development

Winning company Konexa named during final panel of Africa Energy Form 2020, receiving prize fund of USD $5,000. The competition inspired team-building and innovative ideas to transform current utilities into Advanced, Futuristic, SMART, Sustainable and Agile African Power Utilities.

The overarching principle was to create a platform for current and aspiring asset-owners to come up with innovative, realistic, practical and implementable ideas for “leap-frogging” existing utilities in the future.

In the face of steep competition, Konexa’s anonymous submission was chosen by the panel of judges based on its transformative value across 5 pillars of sustainable utility operation as defined by the African Development Bank.

Konexa aspires to own and operate grid and off-grid power assets across Africa. They are pioneering an integrated utility model that accelerates access to reliable power by leveraging cost efficient and disruptive technologies.

Batchi Baldeh, Director for the Power Systems Development Division at AfDB commented; ”The Bank in partnership with EnergyNet is happy to announce the winner of the African Utility of the Future Design Competition for 2020 as Konexa, with their innovative integrated Distribution Franchise model.

The proposed model challenges financing institutions such as the African Development Bank to begin “leap frogging” into the future and to develop financing mechanisms to match the needs of these futuristic utilities, by providing opportunities and mechanisms for access to low cost infrastructure finance, and mechanisms to address local and hard currency challenges.”

CEO of Konexa Pradeep Pursnani added; “We’re honoured to be awarded this prize. Konexa’s Integrated Utility model aims to help governments and utilities deliver their vision of 24/7 power for everyone in the country on a far more rapid timeframe.

Konexa is the first integrated utility deploying long-term capital to 1) make grid investments, 2) deploy off-grid technologies, 3) install embedded generation & storage capacity, and 4) integrate cutting-edge information and operational technology in our technology platform. We’ve been working with the Nigerian Government and Kaduna Electric to bring this vision to life and have made progress on attracting commercial investment from Climate Fund Managers as our anchor partners on this early journey.”

The winning team was announced during the final ceremony of the Africa Energy Forum online at 12:30 GMT on 13^th November 2020.

By Deng Machol

Juba – On Thursday, the Government of Norway has provided NOK 90 million [$10 million] to support a safe return to school for children in restive South Sudan.

 The funds will ensure as many children as possible are returning to school in the 2020-2021 academic year.

In March 2020, all education facilities were closed due to COVID-19 putting the total number of children out- of- school at a staggering 4.2 million.

According to the children’s agency, children have carried most of the consequences of COVID-19 restrictions and funds have also “dried up.”

Most of the candidate classes in South Sudan resumed in October 2020. The government announced that the rest of the classes will resume in April 2021.

The new funds are also expected to support the provision of nutrition for children and their mothers in flood-affected States.

In the signed agreement between the government of Norway and the UN children agency stated that the funds will be managed by UNICEF.

This flexible funding that comes from Norway allows a complete package for a child to be healthy and learning well, said Andrea Suley, UNICEF’s country acting representative.

“As we all know we need to have a child who is nursed, a child who is safe and has access to water and sanitation so that they are ready to come to school and learn in a safe environment and community around them safe,” Andrea Suley stated.

Suley further said that they will continue supporting teachers and also provide learning materials.

She also revealed that they have a report that shows that many girls are already married off [during the covid 19 pandemic] and are going to miss school.

“With 2.2 million children not enrolled before the pandemic while getting ready for all schools to reopen in a safe way, a massive mobilization of communities and parents is needed to ensure children fill up the classrooms as soon as the reopen,” said Suley

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Ambassador to South Sudan, Siv Kaspersen said her country wants to ensure children return safely to school – especially girls and vulnerable children.

She urged the government to play a greater role in strengthening the education sector.

“This support is aimed at strengthening every effort towards a safe return to learning in South Sudan, support to nutrition for children and their mothers in flood affected States,” said Ms. Kaspersen. “I will also take this opportunity to call upon the government of South Sudan to allocate more finances to the education sector and pay teachers decent salaries on time,” Ms. Kaspersen told those who attended the signing ceremony in Juba, Thursday afternoon.

On the other hand, South Sudan’s Minister of General Education – Awut Deng appreciated the government of Norway for the funds, saying it “comes at the perfect time and such support is vital for the safe reopening of schools.

 “Too many children are already missing out on education,” said Deng. As a country, we cannot afford for more children to be left behind and therefore we are thankful for the support from Norway.

“As we are preparing to reopen all schools in April 2020, we believe that these funds will positively contribute to education in South Sudan. It will strengthen our efforts to tackle imposed by Covid-19,” she said.

Development agencies say South Sudan was already one of the countries with the highest proportion of out-of-school children.

This latest contribution is earmarked to education but is said to be flexible to allow UNICEF and other education partners to invest in what is most needed and close existing education gaps.

The Government of Norway is “one of UNICEF’s largest education donors globally and has always been a great supporter of UNICEF’s education programmes in South Sudan.

“The government of Norway is an education partners you can count on,” said Mohamed Ag Ayoya. In a year where children have carried most of the consequences of covid 19 restrictions and funding has dried up, the contribution from Norway is more important than ever to get back on track supporting a better future for children in South Sudan.”

The longer children are out of school due to covid 19 pandemic, and ignited by the current flooding and conflict, remain the harder and challenges, to get them back to the classrooms in the East Africa’s youngest nation.

London, 11 November 2020: Camco Clean Energy (Camco) had been approved as an accredited entity by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at the 27th Board meeting being held this week.

As an accredited entity, Camco can now put forward proposals to the Fund and then oversee, supervise, manage and monitor these proposals when approved.

The GCF was set up by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010 and is the world’s primary mechanism for helping developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and enhance their ability to respond to climate change.

The GCF’s second replenishment has recently exceeded US$10 billion of pledges, and the Fund has already committed over US$7 billion for climate action, with accredited entities ranging from the world’s largest development banks to micro organisations. According to its accreditation status, Camco will be able to propose private sector projects and programmes based in any developing country that are up to US$250 million in size and are low to medium risk.

Commenting on the GCF Board’s approval, Geoff Sinclair, Managing Director at Camco, said: “We are delighted and proud to be welcomed as a GCF accredited entity and are committed to supporting its aim of creating a paradigm shift in climate action and driving forward the goals of the Paris Agreement.

“It’s taken two years and a lot of hard work to get to this point and this marks a huge achievement for us and I would like to thank the GCF Secretariat, Accreditation Panel and Miles Austin at Advisory 42 for working with us. Now it’s time to begin work on presenting several exciting and innovative concepts notes for the GCF’s consideration, all of which will support the kind of active engagement of the private sector that is critical for catalysing wide-scale climate action.”

Camco has been providing innovative financial solutions and management services to enable renewable energy development and deploy climate finance for more than 30 years. The company is based in offices in Accra, Helsinki, Johannesburg, London and Nairobi, and has on-the-ground experience and world-leading financial expertise in originating, developing, financing and implementing renewable energy and electrification projects in developing and established markets across the world.

Since 2015, Camco has been the investment manager of the UK Government-funded Renewable Energy Performance Platform, a £148 million fund to support the growth of small scale, distributed renewable energy in countries across Africa.

“Being a relatively small company gives us the freedom to be fast-acting and nimble, which are important qualities for developing the small and distributed renewable energy markets in developing countries, which often falls outside the scope of many of the larger GCF-accredited entities,” added Sinclair.

“Combined with our diverse team’s experience in finance and investment, risk management, development, engineering, policy, and sustainability, we have every confidence that we will prove to be a very useful new tool in the GCF toolbox.”

About the Green Climate Fund

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest dedicated climate fund. GCF’s mandate is to foster a paradigm shift towards low emission, climate resilient development pathways in developing countries. GCF has a portfolio of over USD 6 billion in projects and programmes across more than 100 countries. It also has a readiness support programme to build capacity and help countries develop long-term plans to fight climate change. GCF is an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and serves the 2015 Paris Agreement, supporting the goal of keeping average global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius.

About Camco Clean Energy

Camco Clean Energy (Camco) is an FCA-authorised and regulated fund manager that specialises in climate finance and meaningful sustainable development impact in emerging markets. Its long-established position within Africa’s renewable energy sector enables the company to provide project developers and sponsors with a trusted combination of global access and local presence, enabling them to source the right financing solutions to develop and build projects.

Camco was formed in Nairobi over 30 years ago and, since then, has provided creative finance solutions to 180 projects worth US$15 billion.

By Jorge Joaquim

The African Energy Chamber (AEC) has officially launched the second edition of its African Energy Outlook 2021, which details all of the major challenges facing African oil and gas stakeholders, as well as workable solutions that will keep the industry on a strong and stable growth path.

Africa’s oil and gas industry is facing extraordinary circumstances. An ongoing energy transition and new efforts to decarbonize the world are weighing on oil demand. The shale revolution is exacerbating these pressures. And of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on markets around the world, accelerating and intensifying existing trends.

