Environmentalists advocate regional African response to environmental challenges

Bennett Oghifo in This Day (Nigeria): Rivers like air cross regional boundaries and, they only change name when they are in a particular country or state or town or village. It is the same body of water coursing its way to the Ocean. Environmentalists have stated that the way the water is managed upstream generally impacts the lives and livelihoods of people downstream.

With this in mind, states in the South-western region of the country converged in Osogbo, the Osun State capital to seek a common strategy to mitigate the harmful effect of climate change on the region. At the event were top government officials Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun and Lagos States.

The 2-Day High-Level Regional meeting with the theme: 'Developing Regional Framework for Addressing Climate Change, Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development' was organised by Osun State, the Federal Ministry of Environment, the United Nations' Development Programme and HEDA Resource Centre under the Africa Adaptation Programme.

It was called to address Climate Change, Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development in Southwest Nigeria. It was designed to mainstream climate change and environmental conservation into the developmental plans of States and Local Governments in the region; Increase efficiency in environmental governance and regulations enforcement; and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Also, it was aimed at maximising resource efficiency in climate change governance and environmental conservation; Identify and address knowledge, resources, policy and information gaps in climate change adaptation, mitigation and environmental conservation within the region; Increase the region's voice and relevance on climate change and environmental conservation governance at the national, sub-regional and global levels....

The River Benue in Nigeria, shot by Amcaja, public domain