Category: Nature

Nature

Tackling Climate Change: Africa Financial Alliance underway

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date May 25, 2018

Global warming and climate change

Tackling Climate Change: Africa Financial Alliance underway

The international community has pledged to mobilize $100 billion in climate finance per annum by 2020 to support adaptation and mitigation projects in developing countries

Scientific evidence shows that African economies are already reeling from the devastating effects of climate change, further exacerbating their development challenges. Of the 10 countries in the world that are most threatened by climate change, seven are in Africa.

Cognizant of this situation, the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) led the way to what may turn out to be Africa’s most decisive action to ensure that the continent is not short-changed by climate finance.

At the 53rd Annual Meetings of the Bank (https://am.AfDB.org/en), in Busan, Korea, the institution brought stakeholders together for an “open dialogue” to discuss the establishment of the Africa Financial Alliance for Climate Change (AFAC). The initiative was well received by key continental and global stakeholders who agreed with the Bank that Africa needs immediate climate change action.

“The establishment of the African Financial Alliance for Climate Change is a call for us to stand together to mobilize climate finance at scale to meet the needs in Africa,” Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, said Friday.

The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement calls on countries to increase their ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change without threatening food production, and make financial flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.

“As Africa’s premier development financial institution, the African Development Bank is already taking action. The Bank is leading Africa’s transition to climate resilient economies,” he said. “The financing needs to meet the ambitions of the Paris Climate Agreement in Africa are enormous. The implementation of Africa’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) would require investments of at least $2.7 trillion for mitigation and another $488 billion for adaptation by 2030.”

The international community has pledged to mobilize $100 billion in climate finance per annum by 2020 to support adaptation and mitigation projects in developing countries. However, of the US $820 billion in climate finance flows for 2015 and 2016, only US $16 billion was for Africa. This represents a mere 2% of the total.

“This is why the African Development Bank is hosting this open dialogue to initiate the establishment of the African Financial Alliance for Climate Change as a call for us to stand together to mobilize climate finance at scale to meet the needs in Africa,” Adesina added.

He noted that the Bank could not achieve the task alone, pointing out that without achieving the Paris Climate Agreement in Africa, the world will not achieve the required reductions in greenhouse gases to keep global temperatures below the required target.

The Alliance brings together Africa’s financial sector, including Ministers of Finance, Central Banks, insurance and reinsurance companies, sovereign wealth and pension funds, stock exchanges as well as global thought leaders to mobilize climate finance for Africa. It also hopes to come up with concrete proposals to mobilize both domestic and international finance for climate-resilient development in Africa. “Together, we can create a Decarbonisation Index for Africa,” President Adesina told the meeting.

“The idea of having the Alliance is a fantastic one, because we recognize that the world is also looking to us. While Africa is not the primary cause of the climate change that we see in the word today, we are the continent where the impact is very great, and the world is not as prepared to finance us to take care of this impact. We can’t let it go because it is our people who are suffering,” said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Chair of the Africa Risk Capacity (ARC).

“Just for you to know the impact of climate change, of all the drought that occurs in the world, 41% occurs on the African continent. We lose about 485,000 people to indoor pollution, premature deaths that could have been avoided and also the devastating impact caused by flood. I can go on and on.”

The President of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and Chair of the Association of African DFIs, Patrick Dlamini, observed that collaboration was crucial to catalyzing funds and making a difference. “This is possible under the leadership of the African Development Bank. We can then play our role as development finance institutions to being the policy instruments of our various Governments and in alliance with partners.”

The CEO of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Naoko Ishii, pledged the support of her organization for the Alliance and was optimistic that it would motivate the GEF to do much more for Africa.

For his part, Howard Bamsey, CEO of Green Climate Fund, said, “The Alliance is a fundamental step towards meeting the climate change challenge in Africa. There has to be an African solution to the challenge that we face and this initiative presents the opportunity to mobilize that.”

The Africa Financial Alliance for Climate Change will be launched on the margins of the Africa Investment Forum (www.AfricaInvestmentForum.com) in South Africa, November 7 to 9, 2018 and will bring together heads of financial institutions.

Tags Alliance

Nature

How Jeff Bezos and Ursula Burns Build Success With Emotional Intelligence, by John White, MBA

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date May 23, 2018

Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos. Credit/Huff Post

How Jeff Bezos and Ursula Burns Build Success With Emotional Intelligence, by John White, MBA

Are you ready to go places in your career?