Restrictive fiscal regimes, inefficient and carbon-intensive production, and difficulties in doing business are preventing the industry from reaching its full potential.

According to the Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber, NJ Ayuk, to remain competitive, African producers and governments must cut red tape to make life easier for hardworking Africans, businesses and investors to work and grow the energy sector.

“We know from experience this will reduce the cost of doing business, speed up approvals and make life better for Africans,” he said. “We must never be ashamed of supporting an industry that has brought so much to Africa and will continue to bring people out of poverty and reduce reliance on foreign aid.

“We believe the short-term outlook will improve if countries apply more competitive fiscal regimes. Emissions can be reduced by curbing flaring and monetizing gas, improving and future-proofing the carbon profile of African petroleum production.”

The world still needs oil and gas, and Africa still holds enormous untapped potential.

Ayuk believes that developing gas-to-power infrastructure will increase access to affordable energy for all sectors of the economy, offering massive knock-on benefits and making it easier to do business.

“Reducing lead times to limit risk premiums put on long cycle projects will further bolster the industry’s viability and growth prospects” he said noting that “It will not be easy, but these reforms are necessary.”

The full report can be read here

Standard Bank and United Nations (UN) Women are currently providing financial literacy training to thousands of women farmers in African key markets including Malawi and South Africa.

In October 2019, in an Economic Empowerment of Women in Africa through Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) agreement, Standard Bank and UN Women launched a partnership aimed at empowering women through modern farming technologies that increase productivity and income potential while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

UN women is executing the programme under its ‘HeForShe’ campaign as part of championing the advancement of gender equality. Standard Bank is a global champion of ‘HeForShe’. The CSA programme is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly with regards to the pursuit of gender equality, decent work and economic growth.

Standard Bank has committed US$3 million over a three-year period to end-2021 for the project, which is targeting 50,000 women. “Through this three-year CSA initiative, we aim to contribute to the economic empowerment of women across Malawi through climate smart agriculture and practical business skills,” says Graham Chipande, Head of Relationship Banking at Standard Bank Malawi.

In addition to critical farming skills and tools, the beneficiaries receive training for key technical skills including financial literacy. This is an important component of the project in that it will help to ensure the long-term success of the farmers.

While Covid-19 and social distancing requirements have posed challenges, significant progress has been made since CSA’s launch. In the first half of 2020, 40 business clusters were formed in Malawi to provide basic business management skills such as record keeping, gross margin analysis, price discovery, and the development of business plans, among other skills. The business groups have more than 4,000 smallholder farmer members between them – three-quarters of whom are women.

By the end of 2020, 5,000 women farmers in the country are expected to have received financial literacy training. The beneficiaries farm primarily groundnuts, which are processed into oil, flour and peanut butter. “Through the project’sholistic and comprehensive approach to empowering women farmers, we are helping to improve their functional skills as well as financial skills so they can manage and grow their farming businesses,” Chipande said.

In the South Africa leg of the project, approximately  950 women farmers have received training in business management and digital and financial literacy in the first half of 2020. The UN Women office in the country has continued to work throughout the national lockdown, and Standard Bank has remained fully operational as a designated essential services provider.

In the six months to end-June, agricultural inputs – drought-resistant seeds of various crops, fertilisers and organic manure, farming equipment, and training on climate smart agriculture – were delivered to 2,753 women farmers in South Africa.

Besides business skills, the CSA programme is designed to increase productivity, facilitate access to higher value markets and supply chains, and yield high quality produce.

“By the end of the programme, we want to ensure that women farmers are well equipped to thrive in a changing climate,” said Keneilwe Nailana, senior manager Agri Business, Standard Bank South Africa. “They will also be better placed to move up the value chain and access new markets and finance, and ultimately to grow their businesses.”

By Jorge Joaquim

As the world is moving towards the energy transition in order to curb greenhouse gas emissions and meet the targets in the Paris agreement, the oil and gas industry is doing its share.

Meanwhile, Africa continues to operate carbon inefficient production, which further impacts its ability to raise capital for oil and gas projects, says African Energy Chamber (AEC) in its new report African Energy Outlook 2021.

While Africa benefits from conventional and easy to extract hydrocarbons, the inability to prevent gas flaring nevertheless catapults the continent to the overall least carbon efficient continent at about 31kg CO2 emitted per barrel of oil equivalent produced.

However, AEC understands that flaring and upstream emissions are not always easy to reduce, it nevertheless does represent an enormous opportunity for Africa to reduce its carbon emission per production unit and thereby increase the resources’ competitiveness in a world with an increasingly constrained carbon emission budget.

“In this context, political will and industry compliance will be key,” says AEC adding that initiatives such as the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialization Program are extremely positive steps in that direction and must be encouraged and supported by all stakeholders.

10 November 2020 – Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, today announced that its Charmed OpenStack, an open source private cloud solution that allows businesses to control large pools of computer, storage and networking in a datacentre, has been selected by Telekom Networks Malawi Plc (TNM), to modernise and virtualise its entire telecommunications infrastructure. TNM is Malawi’s leading telecoms provider and aims to create faster time to market across its product range through the move.

TNM has been a pioneer of mobile and data solutions in Malawi, having been the first mobile operator to launch 4G broadband services, while its network is the fastest in the country, covering all cities and major towns. Charmed Openstack will enable TNM to separate network hardware and software, turning legacy components into software based network services . This means they can be updated quicker with continuous integration and development, while ensuring the network is robust and scalable.

The move towards Charmed OpenStack has been driven by TNM’s existing use and advocacy of open source software. The deployment, including two private clouds, will happen immediately and give TNM access to virtual network functions (VNFs), which will open up access to a wide range of network services to build on top of the initial deployment.

Adopting a cloud-based architecture with Charmed OpenStack will accelerate TNM’s ability to develop new technologies and services while benefiting from reduced CAPEX investment. TNM will also adopt Canonical’s Managed OpenStack service, which allows TNM to have a fully managed private cloud on its own servers. The managed service allows TNM to take advantage of Canonical’s open source expertise and allows them to focus on adding business value elsewhere.

Michiel Buitelaar, Chief Executive Officer at TNM, said: “This is a big step in an ongoing programme for us to evolve our infrastructure and deliver the best possible solutions for customers. Utilising Canonical’s expertise via OpenStack was an obvious choice, and by increasing our open source footprint we now have access to a wider range of services, optimising how we will deliver future technologies.”

Nicholas Dimotakis, VP of Field Engineering, Datacentre at Canonical, said: “TNM is joining a wave of telco companies moving to OpenStack, to modernise their infrastructure to software based network services, and it’s fantastic for us to be part of this migration. TNM understands what can be delivered through an open infrastructure and is now able to take advantage of open source technology more broadly, collaborating with the community to improve its offering.”

TNM’s decision represents a bigger trend within the telecoms industry, while in Africa specifically, companies are turning to OpenStack to modernise their network and future proof for the adoption of new technologies such as 5G. Through a long-term investment in the technology, TNM will now have more agility to innovate at scale and consistently meet customer demands.

TNM’s cloud will be built on Canonical’s Charmed OpenStack, and utilise Canonical’s open source tools to automate the deployment and operations of their infrastructure. TNM has adopted Juju – Operator Lifecycle Manager to manage and operate a set of software applications for a model-driven architecture to onboard virtual network functions (VNFs) applications, while MAAS is used as the cloud-provisioning tool. The company will also benefit from Canonical’s Managed OpenStack offering for the ongoing maintenance and support of operations.

Learn more about how Canonical is helping telecommunications companies globally by joining CEO, Mark Shuttleworth’s, keynote at AfricaCom on Wednesday 11^th November at 12.35pm SAST.

About Canonical

Canonical is the publisher of Ubuntu, the OS for most public cloud workloads as well as the emerging categories of smart gateways, self-driving cars and advanced robots. Canonical provides enterprise security, support and services to commercial users of Ubuntu. Established in 2004, Canonical is a privately held company.

About TNM

TNM is a strong brand in Malawi. This strength comes from being the first mobile operator and more especially that it is a Malawian company, with innovative products and services.

Africa-wide — In an Open Letter led by 350Africa.org and African Climate Reality Project, 167 organisations have come together to call on the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) to finance Africa’s Just Green Recovery and light up the continent with 100% renewable energy, ahead of the first-of-its-kind Finance in Common (FIC) Summit. Taking place from 9 to 12 November 2020,the summit aims to obtain commitments from participating banks to align their policies with climate, sustainable development, and biodiversity goals.

Yasmine Luhandjula, the Campaigns Coordinator for African Climate Reality Project said,

“We could solve Africa’s energy poverty if governments and financial institutions were to prioritise investments in renewable energy, along with having strict measures in place to ensure that no fossil fuels projects are funded. We are calling on the AfDB to prioritise the development of a fossil fuel finance exclusion policy that states that the bank will not fund, provide financial services, or capacity support to any coal, gas, and oil project on the African continent – and to ensure that civil society has the opportunity to weigh in on this policy during the development process. AfDB can and must do more to support Africa’s resilience and climate ambitions, with investments in youth skills development at the forefront of their efforts.”

