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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 …
- In 2024, startup funding in Africa has evolved with Climate tech, which covers various use cases, surging to account for 45% of funding, an all-time high.
- In the period under review, climate tech received $325 million.
- Despite the overall dip in total investments, climate tech’s share of funding has been steadily rising, reflecting its expanding importance in Africa’s startup scene.
In the face of increasing economic woes and adverse weather conditions, climate tech startups in Africa are defying the odds, instead, experiencing unprecedented levels of investment. This year, climate tech is emerging as a primary focus for investors, reflecting the urgent need for innovative solutions to address the continent’s climate-related issues.
The latest numbers show that climate tech startups garnered substantial attention in 2024, with funding reaching an all-time high of $325 million, which is 45 percent of the total startup financing announced in Africa this year.
“But what’s particularly …
- This climate finance deficit presents a pressing challenge to Africa, as it directly affects the continent’s capacity to address critical climate-related issues.
- African governments must adopt innovative financing opportunities that blend public and private partnerships.
- Leaders from Africa, the Republic of Korea, and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) have jointly called for more collaboration and cooperation to bridge the climate finance gap
Climate finance
The climate finance gap has been a persistent topic of climate change discussions for the longest time. Despite a financing need exceeding $3 trillion by 2030, the continent receives merely about a 10th of its climate finance need, representing less than 5.5 per cent of the total global climate finance. This gap is felt especially keenly in countries like Uganda, which, despite being one of the many African countries committed to Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), experiences a distinct lack of climate funding.
According to the …
- Bolt, TRÍ, and Watu have launched a pilot program in Tanzania to introduce electric Bajajis, aiming to enhance sustainable urban transportation and improve the economic well-being of drivers.
- This initiative reduces operational costs significantly, boosts driver earnings, and aligns with Tanzania’s green mobility efforts.
- The program includes comprehensive support and training for drivers, with plans for future expansion to foster broader adoption of eco-friendly vehicles.
In a move that is set to revolutionize Tanzania’s urban transportation, Bolt, TRÍ, and Watu Africa have joined forces to launch a pilot program featuring electric Bajajis. This collaboration not only promises to enhance sustainable mobility but also aims to improve the economic well-being of Tanzanian drivers.
As a leading ride-hailing platform, Bolt integrates electric Bajajis into its services, allowing drivers to seamlessly participate in this innovative program. This integration enhances operational efficiency and provides drivers with access to cost-effective vehicles, significantly increasing …
- World Environment Day 2024 marked under the theme “Our Land. Our Future. We are #GenerationRestoration,” highlights global efforts to restore degraded lands, combat desertification, and build drought resilience.
- Hosted by Saudi Arabia for the second time in over 50 years, the day amplified the Kingdom’s environmental goals, including the Saudi Green Initiative and Middle East Green Initiative, which seeks to plant 50 billion trees and achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030.
With a focus on restoring degraded lands, combatting desertification and building drought resilience, countries around the world came together today to mark World Environment Day 2024, under the rallying call ‘Our Land. Our Future. We are #Generation Restoration’.
On the biggest calendar moment for environmental action, the official celebrations hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia marked the second time in more than 50 years that World Environment Day has been hosted in the West Asia region. Faced with
- VFS Global Visa Processes saw a global substantial increase of 35 per cent
- The tourism sector saw a rebound in 2023, with global travel recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- VFS Global extended its strategic investments through signature programs in Indonesia, Thailand, and South Africa
VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions, achieved new sustainability targets according to its fifth edition of the Integrated Sustainability Report 2023.
Among key achievements in 2023 include a 35 per cent increase in the number of visa applications processed worldwide and other markets globally, as well as an expanded service portfolio by securing seven global contracts, including the UK Visa and Immigration, the Department of Home Affairs in Australia.
In 2023, global travel bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Middle East, EU region, and Africa emerging as the top performers, according to the UNWTO’s tourism …
- The World Bank has approved a $1.2 billion loan to support policy and institutional reforms to address structural constraints in Kenya’s public finances.
- On climate, the financing will support Kenya’s investments in green public transport systems.
- Kenya’s $1.2 billion DPO facility is funded through a combination of financial instruments
Kenya has received a loan of $1.2 billion ( about KES156 billion) from the World Bank to help the country address short-term fiscal pressures and accelerate green initiatives. The new $1.2 billion Kenya Fiscal Sustainability and Resilient Growth Development Policy Operation (DPO), is the first in a series of three.
According to the multilateral lender, it has been prepared under an improved macroeconomic environment following government action to address the challenges that had overshadowed the economy including tight liquidity pressures, depressed investor confidence and limited capital inflows that had resulted in a rapidly depreciating shilling.
A Development Policy Operation (DPO) is …
