Govt urged to be keen on climate change
Forum CC project manager Fazal Issa (left) stresses a point during a press conference in Dodoma yesterday. Right is the organisation’s director, Ms Rebecca Muna. PHOTO | EMMANUEL HERMAN
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Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing parliament budget sessions here yesterday, the Forum CC programme officer, Mr Fazal Issa, said the ministry continues to be allocated with minimal funds than required to revamp key sectors- agriculture, fisheries and livestock.
Dodoma. The consortium of local civil society organisations on climate change (Forum CC) has faulted the 2016/17 budget for the ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, saying it still doesn’t prioritise climate change adaptation projects.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing parliament budget sessions here yesterday, the Forum CC programme officer, Mr Fazal Issa, said the ministry continues to be allocated with minimal funds than required to revamp key sectors- agriculture, fisheries and livestock.
He said in the last six years (from 2009 to 2015) the then ministry of Agriculture received Sh277 billion, equivalent to two per cent of the entire development budget of the country, while the then ministry of Livestock received Sh24 billion or 0.6 per cent of the entire development budget.
At the same, time the ministry of Agriculture received Sh47 billion on projects related to climate change, which is equivalent to 16 per cent of the entire development budget of the ministry, while the ministry of Livestock received Sh3.8 billion or 20 per cent of the ministry’s development budget.
The two ministries have been merged into one by President John Magufuli, and in the 2016/17 financial year, the ministry has allocated Sh15.3 billion for climate change related projects out of Sh173.6 billion of the entire development budget.
“The funds allocated are not enough compared to the scope of the problem that is supposed to be addressed. It’s high time now for the government to prioritise climate change adaptation and mitigation projects so that we can rescue the future of our environments,” he said.
For her part, the director of Forum CC, Ms Rebecca Muna, said the government should also eye on working alongside private sector in raising funds and awareness to tackle climate change in the country.
Forum CC also advised to cut donor dependency in financing development projects of the ministry, noting that for the 2016/17 financial year, out of Sh163 billion allocated for Agriculture only Sh22 billion (13 per cent) will be derived from local sources while Sh141.7 will come from donor assistance.
