AU environmental advocacy officer worries over land degradation in Africa

Almami Dampha, an environmental advocacy officer working under the African Union Commission in Addis Abba, under the environment division, climate change, water, and sustainable land management, has expressed worries over the trend of the environmental degradation in the African continent.

The issue of environmental degradation is alarming, he said in an interview with this reporter at the Ministry of Forestry and the Environment on

Mr Dampha explained that the role of the AU Commission in Africa is not programme implementation; rather it is specifically to provide adequate policy framework at the continental level, in terms of political ownership.

“So basically the role of the African Union is more of advocacy,” he said, adding that the AU Commission engages more on advocacy in putting natural resources management policy at the continental level, in the sense that the Union does not work directly with the member states.

According to him, the Union has its expertise, who work at the regional level, with a mandate and timeframe. The African Union supports the regional countries, and the regional economic communities at the regional level in policy design, formulation and advocacy.