49 minute read
The Mind Of An Entrepreneur
In the modern period, women have dominated the aviation sector. They are shattering records for altitude, endurance, and speed. Today, in a special interview with ALM, we speak with Ms. Fiona Omondi, the co-founder of Women In Aviation International-Kenya Chapter, who shares with us more about her passion for aviation and the steps she has taken to guarantee that women in the industry continue to shatter glass ceilings. Excerpts: As a co-founder of Women In Aviation International- KENYA Chapter, kindly give us some insights into what gaps the organization tries to address.
Kenya chapter of Women in Aviation, International. Which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing networking, education, mentoring, and scholarship opportunities for women who are striving for challenging and fulfilling careers in the aviation and aerospace industries. We provide members with scholarships through our mother Company Women In Aviation International which helps students advance their Aviation training be it in flying or engineering, which supports growth and development for its members throughout their career journey. The chapter offers a networking platform for women in the industry, which also enables members to get job connections. Through our networking events, members and nonmembers can find mentors who are willing to advise, guide, or walk with the members through their career journey. We also host educational fairs, workshops, and exhibitions, to create career and STEM awareness. My favorite Chapter activity is Education outreach, where we visit different girls' schools, and help demystify the Aviation industry while exposing them to the vast career options available in the industry while encouraging the girls to take up STEM courses, this exercise is usually crowned yearly by an event dubbed as Girls In Aviation Day
(GIAD), which takes place every September where we facilitate a maximum of 100 girls for an Aviation education tour where they get to see first hand how the airport and airline work. We can not be blind to what happens in our society so the chapter also participates in community events and CSR activities to bring positive change in our community. All right. But I'm interested to know. What was the primary driving force behind Co-Founding this organization? My father has worked in the aviation industry for more than 40 years. Growing up he always brought us delicious pastries from NAS, a catering company at JKIA. I especially loved the marble and fruit cake. So there were days he would drive us to the airport to buy the pastries, during our runs I got exposed to the aviation industry at a very young age, and that is where my interest and passion for aviation was ignited. Growing up I already knew that I wanted to be an aviator like my father. After high school, he guided me on which courses I should take to join the industry. I always say that I am quite fortunate to have had a mentor throughout my career journey.
My motivation to cofound the organization was to provide learners with a channel where they could be guided in this industry, we did that by generating a database of professionals who would help us create awareness and provide mentorship to students and women looking to join Aviation by sharing the information about the different career options in the industry and the STEM courses one had to study. Back then people were not sure of where to go for such information.
WAI-Kenya also provides women and some men Aviators and aspiring aviators with a platform where they meet, make friendships, and have fun while building connections with the right people, taking their careers to the next level. WAI-Kenya is also my way of giving back to the community. Women account for just about 5% of professional pilots and 3% of airline CEOs around the world. That is according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISWAP). Please id like to know what could be behind this underrepresentation. Pilots originated from the military, where women were excluded for many decades, in addition to that the reluctance of some airlines to recruit women pilots are two historic reasons for the low number of women pilots. But as I journey in my career I have come to understand that the real obstacle is lack of awareness. Many young girls and women are not aware of the vast career opportunities available to them in the Aviation Industry. It is important to understand that all this is a reflection of how a girl is brought up in our society, girls are taught how to be good homemakers, leading to fewer women pursuing Science Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), where boy child is considered to be better at. Without any STEM training, the girl child is disadvantaged during recruitment for technical jobs. Those women who are considered “lucky” to undergo training and secure jobs in the industry, and aspire to be female leaders are undeniably met with Biases and stereotyping, during interviews, promotions, and training opportunities. For instance, while compassion and empathy are typically viewed as feminine traits, competitiveness, assertiveness, and confidence are often associated with men. Female leaders who exhibit some of these traits are often viewed as antagonistic. Work-life and familylife balance is also one of the reasons women give up their careers in the industry, balancing the two can be daunting, not to mention the mandatory recurrent rigorous professional training aviators go through frequently. Another point well noting, is that women may also harbor doubts about applying for senior positions or technical jobs when they feel they do not meet the requirements 100%, while men on the other hand always seize the opportunity. How, in your opinion, can gender equity be accomplished in the aviation industry?
I always say in everything we do to accomplish it we must be INTENTIONAL, leaders can not participate and not in the intention. When we are talking about gender equality, it's not about organizations coming up with policies just to tick the box and then shelving them to gather dust. The intention is informed by Policy and Infrastructure
Policy without supporting infrastructure will not work, these two go hand in hand, when a woman is promoted, the senior management should ensure she has the right supporting infrastructure to perform her duties in her new capacity. This includes the need to include gender and diversity in an organization's strategic planning, probably the most important, is the presence of female role models at the highest corporate level to provide the coaching, mentorship, and grooming that future female leaders need.
Top management in organizations should commit to sensitizing employees through awareness training and brainstorming sessions, to help them understand, eliminate or mitigate biases and stereotypes during recruitment, promotions, and training opportunities, to increase the talent pool of women. Organizations should also encourage and prepare women for senior management positions through training, shadowing, fostering coaching, and mentoring with a keen eye on gender equality and share best practices which include policies that encourage work and life balance, for instance, there should be a plan on how women who decide to start a family on their return from maternity leave, seamlessly get back into the system so that they do not feel neglected and that their career has come to a standstill...
We should Increase outreach to girls on STEM, with a focus on technical studies, exposing the girl child from a young age to these subjects leads to them taking up aviation careers. At home and in
schools teachers, parents and guidance should affirm to the girl child that they are equal to their male counterparts and they are also capable of taking up STEM subjects and joining and succeeding in technical careers.
