2. As it is an undeniable fact that to achieve a wholesome reduction of greenhouse gases penetration into
our atmosphere requires the collective goodwill and policy direction of all nations that make up our
globe. With commitment of 150 countries established at the first international conference of the United
Nations on Environment and Development, otherwise termed – Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil in 1992; to confront headlong, the problem of greenhouse gases by signing the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); nineteen years down the line, Clean Development
Mechanism(CDM) projects defining milestone achievements in this regard should be common place in
all these nations.
What is the outlook like, what are the parameters/priority areas that ought to receive undivided
attention? With reference to the European Environment Agency (EEA), such priority areas should
include:
Green Economy
· Renewable energy (including hydropower, biofuels and biomass)
· Energy efficiency
· Mobility (air quality, emissions and noise)
· Industry (emissions and waste)
· Innovation
· Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
· Strategic Impact Assessment (SIA)
· Governance (including institutional agreements and multilateral environmental agreements)
· Environmental Performance Reviews
· Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
· Environmental Reporting
· Mining
Resource Efficiency
· Use of natural capital(including forestry, agriculture, urbanization linked to the use and
degradation of land, soil, water and biodiversity)
· Water efficiency in industrial, rural and urban areas
· Life-cycle analysis
· Environmental Accounting
· Sustaining consumption and production patterns
· Tourism
Commitment to toe the line of sustainable living and economic policy via seeking new economic
frontiers of green economic initiatives has been expressed by several nations. In the case of Indonesia, a
fast growing Asian nation and member of the G20 group of developing nations has come up with a
target known as the “7/26” target: emissions reduction of 26 percent below the conventional practice,
while maintaining economic growth at 7 percent per year. These figures, in addition to the goal of

3. poverty reduction to below 11 percent, unemployment reduction to below 14 percent, sum up
Indonesia’s pro-growth, pro-job and pro-green development targets.
In Nigeria, the case of Delta State, one of the oil rich states of the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria is quite
astonishing. In the sense that apart from being a host to a number of oil exploring companies, the state
like others within this region is plagued by environmental pollution from oil spill and gas flare, poverty
and youth restiveness; while the region unarguably boast of generating 90 percent of the nations
revenue in the form of proceeds from oil exports. For some years now, Delta state and her neighbours
have been clamouring for greater control of resource revenue generated within these region; that sort
of makes it sound out of tune for such a state to be a frontrunner in embracing green economy
initiative.
According to the posting on the official website of the office of the governor of the state, Gov.
Emmanuel Uduaghan that ending gas flare, restoring the rives and renewing land devastated by oil
pollution to enable the people return to their traditional occupation are the core reasons for the
government interest in the green economy initiative that promotes developing new economic source by
encouraging sustainable and green industries, green energy source(solar & wind), agriculture and eco-compliance
waste management. “To actualize these, the state has been consulting widely with stake
holders – government agencies, environmental impact analysis experts, oil exploring and production
firms, and green economy technology/solution providers … one of our outstanding successes in our
partnership with the state of California and ex-Governor Schwarzeneggar is the commitment we
received from Chevron to end gas flare by the end of the year in the state” maintained Paul Odili of the
office of the governor on green economy initiative. Other initiatives according to him were the state
partnership with General Electric to explore environmental resilient projects based on renewable energy
options and International Energy Agency (IEA) to conduct analysis on low carbon and energy mix
portfolio. When further asked about the capacity of the initiatives to generate needed employment and
reduction of poverty level, Mr. Odili explained that as a result of deploring renewable energy and
adoption of eco-friendly technology, new skill levels will be required in which the state is already
formulating strategies in the form of manpower training of rural folks. In such ventures as solar panel
engineering with support from India, and sustainable business growth for micro-businesses enabled by
alternative energy options not dependent on fossil fuel. He recounts that, till date over 10,000 stands of
solar street lights have been installed in various towns and villages in Delta State, while over 23
motorised borehole/water reticulation projects in 23 communities in the state had been converted to
solar-powered systems.
Of course, good initiatives do not drive themselves. Worst still when backlog of environmental disasters
dot the landscape of such a nation due to neglect and mal-administration of ecological management
funds, such is the unfortunate case of Nigeria. The emergency intervention fund, otherwise called
ecological fund as administered in Nigeria is drawn from the ecological discount allocation managed
under the auspices of the President of the nation. Is strictly meant for intervention in times of ecological
disasters in the country; the fate of this intervention fund as revealed by the National Assembly of
Nigeria has been one of misappropriation – diversion of funds to issues other than environment and
poorly executed intervention projects. The probe of the activities of the office managing the funds and

4. executive arms of government in the nation over the disbursement, and execution of projects meant to
resolve the hitherto ecological challenges is ongoing to unravel over N200 billion misappropriations
since 1999. Beside that, is the intended review of the Act of Law establishing the Ecological Fund in
order to strengthen it by the Legislators; and to expedite passage of pending environmental bills into
law and the revocation of regressive laws. This development should actually be good news to
protagonists of green economic, since advocacy for such cannot firmly hold without present
environmental misfortunes overturned and certainly dealt with.
Elsewhere in Africa, there have been couples of policy evaluations in this direction. With nations such as
Ethiopia committing to projects that will ensure a carbon-free economy by 2015. Kenya moving towards
green economy with wind and geothermal power production projects, large solar water heating
initiatives in South Africa; promotion of energy efficient light bulbs in Senegal and municipal waste
composting project in Uganda. According to UNEP spokesman - Nick Nuttal, the latest figure of Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) projects range from renewable energy to tree planting; which are at
validation and requesting registration totals 122, and worth a total of Euros 212 million a year. It is
stated that about 80 percent of these projects are in Sub-Sahara Africa; with 28 underway or planned in
South Africa, while Egypt and Morocco have 13 and 10 projects respectively.
In overview, for a Green Economy Initiative to be successful, all hands must be on deck. A public-private
driver and commitment is necessary to galvanize the needed resources, as well as sustaining. Inclusive
also would be citizens/community participation in the form of awareness creation and capacity building.
“Nothing is without risk and even green economy has its own risks, but the question is can Africa deal
with these?” the words of Archim Steiner, Executive Director at the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) should be a constant reminder to us that innovation is a consistent strive for
perfection.
As the world look towards better ways of sustaining the environment; established technologies and
regulations/legislation are major impediments that without concerted effort of government and the
private sector (Drivers of Industry) of any nation. There will not be any meaningful achievement in the
quest for a greener economy. Suffix to say, Green Economy is an ideal projection, futuristic,
sustainability concept; that its viability rest squarely on the shoulders of economic and political
stakeholders of states, nations and continents. Published in the GREEN-IT magazine, Issue 01, 2011