KIGALI, Rwanda (PAMACC News) - African Union Commission has embarked on continent-wide training program to equip various government environmental experts with knowledge on guidelines of how to benefit from Africa Union grants for earth observation.

The Coordinator of the Global Monitoring Environment and Security in Africa under AU, Dr Tidiane Ouattara said the training, which kicked off in Kigali, Rwanda involving environmental experts from the Eastern Africa region including the Indian Ocean Islands is the first in a series organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) to be conducted in five regions of the continent.

“We are meeting in Kigali with delegates from the Eastern Africa and Indian Ocean Islands to provide them with information on grants for the Global Monitoring Environment and Security in Africa (GMES & Africa) initiative.

The GMES & Africa is a cooperation initiative between Africa and Europe in earth observation. First launched in 2007, the initiative avails an opportunity for Africa to utilize Europe’s earth observation services. The initiative seeks to promote development of local capacities, institutional, human and technical resources for sustainable development in Africa.

The earth observation initiative aims to provide sustainable, reliable, and timely space-derived environmental and security information to the public and policy-makers at national, regional and continental levels.

Dr Tidiane Ouattara said, the initiative has nine thematic areas but aseries of consultation with stakeholders led to prioritization of three themes under two services which are Water & Natural Resources and Marine & Coastal Areas to be implemented in the first phase.

GMES & Africa is a €30 million program with the EU providing €29.5 million while the AU will contribute €0.5 million. The coordinator noted that, €17.5 million is earmarked for grants and another part of the money will be paid to European institutions for their technical support and the reminder used for coordination of the program.

The coordination unit advised participants that to access the grants, institutions should work together to gain more credibility. The projects accessing the grant are also required to have at least 20% in funds or other necessary materials for executing their projects.

Grants will be awardedafter rigorous evaluationsusing AUC procurement procedures, to institutions that will act as regional outlets on the identified applications. Applicants encouragedto access the grants include academic, public and private institutions in the area of earth observation.

Among the participants at the meeting is Dr Gaspard Rwanyizire, the Director of the Centre for Geographical Information System (CGIS) at the University of Rwanda. CGIS deals with disaster management and maps by analyzing and advice on land.

“As far as Rwanda is concerned, these grants can support to solve problems related to disaster management through innovative technologies, underlined Dr Rwanyizire. “The negative effects of climate change in the region can also be addressed.”

After the meeting in Kigali this weekend, the AU training team is scheduled to travel to other different regions of Africa. The West Africa region meeting will be in Dakar from 22 to 23 February; North Africa in Egypt from 27 to 28 February; Central Africa in Libreville (Gabon) from 06 to 07 March and the Southern Africa region meeting in Gaberone (Botswana) from 09 to 10 March 2017.

BERTOUA, Cameroon (PAMACC News)—As night falls, scores of timber trucks line up at a weighing station outside the city center here, one of the last rituals before the long road trip to the port city of Douala, nearly 600km away.

Every day, trucks like these, with logs of timber stream through bumpy earth roads onto the highway at the dead of night; and head to Douala, from where they are shipped to foreign markets.

“The East region is very rich in timber,” says Andre Lepot, a resident in Batouri, a town that has become known for timber exploitation, more than anything else. “We have seen this happen since we were kids.”

Timber is Cameroon’s second most important export commodity after crude oil. In the past decades, logging has increased, attracting Chinese, Lebanese, French, and other foreign companies.

The country is one of the leading exporters of tropical timber to the European Union.

“We have observed a surge in timber trade activities with the increased presence of foreign timber business operators especially from China and Indonesia in the sector,” says Bernard Njonga, coordinator of the Local Development Initiatives Support Service, an NGO in Cameroon.

“Cameroon’s forest has continued to be logged to feed the country’s growing timber market.”
Logging in Cameroon is shrouded in illegality. Illegal timber exploitation is severe and getting worse in the country, say officials and environmental protection workers.

“Without being an expert, I can say that before exploiters fell only large trees,” says ZeVina, a resident of Ebolowa in the South region, another timber exploitation center. “But today we see timber of all dimensions transported away in trucks.”

Ze describes Cameroon's timber sector as anarchic. Both legal and illegal exploiters are involved in unlawful activities, particularly harvesting timber below the legal size, and outside designated concessions, he says.

Weak legal systems and deteriorating control mechanisms are fueling an unprecedented frenzy of illegal logging and wildlife trade that is fast depleting the nation's natural forest resources, PAMACC News found.

“Illegal forest exploitation and logging business in the country has been compounded by ineffective and discriminatory law enforcement,” says Njonga. “This betrays the sincerity of the government in forest governance reforms.”

