August 29, 2023 • 11 mins
Chancellor May sits down with Mandela Washington Fellow Uyi Effiom in this episode of “Face to Face.” Uyi works for an environmental nonprofit in Nigeria and manages a unique project for repurposing fishing net waste. She is one of 25 fellows visiting UC Davis to learn about leadership in public management.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). The fellowship empowers young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa through academic coursework, leadership training and networking opportunities.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to “Face to Face,” a UC Davis podcast
featuring students, staff and faculty innovators.
I’m your host, Chancellor Gary May.
Stay tuned for my next guest.
Hello, my name is Uyi Effiom.
And I am a 2023 Mandela
(00:24):
Washington fellow here for an
exchange program in public
management at UC Davis.
I work with a team of young
volunteers at SOFER Initiative, an
environmental nonprofit in Nigeria.
And I teach young girls and women in
the coastal communities about
repurposing waste fishing nets
into fabrics to use to create items
for sale.
(00:44):
This approach helps in
self-empowerment and environmental
restoration.
As a lawyer, I’m passion-driven
to advocate against the use of ghost
gear and marine plastic pollution
in Africa, which I am doing
currently through the Fishing Net
Gains project.
I am delighted to be part of the 25
fellows sent to the prestigious
(01:04):
UC Davis, because of its commitment
to sustainability and environmental
stewardship and its consistent
recognition of academic excellence.
Welcome to “Face to Face.”
Thank you.
Thank you so much for being
here with us.
It’s always an honor every year for
us to host the Mandela Washington
(01:25):
fellows.
And it’s something I look forward
to each year. And it’s an honor for
you to be selected a fellow.
So congratulations.
... Thank you. ... We’re glad to
have you here at UC Davis.
What interested you about the
fellows program, and,
you know, what
do you hope to learn during your
summer here with us?
That’s an interesting question.
My interest, first of all, was the
(01:46):
fellowship’s emphasis
on leadership programs,
and it’s for young entrepreneurs,
young professionals.
So I looked at it.
I want to be a leader.
And I’m young.
And I’m a professional.
So, of course, I should go for it.
That’s what really interested me.
And then what I hope to gain is
(02:06):
the fact that I would
harness the skills, go back into
my own sphere, and then employ
the skills in doing what I need to
do. Just because the first — the
most — thing I need to do is
to make everyone have a positive
attitude towards the environment.
Well, you are indeed a young,
professional leader, and I think,
hopefully, you will be able to take
what you’ve learned here back to
(02:27):
Nigeria and be having more
impact than you’ve had so far.
Tell us about the waste-to-wealth
creation activity that you’re
involved in. What does that involve,
and how has it
been a successful strategy
for environmental restoration in
Nigeria?
Waste-to-wealth creation is an
offshoot in the Fishing Net Gains
project of
(02:49):
SOFER Initiative. So now what I do
is I get
the waste nets —
the abandoned, lost or discarded
fishing nets from the reef, from the
ocean, that is recovered through
maybe local divers or international
divers — come down and then
process it.
And then I teach the young girls and
women in the coastal community, the
(03:09):
people maybe into fisheries
management or
just petty traders.
I try to make sure I get the women
involved, the young girls involved.
I teach them on how to repurpose it.
What we do is with a loom
machine — I get a component
of what I can add to make it a
fabric, which I call fishing gear
fabric.
I use the fabric to teach them on
(03:31):
how to make shoes, bags,
clothes, furniture.
That is to, first of all, give
them — to empower them and
also give them an awareness of
environmental conservation.
That’s really innovative. ...
Thank you. ...
When you go in and you teach people
how to make those conversions, how
does that change their attitudes
toward the environment and
stewardship of the environment?
OK, great.
(03:52):
Now, the first thing I do
is to actually give you an
educational background
and then create this awareness
sense that what you are doing
is not just empowering yourself,
it’s actually, you’re conserving the
environment.
Because all of this debris —
marine debris, fishing gear,
which is what I termed ghost gear —
(04:13):
is the No.
1 contribution of marine debris.
So taking it out of the water so
that it doesn’t entangle marine
life, you should be
proud of it. It’s a good thing!
You should be able to be proud of
yourself, if you are repurposing
instead of burning it, which is
going to cause greenhouse emission.
So instead of burning it, we
repurpose it.
So that for me, it’s a great fit.
