CONSERVATIONS NIGERIA

Category: News

  • Celebrating conservation champions on IWD 2020

    Celebrating conservation champions on IWD 2020

    It is another March 8, the International Women’s Day, a time specially set aside to appreciate and celebrate women.

    This year’s theme is #EachforEqual and we are commemorating IWD 2020 by celebrating the achievements of three leading women in the field of conservation in Nigeria. These women have given voice to the voiceless flora and fauna of Nigeria. They deserve resounding ovation.

    Meet Rachel Ikemeh, Iroro Tanshi and Stella Egbe in our International Women’s Day special.

    Rachel Ashegbofe Ikemeh


    Rachel Ikemeh

    Rachel is the Project lead/founder of the SW/Niger Delta, a non-governmental organization pioneering conservation actions for a small but unique population of endangered chimpanzees in southwestern Nigeria and for critically endangered Niger Delta Red Colobus monkey across their range – another rare species of primates found only in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The project’s efforts span over 5,000km2 of highly threatened forest landscape.

    Read Also: Experts make case for intensified effort in Cross River gorilla conservation

    Her contributions and commitments to primate conservation earned her a seat on the International Primatological Society (IPS) Conservation and Education committees. She is the Co-Vice Chair Africa section of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group and a member of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) Education Caucus. She also co-led  the steering committee that founded the African Primatological Society (APS).

    Rachel is committed to all of these groups and always seeks ways to maximize her associations with these networks and explore opportunities for collaboration to promote African leadership an enhance primate conservation across board.

    the critically endangered Niger Delta Red Colobus monkey…
    Photo: Noel Rowe

    She is an alumni of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent, U.K where she studied for a degree in Conservation Project Management. She is a two-time nominee of the Future for Nature Awards and twice long-listed for the Whitley Awards also well-known as the ‘Green Oscars’. She recently became a National Geographic Explorer.

    For more than a decade she has worked in the Guinean Forests of West Africa which is home to over 2,200 unique plant and animal species.  The threatened primates on which she has focused serve as a reference point for the broader assemblage of threatened species and bolster her efforts to engage local communities in their protection.  Rachel offers an excellent example of how to combine a specialized education, training and field experience to serve as a conservation leader. Her purpose driven work provides critical link between the Nigerian government and the people sharing the habitat with some of the world’s most unique but threatened species.  

    Iroro Tanshi

    Iroro Tanshi

    Iroro Tanshi is an award-winning Nigerian bat ecologist and conservationist, whose interest spans research on landscape, community and population ecology of bats that generate evidence for conservation of threatened bat species. She is also passionate about raising the next generation of biologists and conservationists, while developing local infrastructure for research and conservation. 

    Read also: SaveTheVultures: They need all the help

    Her career spans more than a decade during which she has a track record of species protection, worked with policy makers and mentored budding conservationists. Iroro is a lecturer at the University of Benin. She is currently finishing a doctoral program at Texas tech University, Lubbock, USA, where she’s also a teaching assistant. She holds two Masters’ degrees in biodiversity and conservation from the University of Benin, and University of Leeds. As part of her efforts to conserve Nigerian bats and raise capacity of local conservation scientists, she co-founded a Nigerian based NGO – Small Mammal Conservation Organisation (SMACON). She is also a founding member and first co-Chair of Bat Conservation Africa (BCA) – a network of bat researchers and conservationists working to protect African bats. During her leadership of BCA, she helped fund raise to support researchers and institutions with important library resources and organized a workshop to train budding scientists on important bat research skills. Iroro initiated the Bats of Nigeria Project and is a strong critic against wide spread misconduct and sub-par research in Nigerian science.


    Iroro initiated the Bats of Nigeria Project and is a strong critic against wide spread misconduct and sub-par research in Nigerian science.

    Iroro is currently working on conserving foraging habitat and roosting caves of the range-restricted endangered Short tailed roundleaf nosed bat, Hipposideros curtus. The major threats to the species are habitat loss from wildfires and cave disturbance from fruit bat hunting, which in addition to declining population is driving the species to the brink of extinction. The key strategy to reducing these threats to this species is working with local farmers and fruit bat hunters, through collaborating with other NGOs and relevant government agencies.