In the East and South regions, vast expanses of forests now lay bare, one of the main consequences of rampant and illegal exploitation.

According to Global Forest Watch, an online forest monitoring platform, Cameroon lost 657,000 hectares of forest between 2001 and 2014, with the annual rate of loss rising over the period to around 141,000 hectares in 2014.

“The government does not respect its laws and many forest malpractices go unpunished,” Augustine Njamnshi, board member of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, PACJA told PAMACC News in an interview.

“When laws are not implemented or are implemented selectively, then there is injustice, and this weakens the legal system in the country.”

Dr. Joseph ArmatheAmougou, the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change Focal Point for Cameroon admits that the non-respect of forestry laws has to a large extent weakened forest governance reforms.

“Cameroon is a state of law, and so for any forest governance reform to yield the expected results, the laws must strictly be respected,” he says.

Apart from the European Union imposed monitoring system, the country lacks a credible forest law enforcement mechanism, a situation that has continued to drive illegal logging and forest depletion.

Several control points have been set up on the route from the forest to the port city of Douala. But corruption means that tons of illegally felled timber still makes it to markets in Europe and Asia.

Timber is central in the country’s development agenda. In the last few years, Cameroon has invited multiple foreign investors in large-scale investment projects as the country drives towards economic growth.  

Unfortunately, many of these investments and potential investment opportunities are nestled in the heart of the country’s productive forest spans. In many cases, the projects are not only breeding conflicts between investors and forest communities, but also fuelling illegal activities.

There is thus increasing environmental footprint of these foreign investors in Cameroon and government’s heavy reliance on them for funding of its multiple ongoing infrastructural projects has made the country vulnerable to illegal practices.

“In many instances, the government is helpless in dealing with cases of illegal logging by these foreign business operators,” says Samuel Nguifo, Executive Secretary of Center for Environment and Development.

With the country facing serious development challenges, there is a growing quest for and reliance on foreign capital, and it is thought this dependence has led to oversights on illegal activities especially in the exploitation of forest resources in Cameroon, Nguiffo explains.

A May 2016 World Bank/IMF report indicates that Cameroon has an accrued external debt of US$5,289 million and is ranked 10th among 42 African nations whose debt statistics were studied in 2016.

Experts see the dependence on foreign investors as a significant threat to the country’s willpower to strictly control illegal practices fueling corruption and poor governance in the forest and natural resource sector.

Like in Cameroon, sustainable management of forest resources has been perilous in many countries in the Congo Basin region. Environment experts argue scaled up support for governance reforms that need to be at the heart of government forest management programs are virtually absent.

Environment experts are worried that the growing illegal harvesting and trade of timber will have devastating impacts on the environment and contribute immensely to global warming which is currently threatening the Congo Basin and the world as a whole.

Thus, the promotion of sustainable forest management is imperative to create and preserve jobs and contribute to improving rural livelihoods, protect the environment, mitigating climate change, preserve biodiversity and above all reduce poverty, experts say.

External Pressure
Some European countries have urged Cameroon to reinforce its laws on forest exploitation and timber trade.

Cameroon was one of the main sources of tropical wood imports to the European Union in 2014, at around a fifth of the total, followed closely by Malaysia, according to EU data.
Britain recently imposed or warned of sanctions on 14 UK importers believed to be illegally sourcing wood from Cameroon, according to Greenpeace.

That followed a similar move by the Netherlands in early March 2016 demonstrating that timber from Cameroon is “coming under increasing scrutiny in international markets,” Greenpeace said.

“Cameroon’s authorities must examine this new set of sanctions and start investigating the companies in question as a first step to tackling the illegality and corruption in the timber sector,” said Eric Ini, Yaounde-based Forest campaigner for Greenpeace Africa.

In 2009, Cameroon appointed an independent observer, NGO Agreco-CEW, to oversee the allocation of forest concession. But its recommendations are not implemented, according to Samuel Nguiffo.

A May 2016 report from Greenpeace, for example, said Cameroon's timber exporter Compagnie de Commerce et de Transport (CCT) had sourced wood from La Socamba, a company logging several kilometers outside its designated area, which it sold in Europe and China.

CCT and its suppliers are now facing an audit, which has yet to be officially announced, Greenpeace said at the end of June.

Cameroon bows to pressure
In what looks like bowing to pressure from the European Union and forest governance stakeholders, Cameroon government has suspended 23 forest exploitation companies and two community interest groups (GICs) working in the logging sector for six months, a November 09, 2016 release by the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife stated.

The sanctions according to the Minister Philp NgoleNgwese, generally relate to the non-compliance with sustainable management standards such as breach of the terms of reference, the exploitation or fraudulent use of the forest resources.