Well, if there was a skill that you could hone that could help earn $30k more per year, wouldn’t you set out to work on it right now? It turns out there is just such a skill, you can learn how to develop it, and once it is highly developed it can propel your career to the moon. I’m talking about emotional intelligence, the often overlooked but valuable personality trait that can be crucial to your long-term success in life but which is rarely talked about or taught in schools.

The five components of emotional intelligence are:

Self Awareness – Do you know your own strengths and weaknesses and are you willing to admit to them accordingly?

Self-Regulation – Do you take the time to think before you speak or act? Are you able to cope with things that are outside of your control?

Motivation – Are you motivated by money and power or do you see your work as something you’re passionate about? Are you willing to take on new challenges?

Empathy – Can you respectfully communicate with others, especially people from other cultures, religions, and ethnicities?

Social Skills – Are you able to argue for your point of view without alienating others?

Unfortunately, many people lack emotional intelligence. It’s not always something that is taught in school, and parents aren’t always aware of the need to help their children develop these skills. As a result, many adults enter the workforce completely unaware they need to actually do work to develop these skills, and employers find it easier to pass these candidates by than to help them.

How Can You Build Up Your Emotional Muscle?

Fortunately, there are many different ways you can develop your emotional intelligence. While your IQ may not change appreciably over your lifetime, you can practice the following skills to enhance your emotional intelligence:

Before passing judgment, try to put yourself in others’ shoes. Thinking about another person’s perspective can help you develop your empathy.

Learn to control your emotions. There will always be times when you have to deal with difficult people, so practice putting yourself in their shoes and coming up with a way to relate to them.

Learn when it’s the time and place to express your emotions. Oftentimes there will be difficult things that need to be said, so learn how to express your negative emotions appropriately and diplomatically.

Manage your stress effectively. There will be times when stress needs to be managed more acutely, so know when it’s time to say no to a new project or stay home for the weekend and relax.

Reduce your negative emotions. When you are fearful of rejection, try to reassure yourself by coming up with alternatives in case your fears are realized.

Ask others how they are feeling. Getting into the habit of checking up on other people and helping where you can is an important part of building relationships.

What Are the Positive Effects of Developing Your EQ?

Employers are looking less at grade point averages these days and more at emotional intelligence markers. Teamwork is critical to the success of most businesses, so finding someone who will work well with the team is important to the company’s overall success. And employers also know that 90% of top performers have high emotional intelligence scores, while 80% of bottom performers have low emotional intelligence scores.

Your emotional intelligence quotient is a good indicator of how well you will do in a given position, so developing your emotional intelligence muscle will help you go further in your job.

Every point you add to your EQ, or emotional quotient, score means an average of $1300 more per year. When you look at some of the business world’s top performing people in the C-suites, you’ll find people with extremely high emotional intelligence. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is obsessed with winning over the hearts and minds of customers, and he uses his self-deprecating humor to make others feel comfortable with him.

Former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns inspires her employees with her sense of purpose and her assertiveness. Being a leader is not the same as being a boss, and emotional intelligence makes all the difference.

Emotional Intelligence Is the Key to Connecting With Your Customers, Too

Whatever business you are in, making a human connection with your customers is crucial. Customers want to do business with someone they can trust, and trust is built upon humanity. Learn more about the importance of developing your emotional intelligence from this infographic from Aumann Bender & Associates. First published on August 3, 2017

Tags Emotional Intelligence

Nature

Google, world, celebrate Earth Day today

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date April 22, 2018

Plastic waste accumulates at a dock in Lampung, Indonesia Barcroft Media/Getty Images

Google, World, celebrate Earth Day today

Today is Earth Day and it is 48 this Sunday, April 22. Google is celebrating Earth Day with a Google Doodle of conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, who nudges the world in a video a “do our part for this beautiful planet.”

“When Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisc.) founded Earth Day in 1970, his hope was to make the environment a political issue in an era where US rivers caught on fire and thick smog choked cities

In many ways, it worked. Since then, major environmental laws have helped clean up much of the vivid toxic detritus in the soil, air, and water in the US. But our challenges today are no less daunting. The accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the loss of wilderness and species, and the acidification and pollution of the oceans have all become more acute — and more destabilizing”, Fox said.

The plastic crisis is a truly global one, and the numbers are staggering: A 2015 study found that between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic makes it into the ocean from land each year. By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight.