The stakeholders in the aviation sector should work towards the promotion of the sector to youth, facilitating access to education by ensuring equal opportunity for girls and boys. These are attractive measures to attract and retain women in aviation and STEM-related careers. What efforts have you taken so far to achieve gender equity in the aviation industry? They say charity begins at home, as the Head of Business Strategy and Sustainability at Tradewinds Aviation Services Ltd a Ground Handling Company Headquartered at JKIA, Tradewinds is a very highly male-dominated company due to the nature of business. One of my main responsibilities geared toward gender equality and sustainability is to sensitize and create awareness among the management team that women too can work in some departments considered to be 'male' jobs. Encouraging and promoting for more women to be employed and promoted to leadership positions, and pushing for higher numbers of women representation in departments which are considered 'women friendly' Collect company data on gender representation and monitoring the numbers to ensure we are maintaining acceptable ratios according to our policy.
Since employees work on shifts, I also pushed for women not to immediately get back on shift once they report back from maternity, which has allowed new mothers to bond more with their bundle of joy, this has significantly reduced stress levels in new moms, which has, in turn, improved their productivity.
I have continuously spoken about gender diversity at major international conferences. Under the WAI-Kenya umbrella, is where we demystify the aviation industry by doing a lot of mentoring of young girls to take up careers in the aviation industry. Access to civil aviation is a challenge and training for technical skills for different careers is quite expensive, WAI-Kenya provides women with scholarships through our mother organization, which helps motivate more girls even from marginalized and disadvantaged backgrounds to join the industry. Okay. How far along are we in achieving gender parity in the aviation industry? We have not scratched the surface yet, great strides have been made throughout the years, but we are far from achieving gender equality. It is difficult to transform something unknown/ a mystery or rather something that is considered to be for the affluent. That's why in my capacity I have taken an INTENTIONAL decision to continuously create awareness.
But it is not all gloom and doom, there are some success stories that I must mention. Collins Aerospace- Morocco and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) are organizations that have the 50- 50 gender rule policy and have achieved the same as we speak. SACAA has equally taken this cause further by ensuring that at the highest decision-making structures of the Regulator, women's representation is 50/50.
This serves as another stride forward in the transformation of gender roles in leadership and the development of women.
One of the major strides took place this year at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) 41st Assembly where Ms. Poppy Khoza, the Director of Civil Aviation at the South African Civil Aviation Authority, was unanimously elected by the ICAO Member States to serve as President for the 41st Assembly that consists of delegates from 193 countries. It was a historic moment for ICAO to have elected the first woman President of the Assembly. This demonstrates that attaining gender equality is possible where organizations with senior management are committed and INTENTIONAL towards this course. What would be your call to the Kenyan government and international organizations from where you are seated, please?
They should push for the implementation of policy and action plans on government legislation and organizational policies and advocate and demonstrate commitment from the top. The Kenyan government should also encourage organizations whether in the public or private sector to adopt the two-thirds gender rule this will help close the gender gap
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority should commit to gender equality by encouraging stakeholders in the Aviation industry to sign up for the IATA 25by2025, where organizations commit to increasing female representation in senior roles in their organizations and in areas where women are traditionally under-represented
Training for technical aviation skills is quite an expensive affair, I urge international organizations to make aviation training affordable for aspiring aviators. The Governments support STEM programs related to aviation by providing sponsorship or funding to young girls.
The encouraged States through the ministry of education and gender and the aviation industry to enhance the promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education for girls, as a means of increasing girls' access to STEM education What message would you convey to the newly installed administration on inclusivity in the aviation sector?
Of course, the government has priorities of its own, largely carried in its campaign manifestos. But I would use a platform such as this interview to urge our leaders to appreciate the importance of our Aviation industry and, by extension, to appreciate and consciously support our important role within it. Lastly, during my research, I learned that you are also the head of business strategy and sustainability. Talk to us about it.
Aviation is a very dynamic industry, which requires continuous improvement of an organization's processes and procedures to remain relevant in the industry. As Head of Business Strategy and Sustainability, I am responsible for overseeing the development, dissemination, execution, and adoption of strategic initiatives at all levels of the department throughout the whole organization, to attract new business. As a key player in leading change management initiatives for the organization, with the help of the management team, I can create new business models, and design strategic roadmaps for innovation and commercial activities, while managing all company projects and partnerships. I also develop and implement the company's sustainability strategies to benefit society, and build positive stakeholder relationships, whilst strengthening the company's value chain and value proposition.
I love my job because it is challenging which motivates me to read and research widely daily, which keeps me abreast with new developments and current affairs in Aviation Training, Ground Handling business, and the Aviation industry as a whole. I work in a very maledominated company which can be very challenging at times, especially now that we do not have a woman role model in senior management to mentor me and other women in the organization. Due to this, I took it upon myself to champion the gender equality agenda in the organization, through sensitization and policy development, a course I am very passionate about.
In conclusion, I would like to point out that this is not a war against men
but a call for gender equality and it's important to understand that women alone can not achieve this goal. We need to work together with our male counterparts towards this course because we both have different strengths that when brought we can achieve more. It has been proven time and again that gender diversity has a positive net impact on a company's bottom line. A New York Times article I read a while ago, states that increasing the percentage of women from 0 - 30% in management positions has a direct impact by improving profitability by 15%. We have different organizations in the aviation industry all working towards gender equality. Our efforts should be merged and aligned towards supporting the global effort underway aimed at achieving the sustainable 2030 development agenda, in particular sustainable development number 5 on gender.
