General Grabber MT and AT conquer Africa’s best and worst

• All-new Grabber MT and Grabber successfully completed 7 314 km 18-day African Adventure through South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe
• 10-vehicle convoy conquered wide variety of terrain from tough 4x4 trails to treacherous potholes
• Two main community projects in Zambia – rural school in Maamba Coal Mine receives donation of essential supplies, plus ongoing support for Malambu school near Monze

18 days, six countries, 7 300 km, 29 people and 10 vehicles equipped with the all-new General Grabber MT and the proven Grabber AT – the 2013 General Tyre 4x4 African Adventure has been successfully wrapped up after travelling through some of Southern Africa’s most spectacular scenery, and a wide range of its most challenging conditions.

From the soft sand of Botswana to the rocky 4x4 trails of Zambia and the treacherous potholes of Mozambique, this year’s African Adventure had it all, and once again proved the exceptional performance of the General Tyre product range while revealing the beauty and splendour of this fantastic region.

“Last year’s General Tyre 4x4 African Adventure with the Grabber AT was a great success, and we decided to step it up this year with an even more challenging route to prove the performance of the all-new Grabber MT,” explains Russel Stewart, marketing manager for Continental Tyre South Africa.

“The decision to import the new Grabber MT was taken after we took the Grabber AT to the Rust de Winter 4x4 Jamboree directly after the 2012 African Adventure, and we had lots of interest in a dedicated hard-core off-road tyre to suit the real off-road enthusiasts.”

The MT is produced in America, where it was specially developed for an off-road racing series. One of its key features is the three-ply sidewall construction, which provides exceptional strength and resistance to sidewall damage.

“After more than 7 000 km of Africa’s best and worst driving conditions, we have proven that the MT is a truly brilliant tyre,” Stewart says. “Besides its exceptional performance off-road, what really sets it apart from its competitors is the superb road holding in the dry and wet, its remarkable braking performance, and the fact that it’s very quiet and comfortable at high speed.”

Four vehicles were fitted with the new Grabber MT and the remaining six used the Grabber AT, and both tyres excelled. In all, the vehicles covered a cumulative distance of over 71 000 km without a single puncture or any damage. Surprisingly, despite the punishing conditions and hectic schedule, they also showed very little sign of wear.

Stewart says it was great to have several manufacturers involved in the in the 2013 African Adventure as vehicle sponsors, and their support is really appreciated. “It has been fantastic to see the South African-built vehicles, comprising the Toyota Hilux and Fortuner, three Ford Rangers and two brand-new Isuzu KBs participate in the adventure and emerge unscathed.”

The 2013 General Tyre 4x4 African Adventure, which was put together by Continental Tyre South Africa and Adventure Junkies Eastern Cape, set off from the Continental plant in Port Elizabeth on 20 March, and entered Botswana through the Grobler’s Bridge border post. The first off-road foray was the route north along the cut line that forms the border between Botswana and Zimbabwe, and featured both soft sand and sticky mud.

The convoy crossed the mighty Zambezi River by pontoon at the Kazangula Border Post into Zambia on day five. The following day the group of 29 participants visited the spectacular Victoria Falls in Livingstone, and then departed on a long and exclusive 4x4 route through the Maamba Coal Mine. The rocky and mountainous maintenance trail for the mine’s cableway system provided an extreme 4x4 test for the vehicles and tyres alike, and all emerged with flying colours.

It also signalled the arrival at the 2013 African Adventure’s main community project. The small rural school at the top of a hill within the Maamba mine area relies on one small mud building to provide basic education for some 215 children, between the ages of seven and 15, from the surrounding community. The school received a large donation from General Tyre, comprising desperately needed stationery, Stop Hunger Now food parcels, shirts and caps, as well as soccer balls.
Several other smaller communities in Botswana and Zambia were also handed school supplies, food and clothing.

The following two days were spent soaking up the beauty of Lake Kariba and one its many islands, after which the group returned to its community project from last year at the Malambu Middle School near Monze.

It was encouraging to see the huge amount of work the school had done with the funds and supplies donated in 2012. They are busy completing a brand-new classroom block that will include a computer centre, science laboratory and a library for the first time – and there was clearly a new sense of vibrancy and colour to the school in general.