    Stella Egbe

    Stella Egbe

    Stella is a conservation biologist who has worked extensively on maintenance of habitat integrity to avoid loss of biodiversity which — if it happens — would be detrimental to man and wildlife. She holds strongly that continuous research is the key to understanding the landscape and land use interactions which will provide basic knowledge for sustainable habitat use.

    Read also: APLORI trains young scientists on field ornithology, biostatistics, others

    Balancing the needs of humans while maintaining ecosystem quality in Nigeria is what has kept her forging ahead in the field of conservation. Stella holds strongly that mitigating negative anthropogenic activities, while learning and enjoying all that nature has to offer is a key conservation strategy that should be embedded in the hearts. Stella loves helping new conservationists with fundamentals of field work.

    Stella loves helping new conservationists with fundamentals of field work.
    Photo: birdlife.org

    She has carried out her research at the Afi Mountains and Wildlife Sanctuary, looking at the effects of activities on forest edges using birds as indicators. She has also collaborated on projects with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPD), Nigerian Conservation Society (NCF), A. P Leventis Ornithological Institute (APLORI) and so on.

  • Minister urges Nigerians to protect nature on Wildlife Day

    Minister urges Nigerians to protect nature on Wildlife Day

    The Honourable Minister of State, Environment, Chief Sharon Ikeazor has called on Nigerians to protect wildlife and plant species and support the Federal Government’s effort at tackling illegal wildlife trade across international ports and border posts of the country.

    She said this is in line with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

    Ikeazor made the call on Tuesday during the commemoration of the World Wildlife Day for the year 2020. The theme for this year’s commemoration is “Sustaining all life on Earth”.

    Ikeazor stated that the theme is well timed and all-encompassing as biodiversity is critically endangered and there is a need to rescue these natural resources and the planet as a whole. She added that the Federal Government is ready to give maximum support for the protection of wildlife and its sustainability as Nigeria is a signatory to a number of treaties on the conservation of Endangered Species.

    While reiterating Nigeria’s commitment to the fight against illegal wildlife trade, she noted that Nigeria joined other 182 nations to sign and ratify the International CITES Convention in 1974, and to give credence to this Convention, Nigeria promulgated the Endangered Species Decree No. 11 in 1985, which is now enacted as Endangered Species Act 2016.

    Ikeazor represented by the Permanent Secretary of Environment, Dr. Wadinga Bakari, the minister eulogized Nigeria’s endowment with enormous biodiversity resources of both plant and animal species.

    ‘‘There are about 7,895 plant species and over 22,000 vertebrate andinvertebrate species which include; insects, fish, birds and mammals, in Nigeria,” Izeakor said.

    “This shows the depth of natural resources found within the geographical boundary of the country.

    “The effective management of these enormous resources in actualising the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals calls for the celebration of the World Wildlife Day.”

    Over the years, Nigeria has been recognized as a transit route by major wildlife traffickers in the perpetration of their illegal crimes. These traffickers according to her, harvest enormous wildlife resources such as Elephant tusks, Pangolin scales, hippopotamus hooves and their derivatives in the Natural Reserves of many East African countries such as Kenya, Cameroun, Tanzania etc. and transport them through our Country’s porous borders.

    However, to curb this trend, the Nigeria CITES Management Authority form a Joint Task Force in Combatting Illegal Trade of Wildlife Resources with several Agencies such as the Police(Interpol unit), Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, NESREA, FAAN, Ministry of Justice and many more through which proper awareness, dissemination andexchange of information is carried out resulting in strong inter- agency collaboration to curbthe menace of wildlife trafficking in the Country.

    This inter-agencies collaborations according to her, resulted in the arrest, seizure andsubsequent prosecution of wildlife traffickers in their numbers at several locations within thecountry with the Nigerian Customs Services in 2019, intercepted wildlife resources worth over 10 million naira. Ikeazor reaffirmed the ministry’s role as focal point of CITES implementation in Nigeria andits commitment to conserve wild species which according to her were now almost driven intoextinction due to over exploitation, habitat change and illicit trafficking.