It is critical to our long-term success, our agreed approaches seek to advocate for gender equality in Aviation among both governments and private sector air transport operators, and in each case the need for high-level leadership to come up
with STRONG and SUSTAINABLE commitments and policies in favor of gender equality that will cater to both existing and new entrants into the industry. One of my favorite quotes on the subject is by Verna Myers “Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance”
WHY EAST AFRICA IS IMPORTANT TO INDIA - AFRICA TRADE AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Naturally when we are talking about India - Africa Trade and Investment Opportunities, the East Africa Region emerges as a crucial aspect in this discussion. For as long as I can remember, the area has served as an entry point for India into Africa for historical reasons.
The trade in the Indian Ocean comes first. Literature from the first century claims that traders from Western India had already crossed the Indian Ocean to conduct business with Eastern Africa. And during the colonial era, they arrived in Eastern Africa as part of the UK's effort to develop the area. As a result, a large number of Indians were called into service to carry out specific tasks like building railroads or working as seasonal laborers. Some of those Indians we nt ahead and attracted other family members who later joined them.
Today according to history records, the number of African citizens of Indian descent who are economically, locally influential and have built a network with India sums up to 2.63 million. It is because of this that Indian corporations have been able to pursue a variety of economic interests in African countries. A Snap Shot Of Indian Businesses In Africa Since The First Century Up To date indians have spread all over the African continent and they are not here to dally around. They are busy and actively making several company ventures in various African industries. In fact, the Reserve Bank of India agrees with us that Indian corporations have gone all out and made investments across the continent in all types of businesses. This according to statistical evidence, has allowed them to invest a total of USD13.8 billion in 36 of the 54 African nations.
Even so, Mauritius accounts for a larger portion of investments, accounting for 12.9 billion US dollars or 90% of the total. India and Mauritius too have a distinct and special bond. Once more, this is based on strong bilateral ties, cultural similarities, as well as shared interests and beliefs. High-level political meetings, exchanges, and the execution of a wide range of bilateral agreements in multiple areas, including education, health, maritime security, ICT, financial services, and many more, have all served to further strengthen this strong connection over the years. Over time, there has been an increase in both trade and investment links between the two nations.
Total foreign direct investment from India to
Mauritius, for the last five years, stood at more than US$ 50 million. Still, there are currently more than 7,800 Indian workers working in Mauritius for approximately 64 Indian enterprises. According to information currently available, India was the second-largest exporter of goods to the Mauritian market in 2020, with shipments totaling close to US$ 670 million, a significant increase of close to 230% from the export amount in 2005.
But on the other hand, Mauritius exported about US$14 million to India in 2020. So when Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) was signed in February during the official visit of Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India to Mauritius, trade and economic relations between the two nations reached a new level. The CECPA went into effect on April 1st, 2021.
In addition to this, India should make further investments that travel through developing nations to reach Africa. However, due to data shortages, it is challenging to obtain a precise picture of the flow.
According to additional statistics on bilateral foreign direct investments, Mozambique's mining and agriculture sectors (which collectively received USD 92.36 million) and Ethiopia's manufacturing sector (which received USD 84.31 million) received some of the largest investments from Indian companies in African nations (aside from Mauritius). Investments are concentrated in the mining sector of Mozambique's agriculture and mining sectors, particularly for large-scale projects like coal development (USD 10.5 million) and natural gas development (USD 7 million).
What must be observed is that Indian corporations are focusing their investments on the manufacturing industry, despite the fact that Japanese companies have also been paying attention to the "Africa and Resources" business from the beginning, as was described above.
With Mauritius excluded, the direct investments made by Indian businesses in manufacturing in African nations during this time period were USD 472.57 million (cumulative).
There were 716 projects total, and figures indicate that several Indian businesses have made significant investments in the area from the standpoint of "Africa and Factories."
The following is a list of illustrative examples of how Indian businesses have expanded their operations in nations like Ethiopia, South Africa, and Nigeria.
Practical examples of Indian Businesses in Africa.
One of the biggest tire producers and distributors in India is Apollo Tyres. The business obtained Dunlop's rights in 33 African nations when it purchased Dunlop Tyres International South Africa. Luis Ceneviz reported that they spent $80 million improving and growing the business' operations.
From its factories in Durban and Ladysmith, the company manufactures tires for both passenger and commercial vehicles. It also sells a number of brands, including those that are imported from India, throughout Africa.
The largest producer of liquid steel on the continent is now ArcelorMittal South Africa. Its plants in Gauteng have an annual capacity of 7.8 million tons. With mines in Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal, South Africa, and a $1 billion project in Liberia, it is also the biggest iron ore mining business operating in Africa.
In 2010, Essar Steel acquired Zisco, a steel manufacturer in Zimbabwe. This same company is also involved throughout a number of other initiatives, including BPO operations in Africa. Coal India in Mozambique, Vedanta Resources in copper mining in Zambia, Varun Industries in rare earth minerals in Madagascar, and Jindal Steel and Power in Mozambique and South Africa are a few more significant Indian investments in African resources.
Another draw for Indian agribusinesses is the vast stretches of fertile land in Africa. The greatest exporter of roses in the world right now is Karuturi Global. owing to its financial involvement in Kenya and Ethiopia. The company's founder and MD, Sai Ramakrishna Karuturi, claims that her company is Ethiopia's second-largest employer, behind the government.
Karuturi takes its corporate social responsibility seriously and offers its employees homes, pharmacies, schools, and recreational facilities.
Even a professional football team is managed by them in Ethiopia.
Critiques on Indian Businesses In Africa.
