The Convener and Founder of the Africa Blue Economy Roundtable (ABER), Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo, has commended Senator Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State, for his historic approval to host the DeltasUnite Global Governance Centre – the Governance Secretariat on Global River Deltas – in Bayelsa State.
Governor Diri announced the decision on Monday in Shanghai, China, while declaring open the 5th United Nations Ocean Decade Conference on Mega Deltas and the Formal Commencement of China-Africa Cooperation on River, Coastal Zone and Delta Governance at the East China Normal University (ECNU).
The conference convened delegates from 23 countries, including United Nations officials, policymakers, researchers, scholars, environmental NGOs, and representatives of impacted delta communities.
Dr. Kiyaramo described the approval as “a defining moment for Bayelsa, for the Niger Delta, and for Africa’s 500 million delta citizens.”
“Governor Douye Diri has once again demonstrated visionary, bottom-up leadership. By approving the Global Governance Centre in Yenagoa, he has not merely hosted a secretariat; he has positioned Bayelsa as the governance capital for the world’s 11,000 deltas. This is the Yenagoa Declaration the world has been waiting for,” Dr. Kiyaramo said.
Why It Matters: Yenagoa, Shanghai and the UN Convention on River Deltas
Dr. Kiyaramo noted that Governor Diri’s declaration in Shanghai strengthens ABER’s mandate, which is also headquartered in Yenagoa, and aligns directly with advocacy for the proposed United Nations Convention on River Deltas (UNCRD).
From Science to Governance:
The Shanghai Conference, anchored by ECNU’s world-leading expertise on the Yangtze Delta, serves as the global science hub for mega deltas. The approval of the Governance Secretariat in Yenagoa which is also ABER’s Global Headquarters, creates its twin governance hub. What is deliberated as science in Shanghai will be governed as policy from Yenagoa. This represents parity and co-leadership, not aid.
China-Africa Cooperation with Community at the Centre:
The formal commencement of China-Africa Cooperation on River, Coastal Zone and Delta Governance marks a strategic shift from port infrastructure to Source-to-Sea governance. China brings cutting-edge technology in floating solar, mangrove restoration, blue carbon accounting, and aquaculture, while ABER brings continental legitimacy, a Blue Council Africa, and the trust of impacted communities.
“ECNU cannot work in 500 African delta communities. ABER can. We are the Pan-African delivery mechanism to ensure Chinese delta technology becomes community-owned African solutions,” Dr. Kiyaramo added.
ABER’s Blue Council Africa will collaborate with the DeltasUnite Centre in Yenagoa to operationalize ABER’s twin pillars: To co-create with ECNU the first Africa-China Inventory of Underwater Minerals, Blue Carbon Stocks and Traditional Delta Knowledge; and to establish Delta Living Labs in Yenagoa and across Africa, where women own the cold chain and youth own the data under a 50/50 gender parity framework.
Governor Diri, who chaired the opening session, had declared: “I have approved the DeltasUnite Governance Secretariat in my state of Bayelsa. It will serve as our platform to bring communities, scientists, governments and indeed investors to identify priorities, share evidence, and shape practical, bankable responses… That conviction underpins my support for the proposed United Nations Convention on River Deltas.”
Dr. Kiyaramo echoed the Governor’s commitment to inclusive governance, noting that it aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), and with ABER’s core principle that those who live with the consequences must help design the solutions.
He also commended Mr. Freeman Oluowo, Coordinator of the African Centre for Climate Actions and Rural Development (ACCARD) and International Facilitator of DeltasUnite, for confirming that work on the UN Convention on River Deltas has reached the White Paper stage.
“Everyone sees Bayelsa’s land. Governor Diri sees its water. Everyone sees the Niger Delta’s oil. We see its blue future. Shanghai gave us the science. Yenagoa will now give the world the governance. This is why ABER is headquartered in Yenagoa. Bayelsa is ready to lead,” Dr. Kiyaramo concluded.