Additional stationery was handed over to ensure the ongoing sustainability for this project, which will continue to receive support from the General Tyre 4x4 African Adventure, including the donation of computers as soon as the classrooms are finished and the government has completed the supply of electricity to the school.

After a visit to the spectacular Lake Kariba dam wall, and a night spent camping at a beautiful nearby resort, the African Adventure headed off the beaten track once again. The route included pushing through a tunnel of thick bush on a trail that hasn’t been used in years, then climbing up a steep mountain range that gave the tyres yet another harsh workout.
On day 11 the group crossed over into Malawi via the Mwami border post. Two fabulous days were spent at Senga Bay on Lake Malawi – the third largest and second deepest lake in Africa – which included travelling to a small island for spectacular snorkelling, and catching majestic fish eagles in action.

Then it was on to Cape Maclear, the trip’s southern-most stop on Lake Malawi, before heading to the town of Zomba with its breathtaking views of the Zomba Plateau stretching off to Mount Mulanje and the Mozambique border on the horizon.

On day 15 the convoy crossed into Mozambique at the Mwanza border. Zambia’s less-than-perfect roads and Malawi’s endless stream of bicycle taxis and commuters were nothing in comparison to Mozambique’s treacherous potholes. The atrocious driving conditions meant that even though the speed limit was 100 km/h, the group only managed an average of 50 km/h en route to Tete for the night.

Next up was Zimbabwe, which was possibly the biggest disappointment of the entire trip. Despite an initial good impression at the border post (other than the frustrating process of vehicle documentation) and some great scenery with stunning boulder-strewn mountains and dense baobab forests, there was simply no suitable accommodation or camping facility to be found anywhere along the route south from Mutare.

So the convoy pushed through the night and managed to cross over the Beit Bridge border post and eventually set up camp back in South Africa in the early hours of the following morning.
The General tyre 4x4 African finally arrived back at Continental Tyre SA in Port Elizabeth on Saturday 6 April, 18 days after departing on this epic adventure. The total distance covered amounted to 7 314 km, with a cumulative distance of over 71 000 km with all 10 vehicles taken into consideration.

That the tyres had coped with the extreme and punishing route without any damage was simply remarkable, and they provided sure-footed driving confidence, regardless of the diverse range of terrain encountered.

Indeed, the new Grabber MT proved that, despite its heavily biased off-road design, it is equally adept at everyday use, without the drawbacks typically associated with hard-core mud-terrain tyres. The Grabber AT, too, reaffirmed its status as one of the most accomplished all-terrain tyres on the market.

It was a truly amazing General Tyre 4x4 African Adventure, with the perfect mix of planning and organisation, routes, superb camping venues, camaraderie, fun and leisure. It was also very satisfying and heart-warming to give something back to Africa with the school projects that will enhance the lives of these children, and assist in providing a better education and a brighter future.

Ghana posts high gold output

Gold production in Ghana, Africa’s second largest producer, rose 64 percent in the first quarter of 2012 as higher prices led companies to boost operations, according to the country’s minerals commission.

Output in the period rose to 1.53 million ounces, Chief Executive Officer Ben Aryee said in an interview in Accra, the capital, yesterday.

“High gold prices are motivating mining firms to up production,” he said. “New companies have also come on stream.”

Prices rose to an average of $1,689 an ounce in the first quarter from $1,389 an ounce for the same period a year earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The higher rates make it “profitable for mining companies to mine low-grade ore,” Aryee said.

Bauxite rose to 180,519 tons in the first quarter from 93,776 tons a year earlier, Aryee said. Diamond output fell to 80,988 carats from 94,602 carats while manganese production declined to 401,250 tons from 481,965 tons.

Companies including AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (ANG), Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM) and Gold Fields Ltd. operate in the West African nation. South Africa is still the continent’s top gold producer.

Fifth-generation Hyundai Elantra

The new Elantra is a true global car with universal appeal. It launches into an intensely competitive environment which over the next four years will see leading rivals introduce not only face-lifted models but also full-model replacement.

The 2011 Hyundai Elantra is expected to be the Hyundai company's new best-selling model worldwide. The compact designs are quickly becoming extremely popular in the global market. To be made and sold around the world.

The new Elantra has certain key features that have been tailored to the individual requirements of each market, especially the African automobile market.