Fox said since plastic is synthetic, there are few natural processes that break it down, allowing bags, straws, and packaging to linger for decades if not centuries. And we’re not very good at containing it to landfills. About 32 percent of plastics make out into nature, where it often end up in the bellies of fish, birds, and whales. And, as it turns out, potentially in our stomachs too.

“In one investigation, the nonprofit Orb Media found plastic fibers in 83 percent of drinking water samples all over the world, with some of the highest levels in drinking fountains at the US Capitol. In a separate investigation published this year, it found microplastic particles in 93 percent of the bottled water samples it tested (250 bottles from 11 leading brands including Dasani and Aquafina).

These kinds of findings have prompted environmental activists pushing to reduce or end the use of disposable plastics. Curbing plastic pollution is a key theme in this year’s Earth Day and there’s a high-profile campaign underway to ban plastic straws in particular.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May called this week to ban plastic straws, swabs, and stirrers. Some researchers last year openly called for an international agreement to control plastic pollution. And there was one bit of hopeful news for potentially more effective disposal in the future: scientists have discovered an enzyme that can digest plastic”, said the medium.

Tags Earth

Nature

Former U.S First Lady, Barbara Bush, dies at 92

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date April 19, 2018

In Photo: Barbara Bush
Her pearls sparked a national fashion trend when she wore them to her husband’s inauguration in 1989. The pearls became synonymous with her. Barbara Bush later said she selected them to hide the wrinkles in her neck. The candid admission only bolstered her common sense and down-to-earth public image. Credit/VoA

Former U.S First Lady, Barbara Bush, dies at 92

Barbara Bush, former U.S. first lady and mother of former U.S President George W. Bush, has died at 92. A family statement said she died Tuesday evening with her family beside her.

“My dear mother has passed on at age 92,” former President George W. Bush said in a statement. “Laura, Barbara, Jenna, and I are sad, but our souls are settled because we know hers was. Barbara Bush was a fabulous first lady and a woman unlike any other who brought levity, love, and literacy to millions. To us, she was so much more. Mom kept us on our toes and kept us laughing until the end. I’m a lucky man that Barbara Bush was my mother. Our family will miss her dearly, and we thank you all for your prayers and good wishes.”

The Bush family gave few details on her health, but said the former first lady suffered in recent years from congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She declined to seek further medical treatment as her condition worsened in recent days.

In a statement from the White House, President Donald J. Trump and first lady Melania Trump praised Barbara Bush’s dedication to literacy.

“As a wife, mother, grandmother, military spouse, and former First Lady, Mrs. Bush was an advocate of the American family. Amongst her greatest achievements was recognizing the importance of literacy as a fundamental family value that requires nurturing and protection. She will be long remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she served unfailingly well.”

Barbara Pierce Bush was born June 8, 1925, in Rye, New York. Her father was the publisher of McCall’s and Redbook magazines. Her mother, Pauline Pierce, was the daughter of an Ohio Supreme Court justice and was dedicated to conservation efforts as a chairwoman of the Garden Club of America.

Barbara Pierce married George Herbert Walker Bush on Jan. 6, 1945. They had six children and have been married longer than any presidential couple in U.S. history. George H.W. Bush was the country’s 41st president from 1989 to 1993.

Barbara Bush was one of only two first ladies in history who was also the mother of a president — George W. Bush, the country’s 43rd commander in chief. The other first lady was Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, the nation’s second president, and mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president.

As first lady, Barbara Bush made literacy her main focus and became involved in a number of reading organizations. She established the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy decades ago, promoting reading skills across America, particularly for young children.

Tags US

Africa Nature

Winnie’s daughter says ‘praise-singers’ are hypocrites

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date April 14, 2018

Winnie

Winnie’s daughter, Zenani, says ‘praise-singers’ are hypocrites

It has been a deluge of praise and eulogy, from every quarters, for the late anti-Apartheid crusader Winnie Mandela. But her daughter, Zenani, has called the media, government officials and some individuals ‘hypocrites’ for ‘sitting on the truth and legacy’ of Winnie while she was alive.

Nigeria’s population is more than 198m—Population Commission

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date April 11, 2018

A Nigerians brands himself with Nigeria colour during 53rd independence anniversary. Credit/Sahara Reporters

Nigeria’s population is more than 198m—Population Commission

The National Population Commission (NPC) has put Nigeria’s current population at 198 million people with urban population growing at an average annual growth rate of about 6.5 per cent.

Chairman of NPC, Mr Eze Duruiheoma, stated this in New York while delivering Nigeria’s statement on Sustainable Cities, Human Mobility and International Migration at the 51st Session of Commission on Population and Development.

