FG Reaffirms Commitment to Food Security through Water Supply, Hydrological Data Enhancement

By Fatima Saka
The federal government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to achieving food security as part of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope administration, primarily through ensuring adequate water supply and the establishment of an up-to-date hydrological database for Nigeria.
During a familiarization working visit to the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, along with Minister of State, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, unveiled this commitment.
Prof. Utsev emphasized that the success of this agenda relies heavily on ensuring the availability of essential water and hydrological data for effective planning, execution, and management of water resources and related projects. He also underscored the pivotal role played by NIHSA in providing hydrological data to mitigate the devastating impacts of floods that have left many Nigerians homeless and caused substantial damage to agricultural products worth millions of naira.
The Minister pledged to maintain a close working relationship with NIHSA and acknowledged the numerous challenges facing the Agency, as outlined by the Director General, Engr. Nze Clement. He expressed his commitment to addressing these challenges and stressed the importance of adhering to NIHSA’s predictions as a means of preventing frequent flood occurrences and safeguarding the substantial infrastructure investments made in the country.
In his remarks, Hon. Minister of State, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Esq., expressed his appreciation for the visit and highlighted the need for NIHSA staff to receive proper training, work in suitable environments, and enjoy improved welfare. These measures, he emphasized, would ensure the efficient provision of hydrological data for sustainable planning and design, greatly benefiting farmers and various projects in Nigeria.
Director General Engr. Nze Clement welcomed the Honourable Ministers and provided insight into the Agency’s Mandate, Vision, Mission, and achievements. He also highlighted the challenges faced by the Agency and called for the intervention of the Ministers to enable NIHSA to fulfill its core mission.
During the visit, the Honourable Ministers inspected the Data Bank, the Geographic Information System And Remote Sensing (GIS/RS), the Isotope Laboratory, the Modelling Centre & Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA) facilities of the Agency.

FG Lauds UNICEF for Pivotal Role in Advancing Nigeria’s WASH Sector

By Fatima Saka

The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, has expressed its appreciation for UNICEF’s significant contributions to Nigeria’s growth and development in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector.
This acknowledgment was made in a press release signed by Mrs. Funmi Imuetinyan, Head of the Press and PR Unit at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in Abuja on Tuesday. The release coincided with a visit from Dr. Rownak Khan, Deputy Representative of Programme UNICEF Nigeria, and UNICEF WASH Manager, Chiranibi Tiwari, to the Ministry.
During the visit, the UNICEF team was received by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Utsev, alongside the Minister of State, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, OON, MNI, and several Directors from the Ministry.
Engr. Prof. Utsev emphasized the interconnectedness of WASH, health promotion, economic growth, and development and expressed gratitude to UNICEF for their impactful work in these areas. He stated, “UNICEF has done tremendously well in the areas of water and sanitation, nutrition, and health, and the impact is felt in all aspects.” He reaffirmed the Nigerian government’s commitment to improving the nation’s WASH sector and welcomed further collaboration with development partners. He mentioned ongoing government programs such as WASH in schools, WASH in health, and Youth WASH interventions, among others.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello Goronyo, Esq., stressed the need for key stakeholders in the WASH sector to intensify their efforts in supporting the Federal Government in realizing the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration. He highlighted the significance of partnerships in achieving the campaign to end open defecation and improve access to water supply and proper sanitation.
During the courtesy visit, Dr. Rownak Khan, Deputy Representative of Programme, UNICEF Nigeria, revealed a significant funding gap of $9.2 billion in Nigeria’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector. She emphasized the importance of closing these funding gaps to realize the WASH sector’s roadmap and urged all tiers of government to play a more active role in creating an enabling environment to advance the cause of improved water and sanitation. Dr. Khan also underscored the severe impact of limited water access and poor sanitation on children, highlighting the need for immediate action. She pledged UNICEF’s unwavering partnership with the Federal Government to achieve the Campaign to End Open Defecation and Improve Access to Water Supply in Nigeria.

Climate Finance

Nigeria to benefit as UK Unveil its Contribution to Green Climate Fund

By Fatima Saka

The UK government has announced its financial contribution of £1.62 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
The fund is aimed at helping the world’s most vulnerable people adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change.

