain ecosystems and that can be able to adapt to climate change, drought, weather or any other disasters in farming communities.

Why more resources should be invested in the Agriculture sector? Uganda as country has one of the fast growing population on the African continent, such a high population can cause hunger however, Uganda as a country has potential to produce sufficient food to meet its consumption needs and surplus to export to other countries but the main problem lays with inequality in access of the available resources especially the small scale farmers who are the major producers of food.

Beti Aguti the Policy and Advocacy Specialist at Caritas Uganda at the same event added by calling up on Government to ensure that farmers have access to cheap Irrigation technologies, she noted that over depending on rain water is becoming big challenge to farmers especially in the water stressed regions this will support farmers to grow more food for both domestic consumption and export.

On the Government’s decision giving 100 Billion shillings to Uganda Grains council, we the small scale farmers are urging government    to recall the 100 billion allocated to buy off excess maize through Uganda Grain Council to be directly transferred to farmers through cooperatives or organized groups.

FAO, AU launch agriculture mechanization drive in Africa

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Farmers especially small scale farmers will have access to Agricultural mechanization equipment’s such as tractors thanks to the new framework that has been developed between Food and Agriculture Organization and African Union.

The frame work code named Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization: A Framework for Africa (SAMA) will support farmers  in  addressing  challenges  and creating  new opportunities  to ensure  the successful  adaptation of mechanization in the Agriculture sector by the less privileged   farmers. The aim of the frame work is to increase Agricultural production through using machineries.

Under the new frame work farmers will access such machines 

Making comments on the new development between the two agencies,  AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Josefa Sacko said  Agricultural production especially among the small scale farmers was declining because majority were using traditional methods of Agricultural production. He observed that with the new frame work which targets mechanization   will uplift farmer’s production thus eliminating hunger.

 "Doubling agricultural productivity and eliminating hunger and malnutrition in Africa by 2025 will be no more than a mirage unless mechanization is accorded utmost importance," Josefa Sacko he said.

On her side the deputy Director General of FAO Maria Helena Semedo. Said that more than three-fourths of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa prepare their lands using only hand tools, a practice that entails poor productivity, repels youth and is incompatible with the continent's Zero Hunger goal.

"Farmers in Africa should be able to use modern agricultural technology, both digital and mechanical, to boost the agricultural sector in a sustainable way," said FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo.

What does the frame work Intends to do for the African farmers? ,the new framework has  identifies 10 priorities for AU member states to include in their national plans, ranging from the need for a stable supply of machine spare parts and innovative financing mechanisms, and the importance of regional collaborations that allow for cross-border hiring services.

The framework notes that successful national mechanization strategies will address key sustainability issues including gender, youth, environmental protection and the overarching principle that farming must be profitable.

It also emphasizes that these strategies should cover the entire agrifood value chain, including harvesting, handling, processing and food safety aspects, with an eye to reducing food losses, boosting rural employment and bolstering the links between farmers and consumers.

Today smaller and more affordable machinery, such as two-wheel tractors, are available hiring services using digital technologies are proving popular around the continent, underscoring how the sharing of capital assets can be leveraged to achieve greater scale and access to modern tools.

The framework notes that cross-border initiatives - for dealers, supply networks and tractor operators - can allow for viable scale and greater utilization.

Another key consideration is farm profitability. This can be fostered by giving access to markets, credit and land tenure a visible role in mechanization policies.

The framework has been designed to contribute to the pledges made in the African Union's Malabo Declaration and Agenda 2063, and to do so in a way that is private-sector driven, environmentally smart, affordable and friendly to smallholder farmers.

Its implementation will require significant contributions from other stakeholders, including public institutions and private actors such as the European Agricultural Machinery Industries Association (CEMA), which has just renewed its partnership with FAO to work on issues related to sustainable mechanization strategies in developing countries.

Non-communicable diseases on rise, eat healthier foods to curb the health challenge,

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

The deputy Director General of Food and Agriculture Organization Maria Helena Semedo has warns that although people staying hungry in the world has gone up, the world is also observing an unprecedented rise in overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases

Speaking at the Third High-Level Event on Non-Communicable Diseases taking place on the side-lines of the UN General Assembly, Semedo sounded the alarm on the need to reverse current trends where more than one in every eight adults in the world is obese and over 38 million children under five are overweight.

 "Today we are witnessing the globalization of obesity; this is due to our increasingly poor diets which have become one of the major risk factors of premature adult deaths."  The deputy Director said.

According to  the Director ,Unhealthy diets are closely linked with non-communicable diseases - which  may  include heart attacks, strokes, cancers and diabetes -  and contribute to six of 10 the risk factors of the Global Burden of Disease.

