Climate
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Preparations for COP27 begin in Bonn, Germany
By Baboloki Semele This year’s Bonn Annual UN Climate Change Conference kicked off yesterday, It is designed to lay the groundwork for success at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Governments are meeting for the first time since the conclusion of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow last November, at which the operational details…
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Widower ‘greens’ Shurugwi, the Great Dyke
By Wellington Zimbowa Famously renowned as the mineral hub of Zimbabwe, Shurugwi ‘s landscape and picturesque surroundings can be a sore sight due to environmental degradation owing to rife mineral activities which in some cases go unchecked. But it is in this southern part of Zimbabwe, Midlands province where Honde Valley prodigy Mrs. Rujeko Emily…
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World Environment Day: Heal the Planet
By Dr. Richard Munang Today is #WorldEnvironmentDay “For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”. The science is clear. Time is running out. We must go from harming our planet to healing it. We need to rethink the way we live & the way we consume. There is #OnlyOneEarth. We have to…
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Maunganidze Irrigation Scheme demonstrates benefits of multi-stakeholder collaboration
Mr. Edward Kallon, the United Nations Zimbabwe Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator has said multi-stakeholder collaboration as demonstrated at Maunganidze Irrigation Scheme is a key ingredient for sustainable development. “I am pleased to see improved livelihoods and the work of UN agencies uniting together to bring positive results as evidenced by the works of UNOPS, FAO,…
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Government, UN partnership helping Manicaland recover from Cyclone Idai impacts
Hon Nokuthula Matsikenyeri, the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Manicaland Province has hailed the partnership between the Government and the United Nations for helping Chimanimani and Chipinge districts to recover from the impact of Cyclone Idai. She made the remarks today at the UN Media Workshop on Development Reporting at the…
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Media urged to articulate interesting climate stories
By Lovemore Chazingwa Climate stories hitting newsrooms are usually minimal and at the same time boring to audiences, a leading editor has noted. Zimpapers flagship publication, The Herald, Night Editor Isdore Guvamombe made the remarks in outlining his expectations at the ongoing media workshop on Progress In Phasing Out Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), in Kadoma…
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WTO In Talks With Member Countries To Prevent Food Crisis: Okonjo-Iweala
The World Trade Organisation has said that it is finding ways to prevent member countries from hoarding their food and avert a global food crisis. The WTO Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, said the over three-month Russia-Ukraine crisis is posing a huge threat to global grain supplies. She also admitted that the fertilizer industry was hit…
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United Nations Zimbabwe empowers editors, senior journalists on development reporting
In pursuit of empowering communicators on sustainable development, the United Nations in Zimbabwe is undertaking a week-long workshop on development reporting as well as embarking on field visits in Manicaland. Bringing together some 30 editors, sub-editors and senior reporters, and United Nations (UN) officials, the high-powered seminar will be followed by subsequent field visits to…
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Food security under severe threat in Buhera
By Marlvin Ngiza Residents in Buhera are faced with food insecurity due to price hikes, adverse climatic conditions, and poor road networks. In a statement released to mark Africa Day yesterday, Buhera Residents Network Trust coordinator Leonard Mabasa said current price hikes of basic commodities have seen residents failing to have nutritional meals. A bucket…
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Smart agriculture: NetOne offers Hurudza/Umlimi Omkhulu (rima pakuru) platform
State-owned mobile telecommunications service provider NetOne’s mandate and thrust is to provide digital solutions. As such, it has introduced an exciting and relevant innovation, Hurudza/Umlimi Omkhulu a new agricultural platform for farmers that allows them to subscribe and get access to diverse information in the farming ecosystem. The Hurudza/Umlimi Omkhulu platform is here to address…
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Seke-based champion farmer Tatenda Mhishi determined to scale greater heights
By Staff Writer For 32-year-old Seke rural district widow Tatenda Mishi, winning the champion farmer award for the year 2022 over the weekend was a dream come true. She believes it was criticism from people in the neighborhoods at the beginning of her farming journey which pushed her to work hard and reap the fruits.…
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Distributed Power Africa and EDF extend partnership to South Africa
Distributed Power Africa (DPA), a business of Cassava Technologies, and Électricité de France (EDF), a world-leading electricity company, entered into a partnership to develop hybrid energy solutions for businesses in South Africa. Through a 50% shareholding in DPA operations in South Africa, EDF will fuel the development of distributed energy solutions, starting with a pipeline…
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AFC-funded Mafuro Dairy Farming Project impressive
By Wellington Zimbowa Game changer milk producer, Mafuro Farming is basking in its pasture-based dairy farming model and is geared to enter its next growth phase mid this year. Only started in 2018 through financial support from government-controlled Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC) formerly Agribank, the farm only milked 75 cows at the leased Marondera-based Grasslands…
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ICIEC to lead discussion on Climate Action and Digital Transformation
The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) (https://ICIEC.IsDB.org) is convening two special parallel events on June 2 and 3, at the IsDB Group’s Private Sector Forum, which will run at the IsDB’s 47th Annual Meetings in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The two discussions with senior speakers will dive deep into climate…
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AfDB Board approves $1.5 billion facility to avert food crisis
The African Development Bank Group’s (www.AfDB.org) Board of Directors on Friday approved a $1.5 billion facility to help African countries avert a looming food crisis. With the disruption of food supplies arising from the Russia-Ukraine war, Africa now faces a shortage of at least 30 million metric tons of food, especially wheat, maize, and soybeans…
