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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 …
- AI in agriculture is being used to drive the sourcing of real-time data, perform predictive analysis, and run algorithms that optimize farming practices.
- In South Africa, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, ITIKI, an innovative project is tapping indigenous environmental knowledge among African communities, integrating it with AI to predict droughts with better precision.
- GSMA: AI in agriculture is poised to enable the deployment of innovative digital financial solutions such as credit and insurance products for millions of farmers.
In Africa, a continent of over 1.2 billion people, agriculture remains the primary economic activity, accounting for 17 percent of the GDP on average while offering jobs to nearly 60 percent of the population.
The bulk of the food produced in Africa or about 80 percent is, however, attributable to the effort of smallholder farms, where women provide much of the workforce. Unfortunately, these smallholder farmers continue to face multiple …
- d.light and impact investor African Frontier Capital have joined forces on new financing to support consumer loans for solar and high-efficiency appliances in East Africa.
- The US-headquartered firm will use the new financing to enhance its PayGo consumer finance offering.
- d.light seeks to make solar-powered products available to more low-income households and communities.
Off-grid solar provider d.light, has secured a new securitization funding worth $176 million from social impact-focused asset management company African Frontier Capital (AFC) to enhance access to green energy-powered applicances in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda markets.
The California-based company said it will use the new financing to enhance its PayGo consumer finance offering as the firm seeks to make solar-powered products available to more low-income households and communities in the target markets.
“This new facility is another landmark step in d.light’s mission to provide people with affordable energy that is also clean, safe and sustainable. It …
- The programme will be rolled out in Bahr el Ghazal in the north, Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria and Jonglei states, creating 179,200 new jobs.
- UN’s FAO and South Sudan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security have been picked as the implementers.
- The initiative will boost productivity by an additional 350,000 tonnes of rice and sorghum and 2,450 tonnes of fish.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $46.2 million grant for South Sudan’s agriculture sector. This grant is set to finance South Sudan’s Climate Resilient Agri-Food System Transformation Programme, which is set to run between September 2024 and December 2030.
Over these six years, the project aims to deploy climate-smart technologies and production systems on a large scale while also strengthening the priority value chains of businesses led by women and young people.
The project brief shows that the project seeks to promote digital agricultural and climate advisory solutions …
- Data firm Bboxx is scaling up clean cooking access in Rwanda in liaison with TotalEnergies following a successful pilot of Pay-As-You-Go LPG.
- This deal will see Bboxx provide its innovative technology and PAYGo finance model and TotalEnergies Marketing Rwanda LPG cylinders.
- The partnership is targeting one million people over the next 5 years.
Data-driven platform Bboxx has entered a new partnership that seeks to transform lives and unlock potential by connecting consumers has joined forces with TotalEnergies to scale access to clean cooking solutions, targeting one million people in Rwanda.
This partnership will see more Rwandans start accessing Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) clean cooking in and beyond Kigali City, Rwanda. While unveiling the plan, the companies said the latest move follows a successful pilot programme in 2023, and plans are underway to reach 1 million people over the next 5 years.
Bboxx, a firm that prides itself on accelerating the …
- Africa’s blue and green economy is projected to be the new avenue that will drive investments in Africa
- The continent, with its vast coastline and rich marine resources, is poised to harness the immense potential of Africa’s blue and green economy
- According to ADFDB, 80 per cent of global trade is maritime. Oceans also provide billions of people with food, medicine, renewable energy, and natural resources.
Three Kenyan startups are among ten selected across the continent to benefit from $550,000 (Sh70.7 million) in capital to grow their operations towards boosting Africa’s blue and green economy sectors.
Kenya produced the highest number of startups on the list (three), followed by Rwanda with two. South Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Tanzania each produced one enterprise.
From Kenya, Samaking, Plas Tech, and Ark will each receive $55,000 (Sh7.1 million) in funding to expand across Africa.
These ten ventures are part of the innovative, …
- Ashden says these trailblasers, armed with groundbreaking technologies and innovative solutions, stand at the forefront of the battle against global warming.
- Climate charity Ashden has called for financiers, investors, and policymakers worldwide to step up support for proven climate solutions that hold the keys to our sustainable future.
- The Ashden Awards recognise inclusive solutions that deliver a wide range of benefits, from new jobs to community resilience and lowering emissions.
In an era marked by increasing environmental crises and the relentless march of climate change, the call for innovation has never been more urgent. Climate charity Ashden has called for financiers, investors, and policymakers around the world to step up support for proven climate solutions that hold the keys to our sustainable future.
These trailblasers, armed with groundbreaking technologies and innovative solutions, stand at the forefront of the battle against global warming.
Speaking at the 2024 Ashden Awards ceremony, Ashden …