Not only do non-communicable diseases cause human suffering, they hinder economic and social development, derail GDP, weigh heavily on health care costs and contribute to poverty. Equally worryingly, non-communicable diseases disproportionately affect people in low- and middle-income countries.

 

To avert such health burdens the FAO boss urging for the Rethinking of the food systems which most people are consuming this will help in lowering the problems of non-communicable diseases in the world. 

She said that Food and agriculture will continue to play a major role in preventing non-communicable diseases by improving food systems for better access to healthy diets.

“Yet, today's global food markets have given rise to products that are very energy-dense and high in fat, sugar and salt. These foods are often cheaper, more readily-available and easier to prepare than fresh food."We urgently need to rethink our food systems and food environments and make healthy, nutritious foods affordable for everyone," said Semedo. 

Semedo

She cautioned UN member states to ensure that there National agriculture and investment policies s advocates for incentives for sustainable food systems that provide cheap, healthy foods. These should be double duty actions where programmes and policies simultaneously address under nutrition, overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases.

Africa’s Environment Ministers call for action through innovative solutions

BY SAMUEL NABWIISO

Africa’s Ministers responsible for Environment   have announced commitment to promote and invest in innovative solutions while implementing concrete actions to overcome environmental challenges facing the continent.

In a ministerial declaration issued recently at the closing of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), African governments agreed to enhance innovative environmental solutions and capacity building of human capital to achieve sustainable development in Africa

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Speaking on behalf of the President of Kenya H.E Uhuru Kenyatta, Mr. Keriako Tobiko, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Environment said protecting environment  is vital actions since environment plays big role towards social transformation.

Some of the Minister  who attended the meeting

:” It is important to note that environment is the foundation and the basis of the social and economic development of our countries as continent let us struggle to ensure that nature is protected .” Tobiko said

This year’s AMCEN was held under the them Under “Turning environmental policies into action through innovative solutions”, the ministers the importance of the meeting was to mobilize political support and committed to integrate innovative solutions into their countries’ national development agendas.

According to the Moroccan Minister for Environment Dr. Nezha El Ouafi said African need invest more resources in developing innovations that can support environmental conservation.

“Africa needs to invest in innovative solutions to change its development pathway in a sustainable way. We need to deploy new and smart approaches to overcome the continent’s most pressing environmental challenges,” said Nezha El Ouafi Minister of Environment, Morocco and vice-president of AMCEN.

At the conference, ministers stressed the need to empower innovators, the private sector, micro-small and medium enterprises and civil society to use new approaches to address environmental challenges. They agreed to support Pan-African platforms on the environment to promote and share experiences and solutions across the continent.

“Public-private sector partnership will have to play a key role in embracing innovation and turning environmental policies into concrete actions to achieve the objectives of the AU Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” Minister Ouafi added.

Committing to enhance their countries’ efforts to implement policies, legislation and programmes promoting innovative solutions, the ministers called on UN Environment Assembly and UN Environment programme to increase support to African countries as well as facilitating access to innovative partnerships.

“Africa stands on the right side of history to support the environment. We have the human resources, natural wealth, and leadership to innovate and transform our region,” said Joyce Msuya, Deputy Head of UN Environment.

Addressing the Conference, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said protecting the environment can save peoples live since environmental destruction leads to people’s death.

“Environment is central to human health; every year almost 12.6 million people die from hidden risks in the environment African governments should put human and environmental health at the center of policy making in all sectors.

Other key decisions made at the conference included Biological Diversity conservation:

African Governments recognized the urgent need to combat land degradation and restore ecosystems in Africa. A Pan-African action agenda is being prepared to respond to land and ecosystems degradation challenges.

The Ministers agreed to develop common positions on various priority issues and speak with one voice during the upcoming 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference which will be held in Egypt in November 2018. The priorities will inform the post-2020 biodiversity framework and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

On Climate Change, the Ministers stressed that the outcomes of COP24 should reflect the spirit of the Paris agreement. The outcomes should balance between the Agreements elements related to action, support and transparency. Adaptation and finance should be core elements for effective operationalization of the Agreement.

They emphasized the importance of enhancing accessibility, predictability and sustainability of means of implementation, in particular finance. They agreed to work constructively to deliver the mandate of the Paris Agreement Work Programme.

Health and Environment: Recognizing the nexus between environment and health, Ministers agreed to actively participate in the third Inter-Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Africa, Libreville, 9 to 12 October 2018. The theme is “Health and environment strategic alliance: a catalysis for action on the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa.”