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C4 CLEAN AIR CITIES DECLARATION
C40 CLEAN AIR
CITIES DECLARATION
Ten major African cities sign C40 Clean Air Declaration to improve public health and climate
Ahead of COP27 being held in Africa later this year, the mayors and governors of 10 major African cities announced an unprecedented, ambitious commitment to improve air quality by signing the C40 Clean Air Cities Declaration.
Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Dakar, Ekurhuleni, Freetown, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi and Tshwane will join a global cohort of 38 cities including Durban, which became the rst African city to sign the declaration in 2019. By signing the C40 Clean Air Cities Declaration, the mayors recognise that breathing clean air is a human right, and commit to work towards safer air quality to meet WHO Air Quality guidelines.
The announcement was made at an event organised by C40 during the 9th Africities Summit in Kisumu, Kenya. At the event, C40 launched the African Cities for Clean Air Programme to support African cities as they work to improve air quality and public health.
Air pollution has become the second largest cause of death on the African continent, due in part to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. Approximately 1.1 million deaths per year have been linked to air pollution across Africa, according to a Global Burden of Disease study.
About 59 million people across the 10 African cities stand to bene t from cleaner air and improved health through commitments that could prevent as many as 10 000 early deaths linked to air pollution exposure, as well as more than 300 000 hospitalisations, resulting in US$9.4-billion in annual savings from averted deaths and hospitalisations.
Air pollution and climate change are closely connected and should be considered together; both need swift, unprecedented and collaborative action to address the sources of pollution harmful to our health and warming our planet.
BIG COMMITMENT, BOLD ACTION,
The C40 Clean Air Cities Declaration sets a framework for cities around the world to take bold action to tackle air pollution and clean the air we breathe. Through the C40 Clean Air Cities Declaration, 48 cities (signatories to the declaration) have committed to establish baseline air pollution levels, set ambitious reduction targets for air pollutants that meet or exceed national commitments, and implement new substantive policies and programmes that address the leading causes of air pollution emissions.
These targets will put the cities on a path toward meeting WHO Air Quality guidelines for particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and sulphur dioxide.
By signing this declaration, C40 cities continue to take bold climate action despite the many challenges faced in recent times, with the global pandemic, economic disruption, climate-related natural disasters and, in many cases, strained financial resources.
C40’s new African Cities for Clean Air Programme will help cities achieve these commitments through capacity-building, regionally focused peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing, and collaboration centred on air quality best practices.
Sadiq Khan, chair of C40 Cities and the mayor of London, said: “With COP27 being held in Africa later this year, I am delighted to welcome ten new African signatories to the C40 Clean Air Cities Declaration. As chair, I am determined to do more to support cities in the global south that are on the frontline facing the worst consequences of climate change. This is why I am focusing C40’s resources on helping cities around the world accelerate their e orts to tackle the climate emergency, reduce toxic air pollution and address inequalities. The world is at a crossroads; we must all play our part in helping cities globally become greener, fairer and more prosperous for all.”
Michael R. Bloomberg, UN special envoy for climate ambition and solutions, president of the C40 board and the mayor of New York City, said: “Many of the world’s fastest-growing cities are in Africa, and these ten mayors can help show cities everywhere how to protect public health, ght climate change, and expand economic opportunity all at the same time. Cities play a vital role in the ght against climate change. This new commitment is an important step to help build momentum and highlight Africa’s leadership in the lead-up to COP27 in Egypt later this year.”
CITY COMMITMENTS
Speci c commitments include: • Abidjan will expand air quality monitoring capabilities and aims to achieve a 50 per cent reduction in air pollutant emissions by 2035. The city will consider tra c restrictions for certain types of vehicles. Governor Robert Mambe of Abidjan said: “Breathe healthy and be healthy. To give our citizens this opportunity, we have committed to the C40 Clean Air Cities
Declaration and aim to initiate bold actions to ght air pollution by strengthening our e orts on air quality monitoring and contributing to the development of low-carbon urban transportation and promoting soft mobility modes.” • Accra will introduce policies to reduce air pollution from the waste sector by 2026 and collaborate with the transport department to implement an e-mobility strategic policy focusing on high-impact actions to reduce transport emissions.
Mayor Elizabeth Sackey said: ”We have committed to achieve clean air status and work towards meeting WHO guidelines and air quality standards. This commitment substantiates the principles within Accra’s Climate Action Plan and the potential co-bene ts related to air quality management, as well as the reduction of health impact on citizens.” • Addis Ababa will establish city-wide baseline air quality levels and aims to reduce major sources of air pollution by 2025 by implementing emissions standards for vehicles. Mayor Adanech
Ableble said: “Addis Ababa has committed to improving air quality and building a clean and healthy city. We are working to increase the coverage of air quality monitor data for better intervention and to reduce air pollution-related health burdens on the city’s residents. Our air quality management plan will help us achieve our goal.”