“In a world of lookalike sedans, Elantra’s elegant is design to put it in a class of its own. Fun to drive and easy to park, thanks to its compact dimensions and agile handling, it’s the perfects solution for getting around town

“Equally impressive are the new silk smooth, fuel-efficient engines and six-speed transmissions,” Rockson Johnson, Country Head, Hyundai Motors and Investments Ghana Limited said, at a media briefing in Accra during the official launch of  the vehicle into the country’s automobile market.

The new Elantra, also known as the fifth-generation is a sure-fire game-changer. Hyundai’s reputation for superior is to build quality and reliability has add the crowning touch for this new leader in the compact class segment. The new modern design and an emphasis on high quality, while delivering has  improved the fuel efficiency and performance of  the strength of the car.

PERFORMANCE

Fuel efficiency

Good aerodynamics, an exact science as much as it is an art, yields sleek shapes that cheat the wind, resulting in reduced wind resistance, less wind noise and lower fuel consumption.

The new Elantra was subjected to hundreds of hours of aerodynamic testing and refinements in the wind tunnel.

The most typical feature of the 2011 Hyundai Elantra is its new 1.6L Gamma Gasoline Direct Injection engine aimed at improving fuel economy to best-in-class.

The engine is paired with six-speed automatic transmission and a front-wheel drive system. This is said to be 10 percent more fuel efficient in comparison to its rivals.

It's can be stated that the new Elantra meets Hyundai’s latest desires, featuring the best designing and performance in its edition.

Powerful, clean and most important of all, economical, that’s a lot because Hyundai is determined to become the world leader in fuel efficiency.

It also comes with six speed automatic transmission which is specifically developed for the compact car. And like Hyndai engines it is made in-house, which further proves Hyndai’s highly advanced engineering capabilities.

Suspension and steering components are anchored to a chassis of outstanding rigidity and strength, Permitting more precise tuning of the final ride and handling settings.

In all parameters of ride performance the new Elantra is measurably quieter, smoother and refined impressing even the toughest critics and setting a new benchmark in the compact segment.

The heating and ventilation system has been carefully engineered to ensure the uniform distribution of warm air-or cool, as desired- to every corner of the cabin. Plus, the user-friendly designed of the climate controls has eliminated guesswork in operating the system.

Hyundai’s new family of engines adopt a variety of advanced technologies which are designed to reduce fuel consumption and realize Hyundai’s declared goal of becoming the automotive industry leader in fuel efficiency.

Safety

The goal is uncompromising: To earn the title of the world’s safest compact sedan. The approach will always be uncompromising.

Don’t let Elantra’s compact size deceive because this car is really gig on safety. It comes with highly advanced safety features found only on top-end models such as Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) Vehicle Stability Management (VSM).

Elantra also comes with a wide range of passive safety systems such as airbags and highly rigid steel body structure which help mitigate the after-effects of a collision.

And, in matters of safety, Hyundai takes the same uncompromising approach by equipping Elantra with six airbags and Electronic Stability Programme.

Elantra comes with six airbags: dual front airbags for the driver and passenger and dual front seat-mounted airbags and dual side curtain airbags which offer additional protection against
impacts.

Convenience

Elantra, a private oasis of comfort and relaxation comes equipped with every amenity and convenience to be expected of a leader.

Integrated system plays CDs, MP3 and other multimedia files, iPod, Aux & USB support, Steering wheel Audi Remote Control, Button Start & Stop, Dual Zone Auto Air Conditioning, Rain Sensor, Parking Guidance System, Driver Power Seats & Safety Power Window.

Design concept

Eye-catching, heart-stopping, head-turning:

The new Elantra with its distinctive sensibility makes a powerful design statement that gets immediate attention anywhere and everywhere. “Fluidic Sculpture” is Hyundai's new design philosophy which embodies a flowing and dynamic form execution. This philosophy embraces the harmony of human co-existence and the wisdom of sustainable growth from nature’s endless evolution to create a vision of progressive and passionate design.

Embracing “Fluidic Sculpture” design principles, Elantra artfully combines the interplay of wind with rigid surfaces to create the illusion of continuous motion.

Taking inspiration from the interplay of wind and natural forms, “Wind Craft” was selected as the keyword which best summarizes the aesthetic goals of the Elantra design team.

