MONDAY. JUNE 13.2011
Planners seek alternative funding sources for urban infrastructure Akl np e lu Da da HE Ihree lief'S of government have been adviosed not 10 rely solely on budgetary lIUocaiions for the provision of physical Infrastructure in the urban ce ntres. but to explore other sources of fUnding like ooTrOlVing from financial Inslilulions lind bo nds from the capital market. The Presiden!. Nigerian
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Institute of Town Planners. Mr. Kabir Vari, said thai urban infrastructure could also be developed through public-private pa rtnership, project financing and loans. Speaking lit the 201 1 professional development \'JOrkshop and Annual General Meeting of Ihe As.sociation of Town Planning Consultllnts of Nigeria in Lagos on Wednesday, Vari said flIpid
population lind selllemenl growth, as ..... ell as inadequate financial resources to meet infrastructure demand, had made the provision of urban infrastructure II difficult task. According to him, government budgets do not provide enough funds for infrastructural developmenl as a resull of the lack of credible capilal Investment plans and mISplaced
Eldti partners firms on forest carbon the establishmenl of a foresl project carbon project will boosl Ihe HE Ekih Siale Government and UNlSPACE Nigeria Umiled, in collaboration v.ith Global Oxygen Developmenl Corporation. are partnering 10 set up a forest ClIrbon projecl thai wiD ledUce emiuions. defomlalion and forest degradation proposed plan. The under the United Nations mmewOlk Convention on Climate Change, is to come al no cost to the state and is geared t~rds the promotion
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of sustainable community development through Afforestation. Refore5lation and Revegetation. according to a joint stalemenl by the parlies on Friday. According to the Managing Oiredor and Chlef Executive Officer. UN ISPACE/Global Oxygen Development COrporlltion. Mrs. Olmemi Adiukwu-Bakare. who spoke al lin In teractive session wilh GovernorKayodeFayemi.lop officials of the administration lind offidaJs or !he two firms.
UN wants intelligent use of natural capital Strmley Opara
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he United Nations has said there is /:II need o make intelligent use of lalural capital to reduce )OVerly on a sustainable laSis. guarantee food and lulrilional s«urity and ).ovk1e decent employment or growing populations According to Ihe UN i<cretary-General. Mr 3a~ KI-Moon. 10 build a .ust and equilable world. ftlual weight should be fiven to the three pillaB 01 rustainable development - social. economic. and mvironmental ~_ In his welcome rwnark II the World Environmental Jay 2011 celebRition in -lIgas. on Tuesday. .....hich »lIS organised by the United 'lations Information Cenlre n collabor.5tion with Ihe 'ligerian Environmental Xlciely. he said despite p"owIng global lIWlI~ess of he di!llngers 01 environmental jedine. induding climate ;hange. biodivenily loss and :leser.incation. progress since he Earth Summit had been 00
slow.
Ki-Moon. who was llpresenled by the Officer-in: harge. UN1C, Mr. Charles :>saru.....a . malnli!lined that 'lipid eamomic growth li!lld come ..... ith costs that flIditionally rarely fea lure in llItional accounting ~These range from ,tmospheric and ..... aler )QUution todegrctded fisheries !nd foresls . aU of which mpacl pr05pt:rity i!IInd humi!lln .... en-being. The !heme 01 the Norld Environment Day this
year. 'Forest. Nature a l Vour Service,' emphasises Ihe multi-trillion dollar value of these and other ecosyslems 10 Ihe society. espeCially Ihe poor.~ he added. The UN s«retary.general said those with Influence in the governmenl end the privale 5I!Ctor should take the necessary steps thai ..... ould fulm Ihe promise o f Ihe Earth Summit. In the S<lme vein. the President. NES. Mr Uche Agbanusi. urged environmenlalisls in the counlry to rise up \0 the challenge 01 ensuring Iha\ the Nigerian environment was proteded from aU harms and deg radation.
governor' 5 community-based developmental programmes. It will also increase the s1ate's Internally Generated Revenue through earnings from carbon emission reduction. While making a presentation. UNISPACE's Forester. Mr. Tolu Daramola, explained thai the project woukl serve numerous environmentlll benefits. including mtoralion of degraded land, stabilisation and fixation of sand dunes, increase lind restoration of soil fertility. wind break. erosion control. air pu rification and help reduce Green House Gases in the atmosphere. "We envisage generating 168.Sn tCOVper year. which translates Into 2.533.167. The project wiJl open up new economic opportunities for the local communities and enhance the income of famten and rural dwt>Oers in project areas. thl!febo; providing job opjXII1unitie:s lind earning of carbon oedit as e means of eradicating and enhandng poverty SI..Istainable development In the state. ~ he SlIid Accordrng \0 him, the fiBt phase 01 the pro}ed development will focus on the establishmentofacomlTllJnitybased empowennent centre in each of the communities where the projed is Iocaled.
priorities. Prudent level of borrowings, he said. could, however, be beneficial by leveraging on limited budgetary resources and ils lIbility to fund large inlraslructural projects. Hesaid that infrastructure financed from borrowings ..... ere capable of attract ing bUSiness and investment. Ihereby. enabling socioeconomic d~lopmenl However. Ihe borrower will have 10 bear some costs Uke interest payments and principal repayment Capilal mi!lllket bonds, on the other hanei. i!IIre good sources o f financing housing and public infrastnJcture lind will mi'lke aVi'l!1able funds in high volumes with the po55ibility of more favourab le rates and greater independence compared \0 traditionallenden. Vari. however. said that the quan tum 01 funds 10 be raised Irom bonds musl reach certain amounts to justify the expenses thi!llt would be incurred, ..... hile bonds would also require credil rating of the institution and complex institutional set up. wh ich could \like time if not well understood. In e presentation on !he general requirements for . .",,".;~,g ~., estllte
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Di rector. Pope Kadiku Consulting Umited. a real estate holding, consulting and developmenl company. Mr. Pope Kadiku. said a key requirement ..... IIS long-term funding -It is important to have
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a back up for any propoSllI i!IInd institulioni!lll stability, which could be deTlved from Ihe capital market. The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria is being positioned appropriately to take Ihis position,· he Si!IIid
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NEMA to build capacity on T'~ climate change
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is set to build capacity on climate change and disaster risk martlIgm1I!TIt \hrouoJt i!II WOfkshop it is ~ in
Sokata, Sokoto State. The agency. in
a
statement on ~ said the enhancement of cap&iIy \O.'lIS necessary in view of the devastating effects of IIocxI in .5OfnI! North-Western stales last
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four~ regiona1 workshop wiD begin on June 14. according 10 the statement The Oireaor-General. NEMA.A1haj!MuhamrnadSidi. ~ quoted in the 5llIIemeni as saying that the growing th~al from dimate-related disasters must either be prevented or mitigated. He regretted thai in
2010 lIione. 23 stales of the federation were affeded by flood disasters with
serious oomequenrm on the
sodo-ea.lnomic wellbeing of the affected oommunffies. Accordmg 10 him, disilsten wipe out hardearned developmenl gains and compel the government to diver1 scan:e resources from stRItegic pm;ects 10 lund relief and rehabilitation. resulting In major set·bocks in deYeIopment and economic g.-owth. Sidi said in orOer 10 prevent the reoccunence 01 the dlmate-relzoted disasters of Last year, NEMA was bringing Iogelher stakeholders in disaster management from the mmmunities. local and gcMm'IIllI!Tlts.
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