Landry Ninteretse, the Africa Team Leader of 350.org said,

“We as the civil society and concerned citizens of Africa are firm that the future the world needs is one that no longer burns fossil fuels for energy generation. It is totally unacceptable that public financial institutions continue to fund fossil fuel projects while millions hardest hit by the climate and pandemic crisis are struggling to get appropriate healthcare, social protection and economic assistance. Development banks such as the AfDB need to lead the way and direct public money to a truly healthy, equitable, sustainable and just recovery. That would be a first and solid step towards building real resilience for the people and the planet.”

At this iconic gathering, 450 global public development finance institutions,  controlling approximately $2 trillion in public money across the globe, will identify appropriate measures to facilitate a just recovery from COVID-19 as well as a transition to more sustainable economic systems for all. Discussions will also centre on addressing the common need for new forms of prosperity that build the resilience of people and the planet. 

Civil society organizations are calling for the rapid and just energy transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. A just transition is urgently needed not only to combat climate change, but also to solve energy poverty and provide economic empowerment through access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for the 580 million Africans without access to electricity. 

The President of the AfDB, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, stated in September 2019 at the United Nations Climate Action Summit that the Bank would be “getting out of coal”, which the same civil society groups have commended on several previous engagements with the Bank. However no clear commitments or policies have been introduced by the AfDB since this statement, and fossil fuel projects have continued to be supported through the Bank across Africa.

The Open Letter including the list of signatories can be read here, and individuals can add their name to the corresponding petition here.

• International cultural protection partners to collaborate across East Africa
• Projects tackle the threat to cultural heritage in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from climate change
• Advancing knowledge and sharing skills within the global heritage community

The British Council is pleased to announce the Cultural Protection Fund has awarded funding to five global heritage projects, which will use technology, skills development and community engagement to respond to the risk of climate change to heritage in East Africa.

Selected as part of the Cultural Protection Fund’s Disaster and Climate Change Mitigation round, the projects will address the threat to valuable cultural heritage in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda by increasing capacity and resilience through risk planning, training programmes and digital innovation. The Fund continues a partnership between British Council and UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport partnership to protect threatened heritage in and around the Middle East and Africa.

East African organisations and experts will partner with counterparts in the UK and Italy to support the exchange of knowledge and shared solidarity within the global heritage community. The partnerships aim to advance regional cultural protection by further engaging communities and empowering local organisations with the skills to protect tangible and intangible cultural heritage, such as restoration techniques, digital documentation and traditional crafts.

The five projects awarded funding are:            

Ancient rock churches, Ethiopia

• £106,700 to support risk assessments and action planning for 23 ancient rock churches. Plans include production of conservation manuals and local skills training to protect traditional conservation materials and techniques.
• Partners: Federal Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, (Ethiopia), Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia), Mekelle University Institute of Paleoenvironment & Heritage Conservation (Ethiopia), Womersley’s (UK). 

Photographic history preservation, Kenya

• £109,744 to digitise and protect the physical collection of late 19^th Century paper and photographic collections at the McMillan Memorial Library chronicling key Kenyan historical events, which is at risk from climate-related heat and moisture.
• Partners: Book Bunk Trust (Kenya), African Digital Heritage Foundation (Kenya), Built Environment Surveyors & Infrastructure Consultancy (BESIC) Group (Kenya).

Coastal heritage, Kenya

• £109,430 to develop disaster risk management strategies for preserving Kenyan coastal heritage sites at risk due to rising sea levels, coastal erosion, salt evaporation and storms. Plans include the development of site staff to manage risks, implement interventions and host community training programmes to support local engagement.
• Partners: ICCROM (Italy), National Museums Kenya (Kenya).

Coastal heritage, Tanzania  

• £60,501 to assess risks and digitise the UNESCO World Heritage coastal sites of Kilwa Kisiwani and Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Mitigating against future rising sea levels will run alongside documenting risk to intangible heritage of coastal communities, such as oral traditions and craft skills.
• Partners: University of Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania), St. Andrew’s University (UK).

Flood threats to communities and monuments, Uganda

• £76,447 for protection against the impact of melting snow and flooding rivers on Uganda’s Bakonzo and Alur communities due to global warming. Interventions to protect national monument Wang Lei will support knowledge sharing with Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, UK. Additional recording of tangible and intangible cultural heritage will run alongside community training and awareness initiatives.
• Partners: International National Trusts Organisation (UK), Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda (Uganda).

Stephen Stenning, Head of Arts & Society, British Council, says:

‘The Disaster and Climate Change Mitigation pilot to support cultural heritage at risk from climate change is an urgent area of focus for the global heritage community. With continued support from DCMS, this alert to our shared environmental vulnerabilities has resulted in some extraordinary international partnership projects. Sharing concerns and solutions around the impact of climate change, from North Yorkshire in the UK to the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda, is a great example of the mutually beneficial collaborations at the heart of the Cultural Protection Fund.’

The Disaster and Climate Change Mitigation Fund was announced in 2019, as part of an additional funding round of the Cultural Protection Fund.

Established in 2016, the original £30 million Cultural Protection Fund, is a partnership between the British Council and the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to protect heritage at risk in countries in and around the Middle East and North Africa.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. Last year we reached over 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive a 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government.

About Cultural Protection Fund

The Cultural Protection Fund is managed by the British Council – the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations – in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). It aims to foster, safeguard and promote cultural heritage overseas.

The Fund is a key part of the British Council’s work in Culture and Development overseas, which focuses on ambitious, artistic and creative initiatives that foster social cohesion, freedom of expression, inclusive institutions, dynamic communities, and improved social and economic well-being.

On 4 November 2020, the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, Zurab Pololikashvili, officially launched Namibia’s biggest tourism event, the Namibian Tourism Expo 2020. This years theme is 10 degrees South. At the occasion, the Secretary General applauded Namibia for being one of the few countries in the world to hold the travel expo amid the Covid-19 pandemic and for being one of the few countries in the world to open up for international tourist arrivals. He also launched a Covid-19 Tourism Safety Protocols and Guidelines Toolkit to ensure adverse of Covid-19 prevention measures by Namibia’s tourism industry.

For the first time, Mr Pololikashvili had been on an official 3-day visit to help strengthen Namibia’s tourism revival strategy and to pay tribute to the local efforts so far to save livelihoods and jobs. He paid a courtesy visit to the Vice President, Hon. Nangolo Mbumba and confirmed the hosting of ‘Brand Africa Conference’ in Namibia IN 2021. He also shared planned efforts to support tourism conservation initiatives for developing rural tourism. Brand Africa is an intergenerational movement to inspire a great Africa through promoting a positive image of Africa, celebrating its diversity and driving its competitiveness. The Secretary General emphasized the importance of making Africa’s tourism potential more visible to the world to encourage tourist to visit to create jobs and safeguard livelihoods.

During his stay, he visited the UNESCO World Heritage site at Sossusvlei desert called Namib Sand Sea. It is the only coastal desert in the world that includes extensive dune fields influenced by fog. Thereafter, he flew to one of Namibia’s main tourist attractions, Swakopmund where he launched Namibia’s Gastronomy booklet, a project that the UNWTO has been working on with Namibia to promote African Gastronomy to the world. He also paid a visit to the Ramsar Wetland site at the Walvis Bay lagoon where he expressed fascination over Namibia’s progress on biodiversity.

The Secretary General was amazed by Namibia’s unique contrasting landscapes and diverse cultures. He said that it’s like seeing the world in one country as you see a bit of different parts of the world in Namibia and that it makes Namibia deserve a lot more tourists to visit. Mr Pololikashvili says he is confident that Namibia is ready for international tourist arrivals because the country is safe in terms of tourists’ personal safety and Covid-19 prevention.

Mr Pololikashvili is convinced that Namibian’s tourism industry is in good hands which has made it strong as he was surprised by the high quality of the industry in terms of organization and accommodation establishments. He could tell that by the way his travel logistics in Namibia were well arranged and of high standard.

As part of its Agenda for Africa, UNWTO works with Namibia on four (4) key initiatives:

• UNWTO and UNESCO jointly endorsed Namibia’s draft National Strategy on Sustainable Heritage Tourism.  Once adopted, the strategy will promote cultural heritage and tourism across many local communities.  It is due for submission to Cabinet for consideration.
• Completion of a Namibian Gastronomy Booklet, aimed at introducing the rich and varied Namibian cuisine to the world.
• Preparation of a Namibia Biodiversity and Tourism Project aimed at supporting the country in biodiversity and environmental conservation, and
• Publication of a Supplement on Namibian Tourism, which will showcase Namibian tourism products and the gradual re-opening of the country to international visitors. 

