ABUJA – The Federal Ministry of Environment said it would focus more on the implementation of quick win projects in 2015 to address environmental challenges in the country.
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs. Nana Mede, disclosed this at the meeting of the Joint Government-Partners on Climate Change and Environment in Abuja.
Mede said that the ministry had developed a strategic plan that would be implemented between 2015 and 2020.
She said that the ministry would commence the implementation of the strategic plan by focusing on quick win projects that could be achieved within a period of six months in 2015.
She said the implementation of the projects would form the basis for the actualisation of the strategic plan of the ministry.
The permanent secretary said the projects would be on climate change and sustainability; pollution and environmental health; land degradation and natural resources.
“We are also going to be focusing on environmental governance; environmental statistics and information management; policy; advocacy; gender and enforcement,’’ said the scribe.
Mede said that the ministry would be looking at the projects to finalise the documents on climate change communication and preparation of Nigeria’s Intended National Determined Contribution.
She said that the ministry would also operationalise the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory system and finalise, publicise and disseminate some climate change knowledge products.
Under pollution and environmental health, the permanent secretary said that the ministry would develop a National Policy Framework on pollution management in Nigeria.
“We are going to establish a municipal solid waste database and we will also do a project that will mitigate climate change through urban zonal air pollution monitoring system.’’
Mede further listed other projects to include development of guidelines and standards on social impact assessment; review of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedural guidelines and development of EIA automation process.
“We will also do sensitisation workshop on the importance of full implementation of Environmental Management System for all major projects and improve awareness on land degradation.
“We are going to develop appropriate capacity for bio-safety management, install drought early warning system in eight front line states affected by drought.
“We also going to collaborate with National Youth Service Corps on tree planting project to increase National Forest cover to grantee sustainable development,’’ she said.
Earlier, the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam, explained that the meeting was initiated last year December to brainstorm on how to move the sector forward.
Mallam said the meeting with the partners would help to address and shape the issues in the sector.
“This meeting is very important for us to discuss on the environment issues because those are the issues that would help to move the country forward.
“So let us put our experiences, expertise and knowledge together to build the country that will be free from environmental challenges,’’ she said.
Also speaking, Dr Amos Abu, a Senior Environmental Specialist with the World Bank, said the issue of environment had been on the front burner.
Abu said that the meeting was important for the stakeholders to identify major activities and put resources together to be able to implement projects that would ensure environmental sustainability.
He told the ministry to come up with specific areas that she would want the development partners to support her with, adding they would also be willing to offer their technical support.
The specialist, however, called for effective collaboration with other key line ministries in addressing climate change and other environmental challenges in the country.
The reports that the meeting reviewed the key decisions taken at the February. 3 meeting at the World Bank Building.
Newsmen also reports that presentations were also taken from key line ministries of Water Resources, Petroleum Resources, National Planning Commission and the National Agency for Great Green Wall, among others.