Category: Uncategorized

ECOWAS Holds Workshop on Green Climate Fund

 

THE Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS in partnership with the United Nations Green Climate Fund, GCF, has held a three-day capacity building workshop to educate member states on how to access the Fund.

The training workshop which took place at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja is geared towards assisting member states to develop and implement development projects and programmes taking into account climate change concerns.

The training is also meant to improve the capacity of member states so they can strengthen their connection with the GCF with a view of better harnessing the range of opportunities offered by the Fund.

According to the Head, Division Environment, Policies and Regulations of the ECOWAS, Bougonou Djeri-Alassani, the Green Climate Fund prioritises Adaptive and Mitigation measures.

Regional Advisor for Africa on Green Climate Fund, Alpha Kaloga, reiterating the potential opportunities available, said the fund is the first of its kind that ECOWAS countries have direct access to as it is being disbursed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), unlike other funds that go through UNDP, World Bank or other international institutions.

The Green Climate Fund was established by the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties, (COP 16), of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, held in Cancun in 2010 to address climate change challenge in the continent, build resilience and green economy for the countries because of their high vulnerability to the negative impact of the phenomenon.

Credits: Leadership, Environews, Realnews

Nigeria to host WIPO Africa Office

Nigeria is to host the Africa Regional Office of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) alongside Algeria, after both countries emerged winners in an intra-African election process.

The Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Mr. Afam Ezekude described the development as a landmark event and a positive nudge to the entire creative sector in Africa and the country in particular, while he attributed Nigeria’s success at the WIPO to its rising profile and fast growing creative industry.

He noted that Nigeria’s creative industry which includes Film, Music, Performing Arts, Advertising, TV and Broadcast, is now one of the fastest growing sectors of the global economy, boasting of the largest film industry in Africa and the second largest in the world.

Mr. Ezekude said that Nigeria was recorded to be the first African Country to have submitted a bid to host the Regional Office in Africa since 2009.

The formal process to conclude establishment of the WIPO External Office in Nigeria will be completed in October 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Headquartered in Geneva with a membership of 188 countries, WIPO is the United Nations agency designated to promote innovation, creativity and protect Intellectual Property rights globally.

Source: Nigerian Copyright Commission

Nigeria signs agreement with Britain on assets recovery

The Federal Government, on Tuesday, August 30, 2016, signed a new agreement with Britain to ensure transparent return of funds stolen from Nigeria.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami and British Immigration Minister, Mr. Robert Goodwill signed the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of Nigeria and the UK, respectively.

The Attorney-General outlined the objectives of the MoU to include the fact that the processes of returning stolen assets was a partnership recognising the interest of both countries and based on mutual understanding, confidence and trust.

In his remarks, Mr. Goodwill, who is also a member of the British Parliament, noted that there was no safe place for stolen assets in the UK.

The agreement provides in clear terms, the processes by which stolen assets will be returned without being at risk of being misappropriated again.

Earlier this year, the UK government established a Global Forum for Asset Recovery to bring together collaborative efforts by governments including Nigeria and law enforcement agencies to work to recover stolen assets.

Credits: Vanguard