By Wangeci Migwi, Amy Giliam and Nicole Rodel

The twin crises, COVID-19 and the climate emergency, have made it clear, even for global financial institutions, that we must seize this moment to transform.

With the climate crisis threatening over half of the global GDP, there can be no business-as-usual when the world begins to plan for a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, we have a unique opportunity to change our relationship with nature by shifting our development pathway to one that is equitable and sustainable. Development Finance Institutions may be the “visible hand” that can guide and finance the future we want – but Africa will remain under the proverbial thumb of skyrocketing debt and climate catastrophe if the new vision of development financing remains all talk and no action at the upcoming Finance in Common (FiC) Summit .

450 public development banks across the world are coming together, to address the common need for new forms of prosperity that build the resilience of people and the planet. The twin crises, COVID-19 and the climate emergency, have made it clear, even for global financial institutions, that we must seize this moment to transform.

Among the key partners of this iconic summit is the African Development Bank (AfDB), who in 2019 made a commitment to get out of coal and build the “largest solar zone in the world” in the Sahel region. Sound like music to your ears? Well, why let facts get in the way of solid excuses? In 2020, AfDB made an Expression of Interest to join the landmark $20 billion Mozambique LNG financing . At a time when fossil fuels are proving to be a bad investment, AfDB appears to have difficulties in openly committing to withdrawing from fossil fuels.

Mozambique has been plagued by the resource curse akin to many fossil fuel producing nations. The expectations associated with this abundance has brought the nation to its knees. The 2009 announcement of massive natural gas discoveries in Cabo Delgado, and the vision of leaping into middle-income status was all too promising. Over a decade later, the people of Mozambique have nothing to delight in. Instead, they experienced unfolding massacres, displacement, and untold misery. Yet, AfDB continues to invest in this misery to a tune of $400 million . According to the Bank’s Acting General Counsel, Souley Amadou, “This is a first in class transaction that sets a new standard for mega-projects on the African continent.” Disturbingly, this is how AfDB gaslights the continent in the name of investing in public development for the future.

The effects of financing fossil fuels were witnessed during Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, with more than 2.2 million people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi displaced. AfDB committed a whopping $100 million to finance the three countries , a fraction of their overall investment  in fossil fuels. This comes as studies confirm that mass green public investments are the most cost-effective means to revive ailing economies, ensure long-term stability, and nip climate change in the bud. A failed realization of the devastating impacts of climate change and consequent investment in dirty fossil fuels suggests AfDB is complacent to the consequences of climate change. The bank’s investments in fossil fuels have fueled the transition of funds from public coffers into the bank accounts of private companies who pay insignificant taxes and drive the emissions causing the climate catastrophe.

As the world grapples with the twin crises, we must interrogate current definitions and frameworks of development. Throughout history, projects across Africa in the name of ‘development’ have prioritised profits and GDP growth over people. Many of these developments lead to the loss of people’s rights, livelihoods, and their lives, along with the destruction of Africa’s ecosystems and biodiversity. This begs the question, who is development for?

According to the International Panel on Climate Change, Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to the accelerating climate crisis. Food insecurity, water shortages, cyclones, forced migration, gender-based violence , and an exacerbation of conflict are a few ways the climate crisis is already threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of Africans. What’s more, COVID-19 has exposed the underlying structural flaws of our current socio-economic systems, which have ultimately failed to address the climate and social crises.

There has never been a more urgent time for a rapid and just transition of African economies away from their reliance on fossil fuels. Recent research  indicates that wind, solar, and other sources of green technology generate more than one-third of the world’s power, with solar photovoltaics surpassing coal and natural gas as the new cheapest energy source in most nations according to the International Energy Agency . Experts also indicate that renewable energy has significant long-term prospects  and may emerge stronger than before – if governments and financial institutions prioritise and integrate clean energy into COVID-19 recovery programmes.

Despite repeated calls from civil society to AfDB over the past few years, the bank is yet to publish a fossil fuel finance exclusion policy stating the bank will not fund any coal, gas, and oil project on the African continent. It is time for AfDB to take a more decisive leadership role in fighting the climate crisis. The bank can and must do more to substantially expand their support for building Africa’s resilience and leaving fossil fuels in the past, by ensuring the continent leapfrogs to 100% renewable energy and sustainable development.

If the realization of AfDB’s greenwashing troubles you, why not amplify the call for a just recovery  during the upcoming Finance in Common Summit? By working together, we can ensure another generation is not lost to a lifetime of hardship, because a sustained collective movement would force governments and public finance institutions to take drastic action and snap out of fossil fuel investments. This revolution is possible if enough people demand it.

*Wangeci Migwi is the Africa Campaigner at 350.org, Amy Giliam is the Branch Manager at African Climate Reality Project and Nicole Rodel is the Communications Officer at African Climate Reality Project.

COPREFA will be accessed by eligible central banks, commercial banks and businesses to finance the import of medical supplies as well as agricultural equipment.

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com), the pan-African multilateral EXIM bank, partners with the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) (www.ITFC-IDB.org), the Trade Finance Arm of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group; and the Arab Bank For Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) (www.BADEA.org), to launch a US$1.5-billion Collaborative COVID-19 Pandemic Response Facility (“COPREFA”) to support African economies with rapid financial assistance to reduce the impact of COVID-19.

COPREFA will be accessed by eligible central banks, commercial banks and businesses to finance the import of medical supplies, as well as agricultural equipment and fertilizers essential for addressing the pressing food production deficit.

COPREFA is also designed to support African economies to overcome a myriad of challenges, including commodity price shocks, a significant drop in tourism, and disruption to supply chains and export manufacturing. It will also addresse the sudden declines in financial flows, including a drop off in trade and project finance, migrant remittances, portfolio investment and Foreign Direct Investments.

A key attribute of the COPREFA facility is the speed at which financial assistance can be provided through all partners involved. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be fast-paced, requiring support that can be deployed quickly and flexibly to prevent sharp declines in national economies.  Standard eligibility criteria and credit appraisal process have been developed by COPREFA partners in order to facilitate implementation of the facility. Support will be available through direct funding, lines of credit, confirmation and refinancing of documentary credits; guarantees, cross-currency swaps and other similar instruments.

The co-financed facility, led by Afreximbank  leverages strategic partnerships with other Multilateral Financial Institutions and other international financial institutions in co-financing, risk sharing of transactions and promoting integrated trade solutions,  to support African economies on navigating the impact of COVID-19.

Afreximbank has a strong track record of supporting African economies during financial crises. In 2015, the Bank disbursed more than US$10 billion through a Counter-Cyclical Trade Liquidity Facility (COTRALF) to help member countries manage the adverse economic fallout of commodity price shocks. In March 2020, a financial package called the Pandemic Trade Impact Mitigation Facility (PATIMFA) was launched solely by Afreximbank to support economies through the pandemic – a facility of which over US$5 billion has been disbursed, will be implemented alongside COPREFA.

Forty four years had elapsed, since the establishment of  BADEA as international development finance institutions (DFIs) with objective of supporting economic, financial and technical cooperation between Arab and African countries through a wide spectra of financing instruments that have been enhanced and diversified to meet the  economic needs of beneficiary countries.

Prof. Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, said:

“The COVID-19 pandemic has devasted many economies. Africa has not been spared. Afreximbank’s priority has always been to step-up when markets fall. That is why we are supporting African economies forcefully at the time of great difficulties. COPREFA, a product of a unique international partnership, is a major contribution to the global fight against the pandemic and will work alongside our other programs to ensure Africa’s future remains bright beyond this economic shock. We thank our partners for the confidence.”

Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO of ITFC, said:

“Providing fiscal bandwidth and practical support to SMEs and medical communities in African countries will deliver immediate relief from the supply side restraints on personal protective equipment caused by the pandemic. ITFC has worked extensively since the very start of the COVID-19 outbreak to provide comprehensive support to some of the most vulnerable countries. The multilateral arrangement that ITFC is embarking upon with our strategic partners will boost economic activity when and where it is needed most and help many countries maintain food security at a time when global commodity supply chains are being challenged and import activity sharply reduced.”

Dr. Sidi Ould TAH, Director General of BADEA, said:

“DFI’s as the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), with its partners, have been and will always be; supporting the continent through tough and good times as a reliable, strong  and resourceful financial institution. And since the COVID-19 pandemic posed drastic challenges that are reshaping the scene of the global economy, we sought that it will require an unprecedent cooperation and measures to tackle these challenges.

BADEA has joined the fight against the pandemic by allocating a gross amount of more than USD 350 million in the COPREFA and other initiatives. These allocations will be utilitzed to ease the negative impacts of the pandemic on African economies and ensure the flow of essential strategic commodities to the continent.”

