Nigeria, Norway partner on environmental management
Nigeria and Norway Monday in Abuja agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on environmental management in petroleum sector.
A joint statement on the agreement said that this followed a meeting between Nigeria's Minister of Environment and Housing, Mrs Helen Esuene, and Norwegian Minister of International Development Erik Solheim.
Details of the agreement showed that a joint working group with representatives from both parties would be set up to map and sort out issues to be covered by the programme.
It was agreed that a broad roundtable on environmental challenges in Nigeria's petroleum sector should be held by the middle of this year for experts and stakeholders from both countries to make inputs into the joint project.
The meeting identified challenges that could face the implementation of the agreement to include how to establish an overall legal and institutional set-up for environmental management of the oil and gas sector.
Other challenges are the implementation of regulations, control and supervision of the oil industry.
Challenges also identified include how to improve environmental monitoring, oil spill management and how to support Nigeria's environment ministry achieve the 2008 target of eliminating gas flaring.
Another challenge is how to carry out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and evaluation in a harmonised way in accordance with international standard.
The two sides agreed that efforts at harmonising EIA would include a review of the current EIA regulations and requirement to carry out public consultations, as well as transparency and publication of results of EIAs by operators.
To address the challenges, both parties agreed that the first meeting of the working group would hold during the first quarter of this year.