Moroccan Government Welcomes PACJA, Pledges Support

Sam Ogallah and Ms Hakima El Haite

Following the successful launch of the Moroccan chapter of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) at the sidelines of the ongoing African Climate Change conference in Marrakech, Morocco, the government of the Kingdom of Morocco has welcomed the initiative.

While commending the organisation for its extensive advocacy on climate justice for Africa, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Energy, Mining, Water and Environment, Morocco, H.E Ms. Hakima El Haite pledged the support of the Moroccan government towards ensuring effective collaboration with civil society using the credible platform already provided by the new PACJA chapter.

#CCDA IV: Bientôt un fond pour aider les pays africains à maitriser leur climat

M. Ken B   JOHM

La banque africaine pour le développement  (BAD) vient de s’engager pour aider les africains a prédire toutes catastrophes naturelles.

La BAD bientôt avec l’appui de l’union Européenne mettre un fond dénommé fond ClimDev  pour pouvoir permettre aux états  de maitriser et de savoir en temps réels toute information relative au climat.

Le coordinateur spécial du projet agriculture et industrie au sein de la BAD Mr  Ken B   JOHM  parle d’avancé positif pour le pays.

 Par   Diane NININAHAZWE

 https://audioboom.com/boos/2547218-bientot-un-fond-pour-aider-les-pays-africains-a-maitriser-leur-climat

CCDA IV: Global Attention Shifts As Africa Wants to Feed Africa

As the dust of the recently concluded climate march in New York begins to settle, global attention has once again shifted to Africa as the fourth edition of the Climate Change Development in Africa (CCDA-IV) conference sets sail.

With the screaming theme “Africa can feed Africa now: translating climate knowledge into action”, the conference, which is organised by the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Development Bank (ADB) will  hold in Marrakech, Morocco, from 8 to 10 October 2014.

According to Fatima Danton, the ACPC Coordinator, the conference aspires to promote the use of climate information to enhance agricultural performance in a changing climate and to maintain the momentum of economic growth, with a view to helping Africa to feed itself and eliminating poverty. 

Outrage Grows As South African Court Okays Seizure of Nigeria’s $9.3m

Apart from breaching South African laws, the Nigerian government violated a number of key anti-money laundering laws in its botched attempt to buy arms and military equipment from South Africa with $9.3 million cash stacked in suitcases.

Two Nigerians and an Israeli were arrested at the Lanseria Airport in South Africa on September 5, 2014 as they tried to enter the country with the cash conveyed in a private jet owned by the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Ayo Oritsejafor.

Nigerian officials said the suspects were carrying out a "legitimate" transaction to procure arms for the country's military, and that South Africa had been given receipts and documents to prove the authenticity of the deal. South African investigators have faulted the claims, and last week, obtained a court order freezing the money. The Nigerian government's explanation was "flawed and riddled with discrepancies", they said.

An analysis of the deal shows how the Nigerian authorities, in choosing to procure arms with a huge sum in cash, blatantly flouted two important laws enacted to combat money laundering.

Section 2 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 clearly pegged the cash transfer allowed into a foreign country at $10,000 or its equivalent. The law stipulates that any cash transfer exceeding that limit must be reported to the central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the Security and Exchange Commission, or the Economic Financial Crime Commission,EFCC within 7 days from the date of the transaction.

The World’s Largest Climate March Aims to ‘Bend the Course of History’

What is being billed as the biggest climate march in history will hit the streets of New York City on Sept. 21, with an expected 100,000 demonstrators on hand to greet the world leaders converging on the city for United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Climate Summit. Among those marching will be Ban, according to U.N. officials.

“The secretary-general will stand on the right side of the people on this key issue for our common future,” Selwin Hart, director of the secretary-general’s climate change support team, said at a press conference Tuesday.

While the People’s Climate March will be marked with the usual banging of drums, chanting, and blowing of vuvuzelas, the organizers of the demonstration and its sponsors are anything but typical.

The march towards the new climate deal

In 1997, when the whole world birthed the Kyoto treaty, it was like we were certainly reaching a monumental turning point in the history of humanity when we can all work unanimously towards curbing the unhealthy increase in global green house gas concentration.

The commitment period was seen as a reasonable timeframe to get the goal of the protocol achieved and set a motion for a new world order in the regards of zero emission future. Alas, 2012 arrived and it was like we were still at the basis of preparation, canvassing for a total ratification and then it became so reasonable to conclude on the note that humanity would be held largely responsible for the catastrophic changes enabled by our inaction towards making a concrete agreement that would ensure a safe future.

For over fifteen years of the Kyoto commitment we have been able to achieve little less than expected while most of the promises have set records of being all paper-based propaganda.  Year after year, we assemble for conference of parties holding various high level deliberations that have not yielded a tangible result. 

My Country and the Abuse of American Dollar

Fellow Nigerians, this is a very difficult moment in our country. It is also a confusing period for many of us. The only way to make sense out of the nonsense is to join the madness. We need to put ourselves in the position of those who see nothing wrong with our present predicament. If you’re on social media, you would be amazed at the contributions of some of our citizens who believe we actually live in Eldorado. Perhaps.

I’m beginning to think they are right and we are wrong. May be, we’ve been practically blinded by our inability to see and appreciate what the Federal Government has been able to achieve monumentally. I have no doubt that they are trying their best. My worry is if they can ever rise above this level even if they spend eternity. I decided to join their train this week and wish to invite you all to join me as I experiment a new style of reasoning. What you are about to read therefore is the voice from the other side of the divide. I’m determined to discover what drives those guys, why they don’t feel what we feel and we can’t feel how they feel. Is it that life is so good for them and so bad for the rest of us? For once, let’s try their shoes on and imagine their thought process. Why is it so difficult to accept their way of life and vice versa? Can there ever be a meeting point for us? The number of PDP operatives stuns me. What principle and ideology drives their faith? I see some very bright people and just wonder endlessly.

As I started writing this piece today, one song we used to sing in my childhood days came to my mind: “come and see, American wonder; come and see, American wonder.” Ours is a wondrously terrific country.

We’ve always been fascinated with the American way of life in particular and Western lifestyle in general. Many Nigerians would do anything possible to grab the almighty American visa and jump on the next available flight. Such is the attraction for, and the hypnotic effect of, going to America. This obsession has been a subject for movies and novels. The search for the American dollar has been a critical one for many who abandoned good jobs at home and headed to God’s own country in pursuit of the proverbial Golden Fleece or greener pastures.