About Afreximbank:
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution with the mandate of financing and promoting intra-and extra-African trade. Afreximbank was established in October 1993 and owned by African governments, the African Development Bank and other African multilateral financial institutions as well as African and non-African public and private investors. The Bank was established under two constitutive documents, an Agreement signed by member states, which confers on the Bank the status of an international organization, and a Charter signed by all Shareholders, which governs its corporate structure and operations. Afreximbank deploys innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that are supporting the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby sustaining economic expansion in Africa. At the end of 2019, the Bank’s total assets and guarantees stood at USD$15.5 billion and its shareholders funds amounted to US$2.8 billion. Afreximbank was “African Bank of the Year” in 2019. The Bank disbursed more than US$38 billion between 2016 and 2020. Afreximbank has ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A-), Moody’s (Baa1) and Fitch (BBB-). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.


About the International Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC):
The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) is a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group. It was established with the primary objective of advancing trade among OIC member countries, which would ultimately contribute to the overarching goal of improving socioeconomic conditions of the people across the world. Commencing operations in January 2008, ITFC has provided more than US$51 billion of financing to OIC member countries, making it the leading provider of trade solutions for these member countries’ needs. With a mission to become a catalyst for trade development for OIC member countries and beyond, the Corporation helps entities in member countries gain better access to trade finance and provides them with the necessary trade-related capacity building tools, which would enable them to successfully compete in the global market.


About BADEA:
The Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa– BADEA is a multilateral development bank owned by eighteen (18) Arab countries, members of the League of Arab States (LAS). The Bank has been operational for the last 45 years with footprints in about 44 countries.

BADEA aims at promoting economic development in Africa and fostering cooperation between the beneficiary countries and the Arab World through investment and trade.  To this end, BADEA’s operations revolve around four strategic pillars :
i) Infrastructure investment in energy;
ii) Private sector and trade financing
iii) Agriculture value-chains; and
iv) Entrepreneurship and SMEs. In addition, capacity development weighs in as a cross cutting pillar.

*SOURCE International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)

By Wallace Mawire

The African Academy of Sciences is inviting nominations for the Olusegun Obasanjo prize for scientific discovery or technological innovation intended to  honour African scientists who have made outstanding contributions in scientific discovery or technological innovation.

  It is reported that the prize has been named in honour of the former President of Nigeria, H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in recognition of his exemplary statesmanship and leadership at the national, regional and international levels and his contributions to political well-being, socio-economic development and the positive role he has played in nurturing the spirit of scientific discovery and technological innovation in the African continent. 

  It is reported that the Prize shall be awarded every two years and  has four components, a cash award of US$5,000 (this may be reviewed and adjusted by the Governing Council (GC) of AAS),an Inscribed Gold Medal,a citation in form of a certificate and  election into AAS Fellowship. 

   It is added the Prize may be awarded to an individual or jointly to two or more persons who will share the cash award in equal amounts.  

  The Prize is open to all African scientists and technologists and does not recognize gender, ethnic, or geographical differences.  National scientists and Fellows in the employment of or who serve as senior advisors to AAS are not eligible for nomination.  Similarly, the award may not be made to any person who is a current member of the governing organs of the AAS. 

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The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the African Development Bank have released recommendations of a baseline study that looked into the development of a continental energy grid and market.

The study, supported by the European Union, is the first step in an ambitious project to create an efficient, competitive energy sector that helps to serve Africa’s vast non-connected population, which is key to the continent’s economic prospects. The recommendations were discussed at a roundtable meeting between the partners organized by the African Development Bank on Wednesday 28 October.

African Energy Ministers directed AUDA-NEPAD to promote a continental transmission masterplan during the AU Specialized Technical Committee meeting on Infrastructure (Transport, Energy and Tourism) held in Nouakchott and Cairo in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

“This will be a game changer, since, in the long term, a continental transmission network will allow energy trade within Africa, as well as off the continent, with Europe and Asia through existing links,” said Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, CEO of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD.

The baseline study constitutes the first of two phases of the masterplan. The next phase entails the development of the plan itself.

The European Union (EU) agreed to support Phase 1 under its EU Technical Assistance Facility (EU TAF) for sustainable energy, under the scope of the African Union-European Union partnership to harmonize the African Single Electricity Market Regulatory Framework.

The baseline study goals included: a review of the existing masterplans developed by each of the five regional power pools in Africa and to identify power generation capacity and power demand up to 2063 and to develop the terms of reference for phase 2.

“Our continent has a vision to develop a single electricity grid that will guarantee secure, reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity supplies to enhance the economic prospects of the continent, especially for our children. This can only be realized with a well-coordinated, widely accepted and highly articulated masterplan,” said Cheikh Bedda, Director Energy, at the African Union Commission.

The recommendations of the baseline study include: establishing a permanent unit to develop the masterplan in order to produce a skills transfer within AUDA-NEPAD and the five regional power pools, and aligning the plan with existing infrastructure projects, such as those identified under the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), a joint initiative of the African Union Commission, AUDA-NEPAD and the African Development Bank.

The next steps are to develop the terms of reference for phase two and to discuss how the masterplan will be funded.

“The continental masterplan will provide a holistic roadmap to connect countries to each other within a single regional power pool and to connect the power pools into a single electricity market, promoting energy access and regional integration,” said Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate & Green Growth at the African Development Bank Group.

Over 640 million Africans have no access to energy, corresponding to an electricity access rate for African countries at just over 40 percent, the lowest in the world. Per capita consumption of energy in sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) is 180 kWh, compared to 13,000 kWh per capita in the United States and 6,500 kWh in Europe.

*AFDB

Africa GreenCo Group, together with its Lusaka-based operating company GreenCo Power Services (together GreenCo), is delighted to announce the investment of USD 1.5m by Denmark’s Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) and Private Infrastructure Development Group’s InfraCo Africa (InfraCo). This investment completes GreenCo’s operational establishment in Lusaka as an intermediary renewable energy buyer/supplier and power services provider and is a precursor to the 2021 capitalisation of our credit support for IPPs.

GreenCo’s transformative role is to mobilise significant private sector investment for renewable energy, to strengthen the national and Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) electricity markets, and to facilitate a shift away from the current single buyer model. The region has great renewable energy potential and is in urgent need for more energy generation to support economic recovery and provide clean and affordable energy to its citizens. GreenCo’s model offers key innovations in the architecture of the electricity market and achieves better value – with more electricity generation and improved security of supply – in partnership (rather than in competition) with established industry players. GreenCo and its investors are focused on supporting the Government of Zambia, as well as the governments of other countries in the SADC region, in the opening of their electricity markets. The company’s operations will contribute towards the implementation of the Government of Zambia’s vision for the electricity sector as set out in the National Energy Policy 2019 and subsequent new energy sector legal and regulatory framework. This represents an important step in scaling-up renewable energy investment to help mitigate climate change, improve security of supply, and increase efficiency in the power sector.

Zambian Minister of Energy, Honourable Matthew Nkhuwa states, “The operationalisation of GreenCo is a great example of national action, and indeed international cooperation, as we strive to deliver affordable energy for all. Notwithstanding the current global economic uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that we plan for the future, one where renewable energy helps drive sustainable social and economic growth in Zambia.”

Honourable Alexander Chiteme, Minister of National Development Planning, said, “Today, we need true paradigm shifts toward low-emission and climate-resilient sustainable development in order to reduce the negative impacts of climate change on sustainable development and growth of Zambia and the Southern African region.  We are delighted to be working with GreenCo and a number of Zambia’s key cooperating partners to ensure that new business models, innovation and systemic change is delivered on the ground and felt by those most in need. Through this model we can attract the significant amount of funding required to harness Zambia’s abundant renewable energy resources.”

CEO of IFU, Torben Huss said, “GreenCo is an innovative business model providing a solution that can reduce the financial risk when investing in renewable energy and consequently pave the way for more private investors, which are highly needed if Africa is to succeed in delivering affordable and green energy for all.”

Gilles Vaes, InfraCo Africa’s CEO, added that, “GreenCo’s initiative of intermediary power off taker and power trading company is highly innovative and will help the Zambian electricity sector prepare for the future, working together with ZESCO and other key sector stakeholders. The challenges of developing new renewable electricity production in Zambia are great and will require the combined efforts of initiatives such as GreenCo. We look forward to working with GreenCo in helping it to become operational”.

Managing Director of ZESCO, Victor Mundende said, “Innovative solutions such as GreenCo could play an important part in providing alternative offtaker participation in the Zambian ESI, to make new generation projects more easily bankable whilst encouraging the maturation of electricity markets to encourage electricity trade. We look forward to working with GreenCo to deliver a mutually beneficial business model.”

CEO of GreenCo, Ana Hajduka added, “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Government of Zambia, our industry partners and particularly IDC, for their leadership role to date. Our sincere gratitude goes to ZESCO, the Department of Energy, ERB, OPPPI, the Zambian NDA/MNDP and EAZ, and the funders who have supported GreenCo to this point. Their continued support, plus the investments made by IFU and InfraCo Africa are invaluable for the future success of GreenCo. We commend our investors’ continued support of a partnership that delivers clean and affordable electricity to Zambia and, on expansion of GreenCo’s activities, to the region.”