Interior design and styling

Never derivative but “Dynamic & Futuristic“ and exhibiting a complete mastery over form and materials, Elantra beckons with a warm and inviting ambiance.

With its windswept lines, it’s a design that is guaranteed to turn heads: Sleek, assertive and highly distinctive with plenty of emotional appeal.

Stylish, sleek curve, swept-back headlamps project a sporty and dynamic style.

Viewed from any angle, the new Elantra’s stance is athletic yet also graceful and agile thanks to skillfully executed design.

Displaying confident mastery over materials and form, the cabin space excludes an air of inviting comfort and luxurious exclusivity not commonly associated with cars in the segments.

Design elegance and originality born of complete confidence in setting the new standard for the industry.

From the basic layout to the execution of the details, the Elantra’s interior design reveals itself to roomy, comfortable and simply brilliant.

Though the package is small, it feels a lot bigger than it is: A real masterpiece in the art of “packaging”. When there’s 420 liters of luggage space on hand, then it’s clear that good design always multiplies your option.

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Co. has grown into the Hyundai Motor Group which has ranked as the world’s fifth-largest automaker since 2007 and includes more than two dozen auto-related subsidiaries and affiliates.

The all-new Elantra began life as the automaker’s first product in 1990 and has grown to become one of Hyundai Motor Company’s top-selling global models.

Hyundai Motor, which has six manufacturing bases outside of South Korea, sold approximately 3.6 million vehicles globally in 2010. Hyundai vehicles are sold in 186 countries through some 5,300 dealerships and showrooms.

Where There Is oil; There Is Spillage

A shoreline near Cape Three

Oil spills are avoidable but seemingly inevitable aspect of offshore oil operations as evidenced throughout the world. Is Ghana really prepared for any Catastrophe? Georgina Otoo probes.

The discovery of oil in Ghana in commercial quantities in 2007 and the commencement of its production in 2010 is expected to have a positive impact on the economy.

On the other hand, the discovery raises a number of crucial and critical questions regarding the extent to which relevant policies, regulatory and monitoring mechanisms and particularly environmental measures have been put in place to effectively respond to any eventual oil disaster.

Oil spills are an avoidable but seemingly inevitable aspect of offshore oil operations as evidenced throughout the world.

An oil spill, in the case of Ghana, would mean the actual or probable release, discharge, or escape of oil into the country's marine waters, and this could occur when a significant amount of oil is accidentally released into the environment.

Generally though, this release could be on land or in water bodies, the latter being more common. Oil spills are serious environmental disasters, often leading to significant, long-term impacts on the ecology and socio-economic activities of an area.

The questions about environmental policies, regulatory and mitigation measures become all the more crucial for Ghana in the light of reported minor spills by Kosmos Energy, and especially given the recent major spills in the Gulf of Mexico, the March 1989 catastrophic Exxon Valdex spill off the coast of Alaska, and the periodic experiences in the Niger Delta over the years.

Industry watchers have opined that besides the anticipated “blessings” of enhanced prosperity, the commercial offshore production of oil and gas raises issues about the country's level of preparedness to protect the coastal communities and habitat.

Questions have been raised with the implementation of the fundamental petroleum policy for the country, where government out-lined its commitment to promote sound and sustainable environmental practices in the management of petroleum operations, and to ensure compliance with environmental health and safety regulations as well as standards.

The Ghana Petroleum Development Master Plan, the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan,as well as the National Oil Spill Strategic Plan constitute the cornerstones of the policy framework for a national response to a possible oil catastrophe and environmental degradation.

The brisk exploration activities and discoveries in the country's offshore West Cape Three Points and other West African countries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone, have increased risk levels for oil spillage.

A recent study, which covered the country's 550 kilometres of coastline, helped in determining the ecological diversity and the vigorous economic activities along the coast, which is densely populated with important cities, it revealed the country was at risk and risk zones were determined.

The initial studies was undertaken as far back as 1986, with the assistance of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to assess the country's risk level.

The findings led to national contingency plans being mapped out among stakeholder institutions, among which are the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Mr. Kojo Agbenor-Efunam, Principal Programme Officer (Oil and Gas) at the EPA making a presentation in Accra explained that in times of a marine oil spill, it was not the magnitude of the spill that was problematic but the management aspect of it.