Indians living in Africa have drawn a lot of criticism. Both favorable and unfavorable. One thing that sticks out, though, is that whereas China is rumored to be employing its own personnel to work on development projects in Africa, India is actively investing in the abilities of Africans. They have established institutes to assist Africans in learning how to manage development projects and are quite willing to offer their expertise. The majority of experts also view the fact that they speak English as a benefit. They can now communicate effectively with Africans because of this.
But the key is one thing. Africans are being strongly warned to keep a close eye on these giants as they work to enter the continent. Even though they are establishing trade ties with Africa, our rich resources have not yet been fully utilized.
EDUCATION:
The increase in mobile use and the advent of mobile technology have seen tremendous growth in mobile app development across the globe.
Nowadays, there's an app for almost everything; from shopping to gaming, banking and finance, arts and design, dating, entertainment, communication, medicals and even online learning; mobile apps take care of almost everything.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives in many ways. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization revealed that over 90% of global learners were affected by the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Schools in Africa, like other places in the world, shut down during the worst of the pandemic. Over a billion students, many of them in Africa, did not attend.
The lockdown highlighted the need for changes not only to African students but to education systems worldwide. Many countries had to adopt a new learning system that incorporated social distancing. This made it possible for lessons to continue uninterrupted.
The events of 2020 brought to the forefront the need for alternative learning away from the physical classroom. Consequently, several African Education technology companies stepped in to help students continue their studies while at home. These innovative platforms provided vital learning tools for primary, secondary and high school students across the continent. Technology revolutionized the teaching and learning field. As a student, whether you want help with taking notes, revising, or self-learning, there are apps to make life easier, cheaper, safer and more fun.
In layman's terms, an Education Technology app, Edtech for short, is a platform that integrates learning systems and technologies to offer a customized, end-toend learning solution. In other words, Edtech is a software that enables and encourages virtual teaching and helps individuals with remote learning of any kind. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, extended reality, and 5G, are making it possible for EdTech solution providers to deliver education to every corner of the world.
Today, educational apps are used by school pupils, college students, and teachers at all levels. Classes, lectures, and seminars are no longer confined to the classrooms only. Students are gravitating from paperback to digital books, preferring online classes more often than offline ones, completing various courses digitally; thus, reshaping Africa's education industry.
Edtech was by no means new when the pandemic struck. But after the lockdown, African nations kept pace with online education and its use has gained momentum. Learning apps are making learning easier for students and even making learning entertaining. Educational apps are interactive and fun for everyone to use.
Below are some Edtech apps in Africa using e-learning to reshape the continent's education industry. uLesson - This African Edtech service was initially launched to counter the problem of inadequate access to the Internet by students in Nigeria and Ghana. Thus, the company shipped out an SD card (and SD card reader) with all the learning material to students. Consequently, students used a computer or smart device to interact with the content.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, uLesson had to shift its strategy to a stream-only app for its users. The platform now has a rich content database that includes thousands of curriculum-based videos, quizzes, tests, and learning modules for mathematics and science subjects. Ubongo - The power of entertainment is what drives Ubongo to educate and reach a massive audience. The main objective of this Tanzanian-based platform is to promote educational content in regions with meagre infrastructural resources. Consequently, Ubongo has partnered with animators, translators, and interpreters from different regions to produce edutainment content that reaches almost half a billion children in 40 countries. This app creates interactive child-friendly content for African audiences. The company uses mass media, YouTube, and an app to deliver local content for children in the form of animated cartoons.
Ubongo currently produces cartoons in five different languages, Kiswahili, English, French, Hausa, and Kinyarwanda. Kytabu - Kitabu is the Swahili word for book. This app offers access to a library of books, tests, videos, and other content in an affordable and easily accessible way. The content is available offline for students to learn at their own pace. It is a lifesaver for parents who cannot afford expensive textbooks. Kytabu also uses Machine Learning to help provide personalized learning paths for the learners. Khan Academy - This is a free app that offers mathematics and computing studies to pupils of all ages. The content can be downloaded to a mobile device. It is rich and includes videos, and in-depth articles on math, algebra, geometry, calculus, and others. It also covers basic music notation studies. Mtabe - Mtabe is an artificial intelligence-powered search engine for secondary students that deliver personalized content and search results from a virtual tutor. Students can access the content via text messages. This is an ideal method for communities with no access to the Internet. Also, there is an app for students who have access to smartphones. Xander - Xander is designed to suit the educational needs of young African children. Xander addresses the need for basic literacy and numeracy skills to be taught to marginalised young children in Africa for whom mainstream educational apps are not designed and are very expensive and difficult to access. The app is developed to be small in size and cheaply priced to make it more accessible to all people. Tutor.ng - Tutor.ng is an online learning platform for tutors to create courses and engage learners remotely. It provides the technology for tutors to transform any environment into a learning space.
Tutors come in various forms: they can be learners themselves, university affiliates or test preparation companies. The idea is to promote knowledge sharing across borders. It enables learners to build basic academic skills such as reading, spelling, history, science, and creative arts as well as non-academic skills such as cooking or make-up tutorials.
Education mobile apps offer several advantages for students, tutors and educational institutions. The following are some of the benefits of education apps.
Mobile Learning: This benefit of educational apps is the game-changer. Learning via mobile devices makes learning much more convenient in terms of mobility and accessibility.
No Time Bounds: While learning via an education app,
the advantage is that the learners can study anytime that they want.
An abundance of Study Materials: With the presence of the internet almost across the globe, it is feasible to make educational materials available online. With educational content being accessible online, everything from political science to African History can be available for everyone. Mobile applications can be easily updated and improved in real-time (as opposed to a textbook).