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Put children at the centre of development
Attendees arrived early at the Durban ICC to start preparing for the enlightening day ahead. The day included nine side events and four thematic panels. Sessions covered a variety of topics from education, climate change and skills development all in support of the elimination of child labour. A key element to the elimination of Child…
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Afreximbank, APPO Launch African Energy Bank in Angola
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), who have had a long, mutually beneficial relationship, have signed an agreement for the joint establishment of an African Energy Bank (www.EnergyChamber.org) at the 8th African Petroleum Congress and Exhibition (CAPE VIII) in Luanda, Angola. All parties involved in the signing – Rene Awambeng,…
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President Kenyatta appointed Global Champion for the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program
Global Center on Adaptation Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Patrick Verkooijen welcomed President Uhuru Kenyatta as the Global Champion for the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) at the high-level bilateral meeting hosted by the President at State House in Nairobi on Monday, May 16. In this role, President Kenyatta will carry forward his bold leadership on…
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Senegal Leading Africa’s Path to a Resilient Recovery
Senegal is on the front lines of the global climate challenge and will play a critical role in leading Africa’s response, Patrick Verkooijen – CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation said in closing remarks in Dakar, after meeting President Macky Sall on Friday. Cutting climate finance risks stoking even bigger conflicts down the…
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Zimbabwe supports land degradation neutrality
Zimbabwe has pledged its support of land degradation neutrality at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of Parties (COP) 15 taking place in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Addressing delegates at the conference on 11 May 2022, the Chief Director for Environment, Climate and Meteorological Services in the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality…
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EU to mobilise Sh400 billion to support Kenya’s green transition
Europe Day marked the origin of the European Union as a project for peace in Europe. The EU aims to contribute to peace and security and to the sustainable development of the Earth (Article 2 of the EU Lisbon Treaty.) The achievements of the EU in this area, we are convinced, won the EU the…
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Africa50, partners use green bond issue to complete six solar plants in Egypt
The transaction is the first-ever green bond issued for non-recourse infrastructure financing in Africa. The refinancing will provide increased leverage, extended tenor, and reduced interest costs, and will create value for the shareholders as well as for EETC. Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investment platform and its partners, announced the refinancing of the non-recourse project debt…
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A clean future for Africa’s energy
Endowed with substantial renewable energy resources, Africa can adopt innovative, sustainable technologies and play a leading role in global action to shape a sustainable energy future Africa’s rapid economic expansion creates a daunting energy challenge, combined with rising expectations of improved resilience and sustainability. Finding a sustainable way to meet growing energy needs is one…
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Electric vehicles have a dark side too: Blood batteries and child labour
By Binit Das The Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country that is among the poorest on the planet, is paying a heavy price for the global green energy revolution Climate action is the new buzzword and why shouldn’t it be? One world is all we have and our world is at risk. Countries, corporations and…
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Town status seeking Chinhoyi council polluting water body
By Elvis Dumba Chinhoyi – The Municipality of Chinhoyi which is aiming to be accorded city status is being accused of polluting Manyame River, a tributary of the mighty Zambezi River, in a move seen by analysts as dealing itself a major blow in its quest to be elevated. The Mashonaland West Provincial Town is…
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AfDB set to launch €4 million Africa Circular Economy Facility
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has approved the establishment of a €4 million Africa Circular Economy Facility to drive integration of the circular economy into African efforts to achieve nationally defined contribution (NDC) targets. The Facility (https://bit.ly/3voaQVl), a multi-donor trust fund, will operate over a period of 5-years and will receive…
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Collaborative management crucial for preserving cross-border conservation areas: GLTFCA
On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA), the Ministers of Environment for South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe met on 13 April 2022 to discuss various issues related to the collaborative management of this important cross-border conservation area. The meeting was held virtually and attended by Honourable…
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Addressing hunger: African countries meet at UN forum on food and agriculture
On Equatorial Guinea’s capital island of Malabo, agriculture ministers from across Africa are meeting this week to discuss solutions to the growing hunger crisis, at a conference convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The 32nd Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa (ARC32) opened with a call from the FAO Assistant…
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How leveraging technology can help African farmers weather climate change
Case studies across Africa demonstrate the positive impact that access to even the most basic mobile technology can offer smallholder farmers. This underscores the importance of driving inclusive access to digital technology, especially mobile-based, to help the continent’s farmers mitigate the impact of climate change. This assertion is championed by Vodacom, Vodafone, Safaricom, and the…
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Banket peri-urban farmers count heavy rains-induced losses
By Elvis Dumba Banket – It looked coincidental that on the day the country joined the rest of the world in commemorating World Health Day running under the theme ‘Our planet, our health ” which focuses on climate change, farmers in Mapinga and Banket were counting losses following heavy rains that fell on the day…