GreenCo’s innovative business model was incubated with grant funding and strategic input from The Rockefeller Foundation, Convergence and the P4G. GreenCo also benefits from the support of SADC PPDF via the Development Bank of Southern Africa and USAID’s Power Africa, of which Africa GreenCo is a private sector partner. Additionally, in December 2018, the Board of Agence Française de Developpement (AFD) approved the provision of a guarantee by AFD to GreenCo. This follows the approval of a guarantee by the European Commission in June 2018 through the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD) under the EU External Investment Plan.

About IFU, InfraCo Africa (PIDG), and GreenCo

IFU, the Danish Investment Fund for Developing Countries, is an independent government-owned fund offering advisory services and risk capital to companies doing business in developing countries and emerging markets. Investments are made on commercial terms with the aim of creating economic and social progress as well as supporting the Sustainable Development Goals. For more information please see: https://www.ifu.dk/en/about-ifu/

The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) is an innovative infrastructure development and finance organisation which encourages and mobilises private investment in pioneering infrastructure in the frontier markets of sub-Saharan Africa and south and south-east Asia to promote economic development and combat poverty. PIDG delivers its ambition in line with its values of opportunity, accountability, safety, integrity and impact. Since 2002, PIDG has supported 157 infrastructure projects to financial close and provided 209 million people with access to new or improved infrastructure. PIDG is funded by six governments (the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Germany) and the IFC. PIDG TA can provide technical assistance and capital grants to the PIDG Companies to meet a range of needs associated with an infrastructure project’s lifecycle. PIDG TA can also provide up-front viability gap funding grants to support PIDG projects that require concessional funding to make a project with strong development impact financeable. For more information please see: www.pidg.org

InfraCo Africa is part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG). InfraCo Africa seeks to alleviate poverty by mobilising private investment into high-quality infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa’s poorest countries. It addresses the risks and costs of early-stage project development: funding teams of experienced developers and providing risk capital to those projects which need the financial commitment and leverage that InfraCo Africa can bring. InfraCo Africa is funded by the governments of the United Kingdom (through FCDO), the Netherlands (through DGIS) and Switzerland (through SECO). For more information please see: www.infracoafrica.com

Africa GreenCo Group via its operating entity GreenCo Power Services Limited acts as an intermediary offtaker and service provider, purchasing power from renewable IPPs and selling that electricity to utilities and private sector offtakers (i.e. commercial and industrial users) and markets of the SAPP. GreenCo will mitigate the risk of purchaser default through an ability to secure alternative buyers or through short-term trading on the SAPP electricity markets. Through its participation in competitive power markets, GreenCo will promote cross-border power transactions and a more dynamic and liquid short-term power market. Through its activities, GreenCo will increase the supply of, and demand for, finance for energy projects, and mobilise private sector capital more quickly towards critical and transformative capacity addition.

As part of Apex Industries social program, the company commits to financially support qualifying students during their academic progress for the next 5 years

Apex Industries, an oil and gas conglomerate based in Equatorial Guinea and headed by Don Leoncio Amada Nze has entered into a 5 year Funding Partnership Agreement with the National University of Equatorial Guinea which will see the company issue scholarships to top talent at the country’s main institution of higher learning. As part of Apex Industries social program, the company commits to financially support qualifying students during their academic progress for the next 5 years.

Apex Industries is a leading oil and gas services company in the central African region. Its activities include the delivery of offshore engineering and maintenance services, oil field logistics services and facility maintenance services. The company, which is headed by its founder and CEO Don Leoncio Amada Nze has an ambitious growth plan to widen its footprint across Africa and along the entire energy value chain.

In order to achieve that, it will have to ensure that it can rely on a constant supply of highly qualified youth. ‘’Our initiative is aimed at offering students in Africa the opportunity to quality education which the National University of Equatorial Guinea provides. We are enthusiastic about this partnership because the youth are the future, not just for Apex Industries, but for the entire continent. They will be in the position to meet the continent’s socio-economic needs and create an impact in their communities,’’ said CEO of APEX Industries and President of the African Energy Chamber, CEMAC Region.

APEX Industries and the African Energy Chamber continue to stress the importance of supporting African institutions and universities by highlighting the shortfalls and implementing strategic plans to address with them adequately, including financing shortfalls. This collaboration also includes a commitment of continuous assessment, in an effort to mobilise the energy sector as a whole to support talent development in Equatorial Guinea in particular and Africa in General.

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

20 highly skilled and motivated young leaders, below 35, have been selected to participate in the 2020 Emerging Leaders programme. A total of 179 nominations and applications reviewed this year with the class consisting of 11 males and 9 females.

The Foundation in partnership with the National Endowment for Democracy launched this unique program targeting promising young leaders based in Cameroon to better prepare a new generation of transformational leaders.

This class represents a highly talented group of very promising young leaders who are destined to make significant contributions to the country and continent,” Fri Asanga, Chief Operating Officer of the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation said. “We are very delighted and look forward to working with each of them.”

The Emerging Leaders will participate in a special three (3) day leadership and policy immersion program from the 25th to the 28th of October 2020 in Yaoundé-Cameroon.

Who are the 2020 Emerging Leaders Class?

ACHIELLE MBOUZA

He is an expert in public action. The CEO and Co-founder of ENDY FREDERIC CONSULTING, a firm specializing in investment counsels, market studies and opinion surveys

HAMAN KAMI AIMEE VALERIE

Holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and management – option in economic and financial engineering from Faculty of Economics and Management of the University of Yaoundé II, SOA. Presently an intern at the Ministry of Public Health.

ABÉLÉGUÉ ALLIANCE FIDÈLE

A research Assistant Consultant at Security Studies and Human Rights Center (SSHRC) York University (Canada).  He is monitoring and evaluation Assistant in the ‘Programme d’Appui à l’Initiative Communautaire’ (PAIC). He has also worked as field Coordinator in Mayo-Sava in the Project ‘Transformation Pacifique des conflits’. He is a master’s holder in International Development.

MEDJO MEKO Cyriaque Junior

Master in International Relations, option Regional Integration and Management of Community Institutions from the Institute of International Relations of Cameroon (IRIC). Secretary-General of Family Green Corporation, Yaoundé branch since 2019, he participated in training workshops on personal development (YALI NETWORK). 

EKASSI ELOUNDOU Paule Stéphanie

Master in International Cooperation, Humanitarian action and sustainable development – Option Humanitarian Action- International Relations Institute of Cameroon. Project manager at the NGO EMIDA Cameroon (2020).  Intern at the Ministry of Economy, planning and Regional development (2017), a field agent for the Central Africa Office at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (2016).

EKO ALAIN EKO

Medical Doctor with relevant training with YALI Accra Regional leadership Center (2020), West Africa, Doctors without Borders (2017), Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation (MINRESI) (2013). He is UN Volunteer Medical Officer, Chief Medical Officer at EKONA Sub-divisional Hospital, Muyuka health district.

ERIC NDELO FELIX

Holder of a Masters in international relations from the Institute of International Relations of Cameroon (IRIC), he is a diplomat, head of the relations with the countries of North-East Africa at the Directorate of African Affairs at the Ministry of external affairs of Cameroon. He participated in the Imperial Garden Cup in China in 2016, delegate to the 2017 United Nations International Model Forum in Beijing, a panellist at the World Youth Forum in 2018, delegate of Cameroon to the Aswan Forum on Peace and Sustainable development 2019.

MBORINGONG FIDELINE AWASIRI

Partnership Coordinator at HerStory Initiation where she supervises operations of programs in Cameroon. She is also a WWF Cameroon Business and Industries Assistant where she advocates and Supports Government in the development of policies that support best practices in the palm oil and extractive sectors in Cameroon. Afrika Youth Movement -Partnership Coordinator where she supports the development and implementation of activities aimed at specifically youth participation and young civil society regionally and internationally.

MBIYDZENYUY FERDINANT SONYUY

Holder of a master’s degree in public health andPresident/CEO of Reconciliation and Development Association- a youth-run development organization. Secretary-General (SG), Cameroon Civil Society NCD Alliance (CACSNA) where he coordinated the Central African sub-region in the development, adoption and implementation of NCD Civil Society Advocacy actions and governance structure.

FONKEING FOTABONG

Trainee with several international organizations such as the UNHCR of Bertoua / Batouri, the Cameroonian Red Cross, Network for the promotion of regional integration in Central Africa. He holds a Masters in international relations, regional integration option and management of community institutions (IRMIC).