Higher Engagement: Visuals always attract people more than plain texts. And e-learning apps are a great example of this. Educational apps are stimulating and fun to use; thus, attracting many learners.
Personalized and Interactive Learning: Personalization is one of the key advantages of educational apps. Personalization is one of the most interactive learning ways, encouraging learners to engage with the app more and more. Educational apps are becoming the new priority choice for learners as they allow them to learn anything in their comfort, at their own pace.
Education mobile apps also have disadvantages. The following are some of the cons of education apps.
Lack of Real Interaction: One on One interaction is a gem. Studies have shown that continued disconnection from society and gravitating more towards technology and social media results in increased mental and emotional health problems. That said, educational apps eliminate real and social interaction, causing distress.
Distraction: Today's learners are savvy mobile users and find ways to use their mobile phones to perform other internet activities. Hence, students just end up distracted from their education.
It Requires Internet Connectivity: Educational apps can be a big problem in places without internet coverage. Therefore, this can be a major disadvantage of educational apps.
One thing is certain, with Edtech apps, education will never be the same. African Edtech like those listed creates a viable alternative to classroom learning. Cheaper mobile devices coupled with the boom in educational app development mean that many learners in developing countries can now access quality educational media outside of the classroom. However, this should not be seen as a total shift to tech-based learning but instead, as a complementary tool that will help students in the current situation and beyond.
Building a Climate Conscious
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing today's society. It doesn't matter where you live or how old you are; climate change affects your life and will continue to do so unless action is taken. Everyone has a part to play in mitigating climate change, youths included.
Mayokun Iyaomolere is the founder of Plogging Nigeria Club. In this exclusive interview, he spoke to African Leadership's Chekwube Ukoh on Building a Climate Conscious Generation. The new report from the International Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, calls for an immediate and complete transformation of every sector of society. Only then will it be possible to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This begins with individuals. How can people's behaviour make a difference?
Let's take Nigeria, for example. We have a population of over 200 million persons. Let's create a scene where a person drops a nylon bag into the drainage. That might seem insignificant because it's just nylon and doesn't clog the drainage. Let's imagine again 200 million people, each dropping that into that drainage. It will amount to a lot of waste that would cost a lot of environmental problems.
Now, imagine 7.8 billion people in the world being careless with waste. That shows the power in numbers. Just one person looks insignificant, but when we count all the ones in different places, it becomes tangible and significantly affects the environment. In the same light, imagine 7.8 billion people being conscious and taking one action per day with everyone being aware of the type of food they eat, how they use energy, how they discard their waste, and their carbon footprint.
Individual behavior can make a huge difference. if every individual is conscious about the need for environmental sustainability, the need to maintain balance with global temperatures, it will have an impact on their life style and invariable, amount to massive benefit for the planet. The bottom line here is that every action counts in the fight against climate change, each person's behaviour and effort to combat climate change and reduce global warming counts. This also means that for those already fighting to combat climate change, the conversation must continue. The future of the planet and the next generation lies in today's youth's hands. This is a statement we hear often. Why is the burden on the youths? Why should they be involved in a situation they didn't create?
It's a dilemma for youths, having to be vocal and take so much action and leadership for a situation we can distance ourselves from. In one of his speeches, Barrack Obama said, "We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change
and maybe the last generation that can do something concrete to stop it".
That statement highlights why the burden has been thrust upon the youth. Let's take, for example, plastic. When plastic was invented and used for packaging, it was a big win, but nobody foresaw how it could become a nuisance like it is now. It rests on this generation to develop innovations and inventions that would address this plastic problem, especially by providing alternative packaging that people can use.
The generation that brought industrialization to develop world economies did so without thinking of the environmental impact. Still, now that we see the negative impact, it falls on the youths because if they don't, the consequences will be on them and the future generations the most. The whole concept of sustainability revolves around using resources the planet currently has without compromising the ability of future generations to have access to some resources. We could say that the generation before us was not sustainable in their endeavours, but now, we have an opportunity to correct and address their mistakes.
There is a saying that we should look at the planet not as our property but as one which was borrowed from our children ahead of us. When we understand this saying, we will understand that preserving the planet is for us and for generations to come. Let's talk about Africa. Despite contributing only a minute amount of global greenhouse gas emissions, the African continent suffers the toxic effects of climate change to an imbalanced extent. It could get worse, and as we have established; the future lies with the youths. How climate-conscious are African youths?
It's unfortunate how things tend to happen; the way the whole planet and environment are connected that activities somewhere in the world could affect people in other parts of the world. If this were not the case, we would see that Africa would thrive beautifully. Naturally, there are regions where we feel the negative impact of climate change due to our local actions, but we can arguably say that most of the effects on the continent are from the more developed countries.
We say that Africa is the earth's lungs in the climate space. We have an opportunity in Africa not to develop how Western countries have developed. We have seen the impacts of industrialization; we can thus do better for the planet's sustainability in our approach to development. For the African youths, the consciousness is increasing. In the last 2-3 years, there has been a rise in the number of informed youths about climate change issues. But we still don't have enough youths who understand climate change and its conversation. More needs to be done to make African youths aware of what is happening to the planet and mitigate climate change. So how can youths help stop climate change? Some youths are not rich to sponsor various environmental programs or projects. Some are not influential people who could invite many people. Some are just ordinary students.
This is the situation in Africa. Many African youths barely survive and try to get the means to cater for themselves and their young family. Many significant projects require huge funding, and in Africa, we rely mostly on foreign grants and funding. But there are inexpensive ways of talking about climate change.
