Emir Sanusi chairs NatureNews advisory board with Bassey, Majekodunmi, six pan-African members

Africa’s leading environment newspaper, NatureNews, has named the Emir of Dutse and Chancellor of Sokoto State University, Alhaji (Dr.) Nuhu Muhammad Sanusi, as chairman of its advisory board.

The Board, which was inaugurated on Tuesday, has eight other members including the renowned environmental activist and Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation as well as a laureate of the prestigious Thoroft Rafto Memorial prize, Architect Nnimmo Bassey; and the consummate conservationist and Environmental Hero awardee of DW German TV network, Mr. Desmond Majekodunmi.

A statement signed by Publisher/CEO of NatureNews, Aliu Akoshile, said six members of the advisory board that were drawn from across Africa includes Professor Mark Mwandosya, Chairman of Stanbic Bank of Tanzania who was a three-time Minister and head of the Climate Change Studies Programme in Tanzania as well as a member of the Steering Committee of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) International Resource Panel.

He said the board also has as member a former Special Representative of the UN Secretary General/Head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa and a three-time Minister and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in Senegal, Professor Abdoulaye Bathily, as well as the Kenyan environmental activist and founder, Friends of Lake Turkana, a UNESCO heritage site in the East African Rift Valley, Ms. Ikal Angelei.

Aliu Akoshile said other board members are distinguished Professor Salah Arafa, a member of the Egyptian National Committee on Climate Change and member of the Research Council on Environment and Development at the Egyptian Academy for Scientific Research and Technology; and Ms. Hawe Hamman Bouba, Executive President of the African Indigenous Women’s Organisation – Central Africa Network and member of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission.

Another esteemed board member, according to NatureNews publisher, is the Harvard trained Dr. Namane Magau who was on the executive team of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). She was a Divisional Director at the Development Bank of South Africa and served as Executive Vice President of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

While inaugurating the Advisory Board, Aliu Akoshile said the choice of the members was to underscore the publisher’s vision of making NatureNews the authentic African voice on climate change and Sustainable Development Goals (SGD).

He thanked the members for accepting to lend their weights to the cause of development journalism which the newspaper, www.naturenews.africa, symbolises.

Akoshile said the board has the historic duty to help Africa overcome the challenges of climate change and create a sustainable living environment for the 1.367 billion people in the continent.