The suspension, which involves “the immediate cessation of activities, will not be lifted until after the close of the litigation opened against the offenders, as well as the payment in full of the charges that will be levied against them,” the minister said in a statement.

Minister Ngole Philip Ngwese also threatened to withdraw the authorization in the event of non-lifting of the suspension due to the continuation of activities after notification of the measure or a new offense in the last 12 months following the infringement leading to suspension.

Officials of Etamfa Sarl and Entrepise Forestiere du Cameroon, two of the companies suspended for illegal logging refused to comment when approached by PAMACC News.  

In a similar sanction in 2012, the Cameroon Treasury recovered the sum of CFAF 1 billion, compared to CFAF 100 million a year earlier, representing the fines imposed on operators for violations of logging regulations, statistics from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife showed.

Intensified control measures
The government says it is working with other stakeholders to strengthen control measures against illegal logging. Among these measures is the increase of forest guards on checkpoints along the road from the East region through the South to the shipping port in Douala.

The Kadey Divisional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife, Bangya Dieudonne admits "illegal exploitation of wildlife and logging activities existed in the region but said the government was intensifying and renewing its strategies to combat the scourge.”

“The government is training and deploying more guards in the field to intensify control. Many youths here have received training to detect and report cases of illegal logging to us and the forces of law and order,” said Bangya.

Officials of FODER, an NGO in forest protection in the region that carried out the training also attest monitoring of illegal forest activities has intensified.

“Forest people, mostly youths have been trained and equipped as community observers to report what they see in logging activities to help save the forests. These residents are on the frontline of the fight against deforestation. We call them the rainforest defenders of Central Africa,” RodrigueNgonzo from FODER told PAMACC News.

He said the training provided communities and civil society with new tools to monitor changes in forest use and their environment so they can inform local authorities and the forces of law and order in real-time for prompt action.

According to officials of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, empowering forest people, taking climate action and protecting forest resources are at the heart of changing the new narrative and putting government activities firmly on the path to sustainable development.

AnicetNgomin, Head of Monitoring, Regeneration, Reforestation and Woodland Extension Unit, in the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, pointed out that since the signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Ministry has embarked on assessing the gravity of illegal forest exploitation challenges and has intensified interaction with the concerned communities.

“Creating opportunities for an empowered people, capable of taking action and contributing to the protection their forest resources will certainly help in the fight against forest resource depletion,” Ngomin said.

Under unique conservation model, a luxury lodge in Kenya and a conservation organization will work together to help a local community protect a critical ecosystem

NAIROBI, Kenya (PAMACC News) — Habitat loss poses a significant threat to biodiversity and people’s livelihoods in Kenya and beyond. Rapid land conversion, mostly driven by human population expansion, is behind this threat, and current trends demand innovative and long-term solutions to address it. For this reason, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) and Cottar’s Safari Lodges are teaming up to design and deliver conservation programs to support the Olderkesi community in the Masai Mara region in its conservation efforts.

“This conservation partnership joins one of the oldest ecotourism lodges in Kenya’s tourism industry with the oldest conservation organization in Africa. Such a partnership approach is key in supporting the conservation of the Olderkesi Conservancy and surrounding lands—we’re able to draw together Cottar’s longstanding relationships with the community with AWF’s conservation expertise to protect a critical elephant corridor in the Masai Mara,” says Kathleen Fitzgerald, vice president for land protection at African Wildlife Foundation.

The Olderkesi Group Ranch is host to one of the few remaining wildlife corridors in the Mara ecosystem. It is a part of a vital corridor between the Loita/Ngurman Hills and the Masai Mara National Reserve, hosting more than 3,000 elephants and thousands of transient plains herbivores, such as wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and giraffes. Similar to other parts of the Mara, wildlife in Olderkesi is threatened by land use change, habitat loss and blockage of corridors due to human activities. The ever-increasing human–wildlife interface has resulted in increased conflicts, leading to retaliatory killings.

The Olderkesi community area is an essential component of the Serengeti–Mara Ecosystem. It remains one of the last group ranches that have not been subdivided, and thus communities still have access to communal grazing areas, unlike other group ranches in the Mara. “This partnership will enable us to ensure the long-term survival of this critical ecosystem while providing jobs and supporting the local communities in protecting the land upon which they depend,” Calvin Cottar, director, Cottar Safaris.

The Masai Mara Reserve offers one of the Kenya’s premium wildlife reserve and important habitat areas for a great variety of wild African animals. It is unique for its great wildebeest migration, Africa's greatest natural spectacle and central point of branding for Kenya‘s tourism sector.

