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Sustainability
- Food security, livelihoods, and economies are threatened as extreme weather conditions hit Africa hard.
- Citizens are now calling for bold action from their governments and the global community to combat this worsening crisis.
- Over 82% of Africans advocate for measures to protect communities against extreme floods, droughts, and environmental degradation.
As climate change tightens its grip, the African continent is bearing the brunt of extreme weather conditions that have profoundly impacted food security, livelihoods, and economies.
A recent Afrobarometer survey paints a stark picture of the hard reality for millions of Africans: worsening droughts and crop failures are threatening their very survival. Citizens are now calling for bold action from their governments and the international community to combat this worsening crisis.
A decade of declining agricultural yields
Over the past decade, the majority of Africans report an alarming increase in the severity of droughts and crop failures. According to Afrobarometer…
- Organic farming offers an alternative that leverages locally available farm inputs to drive crop yields.
- By using compost, mulching, and integrated pest control, smallholders in Zimbabwe are cutting costs and overreliance on external inputs.
- Smallholder farmers are gaining valuable skills in organic practices through partnerships with entities such as the Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre.
In recent years, Zimbabwe has experienced a steady rise in organic agriculture as a sustainable alternative to conventional farming. Facing food security challenges exacerbated by climate change, erratic weather patterns, and limited access to fertilizers, Zimbabwean farmers have turned to organic methods as a solution.
Organic agriculture, which eschews synthetic chemicals in favour of natural farm inputs, is not only helping address food shortages but is also empowering smallholder farmers with resilient and ecologically sound farming practices.
The rise of organic agriculture in Zimbabwe
Organic farming in Zimbabwe is not merely a trend but a necessity born …
- Green building in Uganda is gaining traction with several standout projects showcasing sustainable design and construction.
- Uganda’s green building strategies are rooted in a few key principles, key among them, energy efficiency, biodiversity preservation and use of sustainable materials.
- Projections by the IFC show that investment in green buildings in emerging market cities will hit $24 trillion over the next 10 years.
Uganda is making a stab at establishing itself as a leader in green urbanization in East Africa, leveraging policies such as the Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy (UGGDS). This development blueprint aims to integrate key aspects of sustainability into urban planning through eco-friendly infrastructure, green energy, and resource efficiency.
Kampala, the capital city, is increasingly welcoming green projects with authorities embracing strategies that seek to minimize environmental impact while fostering urban resilience in the face of adverse effects of climate change.
Landmark green building projects
Green building in …
- Scheduled for 24th to 25th October in South Africa, the Sustainability Week Africa forum will explore the challenges and solutions being deployed across industries to tackle climate change.
- Keynote speakers will share innovative ideas on how businesses can support the continent in adopting sustainable practices faster in the face of climate change.
- The first edition of Sustainability Week Africa comes at a time when governments and businesses across Africa are grappling with the negative impacts of extreme weather events.
This week, policymakers will be closely following the proceedings at the Economist Impact’s Sustainability Week Africa, where keynote speakers will be sharing innovative ideas on how businesses can support the continent in adopting sustainable practices faster in the face of climate change.
The forum, which is scheduled for 24th to 25th October in South Africa, aims at amplifying challenges and the latest solutions being deployed across industries including agriculture, housing, …
- Multi-agency report highlights challenges and opportunities.
- Summit of the Future decisions: a choice between breakthrough or breakdown.
- Increasing climate change impacts reverse development gains.
The science is clear. We are far off track from achieving vital climate goals. The impacts of climate change and hazardous weather are reversing development gains and threatening the well-being of people and the planet, according to a new multi-agency report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Greenhouse gas concentrations are at record levels, fuelling temperature increase into the future. The emissions gap between aspiration and reality remains high. Under current policies, there is a two thirds likelihood of global warming of 3 °C this century, says the United in Science report.
United in Science offers much-needed grounds for hope. It explores how advances in natural and social sciences, new technologies and innovation enhance our understanding of the Earth system and could be game changers
… 
- Africa is still in the early stages of the energy transition, and this includes the economic, financial, and societal aspects.
- Across economies, many of the technologies to produce low-emissions steel are relatively nascent, with issues to solve.
- Increasingly, policymakers are realizing that making energy transition from fossils to clean energy is costly.
Net-zero, an energy transition from traditional sources of fuel that pollute the environment to green energy and renewable sources, is the new global call for companies and organizations.
So far, there has been tremendous momentum, especially in the adoption of wind and solar power, electric cars, heat pumps. Climate finance has started to flow, albeit slowly to the Global South, and many companies have made considerable commitments.
“But right now, the world at large is only at about 10 per cent of the deployment of physical assets, that is, the technologies and infrastructure that we will need to …
- With the risk of up to 118 million people being exposed to extreme weather by 2030, Africa is in a race against time to adapt fast.
- African countries are already losing between 2% to 5% of their GDP annually due to climate-related hazards, such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves.
- The cost of adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa alone is estimated at $30Bn to $50Bn annually over the next decade, representing 2% to 3% of regional GDP.
Africa, a continent rich in biodiversity and natural resources, faces some of the most severe impacts of extreme weather, making climate adaptation very critical. The increasing frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters such as droughts, floods, heatwaves, and cyclones are wreaking havoc on African economies and societies.
The State of the Climate in Africa 2023 Report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), highlights that climate extremes disproportionately affect African nations. Increasingly, …
- IFC is disbursing a $108 million loan to fertilizer maker OCP Group aimed at funding a 219Km long water distribution project in Morocco.
- This financing will help sustain OCP Group’s phosphate plant and provide water to farmers, households, and businesses in the country.
- The new pipeline is expected to be powered entirely by renewable energy by 2030.
A new initiative seeks to lessen the biting water crisis in Morocco while at the same time enhancing plans to tackle food insecurity in Africa. The World Bank’s private lending arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) is disbursing $108 million loan to the OCP Group to transform water management in Morocco and enhance food security projects in the country.
The OCP Group is a pioneer in plant nutrition and the production and usage of phosphate-based fertilizers.
According to an update from the IFC, the partnership will seek to address two of the most …
- Dutch climate action organization DGB Group aims to restore 12,000 hectares of native forests in Ethiopia’s mountainous region.
- DGB’s iconic bamboo project has been added to the prestigious Verra Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) registry.
- This move ensures that the project not only restores lost ecosystems but also generates measurable, verifiable carbon credits, which are vital element on carbon finance.
Ethiopia, known for its stunning landscapes and rich cultural history, is now setting the stage for a new chapter in sustainability, and a chance to tap billions in climate finance. An ongoing reforestation initiative, spearheaded by Dutch climate action organization, DGB Group, is poised to transform the country’s environmental and economic future.
By restoring vast tracts of native forest, Ethiopia is taking giant strides towards securing its place in the global carbon finance market—a move that could unlock billions in climate finance.
Ethiopia’s ambitious carbon project
In a historic move, Ethiopia’s …