ARREY HERNICA BESONG ENAKA

A PhD scholar in sociology of the University of Buea. A highly dynamic, motivated and trilingual Cameroonian. Acquired good working knowledge in community development, monitoring and evaluation of projects. Has experience in Research development, and considerable experience implementing projects. A trained case manager in GBV prevention activities.

To know more about the Emerging leaders batch, visit www.foretiafoundation.org

New funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) will support global research and practice to improve water security for 10 million people in Africa and Asia. The FCDO’s grant to the University of Oxford will now extend to 2024 and increase to £22.5 million, to support the REACH programme improve water security by delivering world-class science to transform policy and practice.

Professor Charlotte Watts, Chief Scientific Advisor and Director of Research & Evidence Division, at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office says, ‘More than ever, we recognise that water security, that is ensuring sufficient quantity and quality of water for different uses with an acceptable level of risk, is critical to the health, well-being and prosperity of people. We know that the poorest, and most disadvantaged, often lack safe and affordable water to drink or wash their hands, and are hit hardest by extremes in weather.  The REACH programme, led by the University of Oxford, has made advances in science, policy and practice to understand and address these inequalities for over two million people since 2015. I am delighted that the FCDO is supporting additional REACH work which will help deliver water security for 10 million poor people in Africa and Asia by 2024.’

The REACH programme’s work, which began in 2015, has already improved water security for more than two million people, working with UNICEF and in partnership with government, private sector and academia in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Professor Louise Richardson, Vice Chancellor, University of Oxford, says, ‘The mission of the University of Oxford since the time of its foundation has been to conduct research, to educate the next generation, and to contribute to the world around it. The REACH programme admirably reflects that mission through its advancement of interdisciplinary science for the benefit of those most in need.

‘We at Oxford are committed to supporting the next phase of the work in order to improve the lives of over 10 million people who are desperately in need of support.  We are very grateful to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office for funding this work and to our many partners across the globe who collaborate with us in advancing the goals of REACH.’

Kelly Ann Naylor, Associate Director, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Section, Programme Division, says, ‘UNICEF works to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. We recognise water insecurity as a major threat to millions of children living with unacceptable water, sanitation and hygiene services at home, in schools and in health care facilities. Our partnership with REACH recognises science has a critical role in designing and delivering effective policy and improving practice on the ground. We are delighted to continue this collaboration and build on our work in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Kenya.’

Today, REACH is also launching a new Global Strategy for 2020-2024, which recognises the progress to date and identifies gaps to strengthen future work aligned to four priority themes:  climate resilience, institutions, water quality and inequalities.

REACH’s work on inequalities is of the highest priority to support the UK Government’s commitment to eradicate poverty. Gendered inequalities in pay, legal rights or access to quality education is often increased with floods and droughts which make basic water services unaffordable, unreliable or unsafe to drink. REACH will be working to understand and respond to these inter-sectional inequalities in ongoing work.

According to REACH Directors, Professors Rob Hope and Katrina Charles, ‘The COVID-19 pandemic has starkly illustrated how multiple water security risks affect the lives and livelihoods of billions of people across Africa and Asia. For example, the pandemic has compounded the severity of the impacts resulting from water-related climate hazards, such as floods, droughts and cyclones. Ensuring water infrastructure functions with affordable, reliable and safe services in these complex environments in times of crisis is critical to protect vulnerable individuals, communities, schools and healthcare facilities. Building water secure institutions reduces the need for and the cost of emergency funding to avoid unnecessary hardship on the most vulnerable and increases resilience to future risks and shocks.’

About REACH

REACH has advanced science, new thinking and evidence to collaborate in rethinking law, policy and practice to benefit excluded and vulnerable people.

Oxford-led science has developed biosensor technologies to monitor the health of rivers in Dhaka complemented by studies of river-use behaviours to identify and protect vulnerable people’s lives and livelihoods. Performance-based funding models are providing communities, schools and healthcare facilities with guarantees to keep water flowing for over one million people in rural Africa during droughts, political unrest and COVID-19. Communicating climate science with river basin managers in Ethiopia is strengthening decisions to allocate water more fairly and to model water quality risks across industrial, agricultural, livestock and domestic users.

The REACH programme is led by the School of Geography and the Environment and the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, in collaboration with the Department of Engineering Science and the Department of International Development. UNICEF at the global, regional and county office is a key partner in collaboration with national governments and their relevant ministries.

The Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka University, icddr,b, University of Nairobi and the Water and Land Research Centre (University of Addis Ababa) lead our scientific work in each focus country linked to a global network of partners, including IFPRI, IRC, IWA and RWSN: www.reachwater.org.uk

To find out more about REACH’s work to date, and upcoming plans, you can read the programme’s new Global Strategy 2020-2024.

About Oxford University

Oxford University has been placed number one in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the fifth year running, and at the heart of this success is our ground-breaking research and innovation. Oxford is world-famous for research excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe.

Upcoming Event to Feature a Drive-In Convention and South Africa Premier of Brave Blue World

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 20th, 2020, -/African Media Agency (AMA)/-DuPont Water Solutions is proud to be a key sponsor of the W12 Congress – an international conference and expo that seeks to create the world’s first water protocol for major cities and strengthen citizen-driven governance of sustainable water solutions. Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the event has been postponed twice and reinvented into a drive-in convention, augmented with a virtual component for participants opting not to travel.

The event, themed the W12 World Water Premier for a Waterwise Future for All, will take place in Capetown, South Africa, Oct. 22, as a vehicle for participants to plan new initiatives to create global water resilience. According to the United Nations, in just 14 years the world will only have 60 percent of the water it needs, and global water demand for manufacturing is anticipated to increase 400 percent by 2050. Companies like DuPont are investing to improve water management to address water scarcity head-on. 

DuPont Water Solutions, a global leader in water purification and separation technologies, is sponsoring the event to help facilitate the conversation around a more optimistic water future. “The W12 Congress is a critical event because it brings together a cross-section of stakeholders including government, finance, technology innovators and artists to help solve for the impacts of water scarcity that affect economic conditions, gender equality and basic health for so many communities,” said Kimberly Kupiecki, global sustainability leader, DuPont Water Solutions.

“DuPont will continue to contribute to holistic solutions through the lens of engagement and innovation as well as education and knowledge to help solve water scarcity particularly in the most vulnerable of cities such as Cape Town.” 

The W12 World Water Premier for a Waterwise Future for All will be a world first. As well as being able to attend the event entirely digitally, the socially-distanced congress also boasts a drive-in cinema, for an estimated 100 vehicles, with a maximum of two persons per car. Both remote and physically present audiences will discover ideas and solutions, at every stage, from water reuse to wastewater treatment that mark the start of our new waterwise future.

The event will focus on different strategies to bring solutions and lower negative impacts. To tie in the concept of a drive-in cinema, the discussion will be structured in terms of what we can foster, or ‘drive-in,’ like new commitments and investments, and what we should ‘drive-out,’ like poverty and shame. 

The event features the South Africa premiere of Brave Blue World, a documentary that depicts how people and companies are adopting new technologies, strategies and innovations to creatively manage water resources around the world. The documentary has the objective of changing the assumptions of water management, exploring different alternatives of water administration for the future, and inspiring the movement of proper water usage. 
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About DuPont Water Solutions:

DuPont Water Solutions is the global leader in sustainable separation and purification technology, helping customers across industries and countries make real progress in ways that not only improve productivity, efficiency and profitability, but also reduce waste, energy consumption and environmental impact. We help make water safer and more accessible, food taste better, pharmaceuticals more effective and industries more efficient.

About DuPont Safety & Construction

DuPont Safety & Construction is a global leader in delivering innovation for life’s essential needs in water, shelter and safety; enabling its customers to win through unique capabilities, global scale and iconic brands including DuPont ™ Corian®, Kevlar®, Nomex®, Tyvek® GreatStuff™, Sytrofoam™, and FilmTec™. 

About DuPont

DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, health and wellness, food and worker safety.

*African Media Agency (AMA)

When Isaac Papanko started farming maize on eight hectares of farmland, he couldn’t have imagined that within just a few years, his agribusiness would grow to be 425 hectares – northern Ghana’s largest continuous plot of commercial farmland owned by an indigenous farmer.

“We will soon be counting money in dollars that will blow the minds of Ghanaians,” Papanko said, referring to what he calls ‘youth’ working in Ghana’s agro-industries.

Papanko, the 39-year old CEO of Idan Agro Ventures, says the training he received in the African Development Bank-supported Savannah Zone Agricultural Productivity Improvement Project, or SAPIP, was key to his success.

Papanko and more than 75 other farmers in Ghana’s northern savannah ecological zone enrolled in the government-administered SAPIP program, which provides land development support, financing for inputs like seeds and fertilizer, and mechanization, including harvesting and processing equipment as well as other services. As part of the larger Bank Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation – Savannahs (TAAT-S) initiative, Papanko also had access higher-tech farming methods and expanded his agricultural ambition past maize to include soybean production.