(04:33):
So they have some buy-in, and they
start seeing themselves as part of
the solution to the environmental
issues we face. Yeah, that’s great.
... Thank you. ... Now, you already
are an attorney.
You have a law degree, ... Yeah. ...
but you’re pursuing a master’s in
environmental
... and natural resources law.
Yes. ... OK.
So are there specific policies
around environment and climate
change that you’d like to see
(04:54):
implemented or changed in the
short-term or long-term?
Great. Yes.
In my country? In
2021,
I think that was the ban of
plastic bags.
And I see that to date, it’s not
been implemented.
So I feel like having a master’s
in that and, you know, pursuing it
and making a career is going to help
(05:15):
me, you know, get a study on why
these things are not done.
Why are we neglecting
— why are we neglecting to
conserve the environment?
So I’ve actually
applied.
But then when I came to UC Davis, I
was like, wow, you guys are really
conservative.
I see a lot of — I read something
about car recycle, and then I
(05:36):
noticed that UC Davis is great on
recycle.
And I think I want to make a change.
Well, that’s the reason you’re here,
right. ... Yeah. I want to make achange.
... Not only you’re going to get
that master’s degree, but you’re
going to take some of what you learn
here at UC Davis and
have a positive impact at
home. Now, what do you expect
to do with all this that you’re
learning, say, five years from now,
(05:57):
10 years from now?
What would you consider success?
Great. So,
this Mandela Washington Fellowship
is actually to hone leadership
skills.
So, of course, I’m going to be a
global leader.
So as a global leader, you
need to have a voice.
And what is my voice?
My voice is to amplify
(06:18):
the fact that we need to create
awareness for environmental change.
This climate action
is a step.
I want to keep doing — I want to
keep making people understand that
the Earth is one. We have just one.
We don’t have a lot.
We have lots of humans but just one
Earth. So what are we
doing to make the Earth a better
place? What are we doing to make
(06:39):
water, which connects all the
continents together, to be cleaner
for both the marine environment and
for us.
So that is going to be my cause.
That’s inspiring, and that’s really
important. And it’s going to take
more than five or 10 years, but I’m
sure you’re going to continue to be
a champion for it.
And one thing we do here
in “Face to Face” is we have a
little feature that we call the “Hot
(06:59):
Seat.” And
what we do is ask you some
rapid-fire questions.
... OK. ... And we’re looking for
one-word, one-sentence, quick
answer.
So are you up for that?
... Great. ...
OK, let’s try.
I heard you’re an experienced chef.
What is your signature dish?
(07:19):
Ekpang nkukwo.
Oh, wow.
Can you pronounce that?
I cannot, but I’d like to taste
some.
It’s a traditional dish in my place.
Ekpang nkukwo.
I have heard of it, but I have never
had any. I’d like to have some.
... Great. ... So, what food have
you enjoyed most since you’ve been
here in California?
It’s a Mexican dish.
I can’t get the name now, but it’s a
Mexican dish. ...
OK. What’s in it? ... Jennie
gave it to us yesterday.
(07:41):
I ate it yesterday.
It had rice.
It had beans. It had lentils
or something. ... OK.
All right.
What’s the favorite place you’ve
visited since you’ve been here?
The state Capitol building.
I got to meet with Steven Bradford,
Shirley Weber.
Oh, I was excited.
Wow. That’s an impressive cast.
And it is a really important
(08:01):
and exciting place to visit,
so ... Yeah.
... Is there someone who inspires
you in design
or fashion?
OK, that’s really tricky,
design or fashion —
I cannot get anyone, because I’m not
really the design person.
... OK. ... But I know that
(08:22):
I have a colleague of mine.
Her name is Faith, and I like the
way she dresses. ... OK. ...
... Yeah. ...
Good enough.
This is my favorite question
I ask every guest.
So what song or artist is
at the top of your playlist right
now?
Davito.
... OK. ... Davito! ...
Davito. I like it. I like it.
All right.
(08:42):
Now, I like to give the guest a
chance. It’s your turn.
If you want to ask me anything, you
can right now.
OK. In what
way does UC Davis aim to integrate
climate change actions, especially
in transportation, waste management
and the utility aspects?
You know, we’re actually very proud
of our efforts to address climate
change at UC Davis.
For about seven years in a row,
(09:04):
we have been No.
