By Zika Bobby
Dr. Felicia Chinwe Mogo , founder of African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative, in this interview, talks about her non-governmental organisation and the impact of a clean marine environment on the blue economy drive.
Excerpts:
Give us an overview of your NGO’s activities and how did you get involved in marine environment advocacy?
Africa Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative (AFMESI) is a pan-African, non-governmental organisation (NGO) that was established six years ago to support the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems, as well as, the development of the blue economy sectors across our continent. Our organization has continued to build knowledge and catalyse pan-African and international collaborations aimed at protecting and restoring Africa’s marine ecosystems.
AFMESI has partners at the grassroots, private sector, national, regional and international levels such as the African Union, Ocean Networks Canada, the Ocean Foundation (Washington, DC, USA), Federal Ministry of Transportation (Nigeria), Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (Nigeria), IOPC FUNDs Secretariat, International Maritime Organization (IMO), Federal Ministry of Environment (Nigeria) and Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited (Nigeria), among several others. AFMESI has been officially accredited by the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria.
In order to ensure that the work of AFMESI benefits a diversity of people and locations, we made it a mandate to have a representative team of advisory board members, staff and volunteers. On the AFMESI team, we have strong human resources ranging from maritime security, marine engineering, environmental science to policy analysis personnel and more.
Symposiums
Our annual symposiums provide a medium for driving resolutions and their appropriate implementation tools to the benefit of coastal countries in Africa and their landlocked neighbours. The theme of the first symposium of AFMESI was “Ocean Noise,” which brought together researchers, academics, coastal community members to raise awareness and share knowledge on this significant issue for which there are minimal global regulations. The theme of the 2nd Symposium was “Marine Pollution Prevention and Control Towards Blue Economy” which saw more regional and international participation; the resolutions from that symposium has resulted in new pan-African partnerships for our marine environments and the creation of AFMESI’s Strategic Workplan (2021 -2026).
After spending 34 years of my life working for the government of Nigeria especially in environmental management and also having had opportunity of self development at both locally and internationally, I felt that I should be able to give back to the society that made me .The founding of the NGO is an opportunity for me and others to ensure fit for purpose oceans in Africa, that we get involved in crucial discussions on the oceans protection and exploration, that we put an end to capital flight especially on resources from the ocean leading to what I call Blue clothing and grabbing.
Ocean dumping of toxic substances is a reality and we should watch our oceans to protect them. United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has approved the establishment of legally binding instruments for the ownership and management of the high seas hitherto regard as areas belonging to national jurisdiction. We should be interested in what is going on here. Apart from being very rich in so many rare resources like genetic resources, metals and biodiversity. It is an area that can witness heavy illegal activities like illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and waste dumping. Climate change is ravaging the whole globe and leading to loss of so many natural assets we should be associated with global actions.
Nigeria, for example, had done very well in the development of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) in line with the requirement of the Paris Agreement. The IMO conventions and implementation attract more interest of the regional government in concert with other international declarations on ocean such as the SDGs, the UN future we want, the Agenda 21, AU AIMS, blue economy strategy, the regional seas agreement, etc.
We have been involved with a whole lot of these acts and actions. It’s part of our goal to help achieve a cleaner marine environment for highly productive blue economy in Nigeria and across the continent.
What are the benefits of a well preserved marine environment to the Nigerian economy?
It is known that 70 per cent of the total earth surface is made up of water. Out of this, according to a UNDP report, over 97% is ocean. The total global ocean length is 361,000,000km. These are the Pacific, being the largest, followed by the Atlantic, the Indian, the Southern and the Artic (smallest).
In conservative monetary terms, the overall value of the world’s oceans was rated to be at least $24 trillion per annum by WWF in 2015, but the WWF report also observed that the value was dwindling due to stressors. Apart from being home to about over two million species of organisms, it is important to man that cannot inhabit it directly in so many ways such as: climate regulation, food, especially protein, recreation, transportation, provision of medicine, security and cultural value, visibility amongst committee of nations, then the recent Blue Economy paradigm that has changed the status of most nations significantly.
How does the book you authored on this subject matter proffer answers to challenges in the sub-sector?
As I have said in the preface of the book, having acted for 34 years in different capacities, including via agencies, ministries and various international avenues (the IMO, the UNEP, GESAMP) to contribute to the protection of Nigeria’s environment, I have had the opportunity to incubate insights about stewarding our resources for sustainable development. Specifically, I have spent considerable time reflecting on Nigeria’s marine environment, which holds enormous potential for our sustainable growth as a nation, and yet remains understated.
For over 10 years, I have toyed with the idea of documenting my ideas on how to optimise Nigeria’s marine environment for the benefit of its entire population. I am glad to have finally made this idea a reality via the book. Nigeria is a suitable context for the question about what should become of Africa’s coastal environments. Nigeria is endowed with enormous maritime resources that can directly contribute to the total wellbeing of its population, especially coastal communities, in terms of direct provision of food and meaningful employment.
Indirectly, natural resources from the ocean provides the bedrock of the nation’s Gross Domestic products (GDP) and foreign reserve earnings. The book highlighted the potentials of the African blue ecosystems, the stressors, ways of tackling them, how to achieve blue economy in Africa. Evaluation of what has worked for other countries such as Canada, EU, Norway, China, Seychelles and some regional blocks agreements are presented in the book, making the book itself an ocean of knowledge for the private sector, the national government, policy makers, legislators, academics, development practitioners and partners, media etc. It provides the summary and strategic rallying call for the realisation of Africa’s blue economy.
On a scale of zero to 100, how would you rate Nigeria’s interests and participatory levels in terms of percentage?
Quite above average getting to distinction, over 75%; but much still needs to be done to achieve 100%. It is one of the countries in Africa to take issues of environmental protection seriously after learning from the experience of the toxic waste dump in Koko in the then Bendel State of Nigeria in 1988. Thereafter she signed into many treaties on environmental protection and urged other African countries to do so. A case in point is the Bamako convention. At IMO too, the voice of Nigeria is very strong at IMO on Environment issues.
Do you have plans to mentor professionals and non-government actors in this area?
Yes I do. While in NIMASA, I developed the lecture module for the maritime institute. I was lecturing in the Maritime institute in Lagos University then, but for conflicting interest, job, responsibilities as a mother and wife, I was getting overwhelmed so I stoped. However, now that I am retired from active service, I am planing to seek avenues for transfer of whatever knowledge I have acquired in the area over the years while updating myself in emerging issues.
I make every effort to accept invitations for formal and informal trainings, and the annual symposium by the NGO is also a huge opportunity of knowledge sharing. Besides I am the Principal Consultant to LUBARI Maritime Academy, Nigeria and cannot wait to see the organisation launch into full sessions on trainings. The book I wrote is a training document on practical information on marine environment and blue economy.
How many government agencies in Nigeria are showing interest in the African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative?
All the MDAs that see their mandate as having to do with the environment (both terrestrial and marine) and interest in launching into he Blue economy are interested in working with us. I cannot start naming them now.
How many African countries are you presently interfacing with?
We are currently interfacing with many African countries, especially those in the West and Central African region under the coverage of the Abidjan Convention on regional seas on the protection of the coastal and marine environment of West and Central African region.