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Some African stakeholders, made up of legal experts, policymakers, lawmakers and climate change specialists, have validated a Model Climate Change Law to address climate change effects on the continent.
The stakeholders endorsed the legislation in Abuja during a three-day retreat, organised by African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES), in collaboration with National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
The legislation, which was drafted by experts under the auspices of AGNES, was targetted at bridging the existing legislative gap in Africa.
Speaking at the retreat, the AGNES Team Lead, Dr George Wamukoya, said of the 54 countries in Africa, only Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria had enacted dedicated climate change legislations.
Wamukoya said that the situation left much of Africa without comprehensive legal instruments to combat the challenges of climate change.
According to him, African countries must endorse an acceptable legislation to combat the challenges posed by climate change on the continent.
Wamukoya, however, stated that the implementation of the law was subject to individual countries, adding that each nation was expected to domesticate the law.
“Climate change is with us, and we must put comprehensive mechanisms in place to address it, and one such mechanisms is a legal framework.
“This framework hopes to enable all African countries to enact legislations on climate change, which will strengthen the continent’s negotiation position on the global stage,” he said.
Wamukoya commended the experts and other stakeholders which included NILDS, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Africa Network of Parliamentarians on Climate Change (ANPCC), among others, for their commitment to combating climate change.
By EricJames Ochigbo
