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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 …
- Namibia’s 100MW Rosh Pinah Solar PV project is poised to accelerate the nation’s pace in achieving renewable energy goals.
- The project will be built by an alliance of China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation Co., Ltd. and China New Energy Development (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd.
- Namibia’s reliance on imported electricity has been a challenge to its energy independence.
The presence of Chinese contractors in Africa’s infrastructure journey continues to grow after Namibia on Monday entered into an agreement with contractors from China to develop the country’s largest solar plant.
For Namibia, the 100MW Rosh Pinah Solar PV project is poised to accelerate the nation’s pace in achieving renewable energy goals, while at the same time boosting the country’s energy generation capacity.
However, for analysts, the 18-month project is set to further project growing Chinese presence in the continent’s industrialization and renewable energy quest.
On Monday, Namibia’s state-owned power utility, NamPower, …
- The 300MW wind farm will be financed, built, and operated by AMEA Power under a 25-year power purchase agreement with Ethiopian Electric Power.
- Covering an area of 18,000 hectares, this project is expected to generate 1,400GWh of electricity.
- Dubai-based renewables developer AMEA Power has been involved in several notable projects across Africa.
Ethiopia is on a path to hosting the Horn of Africa’s largest wind farm. This comes after the country signed an agreement with Dubai-based renewables developer AMEA Power to construct the energy plant in Somali Province, situated to the East of the continent’s second most populous country.
At an estimated cost of $620 million, Aysha Wind Power Project will not only bolster Ethiopia’s energy capacity but also mark a giant step towards sustainable development in the Horn of Africa region.
The letter-of-award for this monumental project was signed by Ahmed Shide, Ethiopia’s Finance Minister, and AMEA Power’s representatives …
- As climate tech gains momentum globally, off-grid solar provider d.light projects that over 500,000 customers will benefit from its loyalty program by December 2024.
- Under the deal, customers who make regular payments on their PayGo products will redeemed for discounts on future purchases and power tokens.
- One of the most notable innovations in the climate tech sector is the pay-as-you-go (PayGo) model, where customers pay for products in installments.
In a first in Africa, d.light, a global provider of solar-powered household products and affordable finance for low-income households, has launched a new customer loyalty program, targeting approximately 500,000 clients across Africa.
The plan, dubbed “d.light Points Program”, targets customers in Kenya, but the firm says it will be extending the offering in its Uganda, Tanzania, and Nigeria markets later this year.
Donal Connolly, Director of Credit at d.light, said, “Our customers have had a tough time lately. Months of high …
- This funds will support an estimated 235,000 households in Malawi’s Lower Shire and Southern regions.
- The ongoing El Niño phenomenon in Malawi is one of the worst on record that has wreaked havoc on families.
- By September 2024, a total of $62M in disaster risk insurance payouts will go to countries affected by El Niño in Southern Africa.
In the face of a roiling climate crisis, drought-hit families in Malawi have received a lifeline in the form of a $11.2 million insurance payout. This critical support, facilitated by the African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group and the African Development Bank (AfDB), aims to help Malawi recover from the devastating effects of a severe drought brought on by the 2024 El Niño weather pattern.
The funds will help provide much-needed relief to hundreds of thousands of households across the Southern African country, highlighting the urgent need for proactive climate risk management strategies …
- Tanzania e-waste is growing rapidly and Dar es Salaam is quickly becoming a major informal recycling site.
- The country’s predicament is reflected across East Africa due to exponential uptake of digital products, creating a scenario akin to Agbogbloshie, the infamous 20-acres e-waste dump in Accra, Ghana.
- Often referred to as a “digital dumping ground,” Agbogbloshie receives discarded electronics from various countries, including the United States and Europe.
E-waste and scrap metal are notoriously polluting the environment around the world and the worst hit are third-world countries, and Africa is at the top of the list. Take for instance the infamous Agbogbloshie, a roughly 20-acre scrap yard in Accra the capital city of Ghana.
Over the last decade, Agbogbloshie has become the symbol of this growing crisis, that is, export, dumping and trading of electronic wastes. And while this humongous dump site may be the biggest but it is far …
- This year, Watu is set to introduce 10,000 electric motorbikes in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
- Watu has committed to enhancing its electric vehicle funding portfolio to 40 percent in three years and to finance the acquisition of 500,000 electric motorbikes by 2030.
- The firm has entered into a partnership with Uganda-based GOGO Electric, to power the design and development of Africa’s first fit-for-purpose electric boda bike.
As the global call for the protection of the environment grows louder, the need for individuals, companies, and governments to promote sustainable development such as the adoption of green mobility solutions is gathering pace.
In East Africa, a market of over 300 million people, extreme weather conditions partly worsened by global warming have seen the area swing between devastating drought and deadly floods.
Increasingly, however, investors are collaborating to change the tide. One of the pioneers seeking to play a critical role in checking …
