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Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday named a lawyer and governance specialist Jean Mensa as the new head of the national electoral commission, the presidency said.
She replaces Charlotte Osei who was fired by Akufo-Addo in June for “misbehaviour and incompetence,” relating to alleged breaches of Ghanaian procurement laws.
Until her appointment, Mensa headed the Accra-based Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank, organisers of presidential debates ahead of general elections in Ghana.
The West African nation, a major commodity exporter, will hold elections in December 2020, a vote that is likely to be a close contest between Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The NDC boycotted the last presidential debate ahead of 2016 elections, accusing Mensa of working in the interests of Akufo-Addo, then leader of the main opposition.
She, however, dismissed the accusation.
Edited by: Abiodun Oluleye/Felix Ajide
(NAN)
The Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions’ (NDC) ambition under Climate Change Accord will cost estimated 142 billion dollars, to meet the 2030 target.
Minister of State for Environment Ibrahim Jibril disclosed this at the UN while presenting Nigeria’s progress report on climate change goal under the Sustainable Development Goals.
The NDC is a binding agreement, which spelt out the actions a country intends to take to address climate change – both in terms of adaptation and mitigation – when it ratifies the Paris Agreement.
The Minister said: “The delivery of our NDC will require a fundamental re-orientation of financial flows within the economy.
“It is estimated that Nigeria will require around 142 billion dollars , translating to about 10 billion dollars per annum to meet her NDC target by 2030,” he said.
He said Nigeria had recognised that climate change presented one of the greatest challenges of the world today.
“In the midst of this vulnerability, an opportunity resides for Nigerian economy to grow in a manner that is climate resilient and empowers people whilst meeting its energy deficiency.
“One of the innovative means of exploring this opportunity is through the issuance of green bonds, which has gained recognition as means of raising finance for climate friendly purposes.
“Accordingly, the Federal Government has advance plans to issue a program of N150 billion in green bonds over the next few months.
“This is with a pilot issue of N12.384 billion in the third quarter of 2017 and the balance over the course of the budget year.
“Collaboration between Ministry of Environment and Finance continues to pull together the institutional partners necessary to achieve what would be Nigeria and Africa’s first sovereign green bond and the worlds third.”
Jibril said Nigeria was partnering with the Lake Chad basin countries to address the challenges of drying up of the lake which will have adverse consequences on the people and the ecosystem.
“Equally, actions to fast track the environmental clean-up of the Niger Delta beginning with Ogoniland are undoubtedly one of the most significant decisions taken by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration.
“The President’s action has now breathed new life into a four-year report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which hitherto had experienced a series of false starts since it was published on Aug. 4, 2011.”
The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said Nigeria’s progress towards localising the SDGs was with an emphasis on ensuring implementation across all levels of government.
“Specifically, the Ministry incorporated and ensured policy linkages between the SDGs and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, a four-year medium term development plan launched on April 5, 2017.
“The plan is aimed at ensuring sustained and inclusive growth; building a globally competitive and diversified Nigerian economy, investing in our people and building strong governance institutions to drive change.”
Additionally, specific programmes and projects aimed at achieving the SDGS have been integrated into the 2017 National Budget, and will be included in future budgeting frameworks, she said.
Ms Amina Mohammed, the immediate past Minister of Environment, will be sworn-in on Tuesday as the UN Deputy Secretary-General at the UN Headquarters in New York, the Nigeria News Agency reports.
Mohammed, who was appointed by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Dec. 15, 2016 as his deputy, was supposed to have assumed office on Jan. 1, 2017.
She, however, delayed the assumption of her new role at the request of President Muhammadu Buhari to complete some ongoing responsibilities she was handling at that time.
NAN recalls that Guterres had, while announcing Mohammed alongside two other women appointees, described them as “highly competent”.
“I am happy to count on the efforts of these three highly competent women, whom I have chosen for their strong backgrounds in global affairs, development, diplomacy, human rights and humanitarian action.
“These appointments are the foundations of my team, which I will continue to build, respecting my pledges on gender parity and geographical diversity,” Guterres had said.
The office of the UN Deputy Secretary-General was formally established by the General Assembly in 1997 to handle many of the administrative responsibilities of the Secretary-General.
As the fifth Deputy Secretary-General, Mohammed will help to manage the UN Secretariat operations, and “ensuring inter-sectoral and inter-institutional coherence of activities and programmes”.
She will also support the Secretary-General in elevating “the profile and leadership of the UN in the economic and social spheres, including further efforts to strengthen the UN as a leading centre for development policy and development assistance”.
In accepting the appointment, the then environment minister said she would continue to lay strong foundations for the various ongoing initiatives critical to the Federal Government’s success in the environment sector.
“The opportunity and responsibility to serve people and planet as the next UN Deputy Secretary-General is truly humbling.