By educating others via conversations with family, friends, neighbours and colleagues where you may not have to spend money. Self-education is also key to disseminating knowledge on climate change and climate action. You can educate others by word of mouth, by writing articles, and employing social media as a tool. Youths can help mitigate climate change by keying into available opportunities as volunteers for several African organisations and countries that are executing climate-related projects around Africa. While a lot of discussion about climate change and energy use is centred around replacing the energy we use currently with a cleaner substitute, the latest IPCC report shows that by 2050, ideas and technologies that could lower emissions are required to keep the world up and running. Taking this into consideration, what ideas and technologies can youths employ to reduce our carbon footprint across the continent?
Youths must continue to do the basics. I am always very particular about the basics because it sets the foundation for building on stronger actions. You must perform the simple task of managing energy consumption, as simple as putting off the lights in your house when not in use, unplugging your gadget from power outlets, and adapting to energy-saving solutions like the use of solar energy to generate electricity and reduce our energy footprint. Although this technology is still unpopular in Africa, the use of wind turbines as a source of electricity is a technology that should be looked into for sustainable and renewable energy. Plogging Nigeria was founded with the mandate to promote a culture of responsible waste handling. What's the link between this mandate and ensuring a cleaner planet and climate change mitigation?
There is a big connection between waste and climate change. The connection is through the emissions that come from waste from the industries that create them. In Africa, for example, there is a lot of burning of waste even with waste management systems. In more developed countries, waste is
harnessed, and there have been reports of importing waste to harness energy from it. For Plogging Nigeria, our mandate revolves around helping people become conscious about the decisions they make with their waste and helping them to understand the impact it can have on the environment. The 2021 National Determent Contribution report stated that 9% of Nigeria's total emissions are from waste. If we can cut down the 9%, it will reduce our emission profile. We teach people to be more sustainable with their waste, reduce their consumption of resources so they can generate less waste, reuse and repurpose items, up-cycle to make new items, and recycle waste. The essence of all this is to reduce national emissions associated with waste. That's how Plogging Nigeria is connected to mitigating climate change. Has Plogging Nigeria succeeded in its mandate of building a cleaner environment? How involved are youths in Plogging Nigeria's operations?
Yes, Plogging Nigeria is succeeding but has yet to meet its long-term target: to have a clean environment with fit people. Plogging means jogging and picking litter. Back when we started in 2018, only 15 people came out to volunteer. We have a network of over 1,300 students and youths across 22 Nigerian campuses and two local communities. We are still expanding our tentacles to awaken consciousness in more people. Over time, we have reached millions of people physically and virtually. We organize lots of campaigns and activities to promote climate change. For example, we run a Green Switch Academy where we teach young people about environmental sustainability. The Academy has trained about 900 youths from 11 African countries and 4 European countries. We have other initiatives where we do social Media campaigns, Plogging episodes, and workshops. We do these activities to create a climate-smart generation. How can we build a generation that is climate-conscious? What are your recommendations?
My first recommendation will always be to educate others in simple ways. For people that know about climate change, it is not knowledge that should be kept. Share and inform others. Everything we possess; clothes, shoes, cars are all extracted from the environment. Imagine how much it takes from the environment to provide for the needs of 7.8 billion people worldwide. So, we have to awaken everyone's consciousness through education, enlightenment and engagement. Nations and continents have to be intentional about reviewing policies that are not climate-friendly and introducing policies that encourage climate action. It is also imperative that climate change be taught in schools. Including climate education and environmental sustainability in the school curriculum is an excellent way to catch children young and help them develop consciousness from a very early age. We have to continue to be sustainable in our daily interactions with the planet for individuals. For every action you take, think of its effect on the environment.
“On an increasingly crowded planet, humanity faces many threats - but none is greater than climate change. It magnifies every hazard and tension of our existence.” - Prince Charles
Climate change has been identified as a leading human and environmental crisis of the 21st century.
Climate change can be referred to as a large-scale, long-term shift in the planet's weather patterns and average temperatures.
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Secretary-General, Petteri Taalas “Climate change is having a growing impact on the African continent, hitting the most vulnerable hardest, and contributing to food insecurity, population displacement and stress on water resources. In recent months we have seen devastating floods, an invasion of desert locusts and now face the looming spectre of drought because of a La Niña event. The human and economic toll has been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Climate change is drastically affecting the African population, with research indicating that variable temperatures have affected health, food productivity, livelihoods, and water resources.
The Increasing temperatures and sea levels, changing precipitation patterns and more extreme weather are threatening human health and safety, food and water security and socio-economic development in Africa.
According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), by 2050, climate change will lead to higher temperatures and mixed rainfall, leading to changes in crop yields and growth of the agricultural sector, higher food prices, less availability of food, and increased child malnutrition.
Also, a multi-agency publication coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), provides a picture of current and future climate trends and
associated impacts on the economy and sensitive sectors like agriculture. It highlights lessons for climate action in Africa and identifies pathways for addressing critical gaps and challenges. "This report shows increasing climate change threats for human health, food and water security and socio-economic development in Africa. Because of this, we need accurate and current data for adaptation planning," said Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Executive Secretary, UN Climate Change.
However, some environmental NGOs has been playing a crucial role in helping to plug gaps by conducting research to facilitate policy development, building institutional capacity, and facilitating independent dialogue with civil society to help people live more sustainable lifestyles in Africa.
Below, African Leadership Magazine provides detailed information of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) who are working to curb the harsh effects of climate change in Africa.
