Wednesday 12 February 2020

DO YOU KNOW THAT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS PLANNING TO BAN CHARCOAL EXPORT

Where are the charcoal exporters in Nigeria? Have you heard that in order to check deforestation, the Minister, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, has started promoting a move to ban the export of charcoal?

The Minister has already met with senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance on placing charcoal on lists of ban items. He disclosed that the campaign is receiving favourable attention by the government in attempt to reduce climate change impacts, already threatening the survival and livelihoods of people. It will also assist the government to fulfill the country’s obligation under the Paris Agreement and actualization of goals of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

Currently, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) enforces the provisions of the National Environmental (Control of Charcoal Production Export) Regulations 2014.The regulation also provides that, ‘a person shall not be granted a permit for charcoal production without having a reforestation and rehabilitation plan for the area from where the charcoal will be derived or produced.

In Nigeria, there is a ban on production of charcoal for export, but local commercial production is allowed within the ambits of the law. Indiscriminate destruction of forests for the production of charcoal leads to depletion of forest resources and is one of the causes of climate change.

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