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T H I S D AY ˾ UESDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2020
PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT
Used Vehicles Hindering Climate Change Mitigation Efforts, Says UNEP Report Bennett Oghifo A new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has said millions of used cars, vans and minibuses exported from Europe, the United States and Japan to the developing world, including Nigeria, are of poor quality, contributing significantly to air pollution and hindering efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. The report shows that between 2015 and 2018, 14 million used light-duty vehicles were exported worldwide. Some 80 per cent went to low- and middle-income countries, with more than half going to Africa. Used Vehicles and the Environment - A Global Overview of Used Light Duty Vehicles: Flow, Scale and Regulation, the first-ever report of its kind, calls for action to fill the current policy vacuum with the adoption of harmonised minimum quality standards that will ensure used vehicles contribute to cleaner, safer fleets in importing countries. In general LDVs do not
exceed a gross weight of 3.5 tons, and include saloon cars, SUVs and minibuses. Vehicles above 3.5 tons are categorized as Heavy Duty Vehicles (HDVs) and these include different types of trucks and buses. The fast-growing global vehicle fleet is a major contributor to air pollution and climate change; globally, the transport sector is responsible for nearly a quarter of energyrelated global greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, vehicle emissions are a significant source of the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) that are major causes of urban air pollution. “Cleaning up the global vehicle fleet is a priority to meet global and local air quality and climate targets,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “Over the years, developed countries have increasingly exported their used vehicles to developing countries; because this largely happens unregulated, this has become the export of polluting vehicles.”
“The lack of effective standards and regulation is resulting in the dumping of old, polluting and unsafe vehicles,” she added. “Developed countries must stop exporting vehicles that fail environment and safety inspections and are no longer considered roadworthy in their own countries, while importing countries should introduce stronger quality standards.” The report, based on an indepth analysis of 146 countries, found that some two-thirds of them have ‘weak’ or ‘very weak’ policies to regulate the import of used vehicles. However, it also shows that where countries have implemented measures to govern the import of used vehicles – notably age and emissions standards – these give them to access high-quality used vehicles, including hybrid and electric cars, at affordable prices. For example, Morocco only permits the import of vehicles less than five years old and those meeting the EURO4 European vehicles emission standard; as a result, it receives only relatively
advanced and clean used vehicles from Europe. The report found that African countries imported the largest number of used vehicles (40 per cent) in the period studied, followed by countries in Eastern Europe (24 per cent), Asia-Pacific (15 per cent), the Middle East (12
per cent) and Latin America (nine per cent). Through its ports, the Netherlands is one of the exporters of used vehicles from Europe. A recent review conducted by The Netherlands of its exports found that most of these vehicles did not have a valid roadworthiness certificate at the time of export.
Most vehicles were between 16 and 20 years old, and most fell below EURO4 European Union vehicles emission standards. For example, the average age of used vehicles exported to the Gambia was close to 19 years old, while a quarter of used vehicles exported to Nigeria were almost 20 years old.
Imported used vehicles
Alaro City Wins Two Global Free Zone Awards Fadekemi Ajakaiye fDi Intelligence, a Financial Times service, has recognised the success of Alaro City in the fDi Global Free Zones of the Year Awards 2020, which acknowledge the most promising free zones in the world. fDi Intelligence assessed free zones by growth rate, innovation, services, products and initiatives supporting companies in them. Alaro City was awarded “Highly Commended in Africa” in the SME Winners
Category and named “One to Watch” among free zones globally. The panel of judges from fDi, comprising the Financial Times’ specialist editorial team and independent judges for each region, studied 61 free zones. Commenting on Alaro City, the judges said: “Alaro City FZC in the Lekki Free Zone in Nigeria has been developing an SME enclave where a shared facilities strategy will be adopted to optimise the operations of companies within the enclave. The enclave will
focus on developing smallersized industrial and logistics plots, typically between 1,000 and 5,000 square metres.” Launched in January 2019, Alaro City is planned as a 2,000-hectare mixed-income, city-scale development with industrial and logistics locations, complemented by offices, homes, schools, healthcare facilities, hotels, entertainment and 150 hectares (370 acres) of parks and open spaces. Alaro City is a partnership between Rendeavour, Africa’s largest new city builder, and Lagos
State Government. More than 30 companies are operational, building or designing their facilities in the city, and 3.5km of initial road networks and a modular 50MVA power plant are under construction. One of the companies in Alaro City, Ariel Foods FZE, launched the largest ready-to-eat therapeutic foods factory in Africa in January. The facility, located on 28,000 square metres, has an annual production capacity of 18,000 metric tonnes and is the most technically advanced
therapeutic manufacturing facility Africa. Commenting on the fDi awards, Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi, Chairman of Alaro City, said: “We are honoured by fDi Intelligence’s recognition of the innovation and economic growth that Alaro City represents. As economies emerge from the shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, free zones are using their special status to keep trade flowing. At Alaro City, we are fully aware of the role we play in contributing to Nigeria’s
economic development and attracting investments into Lagos, the nation’s economic cum financial nerve-centre and we are especially honoured when this work is recognised.” Last year, Alaro City’s masterplan won the international Architizer A+ Popular Choice Award, besting prestigious projects such as the Amazon HQ2 supersite in Dallas and the 5M project in San Francisco. The city was also voted “Emerging Project of the Year” by PropertyPro.ng at the Africa Real Estate Awards.