African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC)
AYICC stands as one of the youth NGOs working for environmental protection in Africa. It concentrates on six main areas, including: Ÿ Ecological restoration and tree planting Ÿ Renewable energy promotion Ÿ Agribusiness promotion Ÿ Recycling Ÿ Action for climate empowerment Ÿ Campaigns and advocacy
AYICC also partners with African countries and international organizations such as AU and UNEP. This organization is an excellent platform for youths to contribute to environmental conservation.
The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)
The health of Mother Earth Foundation is one of the African environmental organizations in Nigeria. An advocacy organization that focuses on environmental/climate justice, food sovereignty, fossil politics - whose goal is to encourage people to shun the use of fossil fuel, an action that will enhance environmental protection.
Also, this organization runs hunger politics and Ikike. These projects seek to achieve food sovereignty and the protection of natural resources.
HOMEF runs different advocacy webinars addressing current environmental and biodiversity issues alongside other publications.
International Centre for Environmental Education and Community Development (ICENECDEV)
ICENECDEV is an environmental advocacy organization in Cameroon with a mission of encouraging and empowering people to protect their environment. The organization helps to enhance environmental conservation by transforming the human attitude towards natural resources and ecological assets.
An organization that uses a grassroots approach in building and creating environmental awareness, promoting education, and offering community development support. To achieve this, the organization has come up with six distinctive programs, namely: Ÿ Environmental education Ÿ Sustainable forest management Ÿ Improving air quality Ÿ Sustainable agriculture Ÿ Sustainable waste management Ÿ Access to sustainable renewable energy
The Green Belt Movement (GBM)
This one stand as one of the leading NGOs working for environmental protection in Africa. Established in 1977 by Nobel Peace Prize winner the late Prof. Wangari Mathai.
This organization focuses on improving community livelihood and protecting the environment.
It works at the grassroots where it takes part in environmental activities environmental activities such as tree planting and growing seedlings. GBM encourages volunteerism and participation of women in environmental conservation advocacy.
It does this by helping them improve their livelihood through activities like: Ÿ Encouraging them to plant trees, to restore water catmint area Ÿ Teaching them rainwater harvesting techniques Ÿ Offering food and monetary tokens to exceptional women Ÿ Curbing deforestation by providing alternative use of forests
Giving Life Nature Volunteer
Giving Life Nature Volunteer (GILINAVO) is an environmental NGO based in Ghana. founded in 2000 and registered in 2005. It is a member of the Ghanaian environment protection agency.
This organization encourages the volunteerism of students, women, institutions, and wellwishers in protecting the natural resources and the environment in Ghana.
Aside environment, the group also focus on caring for youth, women, children, human rights, peace, food security, and agriculture. It realizes its mission by working with students, school committees, and tourist coordinator groups.
A Rocha Ghana (ARG)
A Rocha Ghana (ARG) is a committed environmental NGO
providing practical conservation interventions aimed at contributing to the sustainable management of important ecological habitats and initiating programmes aimed at facilitating target community's ability to adapt to current trends in climate change and the impacts of a changing natural environmental. In 2003 Eden officially became part of the A Rocha family (network)
ARG is an international network of organizations working to show God's love for creation with five(5) core values and they are: Ÿ Christian – Underlying all we do is our biblical faith in the living God, who made world, loved it and entrusted it to the care of the humankind. Ÿ Conservation – We carry out research for the conservation and restoration of the natural world and run environmental education programmes for people of all ages. Ÿ Community – Through our commitment to God, each other and the wider creation, we aim to develop good relationships both within the A Rocha family and in our local communities. Ÿ Cross-Cultural – We draw on the insights and skills of people from diverse cultures, both locally and around the world Ÿ Cooperation – We work in collaboration with a wide variety of organizations and individuals who share our concerns for a sustainable world.
ARF works to inspire and empower people to care for nature through advocacy livelihood improvement and inter-faith dialogue that hinges on research and education.
Green Africa Foundation (GAF)
The Green Africa Foundation operates on this aspect that a “green world is a sustainable and healthy planet”. Founded in 2000 in Nairobi, Kenya, it is one of the top environmental organizations in Africa. The organization works on the slogan “Think Green, Act Green” and has three green pillars, which include: Ÿ Being kind to people by preserving ethics and offering training on life skills Ÿ Promote healthy and peaceful communities, as well as create a sustainable livelihood Ÿ Environmental conservation
Green Africa Foundation works with learning and religious institutions, as well as organize music and sports to promote its agenda. Also, this environmental NGO learns a campaign dubbed “The Plant Your Age.”
This campaign seeks to personalize the environmental
commitment by encouraging individuals to plant trees that are equal to their ages. This way, it hopes that the goal of having a green Africa will be easy to achieve.
Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection
The Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection is an initiative of the Morrocan king, His Majesty King Mohammed IV since 2001.
Its mission is to prepare an environmentally conscious future generation that engages in a path of permanently sustainable development and to create awareness and promote education on environmental issues.
This environment organization appreciates its mission through training the stakeholders, particularly the youths. It helps to create public awareness, educate people on environment protection, and mobilize the stakeholders on participating in innovative programs.
The initiative focuses on six areas, which include: Ÿ Coastal protection Ÿ Air and climate Ÿ Education for sustainable development Ÿ Responsible tourism Ÿ Restoration of historic gardens and parks Ÿ Development and safeguarding of the Marrakech palm grove
Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection also partners with international environmental agencies such as UNESCO and UNEP.
Environmental Education Through Film (EETF)
EETF operates on this belief that information is power and key to the protection of the environment. People will be conscious of environmental conservation if they have the right information.
This organization promotes environmental education through films. It creates films in different languages on various environmental issues facing different regions in Africa.
