Four universities in the Niger Delta region, have called for the formation, of a Pan-African Regional Network to profer solutions to the increasing prevailing challenges facing Niger Delta region in Africa and Nigeria in particular.
The Governing Board Chairman of the Group, Amb. Godknows B. Igali, made the call on Friday, at the 1st International Conference on Deltas and Rivers in Africa held in Port Harcourt.
Igali, the incumbent Permanent Secretary, federal Ministry of Power, said Deltans globally, are becoming increasingly vulnerable to flooding, climate change impact, environmental pollution and degradation because of intense socio-economic activities in the areas. According to him, the essence of the conference jointly organised by the University of Port Harcourt; Niger Delta University, Otueke and Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, was the launching of a new network known as “African Deltas and Rivers International Network,” (ADRINET) to declare a biennial conference on Delta and Rivers problems in Africa.
He said that, the idea of organising the conference was to contribute to the laudable international initiative  by the international scientific community recently declared by some notable intuitions globally.
He regretted that Deltas and Rivers region has been affected by a combined effects of several factors like low-lying coastal and river-side locations, continuous subsidence of most increasingly human population and their activities.
He attributed the high prevalence of poverty and hardship in the region to the increasing vulnerable and high population density in the region.
Igali also called for governments across all levels in the region to see the challenges in the Niger Delta as tasks that must be addressed. In his keynote address, Dr Bradform Brown described Niger Delta region as the most vulnerable to threats of the impacts of human activities, including flooding, climate change and environmental pollution.
According to him, the International Scientific Community recently declared a 10-year Global Deltas sustainability initiative to enhance coordinated and committed efforts at understanding Delta and improving sustainable management. He stressed the need for Nigerian government to have interest in the sustainability of Deltas, saying that the enormous economic, development and environmental challenges facing the Niger Delta region should be prioritised by responsive governments at any level.