MAIDEN NIGERIA’s ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY OUTLOOK FORUM – NEO 2021’

 

Concept Note

 

Theme: Enhancing Environmental Governance and Policies: Processes, Strategies and Implementation  

 

 

Overview:

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Environmental sustainability and its awareness have become basic factors of global consciousness and governmental undertakings. Nigeria is not left out as awareness of environment and climate change issues have taken the front-burner in most government discourses and activities. The Country’s concerns with the environment have been captured in the Nigerian National Policy on Environment; a document developed to provide a foundation for government and societal interventions in providing socio-economic development, sustenance of ecological resources; wellbeing of the people and good health; as well as a clean and safe environment. Intense national advocacy programmes and activities are important to ensure familiarization with its strategic role in achieving sustainable development nationally and ensuring stakeholders and citizens role in ensuring its successful implementation.

 

Against the backdrop of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and various Climate change and sustainability conferences, meetings and summits coupled with interventions by the government at all levels, there remains a gap to be filled between pronouncements, interventions and effective implementation of the National Policy on Environment in the country. This invariably affects the viability and sustainability of critical sectors including the Oil and Gas Industry, Infrastructure Development, Engineering, Agri-Business and Agricultural sector, Real Estate and the Built Environment.

 

Purpose:

Nigeria’s Environment Outlook Forum is therefore set up as a broad-based think-tank comprising the public and private sector as well as the civil society to analyse (cause and effect) activities and efforts in the environment and climate space, pinpoint areas of specific interest, determine actionable activities while proffering solutions that could be undertaken by the government, against the backdrop of the National Policy on Environment; corporate organizations and stakeholders towards distilling environmental sustainability and climate mitigation activities into daily operations and processes.

 

The Roundtable Forum shall be a feedback platform to complement government’s environmental processes and actions, analyzing trends and undertakings and be a periodic platform for evaluation of such undertakings in the short, medium and long term with emphasis on sustainability and viable impact.

 

Format: 

NEO shall include opening and closing plenary sessions, simultaneous interactive roundtables and technical briefs.

• Break-Out Sessions will last for about 2-3 hours.

• Highlights from each table will be compiled and delivered to the communiqué secretariat

• Round-up of NEO will be done with highlights of various environmental policies

• The table deliberations shall focus on implementation of the National Environmental Policy: ensure proactive implementation and buy in of these policies in government and business sectors.

 

Roundtables will focus on such themes as:

1. Green Initiatives

2. Water Sufficiency

3. Circular Economy and

4. Environmental Governance.

5. Climate Change and other environmentally induced development challenges

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Organizers:

Environment Africa Magazine is the primary host/developer of the concept and shall act as the secretariat of the Roundtable. The Magazine, under the platform of NatureHedge, shall collaborate with other co-hosts such as the Association of Environmental Impact Assessment of Nigeria, AEIAN, Nigerian Environment Society (NES) and Wastes Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON) as well as other relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) of government especially the Ministry of Environment. The Technical Committee shall be included in the planning committee to adequately and equitably reflect the aspirations, thinking and concerns of stakeholders.

 

Technical Committee:

The technical committee is made up of representatives from relevant government MDAs’ including the Ministry of Environment, Ecological Fund Office, Professional Bodies in the Environment and Built Environment Sectors, SDG Office, National Assembly, Business Association and the Organizers acting as secretariat.

The Committee shall spearhead the deliberations, keep them on track and act as a monitoring/compliance monitoring organ and first call feedback forum on actions and conclusions arrived at the roundtable. It is expected that they shall physically meet every 6 months and have quarterly voice/video conferences with regards to developments in the sector.

Logistics for the technical committee members comprising costs of accommodation, per diems and travel expenses for out of state members is expected to be undertaken by the secretariat.

 

 

Participants:

Attendance will be drawn from registrations by critical stakeholders in the various allied sectors under review. Inclusion at the roundtables will be subject to recommendations from the technical committee and other partners.

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Sponsorship:

This will be sourced through donors, partnerships, endorsements and title headings.

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Date: FEBRUARY 04, 2021

This provides an actionable date whereby deliberations and outcomes from NEO 2021 would drive further discourse / discussion points on localizing focus of the global environment campaign in Nigeria and create much more inclusive interactions; including such into upcoming global environment and sustainability forums.

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Conclusion:

Against the backdrop of the withdrawal of the US from the Paris Accord and global interest by Oil majors in GreenHouse Gas(GHG) reduction investments, 2018 indeed promised to be a year of definite efforts and while the year has already witnessed bold declarations and actions; there still remains so much potential impact to be accessed and instituted.

 

An analysis of the National Policy on Environment for example, will illuminate prevalent trends in the various economic sectors; monitoring and compliance levels, challenges and opportunities for enhancing eco-sustainability for government and businesses.

 

An action declaration focused on an inclusive and concrete focus on Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Business and Public Operational Processes shall be produced.

 

Concept Note developed by:

Technical and Organizing Committee-

Nigeria Environment Outlook Forum 2021.