This followed at the recent gathering of G20 leaders in India, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, The fund is aimed at helping the world’s most vulnerable people adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change.

Established by 194 countries following the Copenhagen Accord at COP15, the GCF is the largest global fund dedicated to supporting developing countries to reduce global emissions and helping communities adapt to the effects of climate change.

The pledge represents a 12.7 percent increase on the UK’s previous contribution to the GCF for the period of 2020 to 2023, which was itself a doubling of the UK’s initial funding to establish the fund in 2014.

In the remark, UK High Commissioner in Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery said: “This recent contribution to the Green Climate Fund makes the UK one of its largest donors. The GCF is expected to deliver for developing countries like Nigeria, supporting a transition to a sustainable low-carbon economy and creation of jobs, promoting food security and tackling poverty.

“Nigeria is vulnerable to and increasingly impacted by climate change, and must be supported to access high quality climate finance proportionate to its size and needs. Therefore, we would like to see the GCF actively supporting Nigeria’s ambitious climate goals and working closely with the Nigerian Government to facilitate access and utilization of the fund.”
At the G20 Summit, Sunak called on leaders to work together ahead of the COP28 Summit this December to both reduce their countries’ own carbon emissions and support vulnerable economies to deal with the consequences of climate change.
Addressing G20 leaders, he said: “The UK is stepping up and delivering on our climate commitments, both by decarbonising our own economy and supporting the world’s most vulnerable to deal with the impact of climate change.

“This is the kind of leadership that the world rightly expects from G20 countries. And this government will continue to lead by example in making the UK, and the world, more prosperous and secure.”

Mother Earth

FG Reaffirms Commitment to Food Security through Water Supply, Hydrological Data Enhancement

By Fatima Saka
The federal government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to achieving food security as part of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope administration, primarily through ensuring adequate water supply and the establishment of an up-to-date hydrological database for Nigeria.
During a familiarization working visit to the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, along with Minister of State, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, unveiled this commitment.
Prof. Utsev emphasized that the success of this agenda relies heavily on ensuring the availability of essential water and hydrological data for effective planning, execution, and management of water resources and related projects. He also underscored the pivotal role played by NIHSA in providing hydrological data to mitigate the devastating impacts of floods that have left many Nigerians homeless and caused substantial damage to agricultural products worth millions of naira.
The Minister pledged to maintain a close working relationship with NIHSA and acknowledged the numerous challenges facing the Agency, as outlined by the Director General, Engr. Nze Clement. He expressed his commitment to addressing these challenges and stressed the importance of adhering to NIHSA’s predictions as a means of preventing frequent flood occurrences and safeguarding the substantial infrastructure investments made in the country.
In his remarks, Hon. Minister of State, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Esq., expressed his appreciation for the visit and highlighted the need for NIHSA staff to receive proper training, work in suitable environments, and enjoy improved welfare. These measures, he emphasized, would ensure the efficient provision of hydrological data for sustainable planning and design, greatly benefiting farmers and various projects in Nigeria.
Director General Engr. Nze Clement welcomed the Honourable Ministers and provided insight into the Agency’s Mandate, Vision, Mission, and achievements. He also highlighted the challenges faced by the Agency and called for the intervention of the Ministers to enable NIHSA to fulfill its core mission.
During the visit, the Honourable Ministers inspected the Data Bank, the Geographic Information System And Remote Sensing (GIS/RS), the Isotope Laboratory, the Modelling Centre & Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA) facilities of the Agency.

