Zamfara AGILE vows to implement environmental/social mgmt plan

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

The Zamfara State Adolescent Girls Intervention For Learning and Education (AGILE) has organized a two-day seminar aimed at educating Site Engineers, Construction Workers, Supervision Consultants and all other relevant stakeholders for the discussions on Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP).
The seminar was part of the activities in preparations for the commencement of AGILE 1.2 constructions of new learning spaces with a view to ensure all the projects environments and the host communities are well secured from the environmental and social risks associated with construction activities at different phases of the projects.
While declaring the seminar opened in Gusau on Thursday, the Deputy Project Coordinator AGILE, Zamfara State, Dr. Salisu Dalhatu, said the philosophy behind bringing together all stakeholders is to vividly discuss to ensure the safety of health for both the workers at the sites as well as the host communities.
Earlier, Malam Idris, who presented a paper on the need to comply with rules of the project’s sponsor, world bank for absolute measures for protection of public health during the AGILE’s construction activities at all the working sites in the state and nation at large.
Idris adds: “These risks may include environmental pollution, community health and safety, occupational health hazards, waste management concerns and disruption of school and community activities among others.
“Addressing these risks through site-specific mitigation measures is therefore crucial in minimizing adverse impacts and ensuring the project’s sustainability, thus, the ESMP identify comprehensively, key risks and their corresponding mitigation strategies and serve as technical guide for the management of the risks.”
Also, presenting a paper on the need to protect the integrity of children especially as regard to employment for site constructions across the AGILE benefitting communities, Dr. Amina M. Hassan, emphasized the prohibition of child labor and exploitation.
“Children are legally protected from employment in work or activities that is harmful to their health, education or well being.
“This explicitly includes forcing children into labor or hazardous tasks.
“The law mandates the establishment of community based child protection structures across local ward to monitor, report and help prevent child labor,” Dr. Amina