The City of Tshwane is committed to improve waste collection and waste recycling from informal settlements.
• Dakar plans to introduce an electric bus rapid transit (BRT) and Regional Express
Trains (TER –Trains Express Regional) system, create 18km of new bike lanes, and close dumpsites by 2024. Barthelemy
Toye Dias, the mayor of Dakar, said: “The air we breathe today determines our health and the sustainability of our city. Together let’s act with ambitious and high-impact measures to ensure energy transition, reduce GHG emissions and improve air quality, which is a right for every citizen.” • Ekurhuleni is in the process of introducing the Harambee Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, which includes 286km of dedicated roads within the city. This programme will be rolled out until the end of 2025. In addition, the city will rehabilitate 112 (1 per ward) illegal waste dumping sites and any abandoned waste by 2023. Tania Campbell, the mayor of Ekurhuleni, said: “I am deeply concerned about the health of the citizens of Ekurhuleni as the detrimental e ects of poor air quality are experienced on a daily basis. With the support of C40 Cities, the city has made a pledge, with focused measures, that will ensure that the air in our city is improved. One of the key measures relates to the enforcement and monitoring of the conditions of air quality licensing by our dedicated team of environmental management inspectors.” • Freetown will develop a mass transit cable car network that will reduce peak tra c volumes and congestion delays (queuing) by up to 30 per cent, support residents to transition to gas- and electricity-powered clean and a ordable cooking solutions, and create low-emission zones. Yvonne
Aki-Sawyerr, the mayor of Freetown, said:
“We are de nitely dedicated to improving and sustaining the management of critical air quality data. This commitment towards city-wide clean air will form a vital component in achieving our vision of making our municipality the most liveable and sustainable city.” • Johannesburg will expand household electri cation by providing 3 000 sites with electricity connections, establishing a diesel vehicle emissions testing programme, and ensuring mines implement the
Dust Management Programme by 2025.
Executive mayor of Johannesburg Mpho
Phalatse said: “Breathing clean air is a
human right. As mayors of the African cities, we must not wait for others to come and act to protect our citizens from the devastating consequences of air pollution. We know that air pollution and the climate crisis go hand-in-hand. Both need immediate, unprecedented and collective action to remove the pollution harming our health and warming our planet.” • Lagos will reduce tra c congestion by expanding the bus rapid transit network, piloting a low-emission bus system, improving walking and cycling infrastructure, rehabilitating three illegal waste dumping sites and promoting the installation of solar photovoltaic systems on buildings. Babajide Olusola Sanwu-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, said: “The need to breathe clean air is more important than the licence to pollute it. Lagos has committed to improve air quality, and I appeal to every citizen to be responsible because together we can.” • Nairobi will introduce air quality regulations and an air quality act to set up ambitious reduction targets, increase installation of air quality sensors, develop an emissions inventory to establish baseline levels of air pollutants, report publicly on the status of air pollution, and increase pedestrian and cycling lanes by 100kms to encourage nonmotorised transport.
Anna Kananu Mwenda, the governor of
Nairobi, said: “Nairobi City administration’s commitment toward city-wide clean air will form a vital component in achieving our vision as the most liveable, clean, and sustainable city. We are strengthening the air quality management system by developing an air quality action plan, policy and bill.” • Tshwane will work collaboratively to improve waste collection and waste recycling from informal settlements, expand electri cation to ensure access for all homes (including 80 per cent of existing informal settlements) by 2030, and establish a vehicle emissions testing programme. Randal Williams, Tshwane executive mayor, said: “The commitment (to signing C40’s Clean Air Cities Declaration) also substantiates the principles set out in the city’s Air Quality Management Plan and Climate Action Plan and seeks to use potential co-bene ts related to air quality management to help address the associated health impacts on citizens.” • Durban has already made progress on
The City of Cape Town wants to take ownership of the management of the city’s rail network.
“Cities play a vital role in the fight against climate change. This new commitment is an important step to help build momentum and highlight Africa’s leadership in the lead-up to COP27 in Egypt later this year.” – Michael R. Bloomberg
commitments, three years ago. The city has procured new reference monitors, reviewed and aligned its air quality bylaws, and begun the development of a city-wide emissions inventory of air pollutants, aligned with the greenhouse gas inventory. Durban has carried out an equity assessment to inform the design of its low-emission zone and plans to further develop the concept in the coming year. eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said: “eThekwini Municipality’s commitment towards clean air will form a vital component in achieving our vision as the most liveable and sustainable city.”