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Government of Zimbabwe commemorates World Health Day
Yesterday, The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) joined the rest of the world to mark World Health Day 2022. This year’s theme “Our planet: Our health” advocates for global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being. Climate change…
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Accelerate involvement of PWDs in climate change
By Elvis Dumba Mutare – As the world prepares to meet in Sweden for Stockholm+50 on the 2nd and 3rd of June this year during the world environment week, calls have been made to accelerate the involvement of climate change crisis hard-hit communities such as children, women, and people with disabilities. The clarion call came…
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Urgent need for farm climate adaptation cash: report
Small farms and agricultural firms in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia are facing a billion-dollar cash black hole for climate change adaptation, a report says. Overall there is a gap of US$106 billion in available investment in agricultural small- and medium-sized enterprises (agri-SME) ranging from farms to rice millers and agricultural data firms, according to…
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Preserve forests to combat climate change: stakeholders urged
By Baboloki Semele Extending over 624 million hectares, forests in Africa covering 20.6 percent of the continent’s land area and 15.6 percent of the world’s forest cover underpin key sectors of many African countries, including energy, forestry, agriculture, tourism, and water, and support the livelihoods of millions of people. Forests are crucial at a continental…
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Timely funding and response critical as Ethiopia’s Agriculture sector recovers from multiple disasters
By Ms. Fatouma Seid (FAO Representative in Ethiopia) Agriculture is a source of livelihood for over 80 percent of the population in Ethiopia. However, the sector has faced complex and overlapping threats over the past decade. Since 2019, the country has been responding to the worst desert locust invasion in over 25 years. Although the…
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African regional forest management workshop off to a good start
By Baboloki Semele Today, in the white and blue city in Kenya, Mombasa, African Forest Forum stakeholders are meeting via hybrid, a regional workshop to share information and experiences on challenges and opportunities in forest management for sustainable development in Africa in the context of climate change. Addressing the delegates, during the official opening, the…
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Africa: Urgency and benefits of climate adaptation for agriculture, food security
Food and nutrition security in Africa is off track: In 2020, more than one in five people in Africa faced hunger—more than double the proportion of hungry people in any other region. In fact, the continent remains a net food importer at an annual cost of $43 billion. Food security in Africa demands urgent and serious…
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FAO playing a key role in management of forests
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is playing a key role in the management of forests in line with its mandate as a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. This was revealed during the 2022 commemoration of International Day of Forests yesterday by Dr…
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African Development Bank delegation in Egypt to ensure success of COP27
African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) Vice President Dr. Kevin Kariuki will lead a delegation to Egypt, the host country for this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference 2022, for exploratory talks on how the Bank and Egypt can collaborate to make COP27 a truly breakthrough event for people and planet. COP 27 is scheduled for November…
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AfricaGoGreen Fund receives huge financial boost
The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and the Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) have approved a combined-equity investment of $20 million in the AfricaGoGreen Fund (https://bit.ly/3CwrGUW), a debt fund established to promote private investments in energy-efficient technologies and business models, with the objective of decarbonising African economies and accelerating the energy transition. These new…
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Preparations for forest management workshop in Africa underway
By Baboloki Semele Forest management stakeholders are bracing themselves for an information-sharing workshop on challenges and opportunities for forest management in Africa slated for 28 March to 1 April 2022 in Mombasa, Kenya to be held under the theme “Strengthening management and use of forest ecosystems for sustainable development in Africa”. The project seeks to…
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UNEP directed to bring offices, meetings to Nairobi
By Baboloki Semele Kenya, or rather Africa has scored a major win after countries directed the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to return all its key departments to Nairobi. Although UNEP is headquartered in Nairobi, African nations complained the Kenya office was just a shell because key departments are based in Europe, where their high-level…
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Combating climate crisis must be based on respect for human rights
By Plan International Governments must acknowledge the devastating injustice of the climate crisis faced by children, girls, and young women and the disproportionate impacts on their lives and make strong commitments to prioritize children and girls’ rights in climate adaptation, mitigation, and response. Despite being least responsible for this unfolding crisis, children bear the…
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Circular economy gains traction as Morocco plans to join regional Alliance
The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) joined public and private sector actors in Nairobi this week to discuss the implementation of circular economy policies, and action plans in Africa. Highlights of the side event included news that Morocco plans to join the African Circular Economy Alliance. The side event on accelerating a just transition to a…
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Masisi pleads with global community to incentivise conservation efforts
By Baboloki Semele President of Botswana, Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi has pleaded with the global community to incentivize conservation success instead of being punitive. Dr. Masisi said this yesterday as he addressed delegates at the two-day commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations Environment Programe held in the global hub for the environment, Nairobi,…