Duruiheoma said: “Nigeria remains the most populous in Africa, the seventh globally with an estimated population of over 198 million.

“The recent World Population Prospects predicts that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populated country in the world.

“Over the last 50 years, the Nigeria’s urban population has grown at an average annual growth rate of more than 6.5 per cent without commensurate increase in social amenities and infrastructure.

“It grew substantially from 17.3 in 1967 to 49.4 per cent in 2017. In addition, the 2014 World Urbanisation Prospects report, predicts that by 2050, most of the population – 70 per cent – will be residing in cities.

“The 2010 human mobility Survey report revealed that 23 per cent of the sampled population were of more females than males”.

He said the category of population mostly engaged in urbanisation and migration were young people of teenage and adolescents’ girls and boys, women of child bearing age and the working age population.

He said existing urbanisation trend coupled with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in cities, pose critical challenges to securing sustainability of our cities, including efforts to make them smart and responsive to human influx.

“The Displacement Tracking Matrix round XXI of January 2018 identified estimated 1.7 million IDPs in over 321,580 households across six states of North-East Nigeria with 40 per cent residing in camp-like settings in urban areas plus 1.4 million returnees.

“The number of IDPs represented 4.5 per cent increase compared to the 1,702,680 identified in Round XX (Dec. 2017).”

Duruiheoma said like in other developing countries, Nigerian cities hosted wide spread poverty, under-employment and unemployment at an average of 18.4 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics 2017 report.

The NPC boss bemoaned the insecurity and inadequate and inequitable health care services for adolescents and women of child bearing age.

“Nigeria continues to commit to solving the challenges of insurgents in the Northeast, which has induced a high number of internally displaced persons.

“We acknowledge that women, children and particularly the girl child are often the most vulnerable in these displacements, and in this regard, we remain focused on the wellbeing of these vulnerable parts of our population.

“We are committed to providing adequate health care services, reducing maternal mortality, rebuilding safe schools and empowering our women, ensuring no one is left behind in terms of achieving sustainable development.”

Duruiheoma said these challenges adversely impacted on the quality of life and standards of living of the urban populace.

According to him, Nigeria stays committed to the twin goals of the Habitat Agenda – adequate shelter for all and the development of sustainable human settlements in an urbanising world. (NAN)

Tags population

Winnie, the Nomzamo has passed on at 81

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date April 2, 2018

Winnie.Credit Wikipedia

Winnie, the Nomzamo has passed on at 81

She had fought the many battles of real Nomzamo, her Xhosa name, which means ‘she who tries’. She kept trying. Some of the times she failed, and some of the times she succeeded.

Winnie saw herself going in and out of many things: in out of the prison, in and out of power, in and out of love, in and out of hospital and finally, in and out of life. That is the simple story of a South African anti-apartheid figure, Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who died on Monday at the age of 81

Simply, Winnie, was the former wife of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela. They both were famous for their roles against apartheid in South Africa. The couple divorced in 1996, but she kept his surname and maintained ties with him.

In later years her reputation became tainted legally and politically as a result of some criminal charges. Winnie was heard backing the practice of “necklacing” – putting burning tyres around suspected informants’ necks – and was accused of conducting a virtual reign of terror in parts of Soweto by other members of the Africsn National Congress (ANC) in the late 1980s.

She was also found guilty of kidnapping and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for her involvement in the death of 14-year-old township militant Stompie Seipei. She always denied the allegation, and the sentence was reduced to a fine.

Family spokesman Victor Dlamini said Mrs Mandela “succumbed peacefully in the early hours of Monday afternoon surrounded by her family and loved ones” following a long illness, which had seen her go in and out of hospital since the start of the year.

Retired archbishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu praised her as a “defining symbol of the struggle against apartheid”.

“Her courageous defiance was deeply inspirational to me, and to generations of activists,” he added.

He added: “With the departure of Mama Winnie, [we have lost] one of the very few who are left of our stalwarts and icons. She was one of those who would tell us exactly what is wrong and right, and we are going to be missing that guidance.”

Energy Minister Jeff Radebe, reading out a statement on behalf of the family, paid tribute to “a colossus who strode the Southern African political landscape”.

“As the ANC we dip our revolutionary banner in salute of this great icon of our liberation struggle,” he said.

“The Mandela family are deeply grateful for the gift of her life and even as our hearts break at her passing we urge all those who loved her to celebrate this most remarkable South African woman.”.