    She, however, addedthat it is the desire of the ministry to continue to create awareness on large scale knowingfully well that solving environmental issues will require truly comprehensive action andresponse at the local and international levels, as the illegal trade in wildlife resourcestranscend borders.

    In Nigeria, efforts have been made with considerable successes towards securing the survivalof endangered species of wild fauna and flora through the establishment of National Parksacross the country in an effort to safeguard the surviving endangered species, she added thatformation of Joint Task Force in Combating Illegal Wildlife Trade in Nigeria, training of judges specialised in wildlife related matters, with vigorous awareness and re-orientationamong the citizenry and the proposed drive to include wildlife course in the Para-militarytraining centers.

    Ikeazor called for attitudinal change and advocacy to save the environmentand its endangered species.

  • Cross River gorilla conservation gets support from US

    Cross River gorilla conservation gets support from US

    Some United States (U.S.) based donors have donated field equipment worth about N4 million and 10 motorcycles to the National Parks Service (NPS), to boost the conservation of Africa’s most threatened apes, the Cross River gorillas.

    The donors are the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) with funds from the Arcus Foundation, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and the Rainforest Trust.

    READ ALSO: Experts make case for intensified effort in Cross River gorilla conservation

    The donation is aimed at helping to support ranger patrols in the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park, a statement issued on Monday by the Country Director of WCS, Nigeria Programme, Andrew Dunn revealed.

    “The equipment also include tents, rucksacks sleeping mats and rain ponchos to allow rangers to camp inside the national park for up to one week and conduct long-distance foot patrols essential for the protection of the endangered species.

    “Three specialised camera-traps were also donated to the National Park Service and WCS is planning to provide specialised training in the use of camera traps in April this year,” Dunn noted.

    READ ALSO: WCS celebrates four years of zero elephant poaching in Yankari

    He added that due to past hunting, it was estimated that only 300 Cross River gorillas survive in the mountains between Nigeria and Cameroon and the most important site for Cross River gorillas in Nigeria was the Okwangwo Division of the Cross River National Park.

    Conservator-General of the NPS, Dr. Ibrahim Goni, commended the WCS for the donation, but urged more support for other parks in the country. Dunn expressed hope that the field equipment would be put to good use adding that additional equipment for the Oban Division of the Cross River National Park would be provided later in the year.

    “The most threatened of all African apes, the Cross River gorilla is listed as critically endangered based on its small population size, their fragmented distribution across a large complex landscape and ongoing threats to their survival from habitat loss and poaching.

    “About 100 Cross River gorillas are found in Nigeria (with an additional 200 in Cameroon). In Nigeria, Cross River gorillas are restricted to Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, the Mbe Mountains and the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park. “The largest and most important of the three sites is the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park, managed by the NPS,” the statement added.

  • Coronavirus forces China to ban wildlife trade

    Coronavirus forces China to ban wildlife trade

    China has declared a comprehensive ban on wildlife trade and consumption over fears that improper handling of raw wildlife meat may be responsible for the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

    The country’s top legislative committee approved a proposal “prohibiting the illegal wildlife trade, abolishing the bad habit of overconsumption of wildlife, and effectively protecting the lives and health of the people,” the Chinese state television reported.

    Previous temporary bans have been put in place, including after the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in 2002-03 and was also traced to wild animal consumption.

    That prohibition was short-lived, however, and conservationists have long accused China of tolerating a cruel trade in wild animals as exotic menu items or for use in traditional medicines whose efficacy is not confirmed by science.

    The decision was made by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), which oversees the country’s rubber-stamp legislature.

    The coronavirus epidemic had highlighted “the prominent problem of excessive consumption of wild animals, and the huge hidden dangers to public health and safety,” said the report by China Central Television (CCTV).

    Chinese health officials have said the virus likely emerged from a market in the central city of Wuhan that sold wild animals as food.

    The coronavirus has killed 2,592 people in China, infected some 77,000 others and paralysed the country’s economy.

    It has also infected people in at least two dozen other countries, killing nearly 30, and its rapid global spread has raised fears of a full-blown pandemic.

    The committee also on Monday decided to postpone this year’s NPC session — scheduled to begin in early March — which will delay any legal revisions on wildlife trade.