EETF distribute these videos, free of charge to learning institutions and other public centres to reach millions of people across Africa. The goal is to offer adequate learning materials to help equip people with insightful knowledge of environmental conservation.
The organization films also involve notable narrators such as Hillary Clinton, the former American president, and Jackie Chan, a renowned movie actor.
African Rainforest Conservancy (ARC)
The ARC is among the best environmental charities in Africa. This organization has a mission of raising funds to support grassroots environmental conservation projects and create awareness of the importance of this action.
The group ensures the conservation of mountain rainforests through collaborating with the local communities. The goal is to educate the community on the importance of the rainforest on environmental health and curb the burning and cutting of indigenous trees.
Established back in 1991, the ARC works in collaboration with the TFCG (Tanzania Forest Conservation Group), to ensure that the local communities can take care of these indigenous forests.
It targets a network of over 260 villages, spreading over seven mountains and coastal regions across Tanzania.
Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA)
WESSA is a South African environmental organisation which aims to initiate and support high impact environmental and conservation projects to promote participation in caring for the Earth.
WESSA implements environmental, ecotourism, education, and youth development programmes nationally, encouraging people to care for the earth. This means improving the school curriculum through education for sustainable development and providing skills training, creating job opportunities and sustainable livelihoods in local communities. WESSA's environmental initiatives are about the restoration of ecosystems. It also encourages responsible tourism and improved management of our coastline.
WESSA is an integral part of the international environmental community: In addition to being the appointed operator in South Africa for five FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education) programmes, we are a founder member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and, as a UNESCO partner, we are supporting education for sustainable development across the southern African region.
Matekane:
By Alkali Amana
In June 2022, Sam Matekane won the African Leadership Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award recognition for his outstanding business acumen, and the excellent contributions that he has accrued over the years to create his solid legacy.
Now, he has taken a step forward as an African icon and budding statesman with his venture into the political leadership of his home country, Lesotho.
On the 28th October, Matekane was installed as the new Prime Minister of Lesotho. He will act on a mandate entrusted to him by his people to lead them into the next phase of visionary governance and growth.
He demonstrated his readiness and commitment to handle this responsibility while campaigning for the national elections by going to places other candidates did not access.
Matekane's victory comes on the back of planning strategically and setting his mind on achieving a platform that will provide for the common good of the Basotho people. Results of the election, announced by the Independent Electoral Commission, revealed that the Revolution for Prosperity (RFP), a political party Matekane founded in March 2022 had won 56 seats in the national assembly, five seats shy of an absolute majority. It was a resounding victory.
Nevertheless the last time such numbers were recorded was in 2007 when the thenruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy won
61 parliamentary seats. Since then, subsequent elections held in 2012, 2015, and 2017 saw no political party winning more than 55 seats.
Matekane the Businessman
Born in Mantšonyane, ThabaTseka, on 15th March 1958, Matekane is the seventh child of fourteen children from his family. He began his education at Bocheletsane primary in Matšoanyane before progressing to Mabathoana High School in Maseru where he obtained a junior certificate after three years of secondary school.
Matekane ventured into business after obtaining his junior certificate. A close family friend, Timothy Nhlapho, mentored him at the time.
Matekane's business life began with commercial livestock farming of donkeys in 1980, before diversifying his business interests into brick manufacturing. From brick manufacturing, he expanded the business into mining and selling sand, and formally registered it under the name Matekane Transport and Plant Hire (Pty) Ltd. to include transportation.
The growth of Matekane Transport and Plant Hire saw its entry into the construction sector, and the building of roads, dams, and reservoirs.
In 1992, Matekane registered his umbrella company, 'Matekane Group of Companies' (MGC). Today, MGC is home to many business ventures initiated by the forward-thinking Matekane, cutting across multiple sectors such as road construction, real estate investment, aviation, and mining companies. His business footprints spread across South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, and India.
Matekane has been described as a calm, humble and vision-oriented individual with a great sense of humour. Also, summing up the representation of what he has committed himself to over the years, he is widely perceived to be a philanthropist and business mogul.
He was 'Forbes Best of Africa Entrepreneur' in 2021.
The Vision for Lesotho
There is no doubt Matekane is passionate about creating a better and greater Lesotho. While campaigning, he captured his vision for Lesotho in what he and his party called a 'Developmental Agenda'. To implement this agenda, he wanted his party to gain a majority in parliament.
This did not materialize, however, as the RFP only secured 56 seats, as against the 61 seats needed for an outright majority.
But Matekane was undeterred relying on the power of collaboration to achieve the common goal. The RFP formed a coalition in government with the Alliance of Democrats and the Movement for Economic Change.
Together the two smaller parties added nine seats to the new coalition, giving Matekane's government a slim majority of 65 seats.
The choice of the two parties for the coalition rests on the belief that they share the same vision of financial prudence and improving the delivery of government services to the people of Lesotho.
Alongside that advantage, the leaders of the two partner parties bring much-needed experience from their time in government. The leader of the Alliance for Democracy party, Monyane Moleleki, served as the Deputy Prime Minister from June 2017 to May 2020; while the leader of the Movement for Economic Change party, Selibe Mochoboroane, was the Development Planning Minister in the outgoing All Basotho Convention-led government.
Matekane intends to lead Lesotho into a new era and a time of progress by mapping the way forward with the newly formed coalition. His business acumen and time-tested skills in navigating difficult waters will serve well in his early political days.
Although politics is a different game entirely, principles of excellence and leadership can translate to governance and it is anticipated that Matekane will successfully deliver for his nation.
