Bob Dewar

Visit to hospital in Katsina

Visited the hospital in Katsina where young women are operated on for fistula problems. 2,000 girls a year are operated on in Nigeria at 9 centres. This is the main one. . The wards we visited were looking very clean and there was an air of optimism about the girls. The impressive Dutch surgeon does a lot of training. It was good to hear about the financial support of the Katsina and Federal Governments and their First Ladies too. But there are challenges. Such as how to extend this sort of service to all States. Finding the money for travel to do operations and training elsewhere. Preventing those young women who can't be repaired from becoming outcasts, but instead giving them skills.

Posted at 15:12 18 November 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]

Remembring the fallen heroes

In Kano we held the third and final Remembrance Service in the small Commonwealth War Grave cemetery. It was somehow very appropriate to stand in silence in this small neat oasis, with children peering in through the wall and the desert harmatan wind whipping the dust all around us, thinking of those who laid down their lives for our peace and freedoms and values and safety.  In Lagos the presence of young Royal Marines made the reading of the names of fallen comrades, including in Afghanistan, very poignant. In Abuja I read a Siegfried Sassoon poem. The singing will never stop.

Posted at 11:18 17 November 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]

Building regional and international trade

Held an interesting breakfast in Lagos with one of Nigeria's main banks, which was a chance to brainstorm on prospects for Nigeria's recovery from current economic difficulties and on how UK and Nigeria can do even more bilateral trade and investment. My pitch was that the UK remains the natural partner for Nigeria because we offer the gateway and contacts to the globalised world and also offer good quality and standards. In the current banking situation in Nigeria and elsewhere, one of the key lessons has been the need for better regulation for example. Transparency is important. So are standards. And so is the need for all countries to work together to rebuild confidence and look outwards, building regional and international trade. It is certainly not the time to be protectionist. Anyway the feeling round the table was that there are some cautious positives about Nigeria including the Central Bank Governor's banking reforms, the current peace in the Nigeria Delta and the increase in the world oil price, which helps the revenue situation.   Our own Trade and Investment office remains very busy indeed, which shows the interest of UK companies. In terms of performance (UKTI reports and revenue raised etc) we're doing better than other UK offices in sub Saharan Africa.  Good stuff.

Posted at 13:16 13 November 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]

Carbon finance for Africa

Held a fascinating seminar in Lagos for companies and banks, all about the opportunities of using the Clean Development Mechanism approved at Kyoto. Experts from our climate change projects office in London explained how emission reductions in developing coutnries can lead through a well prepared project to credits on the international carbon markets. And it's all up there on the internet! You and I can read everything we need to know and perpare a project overnight. Africa has not benefited as much as it should from CDM since Kyoto under this mechanism but there are good prospects of greatly increasing the number of projects in Africa and Nigeria after the Copenhagen summit. Indeed why shouldn't Lagos become a bit of a hub for carbon finance for Africa? The driver behind one of Nigeria's three current CDM projects was also presented. It was an inspiring demonstration of how the system can be used for disseminating wood stoves that save 80 percent of firewood used!  Really useful especially for the north of the country where trees and wood fuel are disappearing fast. The other two current projects are linked to gas flaring- tremendous potential there of course in Nigeria.

Posted at 16:38 12 November 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]

Expanding the number of health care centres

It was good to visit Garki primary health care clinic in Abuja with Baroness Kinnock our new Minister for Africa. A queue of mothers and their babies, all less than a year old, were waiting for routine vaccinations for polio, hepatitis, yellow fever and measles.

Nigeria has some sad statistics. 1 in 5 children die before five years old. The country has 2% of the world's population but 10% of maternal mortality. So making a determined push to change all that is important. Expanding the number of health care centres, with mid-wives, is part of the solution.

Taking a really strategic approach and putting a lot more Federal and State money into primary health services and systems is critical. That would show political will.  Hopefully a new Health Bill will be signed soon.

Posted at 18:10 10 November 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]

Not oil but food!

It is not so well known how growing and processing food in Nigeria is on the up. Everyone thinks of Nigeria in recent decades as dependent only on oil and gas. So it was great to hear of the visit of directors of Olam Nigeria Ltd based in Commonwealth partner country Singapore. Olam was the biggest non-oil exporter from Nigeria in 2007 (over $133m). Its products have traditionally been cocoa, sesame seed and cotton. But there has been more recent news of plans to invest in a sugar refinery and wheat milling.  The company's investment so far has shown how they see long term opportunities here. They have helped rural employment and farmers' profits. Positive stuff. Making a difference for small holder farmers. Let's hope for more.

Posted at 13:04 28 October 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]

The really hot issue for Africa

The poster launched in London by David and Ed Miliband showing what might happen to our blue planet if we don't keep climate change to 2 degrees C or less is dramatic. It is a really important message for Africa. Ordinary citizens have so many problems- just getting enough food to eat and getting kids into some sort of school with a decent teacher is a tough job. How then can they look up and understand the bigger picture- which is that climate change will change their children's lives dramatically for ever unless everyone, every government, every one with influence, takes action to get a balanced, brave, successful deal at Copenhagen? 
 
I was looking at expert analysis the other day of what 4 degrees increase might mean for the great rain forests of Africa which come only after South American ones in importance for world weather systems. Simply put, it would cause an ecological catastrophe with massive loss of forest cover, bringing more extreme weather and turning  carbon sinks into a significant carbon source. People in marginal lands of Africa are already learning about desertification. Will people living in the remaining great forests of Africa today only know savannah tomorrow, if they are lucky?