Millionhomes Launches New Orange Apartments Oluchi Chibuzor Millionhomes, an initiative of LIFEPAGE Group, has launched its new Orange Apartments, a fully serviced residential development aimed at providing middle-income earners opportunity to own a decent home. The newly constructed building is open to customers through the 60 days Independence bounty offer in commemoration of the nation’s 60th independence anniversary.
Speaking in Lagos recently, the Group CEO, LIFEPAGE Group, Mr. Oladipupo Clement, said in addition to the completion of Orange Apartments, Millionhomes would continue to focus on building quality and affordable homes for Nigerians as parts of its ongoing projects in Gbagada, Lakowe and Ikorodu. He said: “This got us a mission to make home ownership possible in Lagos. It brings us tremendous joy to see such a rewarding project come to fruition. Millionhomes reloaded,
recently launch on October 1st, 2020, will see subscribers earn up to 100 percent Return on Investment. This investment would transform housing, allowing investors to make social impact while earning great return on investment.” Commenting on the partnership between Ikeja City and LIFEPAGE Group, which led to the success of the housing units, the Managing Director, Millionhomes, Mr. Francis Ajilore said it was pleasing to help well-deserving families
achieve their dream home ownership adding that “This action is yet another criterion of how confident the organization values its dedication to providing quality and affordable housing to the working families of Lagos State. “The Orange Apartments at Dideolu Estate, Ogba-Ikeja, is just 18-minute drive from the international airport. This location is one of the four sites articulated to Ikeja citizens as part of the Millionhomes development and is the first family residence to be
completed,” he said. On his part, the Managing Director, LIFEPAGE Estate, Mr. Opeoluwa Oni, said Millionhomes oversaw the development of Orange Apartments using materials that are sustainable and eco-friendly, while making use of environmentally friendly building tools. According to him: “With at least N100,000 deposit for any of our products within the 60 days window, anyone stands a chance to win amazing prices like a two-bedroom flat, an
all-expense-paid trip to Dubai, home furnishings, and a car. It’s fascinating to see how good and affordable housing can transform our neighborhood. “We are building One Million Homes by 2041. The Real Estate value chain has several short-term, mid-term, and long-term local and global investment opportunities, which only high net worth individuals (HNIs) can take advantage of. However, we are democratizing access to these opportunities,” he explained.
‘About 20 Million Hectares of Land Restored in Great Green Wall’ Bennett Oghifo Close to 20 million hectares of land have already been restored, as part of the Great Green Wall (GGW) initiative, according to the implementation report released recently at a virtual meeting of environment ministers from Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti together with regional partners, international organisations and development agencies.
The GGW was launched in 2007 under the leadership of the African Union Commission and Pan-African Agency of the GGW, and with financial support from the government of Ireland. The Initiative unites African countries and international partners to transform the lives of millions of people by growing an 8,000 km long and 15 km wide mosaic of trees, grasslands, vegetation and plants along the southern tip of the Saharan desert. Once complete, the GGW will be the largest living structure on the
planet, three times the size of the Great Barrier Reef. This first comprehensive status report, ‘The Great Green Wall: Implementation Status and Way Ahead to 2030’ states that over 350,000 jobs were created and around USD90 million in revenues was generated from 2007 to 2018 through the GGW activities. Over 220,000 people received training on sustainable production of agro-pastoral and non-timber products to support the shift to more responsible consumption and production.
The restored area will sequester over 300 MtCO2 by 2030, roughly 30 per cent of the envisioned target for the GGW. The report also indicates that to reach the target restoration of 100 million hectares of land by 2030, the GGW countries need to restore 8.2 million hectares of land every year at an annual financial investment of USD4.3 billion. The initiative also aims to create 10 million jobs by that date. In her opening remarks, the UN Deputy Secretary-General
Ms. Amina Mohammed said, “The Great Green Wall can – and will – change the lives of millions of our people. More jobs, better health, greater stability; more resilient and cohesive communities and stronger inclusive economic growth. “As we survey the wreckage of COVID-19, and make our plans to rebuild through robust stimulus packages, it would be a missed opportunity not to see investing in the Great Green Wall as an integral component of an inclusive sustainable economic
response and recovery.” The UNCCD Executive Secretary, Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw said, “The GGW is yielding immediate benefits for the local communities and long-term ecosystem benefits at the international level. It shows that when countries dare to dream, work together and make the right choices, we can prosper and live in harmony with nature. And where innovative ideas emerge, positive, dramatic change that benefits both the local and international communities will happen.”