Barirega Akankwasah’s first 100 days as Nema boss

Last December, Akankwasah clocked 100 days as the environment body’s executive director, having been appointed to the office on September 1, 2021. He spoke to Edgar R. Batte about his journey in office so far. 

How would you describe Barirega Akankwasah?

I would describe Akankwasah as an enthusiastic, result-oriented, open-minded person and born conservationist. I have previously served in the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities as acting director of tourism, wildlife and antiquities; commissioner of wildlife conservation; assistant commissioner of conservation planning and partnerships; principal wildlife officer, and senior wildlife officer.

With a PhD in Environment and Natural Resource Management, a Master’s in Science, and a Bachelor’s degree in Environment and Natural Resource Management; and a Diploma in Law; I am doing what God has chosen for me to do, executive director of the National Environment Management Authority (Nema), to guide the social economic transformation of our country through a sustainable green path.

What have been the defining milestones of your first 100 days in office as Nema executive director?

The first 100 days were a mixed bag of achievements, lessons and challenges. I joined at a time when there was massive public outcry about wetlands encroachment and degradation. As an outsider, I did not have full understanding of the gravity of internal challenges that inhibited the institution from performing to optimal capacity, such as gross underfunding and understaffing.

As an immediate step, on September 2, 2021 (second day in office), we indefinitely suspended the receipt, processing and issuance of ESIA certificates and permits in wetlands. The decision was undertaken to reduce pressure on the resource and to build institutional capacity to regulate developments in wetlands.

Regarding enforcement, the process to operationalise the Environmental Protection Force (EPF) commenced. The Force will have an operations, investigations and intelligence arm.

What are you bringing to the table? Are you giving yourself timelines?

Key on the agenda is to halt environmental degradation and impunity in the environment sector through enhancing citizen engagement and strengthening the environmental justice systems (enforcement and prosecution), compliance assistance. Also, resetting business processes and organisational culture through the automation of Nema service processes and restructuring to enhance service delivery effectiveness and efficiency.

Lakes, rivers continue to be polluted, waste management is deplorable and Uganda’s forest cover is a subject of continuous debate. What solutions are you bringing on to tackle these challenges?

Indeed, those are salient issues. However, we are not sitting back and lamenting over them. The most significant constraint affecting service delivery at Nema are gross understaffing, chronic underfunding of the Authority and lack of equipment to facilitate operations such as mobility, air quality monitoring, among others. This has been exacerbated by limited enforcement capacity.

Strengthening our partnerships with the respective lead agencies to ensure there is collaboration in the management of our environment will be my first priority. By mandate, Nema regulates, coordinates, monitors and supervises. Catalysing lead agencies across the ministries, departments and agencies and local governments and urban authorities will be crucial.

We have also started the process of automation, especially ESIA and licensing systems and are moving towards technology-based environmental monitoring and knowledge management.

We shall retool the institution with modern equipment and environmental management tools such as on spot air quality monitoring equipment and a functional mobile laboratory. Research and innovation to advance green technologies will be key to walk this journey.

We shall strengthen Nema regional offices and improve their capacity to handle environmental matters in the respective locations across the country. We shall coordinate and pursue eviction of illegal settlers and encroachers of sensitive ecological areas, including cancellation of illegal land titles in wetlands, riverbanks, lake showers and forests. We are lobbying for a dedicated environment division of the High Court to enable speedy prosecution of all categories of environmental crimes.

Nema as an authority has internal institutional challenges that hamper the fulfilment of its mandate. Are there solutions you are devising to mitigate these challenges to allow its function better?

The ongoing restructuring process will address the challenges we have been having within the institution. The restructuring is in response to a Cabinet decision to rationalise the operations of MDAs and is happening under the guidance of the Nema board.

The process is aimed at improving the effectiveness, efficiency and capacity of Nema to deliver the institutional mandate in the field of environmental compliance and enforcement, environmental planning, research and innovations, environment and social impact assessment, human resource management, corporate planning and strategy, management of chemicals and pollution, public education and awareness, lead agency coordination, environment monitoring, resource mobilisation will be key on my agenda.

Nema is increasingly involved in salvaging Lake Victoria from encroachment and pollution by factories and resorts, do they deliberately do this or it is a case of non-sensitisation?

Many ways of looking at this; it is cost effective on their part, and these are business enterprises that want to maximise profit. Most of these businesses have Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) certificates so they are aware of the damage they are causing to the environment. In addition, environment management is a continuous cycle that involves monitoring of new projects and previously approved projects.

Therefore, the concerns regarding Lake Victoria are not unique. We monitor all development projects in the country to ensure that the environment is not compromised in order to ensure sustainable development.

There are cases where developers go astray from the conditions of approval given to them in the Environmental and Social Impact Assessments and they need to be guided and caused to comply. It is part of our mandate to do so.

What is your stand on the issue of Bugoma Forest clearance?

I believe conservation of critical ecosystems is important. However, the country has a functional legal framework that regulates all the activities that take place in the country. The contentious matter of whether the land in question is or is not part of Bugoma Forest was resolved by the competent courts and appeals are still ongoing. As NEMA, our task now is the mandatory regulation of the activities on the area in question so that we ensure sustainability of development without compromising the integrity of the environment.

On deforestation

Uganda was one of the countries signed up to stop deforestation by 2040, how achievable is that?

According to the latest National State of Environment Report 2018-2019 all natural forests have experienced a strong decline in the past decades, but plantations forests increased from three percent to eight percent between 2010 and 2017. Overall decline in forest cover has also been halted and, for the first time since 1990, a net forest gain has been recorded.

Forest loss has mainly been due to conversion of forest to agriculture. We have had efforts to restore forest cover including through the Sawlog Production Grant Scheme (SPGS) that focused on forest plantations as a means of reducing pressure on the natural forest estate. District Local Governments annually receive tree seedlings from our sister agency, NFA, for planting; interventions by civil society organisations, and eviction of encroachers to allow for natural regeneration.

On his achievements so far

“We instituted new conditions for all ESIA certificates, a breach of which may cause certificate cancellation or legal action. These new conditions include all linear infrastructure in wildlife conservation areas must provide animal crossing bridges.  Single use polythene bags (kaveera) are prohibited at all project sites. Nema reserves a right to recall a certificate if there is a change in standards, government policy or prevailing conditions in the environment.

Requirement to display the Nema Certificate for all sites to enhance transparency.

Additionally, the following have also been introduced: Submission’s pre-assessment verification before we issue reference numbers. This has reduced clogging of system and has improved efficiency.

We reduced the number of days within which a reference number can be secured from more than seven to a maximum of two. Status of submissions (ESIA, ToRs, PB, audit) can now be found on the Nema website www.nema.go.ug. We have improved our internal business processes to clear backlog and facilitate investments that come with green development and green jobs. We have strengthened our investigation and prosecution capabilities and within the 100 days, we have started registering remands and convictions of offenders of environmental laws.”