Posted at 15:37 27 October 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[1]

Planting the seeds of hope

I always believed small was beautiful from when I first read Shumaker's book all those years ago. Well, a few small but significant initiatives show what can be done in Nigeria on climate change. Firstly a training programme undertaken by a range of Nigerian civil socity organisation under the umbrella Nigerian CAN network (Climate Action Network) has meant they have been able to lobby for an equitable climate change deal and  to influence policy makers. Secondly a weather station in the extreme East of Nigeria (Taraba State) is now providing climate change data on the internet which can feed into climate modelling. Both funded by Britain, both seeds for the future.

Posted at 14:58 26 October 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]

Visit to NDLEA and NAPTIP with Mr Alan Campbell, M.P

Accompanied our Minister for Crime Reduction in meetings with the Government and the anti-drugs agency NDLEA and the anti- people trafficking agency NAPTIP. These agencies are doing a good job. But cocaine trafficking from South America using West Africa for a transit route is a real and growing threat. Half the cocaine entering the UK comes that way. And no 'transit' countries can avoid corrosion to their own societies. Drugs destroy lives. Drugs finance crime and terrorism. New laboratories have been found in Guinea.

Met Commissioners of ECOWAS too and it is good that there is an action plan on the table to enhance co-operation up and down the coast. We've all got to help- and also help individual countries up their game. This really is urgent. Every country must wake up and make itself hostile to drugs trafficking. Finally we visited a shelter for some young women who had been rescued from being trafficked. Very moving to meet them. They are making lovely hats and jewellry to make money and start a new life. 

Posted at 13:50 15 October 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[1]

Good governance and transparency

Met a new committee of the House of Representatives who are focusing on good governance including making sure resolutions and decisions in the House of Reps are implemented. They are  looking at issues of transparent procurement and fiscal discipline too.  They want to arrange a summit on good governance. I said this was an important theme- in fact perhaps the most important for all countries. But governance standards had to be 'owned' by everyone if they wanted things to happen, by all branches of the state (legislature, judiciary, executive) and by the private sector and civil society. It's all about how people behave. 

Posted at 12:54 14 October 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]

Why we need an Arms Trade Treaty

Travelling round Nigeria only underlines the need for this country to achieve genuine peaceful development for its people and move away from conflict and violence, which can flare up. Conflict and violence is fuelled in many parts of the world by arms. Arms need to be controlled at national and international level. That's why we need progress towards an Arms Trade Treaty and we hope Nigeria will play its part at this week's discussion in New York to bring such progress.

National and regional arms export control need to be really effective. Unregulated trade in arms needs to be stopped. A timetable is needed toward such a Treaty. Ordinary people with ordinary lives need that. It's tough enough in Nigeria for many of its poorer people just to get by and get their kids into school without worrying about insecurity as well. 

Posted at 17:43 07 October 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[2]

Commonwealth conversation

My Ugandan colleague as current Commonwealth Chair launched an awareness campaign with the press, which I attended. This was to encourage Nigerians to participate in the 'Commonwealth conversation.' A great idea, asking people to say what they think about the relevance of the Commonwealth in the modern world.

Just log on to www.thecommonwealthconversation.org. What goals do you think the Commonwealth should have for the future? How can it connect better with the young (half of Commonwealth citizens are under 25). And so on. This conversation is 2 billion voices in 53 countries of amazing diversity, sharing common language and values and a force for positive change in our planet. Make your voice heard!

Posted at 16:44 29 September 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]

Attended the Durbars in Katsina and Kano

Attended the Durbahs in the great Northern centres of Katsina and Kano to mark the Eid at the end of Ramadan. Great pageantry and spectacle with local leaders and followers pledging their allegiance to the Emirs in the presence of the Governors and the modern day State. The skill in horsemanship was tremendous as the surge of horsemen galloped up to the Emirs. I passed my congratulations to Nigerian Muslims on the Sallah (the Eid El Fitr).

Nigeria is indeed justly proud of its traditions. But energetic efforts also need to be made- as some of the Governors are doing- to modernise and look forward. Providing young people with the modern education and opportunities they need for jobs is a key challenge.

Posted at 16:40 28 September 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]

Give peace a chance

Visited Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta. At the formal session with the Governor I said it was important for everyone to give peace a chance. Ordinary people need peace and safety and better governance and to see oil and gas revenue improving their lives on the ground. The Governor said things were getting better following the amnesty offer.

He then signed an MOU with the British Council Director, to train creative entrepreneurs. This sort of training can help get the local economy moving. Creating jobs for the young is a key challenge. The BC are also doing a great job helping in teacher training.

Discussed climate change with the Commissioner of Environment who is looking at a lot of issues including waste management. The potential impact of climate change in this oil and gas producing area is big given sea level rise.  And it seems that local conflict can happen if villagers are displaced. There's also a need to tackle gas flaring of course.

The city was busy with traffic, almost as bad as Lagos on a bad day!

Posted at 13:40 25 September 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]

Partnership in promoting intergrity and fighting fraud

Partnership in promoting integrity and fighting fraud was the theme at midday in Lagos. Handed over a vehicle and some special equipment to the police anti fraud unit in Lagos, designed to help them tackle those involved in fraudulent documents. We are determined to ensure those who apply for visas using false documents- and those who make and supply them- will not benefit. So we have increased our own capacity to spot them and hope the police will use the new equipment to target criminals who are trying such fraud.

The message is clear: we welcome legitimate travellers and those who benefit legitimately from study, business and tourism in the UK. But those who use fraud in their application will not be allowed to travel. Indeed they could face a ban of up to 10 years for using fraudulent documents.

Posted at 17:47 24 September 2009 by Bob Dewar  |  Comments[0]