Mrs Madikizela-Mandela was also the first black social worker in the country. Her love and desire to help those in need was always burning from deep inside.

Tags Winnie

Africa Nature

Water Intelligence Infrastructure good for Africa, says Siemens

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date March 29, 2018

Siemens Logo

Water Intelligence Infrastructure good for Africa, says Siemens

Following rapid urbanisation and industrialisation across the African continent and increasing need and use for water, Siemens, a global technology powerhouse, has advocated deployment of water intelligence infrastructure such as using three dimension (3D) virtual technology to generate and conserve water resources.

In a statement on Thursday by Sabine Dall’Omo, Chief Executive Officer for Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa, Siemens said urbanisation and industrialisation are having an effect on water demands and it is estimated that by the year 2030, the world will need 40% more water than its current accessible, reliable supply.

Siemens said, compounding the issue and according to the UN’s Water for Life Report (https://goo.gl/K9w4fY) it is estimated that approximately 300 of the 800 million inhabitants in Sub-Saharan Africa live in a water-scarce environment. While in South Africa’s Western Cape region there is a drought that one meteorologist referred to as a once-in-628-years weather event (https://goo.gl/SFuq9z).

To overcome this risk, the technology giant said: “We will need to deploy major innovations. Imagine using 3D virtual technology to see a realistic representation of an existing water plant and overlaying how automation, drives, pumps, instrumentation and electrical components can best be implemented to ensure positive outcomes. In 2016, Siemens (www.Siemens.com) and Bentley Systems, a global leader in software solutions for advancing infrastructure, initiated a strategic alliance agreement to drive new business by accelerating digitalization. Bentley’s advanced knowledge in the field of water infrastructure means that customers are able to simulate processes in water plants allowing for predictive maintenance, resource optimization and energy data management.

“Another way in which Siemens is catalysing creativity in the digital economy is through a recently hosted 48 hour hackathon – #DigihackAfrica2018 – which brought together Siemens engineers alongside IoT and digital industry experts from IBM, IoT.Nxt, Atos and Wits University to work on ideas that will have the potential to disrupt the IIoT environment in Africa.

The statement added: “Water is vital to human existence. We depend on the resource to carry out important economic activities and provide proper sanitation, which are crucial elements to well-being and health. If neglected there will far reaching implications for government, business and ultimately society.

“Awareness about the importance and finite availability of the resource are crucial to widespread behaviour change and necessary to ensure environmental sustainability, and capacity for future generations. Water education should not be restricted to scientific or factual knowledge but be holistic and include decision makers, water technicians, communities, stakeholders and media to promote systemic change.

“When a resource is in such short supply, managing and producing it effectively is essential. Digitalization of the existing infrastructure is just one water wise move for both the public and private sector.

“The water industry has been focused on ushering in a new era of water management, with an emphasis on automation, the Internet of Things (IoT) and more sophisticated data management and analysis software that enables the water end user or plant operator to have valuable, actionable information.

“This proactive focus is driving digital transformation for both utilities and industrial plants, and enables them to not only detect and react to an issue when it occurs but also predict and prevent issues from occurring.

“In South Africa, local municipalities are losing up to 36% of bulk water (https://goo.gl/CdPJPZ) due to pipe leaks and theft. Smart water management technologies and digital management systems combined with faster response times could dramatically increase water reliability and significantly reduce losses.

“Prioritising the use of intelligent, networked systems (https://goo.gl/EVAYLV) will conserve energy, avoid water losses and curb resource consumption. By having a 360 degree view of a water system, solutions can be pre-emptively identified.

“As we progress further into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, agility and inventiveness will become a pivotal requirement for the new world order. Climate change and global water shortages are a collective concern. In the latest World Economic Forum Global Risks Report (https://goo.gl/9fYPrp), water crises ranks 20th as one of the risks respondents are most concerned about for doing business in their country in the next 10 years.

“The winning team presented a decentralised intelligent water management system. The fully automated water accounting and leak detection system is made up of intelligently linked instrumentation from Siemens, flow meters and pressure transmitters linked to a GPRS 3G module that sends signals back to an in-house cloud based system. Through a mobile app, water technicians and engineers on the field will have real-time monitoring access to the flow of water in any water infrastructure network on a device. The winning team will travel to Siemens HQ to further develop their idea and receive seed capital towards making their idea commercially viable.