Ken-Arthur Wekesa is a Senior Manager, Media Relations African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (PAMACC News) - During the 28th Ordinary Summit of the African Union which concluded on 31st January at the African Union Headquarters, elections for the Bureau of the Chairperson, The Deputy Chairperson and Commissioners were held as well as appointment of members to the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption ,the appointment of judges of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights (AfCHPR) and appointment a member of the African Union Commission on International Law (AUCIL).

Chairperson of the African Union Commission               H.E Mr. Faki Moussa Mahamat (Chad)

Deputy Chairperson                                                 H.E. Mr. Thomas Kwesi Quartey (Ghana)

Commissioner for Peace and Security                          H.E. Mr. Smail Chergui (Algeria)

Commissioner for Political Affairs                                  H.E. Ms. Minata Cessouma Samate (Burkina Faso)

Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy                  H.E. Ms. Amani Abou-Zeid (Egypt)

Commissioner for Social Affairs                                     H.E. Ms. Amira Mohammed Elfadil (Sudan)

Commissioner for Trade and Industry                           H.E. Mr. Albert M. Muchanga (Zambia)

Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture            H.E. Ms. Correa Leonel Josefa Sacko (Angola)

The Commissioners for Economic Affairs and Human Resources Science and Technology will be communicated at a later date.

The appointed Members of the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption are:

Mr. Begoto Miarom (Chad), Mr. John Kithome Tuta (Kenya), Mr. Paulus Kalomho (Namibia), Ms. Florence Ziyambi (Zimbabwe), Mr. Pascal Bamouni (Burkina Faso), Mr. Daniel Batidam (Ghana) and Ms. Elisabeth Gnansounou Fourn (Benin).

The appointed judges of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights (AFCHPR) are Ms. Chafika Bensaoula from Algeria and Ms. Rose Tujilane Chizumila from Malawi

The appointed member of the African Union Commission on International law is Ms. Kathleen Quartey Ayensu from Ghana.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (PAMACC News) - The 28th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), officially opened today at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a strong call for unity to uphold the maintenance of peace and stability in the continent.

The Nelson Mandela plenary hall was full to capacity with delegates and special invitees coming to witness the important event. They heard from distinguished speakers who took their turn on the podium to enlighten the world on the progress made so far in the continent and some of the challenges that Africa faces, as well as proposals for the way forward.
The event this year is holding under the AU theme: “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth”.
 
The outgoing Chairperson of the Union, President Idriss Deby Itno of the Republic of Chad declared open the official  ceremony of the 28th AU summit before handing over the baton of command to the newly elected Chairperson of the African Union, H.E Alpha Conde, President of the Republic of Guinea who in his acceptance speech said “ It is with honor and humility that I accept to preside at the destiny of our Organisation during the year 2017 and I promise to ensure that we implement all the objectives we have set to achieve during this period with the view to enhance the development of our continent ”.
 
Meanwhile, outgoing Chair President Deby wished a happy new year 2017 to all the delegations and invited guests while underscoring the need to continuously preserve peace, stability and prosperity in the continent. He expressed his appreciation to H.E Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the AU Commission and her team including the Commissioners and staff of the AUC, for the support given to him during his mandate as Chair of the Union. He commended the Commission and the Government of Ethiopia for the successful organisation of the 28th AU Summit.

On the other hand, President Idriss Deby warmly welcomed the newly elected Presidents of the Gambia, Ghana, Sao-Tome and Principe and Seychelles, who worn through a democratically electoral process organized in their respective countries. He also warmly welcomed H.E Mr.  Mahamoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine and the new UN Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres to Africa, wishing him success in his new functions and reiterates the support of the African people to the UN given that “Africa has found in Mr. Guterres a sincere, committed and sensible person who will stop at nothing to address the issues currently faced by the continent”.
 
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 28th Summit of the African Union, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) warmly welcome to the UN Secretary on his first AU Summit in this capacity. “We appreciate the appointment of our sister Amina J. Mohamed of Nigeria as Deputy Secretary General of the UN, and congratulate her on this new responsibility”, underlined the AUC Chairperson while extending a special welcome to the members of the Assembly whose mandates were renewed and to the newly elected Heads of State, since last Summit.
 
Dr. Dlamini Zuma recalled that the year 2017 is heralded by some important developments. She said last year, Cuba, Africa and the world bid farewell to the greatest revolutionary and internationalist of our time, Fidel Aleandro Castro Ruz. “He played a critical role in the global struggle against colonialism and imperialism, and for non-alignment and unity of the countries of the South… His sustained contributions to Africa are legendary: the support to liberation movements, to newly-independent states, in the development of African education and health systems; the training of health personnel, all in the spirit of solidarity, friendship, internationalism and mutual respect”.
 
