The Federal Government has inaugurated a steering committee for stage 2 of the Hydrochlorofluorocarbons Phase Out Management Plan (HPMP) project under the Montreal Protocol signed by Nigeria in 1988.
In his speech at the inauguration yesterday in Abuja, the Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, explained that the stage II HPMP, a project under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, was a follow up to stage I, which the ministry successfully implemented from 2010- 2018, which would among other things, be responsible for advising on actions needed to ensure that the project achieved the desired results.
“The specific responsibilities of the project steering committee include: Address project issues as raised by the national ozone office of the ministry; provide guidance on new project risks, and agree on possible mitigation and management actions to address specific risks; ensure coordination with various government agencies and their participation in project activities, among others,” he said.
The committee members were drawn from the Federal Ministry of Environment, UNDP, UNIDO, Nigerian Customs Service, Federal Ministry of Education, Small andMedium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), representatives from HPMP 2, Nigerian Association of Refrigerators and Air-conditioning Practitioners (NARAP) and refrigeration training centers.
Nigeria, as one of the signatories of the Montreal Protocol (MP), is implementing the Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) Protocols Phase Out Management Plan (HPMP) project, in a bid to phase out ozone depleting substances, refrigerant gases in foam, refrigeration and air-conditioning sectors.
The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty finalized in 1987 designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion and to reduce their concentration in the atmosphere in order to help protect the earth’s ozone layer.
The earth’s ozone layer protects all lives from the sun’s harmful radiation. Unfortunately, human activities have led to the production of gasses that have damaged this shield. Climate change is one of the results of this damage. These international protocols and projects that Nigeria participates in are essential to the goal of reversing ozone depletion.