1 in the U.S.
with respect to sustainability on
the UI GreenMetric rankings and
currently No. 5 in the world.
So we’ve been at this for a while
and having some impact.
One of the things I’m especially
proud of, even as we speak,
we have developed a preliminary
plan for a
fossil fuel-free campus.
And it’s actually online right now
(09:25):
for public comment.
It’s going to take some time.
It’s going to take, you know,
probably 2040 or longer.
And it’s going to cost some
resources. But that is our goal.
We’re going to look toward that
goal. So that’s
what we’re working on. One sort of
major project that’s taking place
as a part of that is what we call
the Big Shift, where we’re
converting from steam
(09:46):
to
water — hot water as a way to
heat our buildings.
And what that does is allow us to
convert — go from
using fossil fuels to heat the steam
to electric means,
emissions-free means to make the
water hot.
So that’s a big project, too.
It’s costing tens of millions of
dollars, but we think it’s well
(10:07):
worth it.
Wow, that’s a great stride.
... Yeah.
It’s just a piece of a large puzzle.
That’s nice.
That’s nice.
Any other questions?
What role does UC Davis play in
policy in the
regional, national
or international sphere?
You know, we’re proud of our record
there as well. We were one of the
(10:27):
early champions — one of our
professors was one of the early
champions of the plug-in hybrid
vehicle.
And that professor’s research has
been used statewide
and nationwide.
And we have an Institute
of Transportation Studies here at
Davis that is involved both in
research and the policy aspects
of getting to an emissions-free
transportation system, mostly around
(10:48):
electric vehicles but also including
hydrogen-
and fuel cell-powered vehicles
— or at least complementary vehicles
— as part of the strategy.
So, you know, we’re trying
an all-hands-on-deck approach
to this problem, and we think
we’re making a contribution at
Davis.
It is noticed.
I noticed. ...
(11:08):
Yeah. ... That’s great. ...
I appreciate it.
Uyi, it’s been really a pleasure to
have you on “Face to Face.” You’ve
been delightful.
We are really happy to have you and
the other fellows here with us on
our campus this summer.
And we hope to learn from you as you
learn from us and that we can
continue to be connected as
we go forward.
And thanks to you, everyone,
(11:28):
out there for watching.
We’ll see you next time on “Face to
Face.” Go Ags.
Thanks to everyone for listening.
Tune in next time on “Face to Face.”Go, Ags!
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to “Face to Face,” a UC Davis podcast
featuring students, staff and faculty innovators.
I’m your host, Chancellor Gary May.
Stay tuned for my next guest.
Hello, my name is Uyi Effiom.
And I am a 2023 Mandela
(00:24):
Washington fellow here for an
exchange program in public
management at UC Davis.
I work with a team of young
volunteers at SOFER Initiative, an
environmental nonprofit in Nigeria.
And I teach young girls and women in
the coastal communities about
repurposing waste fishing nets
into fabrics to use to create items
for sale.
(00:44):
This approach helps in
self-empowerment and environmental
restoration.
As a lawyer, I’m passion-driven
to advocate against the use of ghost
gear and marine plastic pollution
in Africa, which I am doing
currently through the Fishing Net
Gains project.
I am delighted to be part of the 25
fellows sent to the prestigious
(01:04):
UC Davis, because of its commitment
to sustainability and environmental
stewardship and its consistent
recognition of academic excellence.
Welcome to “Face to Face.”
Thank you.
Thank you so much for being
here with us.
It’s always an honor every year for
us to host the Mandela Washington
(01:25):
fellows.
And it’s something I look forward
to each year. And it’s an honor for
you to be selected a fellow.
So congratulations.
... Thank you. ... We’re glad to
have you here at UC Davis.
What interested you about the
fellows program, and,
you know, what
do you hope to learn during your
summer here with us?
That’s an interesting question.
My interest, first of all, was the
(01:46):
fellowship’s emphasis
on leadership programs,
and it’s for young entrepreneurs,
young professionals.
So I looked at it.
I want to be a leader.
And I’m young.
And I’m a professional.
So, of course, I should go for it.
That’s what really interested me.
And then what I hope to gain is
(02:06):
the fact that I would
harness the skills, go back into
my own sphere, and then employ
the skills in doing what I need to
do. Just because the first — the
most — thing I need to do is
to make everyone have a positive
attitude towards the environment.