The AUC Chairperson said “this year marks a number of historical milestones. Firstly, 2017 marks 55 years since the formation of the Pan African Women’s Organisation (PAWO) in 1962, a year before the OAU.  The women came from newly independent states and liberation movements, determined to play their role, side by side with the menfolk, in liberating Africa. She added that “the women’s movement, as we celebrated the OAU/AU Golden Jubilee in 2013, recognized the role of the founder mothers, when they declared: “…African women and their Diaspora sisters played a critical role in the evolution of Pan Africanism, through their contributions to the anti-slavery, anti-colonial and liberation struggles.
 
Through their efforts, women ensured that African struggles for freedom, dignity, development, peace and self-determination also addressed our aspirations for women’s emancipation, gender equality and women’s empowerment.”
 
Dr. Dlamini Zuma emphasized that in tribute to the founding mothers, it is therefore appropriate that the Assembly recognizes PAWO as a Specialized Agency of the African Union. “The task of PAWO today is to continue the struggle for the empowerment of girls and women, through education and skills, in the political, social, cultural and economic spheres.  They must continue to advocate and work for a peaceful and safe Africa for all its people…Without this mobilization of women, progress on Agenda 2063 will be slow... As we start this year of youth, we must indeed commit to value our youth and deserve Africa’s future.” Underscored the AUC Chairperson. (See complete speech of the AUC Chairperson on the AU website:( www.au.int ).
 
The United Nations Secretary General, H.E António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, who was addressing the AU Summit for the first time as special guest also expressed strong support for the AU’s annual theme: “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth”. He reiterated the will for the UN to support by the African people and contribute fully to the peace missions in the continent.
 
H.E. Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine and Chairman of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee thanked the African Union for the support to his government’s desire and efforts to achieve a Palestinian state living side by side with the state of Israel as an independent state with distinct borders. He expressed gratitude to all countries of the UN Security Council who voted for this resolution.
 
Addressing the Summit, Mr. Salvador Valdez, Vice President of the Republic of Cuba thanked the AU and the African people for the solidarity showed during the death of the liberation leader, Fidel Castro.
 
Issues of peace and security dominated many of the presentations by the African and visiting Heads of State and Government. Many of the leaders condemned terrorism in very strong terms. Various speakers at the summit’s opening ceremony expressed their commitment to mainstreaming youth’s programs in all socio- economic activities.
 
Present in today’s event was H.E Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the AUC, the Commissioners, Heads of AU Organs, representatives of the RECs and staff of the Commission servicing the Summit.

Members of African Civil Society organisations on Climate change are worried that President Donald Trump may derail his country’s progress towards implementation of the Paris Agreement that seeks to slow global warming, which was coined particularly to accommodate the United States of America.

“The Paris agreement was weakened because we were looking for a treaty that the US President could sign by Executive Instrument, since it is usually very difficult for US to be party to a legally binding treaty that require ratification by the Congress,” said Dr Seth Osafo, the Legal Adviser to the African Group of Negotiators at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

However, with the president’s latest moves to dismantle the legacy of his predecessor Barrack Obama, CSO representatives are afraid that even after accepting to weaken the treaty, Trump is likely to withdraw from the process.

Their worries are complicated by the fact that during his campaigns, Trump had indicated that "the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive."

“He is a climate denier and that is very unfortunate for the entire world,” said Mithika Mwenda, the Secretary General for the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance during a workshop to review the 22nd Conference of Parties (COP 22), which was held in Marrakech, Morocco.

In one of the presidential debates, Trump further said that the issue of climate change is an issue that requires further probing, and that money used to fight the phenomenon should be channeled to other uses.

"There is still much that needs to be investigated in the field of climate change. Perhaps the best use of our limited financial resources should be in dealing with making sure that every person in the world has clean water. Perhaps we should focus on eliminating lingering diseases around the world like malaria,” said Trump.

Perhaps, he continued, “We should focus on efforts to increase food production to keep pace with an ever-growing world population. Perhaps we should be focused on developing energy sources and power production that alleviates the need for dependence on fossil fuels. We must decide on how best to proceed so that we can make lives better, safer and more prosperous.”

To cement his words, he has already selected a close ally of the fossil fuel industry to head up the environment department, which analysts say may do a big blow to president Obama’s progress on climate change.

So far, in less than fortnight after his inauguration, the President has already changed the federal government’s approach to the environment by clearing the way for two major oil pipelines that had been blocked by his predecessor.
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