NAN-AE-9
Risk
By David Adeoye
Ibadan, Jan. 23, 2017 (NAN) Prof Akin Mabogunje, Chairman Foundation for Development and Environmental Initiatives (FDI), has called for the involvement of traditional rulers in promoting risk reduction in Urban Africa.
Mabogunje made the call on Monday in his opening remarks at the 2-day International Urban Risk and Development Stakeholders Meeting in Ibadan, Oyo state.
He noted that the limited capacity of local governments in many African countries to act decisively on risk reduction through effective planning and governance measures was due to their limited power and resources.
According to him, the involvement of traditional structures and institutions, which are still alive in most parts of Africa, still command a lot of moral authority because of their commitment to the welfare of their people.
Mabogunje urged the participants to mobilise traditional institutions which had served their people effectively over many generations and involve them in promoting risk reduction among their people along many fronts.
Dr Ibidun Adelekan, the Host Programme Investigator of Urban ARK (Urban Africa Risk Knowledge), from the University of Ibadan, said the rationale behind the workshop was how cities in sub-Saharan Africa could meet the demands of economic growth, poverty reduction and resilience.
According to Adelekan, Urban ARK aims to reduce disaster risk in urban sub-Saharan African by breaking cycles of risk accumulation.
“It also seeks to open up an applied research and policy agenda for risk management in Urban Africa.
The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop brought together scientists, researchers, policy makers, decision makers, and practitioners from South African, Nairobi, Senegal, Malawi, Tanzania, working in the areas of risk management and reduction.
Pro Mark Pelling, one of the Urban ARK consortium from Kings College, London, who is the principal Investigator for the workshop, said the gathering would look at the development processes that could lead to risks in the cities and break those processes. (NAN)
DAK/DOR/AFA
Edited by Nyisom Dore/Felix Ajide