Dr Chika Nnamdi Ukwe

Dr Chika Ukwe is an Environmental Chemist with over 25 years cognate experience in marine and coastal environmental management. He has a Ph.D degree in Environmental Chemistry and Certificate in International Waters and Development (Royal Holloway University of London, UK). He was a former senior official of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) based in Vienna Austria, responsible for the International Waters Programme of UNIDO and the conceptualization, design and implementation of several Global Environment Facility (World Bank, UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO) large-scale multi-country marine & coastal environmental and resource management projects in Africa. He was the Project Manager of the 16-country marine and coastal environmental and living resources management project: the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem project. He was also the UNIDO Focal Point for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) coordinating the collaboration between the Organizations on marine and coastal environmental management including activities related to the implementation of the Conventions and Codes on Marine and Coastal Environmental Management in West and Central Africa. He facilitated the organization of several Joint UNIDO/IMO Training and Capacity Building programmes on marine environmental management, some of which included: development of sub-regional Contingency Plan and sub-regional agreement for co- operation in cases of major marine pollution incidents in conjunction with IPIECA; Development of Emergency Protocol to the Abidjan Convention for Co-operation in the Protection and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the West and Central African Region (Abidjan Convention) and its related Protocol on Combating Pollution in Cases of Emergency entered into force on 5 August 1984; and Regional Training on Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) Mapping. He was also UNIDO Technical Secretary to the United Nations Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) and UNIDO Representative in the United Nations Oceans Network. He also served as the UNIDO Focal Point for the African Union New Partnership on Environment and Development (NEPAD) Environmental Initiative and Action Plan Implementation. Dr Ukwe as the UNIDO Project Manager for the Technical Assistance Trust Fund Project coordinated the project on the establishment of Plastic Technology Development Centre (PTDC) for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Eleme Refining and Petrochemical Complex in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. In addition, Dr Ukwe also developed the Technical Assistance Project for the Establishment of a Cleaner Catalysis Research and Development Laboratory for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) R&D Centre in Port Harcourt with the goal of enhancing the capacity of NNPC to implement cleaner production technologies, conduct regular energy efficiency audits and environmental monitoring and assessments to support its petroleum and petrochemical plant operations, and develop specific catalysts to be used to the achieve greater efficiency in cleaner production and energy utilization in the petroleum and petrochemical industries in Nigeria. He was a Member of the Panel of Professionals/Experts on drafting a National Climate Change Legislation of the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change (8th National Assembly). He has published/co-edited several publications (books, journals and conference papers) in the field of environmental and resource management.