In November 2011, a large quantity of oil believed to have been spilled by an oil exploration company was sighted along the coast in the Ahanta West District in the Western Region.

The oil spillage covering about 8,000 meters, which was detected by communities along the coast, gradually moved towards the shore.

This denied hundreds of the residents and tourists access to the beaches. The lives of other marine mammals were also affected as dead fishes were washed ashore.

At Asmkow, a fishing community, the spilled oil had washed ashore affecting the beaches and economic activities and was gradually moving towards other communities such as Mpatato and Adjoa in the Ahanta West District of the Western region.

According to some members of the communities, they saw a long stretch of oil surfacing on the sea in the afternoon. They said after the high current had washed some of the oil ashore, they realised that it was light crude oil either from operations of an oil company or a tanker.

The effects of this spillage, although small as compared to others, still remain fresh and haunt the coastal communities and the entire enclave.

Approximately 699 barrels of mud, which contains poisonous heavy metals, has been spilled on the country's waters by oil companies on three occasions and that has affected the country's marine ecosystem and the activities of the coastal communities.

The environmental devastation following the spillage has been rated, without doubt, the worst of its kind in the history of catastrophic events happening to the country's ecosystem in recent times.

Critics have raised concerns about a seeming gap in both state and international law regimes governing oil spillage in the country.

Arguably,there is currently no single integrated pollution legislation in Ghana. Pollution control exists as part of the environmental and water resource legislation.

Marine pollution is dealt with in the Oil in Navigable Waters Act 1964 (Act 235). A Marine Pollution Act is currently in the draft stages of the legislative process which, when enacted, will empower the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) to regulate marine pollution.

Ghana has no specific waste law, general waste regulations, or hazardous waste regulations,
as has South Africa. There are no regulations concerning the handling, treatment and disposal of industrial and hazardous wastes and no full waste classification system.

The basis for addressing any breach of environmental regulation therefore needs to be examined and developed to provide the needed assessment baselines.

Another important area of concern is Environmental Sensitivity Index Mapping (ESIM). The tasks of the ESIM are to identify and map areas sensitive to oil pollution, prioritize sensitive areas in the operational areas to effect quick oil spill response strategy, describe ecosystems and other facilities of special socio-economic importance, and integrate physical, ecological and socio-economic concerns into a comprehensive spill response document.

An oil spill response has to do with actions taken to confirm the presence of a spillage, stop its flow from the source, contain it, collect it, protect areas from damage by it, mitigate its effects on the environment, and clean up wildlife and areas contaminated by the spill.

So far the discoveries made in Ghana are in the Deepwater Tano and West Cape Three Points blocks, which are all offshore.

Oil spills from these offshore areas could eventually end up on the coast and could have devastating environmental impacts on the shorelines of Ghana to its eastern border and beyond.

Oil Spill Rescue Agenda

The Jubilee Operators have assured of adequate equipment and trained staff with superior capacity to deploy and rescue affected coastlines in the event of an oil spillage and that 76 sensitivity areas have been identified.

Mr. Gayheart Mensah, External Affairs and Communication Manager at Tullow Oil in an interview said: “Tullow is fully prepared with modern environmental standards that would respond to emergencies like oil spillage and other related contingencies.

“Tullow's environmental and safety standards are a major focus of the company, and we make sure that all our systems have the required international standard to ensure that all equipment we use in our facilities offshore are tried and tested in terms of required environmental standards.

“We make sure that all properties and facilities are monitored; we have well-trained personnel who are experienced in environmental and safety and monitoring in our processes to ensure that they are able to stand the test of time.

“In addition to that, every staff is trained in environmental safety, and we have what is called the stop process; for instance, any staff who identifies hazard in any aspect of our operation or processes is empowered to stop the process immediately and ensure that whatever he/she has identified is corrected before the process is continued.

He added: “Over and above that, we tie into various emergency response systems. We have capacity in-country to manage a certain level of environmental mishap and we have equipment and facility for that; we have trained people for that.

The FPSO itself comes with some facility that can manage any environmental hazard. Beyond that, we tie into sub-regional systems.

“For instance, whatever happens that is beyond our capacity to manage, we just have to set into motion and activate to sub-regional response -- and we will get a response from across the sub-region,” he said.