    As a result, the Standing Committee issued a full ban immediately until final legislation can be passed, CCTV said.

    There already are laws in place against the wildlife trade, but conservationists say they are full of loopholes regarding many species, and that enforcement is episodic or just plain lax.

    After the epidemic began exploding across the country, China late last month ordered a temporary ban “until the national epidemic situation is over”.

    But conservationists and virologists said a temporary ban was not enough, calling for a permanent prohibition with tough enforcement.

    Health experts warn that transporting, butchering and consuming wild species poses a significant and growing public health risk by exposing humans to dangerous animal-borne pathogens.

    Conservationists say China is the single biggest country driving consumption of many threatened species, and that animals are routinely subjected to horrible conditions and cruel treatment.

    The exact source of the coronavirus remains unconfirmed, with scientists variously speculating it originated in bats, pangolins, or some other mammal.

    Scientists say SARS likely originated in bats, later reaching humans via civets.

  • Ogoni cleanup under HYPREP has failed — MOSOP

    Ogoni cleanup under HYPREP has failed — MOSOP

    President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) Fegalo Nsuke has said the cleanup exercise in Ogoni has failed under the management of Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, despite the fact that the project had gulped over $350 million since 2017.

    He maintained that the amount stipulated for the project had been misappropriated due to corruption perpetrated by the leadership of HYPREP.

    READ ALSO: Ogoni cleanup: Group frowns at quality of HYPREP’s work

    “Ogoni people still drink polluted water, there is no plan to compensate people whose lands and livelihood sources have been destroyed. There is no plan to construct the Center of Excellence as a training centre to build the capacity of Ogonis to participate in the cleanup exercise as recommended by UNEP.

    “HYPREP does not have any plan to build an Integrated Soil Management Center to handle the contaminated soil and wastes from the spill sites,” he said.

    During the presentation to the House of Representatives Committee on Environment and Habitat, the Group Managing Director, GMD of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mele Kyari confirmed that the NNPC and its Joint Venture, JV, partners were up to date on their financial obligations to the clean-up project fund, though the results were still far fetched.

    “We have so far disbursed $360 million out of the $900 million recommended to fund the project as prescribed by the UNEP Report. The disbursement was based on the standards set, which required that we release funds based on the implementation parameters of the clean-up exercise,” he said.

    He remarked that the NNPC and its JV partners were not responsible for the implementation of the clean-up, all stakeholders must ensure that the project was carried out successfully.

    In 2011, the UNEP report warned of catastrophic pollution in soil and water in Ogoniland which Royal Dutch Shell Plc and the Nigerian government were expected to curtail.

    Shell accepted responsibility for operational faults that caused two major spills in 2008 and paid a settlement of £55 million to the affected residents, including training youths to establish businesses and fund community patrols to reduce pollution by vandals stealing oil.

    The UNEP report on Ogoniland clean-up had estimated initial clean-up costs of over $1 billion for the first five years of a 25 to 30-year process.

    The cleanup process was launched in 2017 and spearheaded by the management of HYPREP to implement the recommendations of the UNEP report.

    Nsuke blamed HYPREP for breaching the recommendation of the UNEP report which stipulated that the Center of Excellence and the Integrated Soil Management Center were to be in place before the commencement of work but they were not on the ground.

    “We were to have an Integrated Soil Management Center to handle the contaminated wastes and the Center of Excellence for capacity building. All of these are not in place in Ogoni including emergency measures including water provision, a health audit and not to give pain relief like paracetamol to people.

    “All HYPREP is doing are in deviation from the recommendations of the UNEP report,” he said.

    The MOSOP president also condemned the vested interests of the managers of HYPREP who approved contracts to unqualified firms without addressing the fundamental emergencies raised in the UNEP report.

  • Lagos moves to ban single use plastic

    Lagos moves to ban single use plastic

    The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency says it is set to ban all single-use plastics within its premises from January 13, 2020.

    General Manager, LASEPA, Dr Dolapo Fasawe, said in a statement on Friday, that the move was to protect the environment and encourage eco-friendly products.

    Fasawe said that there was the need for suitable and multiple use alternatives to prevent pollution and avoid disposal problems.