“The value of investment in R&D in Africa to find solutions to the water crisis should not be underestimated. Being able to have foresight about future problems and develop solutions, with a uniquely African view and relevance, will provide the continent with a competitive edge.

“Ultimately, effective and smart water management will enable governments and utilities to provide a safe and reliable resource to its people. Improved water stewardship pays high economic dividends and technology can help to make this happen. It seems like a smart start and a step in the right direction to find sustainable solutions that work for Africa and in Africa”, Siemens said.

Tags Siemens

Africa Nature News

End of an Era: How Ekwueme Triggered Obasanjo’s Emergence in 1999

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date November 20, 2017

Alex Ekwueme, 1932 to 2017

End of an Era: How Ekwueme Triggered Obasanjo’s Emergence in 1999

The ECOWAS council of elders has depleted further today. One of their own and Nigeria’s first elected Vice President (1979 to 1983) Alexander Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, has bowed to the blazing glory of eternity.

The journey that started on October 21, 1932 has ended on November 19, 2017. It is really the end of an era of statesmanship.

Nigeria will be grateful to Statesman Ekwueme, even at death, for playing the stabilizer role to Nigeria’s democracy since 1999. And before 1999 reality came on Nigeria, Ekwueme was one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Alex Ekwueme will always be remembered for his belief that “the south is one”. Ekwueme made the statement in a PDP caucus meeting in 1998 when the founding fathers were shopping for the best candidate to fly PDP flag in the 1999 general election. The slot had been zoned to the south and Ekwueme, given his pedigree as the Vice President of the country and his consistent political interventions, was asked to nominate any candidate from the south. It was at that same point that the name of General Olusegun Obasanjo came up as a neutral candidate and became popular among the PDP caucus members.

There were expectations at the meeting that Ekwueme would not support Obasanjo because Obasanjo is from South West while Ekwueme was from South-East. The expectation was that he would want either himself or anyone from the South-East to be PDP candidate. But Ekwueme consented to Obasanjo’s nomination, saying that the “South is One”. Ekwueme therfore paved the way for the emergence of Obasanjo as the PDP candidate in 1999.

Ekwueme was the Ide of the Oko Kingdom in Anambra State, where his younger brother Prof Lazarus reigns as the traditional ruler. He started primary school at the St John’s Anglican Central School, at Ekwulobia, then he proceeded to King’s College, Lagos.

As an awardee of the Fulbright Scholarship in the United States of America (being one of the first Nigerians to gain the award), Alex attended the University of Washington where he earned bachelor’s degree in Architecture and city planning. He obtained his master’s degree in urban planning. He also earned degrees in sociology, history, philosophy and law from the University of London. He later proceeded to obtain a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Strathclyde, before gaining the BL (honours) degree from the Nigerian Law School.

Alex was a distinguished architect. He started his professional career as an Assistant Architect with a Seattle-based firm, Leo A. Daly and Associates, and also with the London-based firm Nickson and Partners. On his return to Nigeria, he joined ESSO West Africa, Lagos, overseeing the Construction and Maintenance department.

He also served for many years on the board of the Anambra State Housing Development Authority On the national front, he participated in the Nigeria National Constitutional Conference (NCC) in Abuja, where he served on the Committee on the Structure and Framework of the Constitution.

His famous proposals at the NCC for a just and equitable power sharing in Nigeria based on the six geopolitical zones have now come to be accepted as necessary for maintaining a stable Nigerian polity. Alex mobilized the group of 34 eminent Nigerians who risked their lives to stand up against the dictatorship of General Sani Abacha during the era of military rule in Nigeria. He was the founding Chairman of the ruling party in Nigeria and was the first Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees. He was a prolific philanthropist, public servant, and a man of peace.

He was a member of the Board of Directors of Canada-based Forum of Federations. He was also a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Elders. Dr Ekwueme was leader of the team assembled by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) for pre-election monitoring for the parliamentary election in Zimbabwe in 2000. He was the leader of the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) observer team to the Tanzanian Presidential and Parliamentary election in 2000. Dr Ekwueme co-led the 28 member NDI/Carter Centre sponsored Observer Team to the Liberian Presidential run-off election in 2005. Most recently Dr Ekwueme was called upon by the ruling party in Nigeria to head the Reconciliation Committee in the wake of intra-party discord and after the recent presidential election. He has been honoured with the Order of the Republic of Guinea and Nigeria, second highest national honours of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). Dr Ekwueme is the benefactor and Patron of Alex Ekwueme Foundation.

Tags ecowas, ekwueme, Nigeria