The Role of Diplomacy in Environmental Protection in Africa: the Case of Environmental Ingos in Kenya and Nigeria

Abstract

This study looks into the rampant environmental degradation in Africa and why it is such a big problem, interrogates the efforts - by different actors - that have gone into preservation of the continent’s environment and then delves into the role played by International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) in promoting environmental diplomacy. It seeks to establish the extent to which INGOs influence the environmental protection responsibility of organisations, governance institutions, individuals, among others. The study looks into the situation in Kenya and Nigeria to establish the role INGOs have played in the respective countries’ state of the environment. The researcher was guided by the assumptions that environmental degradation is a huge problem in Africa; not enough tools and actors have been devoted to promoting environmental diplomacy in Kenya and Nigeria and that INGOs play a significant role in environmental diplomacy in both countries. The study employs liberalism as the theoretical framework, as liberals believe in the role of international institutions in the cooperation of states and increased interdependence as these create an opportunity to solve problems and reduce conflict. It uses both qualitative and quantitative data. From the study, it is evident that environmental degradation has created a trail of impacts that continue to affect many aspects of life, including health, economy, and society. For instance, cases of exposure to and spread of diseases and ailments, conflicts, competition for limited resources, human-wildlife conflict, flooding, contamination of soil and water bodies, reduced agricultural produce are some of the effects that demonstrate the magnitude of the environmental degradation menace. The study also outlines tools and actors that have been used as a framework for environmental diplomacy in Kenya and Nigeria and found that several instruments including environmental laws, court processes, activists, volunteers, local NGOs, community-based organisations, intergovernmental organisations, media, and even corporate organisations have in different ways created a framework to support environmental diplomacy. The problem of environmental degradation still continues to grow and pose danger to the existence of the continent’s strategic resources. The role of INGOs in environmental diplomacy is quite diverse as different organisations of this nature are founded to serve varying missions. The study has found that majority of environmental INGOs perform roles including education and capacity building, raising awareness on pressing or looming environmental issues, joining court cases to add voice to the matters of concern, organising protests and campaigns, ecosystem restoration, publishing reports or press releases on the state of the climate and guiding authorities and institutions on climate negotiation and climate action. There are also INGOs that are making impact by participating in and contributing towards creation and implementation of international conventions especially by offering advisory to institutions and organisations. Several INGOs are admitted to international conferences and processes as observer organisations, they however do not bear voting rights when major decisions and resolutions are being made.