    “As the environmental police of the state, LASEPA should set good record for others to emulate, hence, the reason why we are using our facilities as pilot scheme to drive home our zero plastic waste campaign and its attendant effects on human health and the environment

    This move would later be extended for wider implementation in all government premises and the state.

    “To achieve the objective of the campaign, all staff and visitors to LASEPA premises are enjoined to support and comply with this holistic directive.

    “The agency will be providing multiple use cloth bags to all staff within the first week of implementation to substitute old unfriendly materials, after which same bags can be purchased at the agency’s reception at a minimal fee,” she said.

    According to her, single-use plastics represent the epitome of throwaway culture that ends up in landfills, oceans, waterways and the environment, which causes environmental and health hazards.

    Fasawe said that replacements such as cloth (cotton) or reusable bags, paper bags, among others can be used several times and naturally decomposes in the environment.

    She said that they also guide against dirtiness, flooding, drainage blockade as well as soil and water contamination.

    The general manager, therefore, called for societal change against the use of single-use materials.

    She urged corporate organisations, companies and industries to embrace the new holistic approach.

    Fasawe said they could do so by using recyclable and reusable materials that were cost effective, environmentally friendly and devoid of environmental nuisances and pollution.

    She said that the pilot scheme would serve as a blueprint and guide toward government policy on total ban on single-use plastic.

  • Man jailed for trafficking monitor lizards

    Man jailed for trafficking monitor lizards

    A Florida man pleaded guilty to his part in a trafficking scheme in which live water monitor lizards were stuffed into socks and concealed inside electronics to be smuggled from the Philippines to the United States.

    Akbar Akram, 44, pleaded guilty in Tampa federal court Wednesday to one count of wildlife trafficking in violation of the Lacey Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Treaty, court records show.

    Akram admitted to illegally importing more than 20 live water monitor lizards from the Philippines in 2016, a U.S. Justice Department statement said. He avoided customs authorities by placing the lizards in socks, which were sealed closed with tape and concealed inside electronic equipment and shipped under a false label. The equipment was transported through commercial carriers to Akram’s associate in Massachusetts.

    As part of his plea, Akram admitted that he knew the monitor lizards he received had been taken in violation of Philippine law and that the import violated U.S. law, according to the statement. Akram also admitted that upon receiving the monitor lizards, he sold some of them to customers in Colorado, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

    Approximately 70 monitor lizard species are characterized by elongated necks, heavy bodies, long-forked tongues, strong claws and long tails. Water monitor lizards are native to South and Southeastern Asia. The yellow-headed water monitor, the white-headed water monitor and the marbled water monitor are found in the Philippines.

  • Experts make case for intensified effort in Cross River gorilla conservation

    Experts make case for intensified effort in Cross River gorilla conservation

    There are only a hand full of Cross River gorillas left in the world, thus conservation experts are calling on local and international stakeholders to save the mammals from extinction.

    This is a summary of thoughts from a two-day workshop funded by the United Stares Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Calabar recently. According to conservationists at the workshop, hunting and other such illegal activities have decimated the number of gorillas in the region. It is estimated that only 300 Cross River gorillas survive in the mountains between Nigeria and Cameroun.

    READ ALSO: Conservationists call for end of plastic pollution on World Migratory Birds Day

    In a press statement issued by the Country Director of WCS, Nigeria Programme, Mr. Andrew Dunn, the experts concluded that “the main threats to the survival of the species were identified as hunting and habitat destruction due to farming and logging.”

    In recent years, logging of ebony has become a disturbing activity in the state, adversely affecting the all of the gorilla sites, including Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, the Mbe Mountains and the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park.

    The stakeholders frowned on the continued neglect of Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, urging the Cross River State Government to ensure that “protection is improved and that it receives the necessary political support.”

    READ ALSO: Sumatran rhino now extinct in Malaysia

    “The most threatened of all African apes, the Cross River gorilla, is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ based on its small population size, their fragmented distribution across a large complex landscape and ongoing threats to their survival from habitat loss and poaching,” Dunn noted in the statement.