FG Lauds UNICEF for Pivotal Role in Advancing Nigeria’s WASH Sector

By Fatima Saka

The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, has expressed its appreciation for UNICEF’s significant contributions to Nigeria’s growth and development in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector.
This acknowledgment was made in a press release signed by Mrs. Funmi Imuetinyan, Head of the Press and PR Unit at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in Abuja on Tuesday. The release coincided with a visit from Dr. Rownak Khan, Deputy Representative of Programme UNICEF Nigeria, and UNICEF WASH Manager, Chiranibi Tiwari, to the Ministry.
During the visit, the UNICEF team was received by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Utsev, alongside the Minister of State, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, OON, MNI, and several Directors from the Ministry.
Engr. Prof. Utsev emphasized the interconnectedness of WASH, health promotion, economic growth, and development and expressed gratitude to UNICEF for their impactful work in these areas. He stated, “UNICEF has done tremendously well in the areas of water and sanitation, nutrition, and health, and the impact is felt in all aspects.” He reaffirmed the Nigerian government’s commitment to improving the nation’s WASH sector and welcomed further collaboration with development partners. He mentioned ongoing government programs such as WASH in schools, WASH in health, and Youth WASH interventions, among others.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello Goronyo, Esq., stressed the need for key stakeholders in the WASH sector to intensify their efforts in supporting the Federal Government in realizing the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration. He highlighted the significance of partnerships in achieving the campaign to end open defecation and improve access to water supply and proper sanitation.
During the courtesy visit, Dr. Rownak Khan, Deputy Representative of Programme, UNICEF Nigeria, revealed a significant funding gap of $9.2 billion in Nigeria’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector. She emphasized the importance of closing these funding gaps to realize the WASH sector’s roadmap and urged all tiers of government to play a more active role in creating an enabling environment to advance the cause of improved water and sanitation. Dr. Khan also underscored the severe impact of limited water access and poor sanitation on children, highlighting the need for immediate action. She pledged UNICEF’s unwavering partnership with the Federal Government to achieve the Campaign to End Open Defecation and Improve Access to Water Supply in Nigeria.

Climate Finance

Nigeria to benefit as UK Unveil its Contribution to Green Climate Fund

By Fatima Saka

The UK government has announced its financial contribution of £1.62 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
The fund is aimed at helping the world’s most vulnerable people adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change.

This followed at the recent gathering of G20 leaders in India, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, The fund is aimed at helping the world’s most vulnerable people adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change.

Established by 194 countries following the Copenhagen Accord at COP15, the GCF is the largest global fund dedicated to supporting developing countries to reduce global emissions and helping communities adapt to the effects of climate change.

The pledge represents a 12.7 percent increase on the UK’s previous contribution to the GCF for the period of 2020 to 2023, which was itself a doubling of the UK’s initial funding to establish the fund in 2014.

In the remark, UK High Commissioner in Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery said: “This recent contribution to the Green Climate Fund makes the UK one of its largest donors. The GCF is expected to deliver for developing countries like Nigeria, supporting a transition to a sustainable low-carbon economy and creation of jobs, promoting food security and tackling poverty.

“Nigeria is vulnerable to and increasingly impacted by climate change, and must be supported to access high quality climate finance proportionate to its size and needs. Therefore, we would like to see the GCF actively supporting Nigeria’s ambitious climate goals and working closely with the Nigerian Government to facilitate access and utilization of the fund.”
At the G20 Summit, Sunak called on leaders to work together ahead of the COP28 Summit this December to both reduce their countries’ own carbon emissions and support vulnerable economies to deal with the consequences of climate change.
Addressing G20 leaders, he said: “The UK is stepping up and delivering on our climate commitments, both by decarbonising our own economy and supporting the world’s most vulnerable to deal with the impact of climate change.

“This is the kind of leadership that the world rightly expects from G20 countries. And this government will continue to lead by example in making the UK, and the world, more prosperous and secure.”

“Increasing flows of sustainable finance is vital for all countries. The UK continues to work with Nigeria to mobilize public and private climate finance to support the implementation of Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution and net-zero target. Through Infracredit, the UK is investing £10 million concessional finance to enable pension funds and insurance companies to invest in renewable energy and improve energy access.

“The announcement marks a major contribution towards this commitment and follows the Prime Minister’s announcement at COP27 that the UK would triple funding for climate adaptation.

“Since 2011 UK climate aid spending has helped over 95 million people cope with the effects of climate change and reduced or avoided over 68 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.”

“The announcement marks a major contribution towards this commitment and follows the Prime Minister’s announcement at COP27 that the UK would triple funding for climate adaptation.

“Since 2011 UK climate aid spending has helped over 95 million people cope with the effects of climate change and reduced or avoided over 68 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.”