“There are all kinds of vessels and facilities that will be deployed to come and assist us to manage in case we are unable to rescue the affected communities. Again, we tie into international systems.
“It all depends on the magnitude of what has happened.

In-house, we can manage; sub-regionally we tie into very efficient response systems; internationally we tie into similar systems.”

Ms. Sherry Ayitey, the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, has disclosed that the Marine Pollution Bill that is currently before parliament is expected to be passed into law by the end of this year.

The passage of the law will indeed come as positive news to the country, and indicates its readiness to safeguard inhabitant along the coast expected to be affected in times of oil spillage.

This will provide the legal framework that seeks to protect the population and ensure safety of the environment during the operations of the Jubilee partners.

“Hopefully, we believe the bill will be approved; and once it has been approved, it will be effective in the country ensure that our environment which the Jubilee partners are operating in is safe for all,” Ms. Ayitey told the media in Takoradi after her visit to the Jubilee Field.

Moreover, ZEAL Environmental Technologies Limited (ZETL), the company responsible for managing oil-waste at the Jubilee Field, says approximately 17 communities have been identified along the Western coastline -- starting from Takoradi to Half Assini in the Western Region -- as communities likely to be severely hit in the event of an oil-spill in the Jubilee Field.

According to Kwaku Ennin, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ZETL in an interview in Takoradi, said as part of an oil-spill rescue plan, an agreement has been signed with the Jubilee partners to ensure maximum safety and protection of affected coastline communities.

ZETL's involvement, as part of the agreement, is to create awareness and ensure community engagement, educate and deepen awareness about oil-spills and their possible dangers.

Mr. Ennin explained that ZETL has been engaged in shore-line clean-up training in case there is a spill.
“We are training 22 of our staff to handle equipment, and these staff will transfer the acquired knowledge to the selected community members that will be targeted for mobilising the shoreline clean-up in times of spillage.

“The oil company has its equipment, but when it comes to mobilising the clean-up you have to involve the local communities. The oil company is helping with the training at the shoreline.

“We are now making preparation to set up two offices at Agam and Takoradi in the Western Region, to enable us effectively offer training assistance to the selected community members and also monitor activities of the coastline.

He disclosed that about 340 people have been trained, and these local community members are dedicated and specialised people ready to rescue coastal dwellers during an oil-spill.

“We will engage them by paying them something small, but when there is a spillage they will be called and we will put them on.

“We have equipment, we have the boom; we train them how to contain and use the pump, the receptacles, and they have to control the place so that the people do not step in it,” he said.

Adequate compensation

Oil spillage compensation must commensurate with the full cost of the damage – environmental, national security, socio-economic costs and clean-up cost.

Under the Oil Pollution Act, companies are liable for a maximum of $75 million for oil spill response and cleanup. Capping liability excites risk-taking.

Unfortunately for Ghana too, Clause 47 of the petroleum (exploration and production) bill, which deals with offences and penalties which may be applicable to environmental damage seems to have a liability cap and needs to be critically examined.

While some offences can be capped others cannot, particularly those that border on environmental degradation. This is because valuation of environmental degradation is full of uncertainties.

The clause also falls short of the tested valuation method or techniques to estimate an optimum compensation for any liability. Legislative instruments on best practice valuation methods or techniques would do a lot of good to Ghana.

The hasty manner the penalty for the Jubilee oil spills were slapped raised eyebrows as to which methodology or formula was adopted, particularly when experts all over the world recognised that almost all ecosystem valuation methods or techniques have shortcomings, not even the acclaimed Contingent Valuation technique.

Compensation allocation regimes for causing an environmental damage in Ghana leave much to be desired.
The petroleum exploration and production bill must address this by providing amendments as to which formula to adopt in the allocation of compensation with emphasis on environmental clean-up cost.

On the other hand, the bill could provide that in such an eventuality, a formula on allocation of the compensation be presented to Parliament for consideration and approval.

There is the need for concerted and comprehensive human resource development and sensitization in the sector; the latter particularly for coastal communities.

Processes for oil spill response acquisition, as well as facilities for treatment and disposal of oil and hazardous wastes, have to be accelerated.

It is important to activate broad collaboration at the regional level to harmonize national laws and regulations and synergize response capabilities.

 This project was sponsored by Programme For African Investigative Reporting  (PAIR)