Well, you are indeed a young,
professional leader, and I think,
hopefully, you will be able to take
what you’ve learned here back to
(02:27):
Nigeria and be having more
impact than you’ve had so far.
Tell us about the waste-to-wealth
creation activity that you’re
involved in. What does that involve,
and how has it
been a successful strategy
for environmental restoration in
Nigeria?
Waste-to-wealth creation is an
offshoot in the Fishing Net Gains
project of
(02:49):
SOFER Initiative. So now what I do
is I get
the waste nets —
the abandoned, lost or discarded
fishing nets from the reef, from the
ocean, that is recovered through
maybe local divers or international
divers — come down and then
process it.
And then I teach the young girls and
women in the coastal community, the
(03:09):
people maybe into fisheries
management or
just petty traders.
I try to make sure I get the women
involved, the young girls involved.
I teach them on how to repurpose it.
What we do is with a loom
machine — I get a component
of what I can add to make it a
fabric, which I call fishing gear
fabric.
I use the fabric to teach them on
(03:31):
how to make shoes, bags,
clothes, furniture.
That is to, first of all, give
them — to empower them and
also give them an awareness of
environmental conservation.
That’s really innovative. ...
Thank you. ...
When you go in and you teach people
how to make those conversions, how
does that change their attitudes
toward the environment and
stewardship of the environment?
OK, great.
(03:52):
Now, the first thing I do
is to actually give you an
educational background
and then create this awareness
sense that what you are doing
is not just empowering yourself,
it’s actually, you’re conserving the
environment.
Because all of this debris —
marine debris, fishing gear,
which is what I termed ghost gear —
(04:13):
is the No.
1 contribution of marine debris.
So taking it out of the water so
that it doesn’t entangle marine
life, you should be
proud of it. It’s a good thing!
You should be able to be proud of
yourself, if you are repurposing
instead of burning it, which is
going to cause greenhouse emission.
So instead of burning it, we
repurpose it.
So that for me, it’s a great fit.
(04:33):
So they have some buy-in, and they
start seeing themselves as part of
the solution to the environmental
issues we face. Yeah, that’s great.
... Thank you. ... Now, you already
are an attorney.
You have a law degree, ... Yeah. ...
but you’re pursuing a master’s in
environmental
... and natural resources law.
Yes. ... OK.
So are there specific policies
around environment and climate
change that you’d like to see
(04:54):
implemented or changed in the
short-term or long-term?
Great. Yes.
In my country? In
2021,
I think that was the ban of
plastic bags.
And I see that to date, it’s not
been implemented.
So I feel like having a master’s
in that and, you know, pursuing it
and making a career is going to help
(05:15):
me, you know, get a study on why
these things are not done.
Why are we neglecting
— why are we neglecting to
conserve the environment?
So I’ve actually
applied.
But then when I came to UC Davis, I
was like, wow, you guys are really
conservative.
I see a lot of — I read something
about car recycle, and then I
(05:36):
noticed that UC Davis is great on
recycle.
And I think I want to make a change.
Well, that’s the reason you’re here,
right. ... Yeah. I want to make achange.
... Not only you’re going to get
that master’s degree, but you’re
going to take some of what you learn
here at UC Davis and
have a positive impact at
home. Now, what do you expect
to do with all this that you’re
learning, say, five years from now,
(05:57):
10 years from now?
What would you consider success?
Great. So,
this Mandela Washington Fellowship
is actually to hone leadership
skills.
So, of course, I’m going to be a
global leader.
So as a global leader, you
need to have a voice.
And what is my voice?
My voice is to amplify
(06:18):
the fact that we need to create
awareness for environmental change.
This climate action
is a step.
I want to keep doing — I want to
keep making people understand that
the Earth is one. We have just one.
We don’t have a lot.
We have lots of humans but just one
Earth. So what are we
doing to make the Earth a better
place? What are we doing to make
(06:39):
water, which connects all the
continents together, to be cleaner
for both the marine environment and
for us.
So that is going to be my cause.
That’s inspiring, and that’s really
important. And it’s going to take
more than five or 10 years, but I’m
sure you’re going to continue to be
a champion for it.
And one thing we do here
in “Face to Face” is we have a
little feature that we call the “Hot
(06:59):
Seat.” And
what we do is ask you some
rapid-fire questions.