Since 2017, SAPIP has been targeting three agribusiness zones across several districts in the country’s north, with a focus on building sustainable agricultural food value chains, ensuring food and nutrition security, and improving economic wealth through increased agricultural productivity and diversification.

“The transfer of agriculture technologies like higher-producing seeds, conservation agriculture and climate-smart agriculture are improving farmer incomes and making better use of land that has proven able to grow more food,” said Martin Fregene, Director for Agriculture and Agro-Industry at the Bank. ”As a result, there are more jobs for local communities – not just working the farm, but in the processing, transportation, retail – all along the value chain.”

Co-financed by the African Development Fund ($39 million) and the government of Ghana ($9.1 million), SAPIP transformed more than 290 hectares of savannah covered with grasses, fire-resistant trees and shrubs, into more commercially viable, no-till agricultural land for farming soybean, maize and rice.

SAPIP was designed to align with Ghana’s Shared Growth and Development Agenda, is guided by Ghana’s Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy, and supports numerous other government initiatives.

 “SAPIP has directly targeted or reached tens of thousands of people in this region alone,” says Philip Boahen, the Bank’s Chief Agriculture Policy Economist who has been with SAPIP since its inception. “Seeing farmers like Isaac Papanko grow their agribusiness in real time – and with real success – it is a true motivation to see the SAPIP and larger TAAT-S model replicated in other African countries.”

*AFDB

By Wallace Mawire

Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Energy and Power Development is planning to conduct training and awareness activities for citizens on energy management in a bid to double the improvement in energy efficiency by 2030 as part of government’s commitment and obligations on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal (SGD 7).

  Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Energy and Power Development at a national multi-stakeholder inception meeting on energy efficiency policy development, Deputy minister in the same ministry, M.Mudyiwa said that the exercise is part of an overall national energy policy initiative that seeks to create an enabling environment for making clean and affordable energy accessible to all citizens in an Upper Middle Income Economy by 2030.

 It is also reported that in line with the country’s long term vision of achieving universal energy access to all by 2030, the process of developing a national energy efficiency policy has started with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

  In Zimbabwe, it is reported that the power demand is approximately 1470MW.The demand is met through local power generation and imports from neighbouring countries such as South Africa and Mozambique.

 It is added that even though the country has a total installed generation capacity of around 2300MW, the achievable capacity is about 1100MW and is complemented by imports which range from 150MW to 400MW.

 “It is only on dire situations that we resort to load shedding to manage the electricity supply demand mismatch. Infact, this is one of the reasons why energy efficiency is critical that we use our resources prudently,” the Deputy Minister said.

  According to the Deputy Minister, it is reported that previous studies on the status of energy  efficiency  in the country by various consultants have shown that the country uses old equipment in the residential sector, in industry as well as the mining sector resulting in low energy efficiency levels. The studies have also shown that energy efficiency awareness by local citizens was lacking.

   This is reported to lead to unnecessary energy losses. The energy ministry has emphasized the need for demand side management and energy efficiency measures to be put in place in order to save energy, reducing imports and saving foreign currency.

 It is also reported that inefficient use of energy is still prevalent in many households and institutions and the markets are flooded with inefficient products. It is also added that the country’s energy intensity is still high as compared to international and regional benchmarks.

 The ministry has also said that it is cheaper to create a virtual power station through energy efficiency initiatives than building a new power plant.

 In 2017 and 2018, the ministry of energy through the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) trained more than 100 engineers and technicians from industry on energy management and energy auditing. Some of the trained personnel are now certified energy managers.

The Africa Energy Forum will host a special presentation on 21^st October at 9am (UK time) by EMROD CEO and Founder Greg Kushnir, demonstrating the world’s first ever long-range wireless transmission project, currently operating in New Zealand. 

EMROD has developed the world’s first commercially viable long-range, high-power, wireless power transmission as an alternative to existing copper line technology.

Emrod’s technology works by utilising electromagnetic waves to safely and efficiently transmit energy wirelessly over vast distances.

“Being able to transmit high-power electricity without any cables is game-changing for the continent. It means barriers to energy-access are smashed and Africa could be fully electrified within ten years. This is the technology millions of people have been waiting for.” Simon Gosling, Managing Director, EnergyNet

The company was founded by serial tech entrepreneur Greg Kushnir, who was determined to find a technology that can reduce power distribution costs, avoid outages and support renewable energy.

“We have an abundance of clean hydro, solar, and wind energy available around the world but there are costly challenges that come with delivering that energy using traditional methods, for example, offshore wind farms or the Cook Strait here in New Zealand requiring underwater cables which are expensive to install and maintain,” said Mr Kushnir.

“I wanted to come up with a solution to move all that clean energy around from where it’s abundant to where it’s needed in a cost-effective, eco-friendly way.”

Energy generation and storage methods have progressed tremendously over the last century but energy transmission has remained virtually unchanged since Edison, Siemens, and Westinghouse first introduced electric networks based on copper wires 150 years ago.”

By significantly reducing infrastructure costs, Emrod’s technology has the capacity to support remote communities such as in Africa and the Pacific Islands by providing access to cheap, sustainable energy to power schools, hospitals and economies. 

“The data is compelling. We are talking about a potential 50 per cent increase in sustainable energy uptake, up to 85 per cent reduction in outages and up to 65 per cent reduction in electricity infrastructure costs due to the Emrod solution,” said Kushnir.

“Since announcing Emrod’s technology we have had a high level of interest from energy distribution and engineering companies from across the globe. We are progressing with some exciting opportunities to improve energy access for remote communities in areas such as India, Africa and Island Nations”, added Kushnir.

The company has achieved strong interest from electricity distributors with Powerco, New Zealand’s second-largest distributor deciding to invest in a proof of concept of the technology currently operational.

Kushnir commented; “The system we are currently building for Powerco will transmit a few kilowatts but we can use the exact same technology to transmit 100 times more power over much longer distances. Wireless systems using Emrod technology can transmit any amount of power current wired solutions transmit.”

 More information about this session:

Event name: Africa Energy Forum 2020 (online)

Event dates: 20^th October – 13^th November 2020

Session date & time: 21^st October, 09:00 (UK time/GMT)

Register: https://bit.ly/30YFJ4g

IFAD aims to deliver an overall programme of work of US$10 billion for the IFAD12 period (2022–2024), with over half of investments allocated to Africa.

ROME, Italy, October 19, 2020/ — Ten African Heads of State have issued a strong call to other world leaders to increase their funding to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) or risk jeopardizing Sustainable Development Goal targets for eradicating poverty and hunger, particularly in Africa.

“We share IFAD’s vision of vibrant rural communities where people live free from poverty and hunger,” wrote the leaders of of Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo in letters to their counterparts in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania.  

“Investing in building the resilience of rural people is now more important than ever in order to secure food supplies, safeguard rural livelihoods, ensure that progress made over the years is not lost and prevent more rural people from falling into poverty and hunger”.

Right now, Africa is addressing conflict, changing weather patterns, pests and the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19. Hunger levels on the continent are twice the world average.

IFAD is the only multilateral development organization soley dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. In the letters, the African leaders called for a significant increase in contributions to IFAD’s Twelfth Replenishment (IFAD12) – a year-long consultative process during which Member States come together to agree on strategic directions and mobilize funds for IFAD to provide as concessional loans and grants to developing countries.

“This support from the African Heads of State is a testimony to the real impact IFAD is having on the lives and livelihoods of rural people in these countries,” said Marie Haga, IFAD’s Associate Vice President for External Relations and Governance. “Their support demonstrates the importance of investing in rural areas to achieve national food security, environmental sustainability and economic development which has a monumental impact on global stability and resilience.”

About 75 per cent of the world’s poorest people live in rural areas and depend on agriculture and related activities for their livelihoods. In the letters, the African leaders highlight the immense potential of African agriculture and the strong evidence that investing in agriculture is one of the most effective ways of reducing poverty.

IFAD aims to deliver an overall programme of work of US$10 billion for the IFAD12 period (2022–2024), with over half of investments allocated to Africa. This would help more than 140 million small-scale producers increase their production and raise their incomes through better market access and resilience, contributing to creating jobs and improving food security and nutrition for those most at risk of being left behind.

“A successful replenishment has the potential to unlock billions of dollars in financing to transform rural economies and food systems around the world, as well as enable IFAD to double its impact by 2030 and contribute to ending poverty and hunger,” wrote the leaders.

As the pandemic sweeps across the world, the poor and the vulnerable are those who suffer most, among them rural women, young people and small-scale farmers. Faced with the socio-economic repercussions of the pandemic and the impact of prolonged drought and locust infestation, the African leaders called to collectively reaffirm the world’s commitment to end hunger.

About IAFD:
IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided US$22.4 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects that have reached an estimated 512 million people. IFAD is an international financial institution and a United Nations specialized agency based in Rome – the United Nations food and agriculture hub.

*SOURCE International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)