    “Roughly 100 Cross River gorillas are found in Nigeria (with an additional 200 in Cameroun). In Nigeria, Cross River gorillas are restricted to three sites in Cross River State: Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, the Mbe Mountains and the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park. The largest and most important of the three sites is the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park, managed by the Nigeria National Park Service.”

    Dr. Inaoyom Imong of the WCS had said, “there is a real crisis facing Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. There are at least 1,000 illegal farms throughout the sanctuary which are expanding on a daily basis and unless action is taken soon, it is likely that the sanctuary and its gorillas will soon be lost forever. Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary has been neglected for many years and we are calling on the Cross River State Government to urgently prioritise the protection of the sanctuary before it is too late.

    “It was also observed that the enclave communities in the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park continue to expand and participants at the workshop felt that their presence is detrimental for the long-term future of the national park. They called on the Federal Government to revisit plans for the voluntary resettlement of the enclaves as soon as possible. Cross River National Park is the richest biodiversity site in the country and recognised as a site of international importance. The gradual decline of such an important national park must be prevented.”Consequently, the participants came out with a “New Conservation Action Plan 2020-2025 to help save Cross River Gorillas: Africa’s Most Threatened Ape.”

  • Sumatran rhino now extinct in Malaysia

    Sumatran rhino now extinct in Malaysia

    There are officially no more Sumatran rhinos in Malaysia, with the death of the last known representative of the species.

    Iman, the last Sumatran rhino in the country was 25 years old when she died on Saturday on the island of Borneo. According to officials she had cancer.

    READ ALSO: Kenyan vets harvest 10 northern white rhino eggs in desperate conservation move

    Malaysia’s last male Sumatran rhino died in May this year.

    The Sumatran rhino once roamed across Asia, but has now almost disappeared from the wild, with fewer than 100 animals believed to exist. The species is now critically endangered.

    Iman died at 17:35 local time (09:35 GMT) on Saturday, Malaysia’s officials said.

    “Its death was a natural one, and the immediate cause has been categorised as shock,” Sabah State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christine Liew is quoted as saying.

    “Iman was given the very best care and attention since her capture in March 2014 right up to the moment she passed,” she added.

    Sumatran rhinos have been hard hit by poaching and habitat loss, but the biggest threat facing the species today is the fragmented nature of their populations.

    Efforts to breed the species in Malaysia have so far failed.

  • Unity Bank strengthens support for climate action

    Unity Bank strengthens support for climate action

    Unity Bank says it is in partnership with Avant-Garde Innovation and Technology Services (AGITS) to deepen advocacy initiatives for stronger climate action that will entrench values and ethos for achieving Sustainable Development Goals in the country.

    A statement by the bank on Wednesday quoted Mrs Tomi Somefun, Managing Director, Unity Bank Plc, as stating this in Lagos at a roundtable discourse with the theme: “The Future of Sustainable Development in Nigeria: Achieving Economic Growth with Low Carbon Trajectory in a Circular Economy.”

    Somefun said that the discourse provided the platform for stakeholders to evaluate developmental activities impacting on climate change and opportunities in a green economy as a means of improving environmental sustainability.

    She said that a green economy would address global warming, rising sea levels, pollution, desertification and deforestation, and determine effective response to promote community action, protect the environment and advance sustainable development.

    Somefun, represented by Usman Abdulqadir, Executive Director, Risk Management and Compliance, stressed the need for increased stakeholder engagement on sustainable development to deepen commitments towards promoting climate change initiatives.

    “It is the hope that while sharing experiences on actions to protect the earth for future generations, the platform is capable of harnessing ideas to forge common action points and convergence for policy makers, entrepreneurs, sustainable development experts and other organisations playing pivotal roles to solve problems threatening the sustainability of the planet earth.

    “Having promoted sustainable practices in agriculture over the years, and its commitment to sustainability, Unity Bank appreciates the need to create more awareness, engagement and collaboration in the execution of sustainability initiatives, thus the roundtable is not only relevant but timely,” she said.

    Somefun recalled that in 2018, Unity Bank won the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) award on ‘Sustainable Transaction of the Year in Agriculture’ in recognition of the bank’s initiatives to promote sustainability initiatives and impact in the agricultural space