... OK. ... And we’re looking for
one-word, one-sentence, quick
answer.
So are you up for that?
... Great. ...
OK, let’s try.
I heard you’re an experienced chef.
What is your signature dish?
(07:19):
Ekpang nkukwo.
Oh, wow.
Can you pronounce that?
I cannot, but I’d like to taste
some.
It’s a traditional dish in my place.
Ekpang nkukwo.
I have heard of it, but I have never
had any. I’d like to have some.
... Great. ... So, what food have
you enjoyed most since you’ve been
here in California?
It’s a Mexican dish.
I can’t get the name now, but it’s a
Mexican dish. ...
OK. What’s in it? ... Jennie
gave it to us yesterday.
(07:41):
I ate it yesterday.
It had rice.
It had beans. It had lentils
or something. ... OK.
All right.
What’s the favorite place you’ve
visited since you’ve been here?
The state Capitol building.
I got to meet with Steven Bradford,
Shirley Weber.
Oh, I was excited.
Wow. That’s an impressive cast.
And it is a really important
(08:01):
and exciting place to visit,
so ... Yeah.
... Is there someone who inspires
you in design
or fashion?
OK, that’s really tricky,
design or fashion —
I cannot get anyone, because I’m not
really the design person.
... OK. ... But I know that
(08:22):
I have a colleague of mine.
Her name is Faith, and I like the
way she dresses. ... OK. ...
... Yeah. ...
Good enough.
This is my favorite question
I ask every guest.
So what song or artist is
at the top of your playlist right
now?
Davito.
... OK. ... Davito! ...
Davito. I like it. I like it.
All right.
(08:42):
Now, I like to give the guest a
chance. It’s your turn.
If you want to ask me anything, you
can right now.
OK. In what
way does UC Davis aim to integrate
climate change actions, especially
in transportation, waste management
and the utility aspects?
You know, we’re actually very proud
of our efforts to address climate
change at UC Davis.
For about seven years in a row,
(09:04):
we have been No.
1 in the U.S.
with respect to sustainability on
the UI GreenMetric rankings and
currently No. 5 in the world.
So we’ve been at this for a while
and having some impact.
One of the things I’m especially
proud of, even as we speak,
we have developed a preliminary
plan for a
fossil fuel-free campus.
And it’s actually online right now
(09:25):
for public comment.
It’s going to take some time.
It’s going to take, you know,
probably 2040 or longer.
And it’s going to cost some
resources. But that is our goal.
We’re going to look toward that
goal. So that’s
what we’re working on. One sort of
major project that’s taking place
as a part of that is what we call
the Big Shift, where we’re
converting from steam
(09:46):
to
water — hot water as a way to
heat our buildings.
And what that does is allow us to
convert — go from
using fossil fuels to heat the steam
to electric means,
emissions-free means to make the
water hot.
So that’s a big project, too.
It’s costing tens of millions of
dollars, but we think it’s well
(10:07):
worth it.
Wow, that’s a great stride.
... Yeah.
It’s just a piece of a large puzzle.
That’s nice.
That’s nice.
Any other questions?
What role does UC Davis play in
policy in the
regional, national
or international sphere?
You know, we’re proud of our record
there as well. We were one of the
(10:27):
early champions — one of our
professors was one of the early
champions of the plug-in hybrid
vehicle.
And that professor’s research has
been used statewide
and nationwide.
And we have an Institute
of Transportation Studies here at
Davis that is involved both in
research and the policy aspects
of getting to an emissions-free
transportation system, mostly around
(10:48):
electric vehicles but also including
hydrogen-
and fuel cell-powered vehicles
— or at least complementary vehicles
— as part of the strategy.
So, you know, we’re trying
an all-hands-on-deck approach
to this problem, and we think
we’re making a contribution at
Davis.
It is noticed.
I noticed. ...
(11:08):
Yeah. ... That’s great. ...
I appreciate it.
Uyi, it’s been really a pleasure to
have you on “Face to Face.” You’ve
been delightful.
We are really happy to have you and
the other fellows here with us on
our campus this summer.
And we hope to learn from you as you
learn from us and that we can
continue to be connected as
we go forward.
And thanks to you, everyone,
(11:28):
out there for watching.
We’ll see you next time on “Face to
Face.” Go Ags.
Thanks to everyone for listening.
Tune in next time on “Face to Face.”Go, Ags!
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