“I am most grateful for the confidence and trust demonstrated by the United Nations Secretary-General-designate António Guterres and President Muhammadu Buhari.
“As directed by Mr President, I will continue in the meantime to lay strong foundations with various important ongoing initiatives critical to the government success in the environment sector.
“These include our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Climate Agreement, the successful launch of the first Sovereign Green Bonds in 2017, the ongoing Ogoni clean-up and development of the Great Green Walls.”
Mohammed also thanked her colleagues and the various stakeholders in the environment sector.
“The next phase of my continued service to the people of Nigeria at the global level, will certainly build on the rich insights and lessons drawn from engaging with leaders, colleagues and stakeholders across our beloved nation.”
She recalled her positions of responsibilities over the last three decades and her contributions to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and recently working for environment protection as part of Buhari administration’s vision to transform Nigeria.
NAN recalls that Mohammed served as UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 Development Planning.
She was instrumental in bringing about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the SDGs.
Before joining the UN, Mohammed worked for three successive administrations in Nigeria, serving as Special Adviser on MDGs.
She provided advice on issues including poverty, public sector reform and sustainable development, and coordinating poverty reduction interventions.
Ms Amina Mohammed, the incoming UN Deputy Secretary-General has thanked Secretary-General-designate António Guterres and President Muhammadu Buhari for the confidence they reposed in her.
Mohammed, in a statement made available to the Nigeria News Agency , in New York said she would continue to lay strong foundations for the various ongoing initiatives critical to the Federal Government’s success in the environment sector.
“The opportunity and responsibility to serve people and planet as the next UN Deputy Secretary-General is truly humbling.
“I am most grateful for the confidence and trust demonstrated by the United Nations Secretary-General-designate António Guterres and President Muhammadu Buhari.
“As directed by Mr President, I will continue in the meantime to lay strong foundations with various important ongoing initiatives critical to the government success in the environment sector.
“These include our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Climate Agreement, the successful launch of the first Sovereign Green Bonds in 2017, the ongoing Ogoni clean-up and development of the Great Green Walls.”
The Minister of Environment also thanked her colleagues and the various stakeholders in the environment sector.
“The next phase of my continued service to the people of Nigeria at the global level, will certainly build on the rich insights and lessons drawn from engaging with leaders, colleagues and stakeholders across our beloved nation.
She recalled her positions of responsibilities over the last three decades and her contributions to the Millennium Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals, and recently working for environment protection as part of President Buhari’s vision to transform Nigeria.
“I have been blessed with the unwavering support and inspiration from leaders, colleagues, activists and stakeholders from the polluted creeks in the Niger-Delta, to the eroded (Kumaro and Alpha) and overflowing (Makoko) communities in Lagos,).
“Nnaka erosion site in Anambra and others through the polluted Sharada industrial sites of Kano, the drought-affected areas (Bama) in Borno as wellas the degraded dunes in Yobe and other parts of the catchment area of the disappearing Lake Chad.
“I will continue to work for the rights of the poor, especially women and the youth, ensuring we leave no one behind,” Mohammed pledged.
The Correspondent of the News Agencyof Nigeria in New York, reports that Guterres announced Mohammed’s appointment on Thursday alongside the duo of Ms. Maria Viotti of Brazil and Ms. Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea into high-profile positions at the UN.
“I am pleased to announce that I will be appointing Ms. Amina J. Mohammed of Nigeria as my Deputy Secretary-General, and Ms. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil as my Chef De Cabinet.
“I also intend to create the position of Special Advisor on Policy, and to appoint Ms. Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea to this new role.
“I am happy to count on the efforts of these three highly competent women, whom I have chosen for their strong backgrounds in global affairs, development, diplomacy, human rights and humanitarian action.
“These appointments are the foundations of my team, which I will continue to build, respecting my pledges on gender parity and geographical diversity,” Guterres said.
Prior to her appointment by Buhari as the environment minister, she served as UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 Development Planning.
She was instrumental in bringing about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals.
Before joining the UN, Mohammed worked for three successive administrations in Nigeria, serving as Special Adviser on the Millennium Development Goals.
She provided advice on issues including poverty, public sector reform and sustainable development, and coordinating poverty reduction interventions.
She is also an Adjunct Professor in Development Practice at Columbia University, and serves on numerous international advisory boards and panels, including the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda.
Others include the Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development, and the Global Development Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
She is also the UN Secretary-General’s Global Sustainability Panel, the African Women’s Millennium Initiative, Girl Effect and the ActionAid International Right to Education Project.
Born in 1961, and educated in Nigeria and the UK, Mohammed is married and has six children.
NAN reports that Guterres had hinted on Monday after he took the oath of office that gender parity would be top of his agenda as the UN scribe.
