Sierra Leone’s parliament has unanimously approved Professor Foday Moriba Jaward as the country’s first Minister of Environment on Tuesday, 19 November 2019.
Professor Jaward’s approval followed a thorough vetting of his academic and professional qualifications and achievements by the Parliamentary Appointments and Public Service Committee.
Before his appointment, Professor Jaward was the Executive Chairman of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), where he served for over a year.
At the confirmation event, MPs raised concerns about the environmental problems faced by the country, highlighting the need for them to be quickly addressed.
“We want to maintain the sanity of our country by controlling excess logging. We need the money, but we want to enjoy our environment as well”, the Acting Leader of the main Opposition party in Parliament, Honourable Hassan Sesay stressed.
Honourable Amara Kaisamba of the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party noted that,most of the environmental problems are man-made.He reassured Professor Jaward of Parliament’s willingness to pass robust laws to solve the country’s teething environmental challenges.
Professor Jaward holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Lancaster University, United Kingdom; a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Technology (with distinction) from IHE/Utrecht University, Netherlands and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemistry from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.
As Executive Chairman of EPA, Professor Jaward helped in the setting up of the environmental court, which has been credited for improving environmental compliance and monitoring activities on the operations of companies in the country.
In addition, EPA formed partnership with the United States’ Environment Protection Agency to strengthen technical and financial support. Under his tenure, Sierra Leone’s parliament ratified four multilateral environmental agreements, which are: The Doha amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, Additional protocol to the Montreal Protocol and Ban Amendment to the Basel convention.
Environmental activists and commentators say the establishment of a Ministry of Environment signals government’s intent to prioritise environmental issues, particularly tackling climate change.
It is also expected that, Sierra Leone will now be represented in high-level global environmental foras to interact with top global environmentalists and to lobby for more resources to tackle climate change.
Parliament Approves New Minister for Environment
