Current Situation of Urban Infrastructures, Foreign Aid and Environmental Law: Focus on Nigeria
In the past two decades, important urban infrastructure projects have been initiated in Nigeria, Senegal and Morocco as a result of an increase in direct foreign investments. As part of growing relationships between developing and developed countries, African countries have been receiving $45 billion annually for infrastructure development which already represents 40% of their financial needs to solve the infrastructure gap. While foreign aid has positively contributed to the initiation of infrastructure projects, it continues to hinder the growth of Nigeria’s economy as it creates a culture of corruption in public policy and in environmental law specifically.
In the 2012 Environmental Performance Index28, Nigeria was ranked 130th on environmental burden of disease, 26th on agriculture, 81st on biodiversity and 41st on climate change. Overall, with a score of 40.1 percent, Nigeria was ranked 119th out of 132 countries and 19th out of 21 sub-Saharan African countries. The poor performance of Nigeria is nothing else but the result of a weak enforcement of environmental laws which prioritized foreign aid and urban infrastructure development over sustainable development. For example, as the result of new oil extraction infrastructure installed with the help of China and SHELL in the Niger Delta, an estimated 91,911,426 barrels of crude oil were spilled into the environment in the Niger Delta between 1976 and 2009, with at least 55% into rivers, creeks and shorelines; and, 45% into farmlands, residential villages, communal access roads and sources of drinking water. To put bluntly, Nigeria failed to follow its own agreement from the Environmental Impact Assessment act of 1992 which states that “The public or private sector of the economy shall not undertake or embark on or authorize projects or activities without prior consideration of the effect on the environment.” This is only one of the many the infrastructure related environmental catastrophes that did not stop Nigeria from holding on to foreign investment.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Nigeria is the 6th biggest exporter of oil in the world. With such status comes the pressure for the Nigerian government to continue excelling in the oil sector by maximizing its annual output. However, the pressure to compete with big powers like the United States and Saudi Arabia in the international oil market has caused great corruption in the enforcement of environmental laws in Nigeria. Many would argue that since oil is at the center of Nigeria’s economy, the cessation of SHELL’s activities in the Niger Delta will not benefit Nigeria’s economy. However, an analysis of the long term consequences of a polluted Delta shows that it would rather slow Nigeria’s development. As a matter of fact, with the added expenses in health, housing and food- coming from restoring the damages made by the oil leakage, Nigeria’s GDP growth rate has gone down from 8.3 in 2006 to 6.3 in 2015. Despite these circumstances, the country still abides to China’s environmental foreign policy as a trade off of environmental sustainability.
In conclusion, foreign investment directed to infrastructure development has negatively impacted the economic growth of Nigeria. While critics are being raised in regards to foreign aid, governments must acknowledge that it has the potential to solve the infrastructure gap in Nigeria and in other sub-saharan African countries. This efficient management of foreign aid would however, come along with the integrity in the enforcement of environmental laws and the prioritization of environmental sustainability.
Works Cited
"Nigeria's Quest for Environment Governance - The Nation Nigeria." The Nation Nigeria. N.p., 24 Dec. 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
Aluko. "Environmental Law in Nigeria." Mondaq. N.p., 20 Nov. 2007. Web
"GDP Growth (annual %)." GDP Growth (annual %). N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
Osuyi, Zephaniah. “The Challenges of Effective Environmental Enforcement and Compliance in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria.” Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa. N.p., 2012