“I think that one very important element of the agenda would be to give a clear signal that gender parity is a must and so in the appointments I will be making.
“And the first ones would be announced soon. You’ll see that gender parity will become a clear priority from top to bottom in the UN and it will have to be respected by all.”
“This is a very ambitious agenda, an agenda that must be for both woman and man, and that is why parity is so important in our reform perspectives.
“That is also why the empowerment of women is so important in everything the UN will be doing around the world,” the incoming UN scribe said.
Guterres, succeeds outgoing secretary-general Ban, who bows out on Dec. 31, 2016 after a decade of two terms, while the new secretary-general assumes office on Jan. 1, 2017, for the next five years
APT/
(Edited by: Julius Enehikhuere)
(NAN)
Ghanaians were voting on Wednesday for a President and parliament in a neck-and-neck race for the highest office.
This office has been dominated by a three-year economic downturn that has led to heavy job losses and price hikes.
President John Dramani Mahama is running for a second four-year term in the West African nation rich in gold, cocoa, diamonds, aluminum, bauxite and recently discovered oil.
Mahama is competing with six other candidates for the presidency.
His fiercest rival is Nana Akufo-Addo, the leader of the largest opposition group, the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Both Mahama and Akufo-Addo cast their ballots in their home towns in the country’s north.
“This election is going to consolidate our democracy further I know the good people of Ghana will vote for me,’’ Mahama said.
Akufo-Addo appealed to electoral officials to “make sure that the process is transparent and credible,’’ when casting his vote in the town of Kyebi.
“Ghana is then the winner,’’ Akufo-Addo added.
Security was beefed up across the country, with a heavy police and military presence around polling stations and major roads.
However the atmosphere remained calm and peaceful, buffered by a pledge all seven candidates made last week to follow electoral rules and oppose violence.
Mahama remains popular in the nation of 26 million people, the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence in colonial Africa, in 1957.
The 58-year-old incumbent made major progress in improving Ghana’s infrastructure by building schools, health facilities and roads.
But many voters hold Mahama and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) responsible for a debilitating three-year energy crisis that led to a 10 per cent drop in economic growth and sharp rise in electricity between 2011 and 2015.
Akufo-Addo promises to use Ghana’s new found oil to create jobs and push industrialisation in all economic sectors, including agriculture.
It is the third election in which the 72-year-old is vying for the presidency.
Observers from Britain, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), were monitoring the election together with 8,000 domestic observers.
If no presidential candidate gains 51 per cent or more of the vote, the election will go into a second round results are expected within 72 hours of the end of voting.
Edited by: Abigael Joshua/Julius Enehikhuere
(NAN)
Ghanaians started lining up at voting stations on Wednesday to elect a president and parliament, in polls dominated by a three-year economic downturn that led to heavy job losses and price hikes.
President John Mahama is running for a second four-year term in the West African nation rich in gold, cocoa, diamonds, aluminium, bauxite and recently discovered oil.
Mahama is competing with six other candidates for the presidency, but his fiercest rival is Nana Akufo-Addo, the leader of the largest opposition, New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Report says the incumbent president remains popular in the nation of 26 million people, which was the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence in colonial Africa, in 1957.
The 58-year-old made major progress in improving Ghana’s infrastructure by building schools, health facilities and roads.
However, many voters held Mahama and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) responsible for a debilitating three-year energy crisis that led to a 10 per cent drop in economic growth between 2011 and 2015.
They also held him responsible for sharp rise in electricity, water and petrol prices.
Akufo-Addo, 72, promises to use Ghana’s new-found oil to create jobs and push industrialisation in all economic sectors, including agriculture.
Over 15 million Ghanaians are eligible to cast their vote at one of the 29,000 polling stations until 1700 GMT.
They will also elect 275 parliamentarians for the next four years.
If no presidential candidate gains 51 per cent or more of the vote, the election will go into a second round.
Results are expected within 72 hours after voting ends.
Edited by: Abiodun Oluleye/Morayo Omolade
(NAN)
The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has disqualified thirteen presidential candidates from contesting this year’s elections, while only qualified four candidates.
EC Chairman, Charlotte Osei, on Tuesday in Accra named the qualified candidates as John Mahama of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Akufo-Addo of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ivor Greenstreet of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), and Jacob Osei-Yeboah, an independent candidate.
She said that the nominees have been excluded from the 2016 race as presidential candidates for violating various aspects of the electoral laws of Ghana.
Osei added that the reasons include fraudulent signatures, absence of required number of signatures, and improper filling of nomination forms.
She added that some of the fraudulent information provided by the nominees would be followed up by the police for possible arrest and prosecution.
Ghana goes to the polls on Dec. 7 to elect a president and 275 Members of Parliament.
(Edited by: Hawa Lawal/Julius Enehikhuere)
(NAN)