INITIATIVES BY OTHER C40 CITIES
Other C40 cities working to improve air quality in Africa include the following: • Cape Town plans to conduct a feasibility assessment to take over the management of the city’s passenger rail network. Having a rail network that is functional, reliable and a ordable for commuters will allow for tra c congestion to be diverted back to the rail service. Geordin Hill-Lewis, mayor of Cape Town, said: ‘’The City has increasingly been stepping up its e orts to improve air quality as part of our response to ensure that all Cape Town residents
have clean air to breathe.” • Dar es Salaam plans to develop bylaws to encourage renewable energy uptake in residential buildings, promote lower-emission electric cars, motorcycles and freight vehicles, and develop proper waste management systems. In addition, the city has recently deployed 14 air quality monitoring sensors to track the city’s air quality. ▪
RESOURCES:
For more information on C40 Clean Air
Global Green New Deal
C40 CITIES CLIMATE LEADERSHIP GROUP
C40 is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities who are working to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis and create a future where everyone, everywhere can thrive. Mayors of C40 cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to help the world limit global heating to 1.5°C and build healthy, equitable and resilient communities. Through a Global Green New Deal, mayors are working alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labour, business, the youth climate movement and civil society to go further and faster than ever before.
The current chair of C40 is the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan; and three-term mayor of New York City, Michael R. Bloomberg, serves as president of the board. C40’s work is made possible by three strategic funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and Realdania.
To learn more about the work of C40, please visit www.c40.org and the knowledge hub www.c40knowledgehub.org or follow C40 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
AFRICA, AGRICULTURE AND THE 4IR How harnessing 4IR technologies can increase agricultural production in Africa and create jobs. By Dr Moses Azong Cho
The continent has the ability not only to feed itself, but also to be a major player in the global food market. This potential lies in its land, people, water bodies, knowledge and huge markets. With about 375 million hectares of Africa’s land considered suitable for agricultural production, it makes sense that agriculture Some pillars of the 4IR such as big data and the global positioning system (GPS) can make a signi cant di erence in farming, particularly with information about the location of farms. dominates most African economies.
Currently, a large number of countries on the continent rely on agriculture to meet priorities such addressing poverty and hunger, and to increase intra-Africa trade. However, owing to the low yields from outdated agricultural practices and the effects of climate change, many nations face ongoing food insecurity.
With 20 per cent of the more than 821 million undernourished people in the world living in Africa, as reported by the World Hunger Organization, it cannot be business as usual if the continent is to feed its projected population of two billion people by 2050.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES, POVERTY RELIEF AND JOB CREATION
While challenges exist and are real, there are also many opportunities. As the old adage goes, every cloud has a silver lining. In this case, the emerging technologies of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) are that silver lining. The thousands of ground sensors and social media platforms also assist with knowledge- and data-sharing. Big data analytical tools present invaluable opportunities to use data to address agricultural challenges, for example, in deciding which crops to plant and when. The bene ts of greater connectivity, the internet of things and robotics provide us with unique prospects for leapfrogging traditional agricultural practices into a new era of smart agriculture. As the holder of 60 per cent
Big data analytical tools present invaluable opportunities to use data of the world’s uncultivated arable land, to address agricultural challenges, for example, in deciding which according to the World Economic Forum, crops to plant and when. Africa should step up its game and develop homegrown technologies that can respond
to the challenges faced by the agriculture sector, both on the continent and globally.
In South Africa, the Department of Science and Innovation’s 2019 White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation has positioned the national system of innovation to respond to poverty, inequality and unemployment in the country. In simple terms, the White Paper looks at how science, technology and innovation can change people’s lives, influence service delivery, modernise the production sector and grow the economy. It has a focus on new technologies and how they can be used to create jobs and wealth in the country.
The Agriculture Research Council (ARC), the Department of Science and Innovation and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research have already developed numerous technologies and, where appropriate, commercialised them to boost agriculture. One of these technologies, the Agricloud app developed by the ARC, is helping farmers to generate real-time personalised forecasts and warnings, reducing weather and climate-related risks and improving food production in a sustainable manner. The app is free and available on Google Store.
Another locally produced technology developed by the ARC, the Viridi Elisa Kit, is a plant health diagnostic tool that assists farmers with the identification of different vegetable diseases, such as the tomato spotted wilt and cucumber mosaic viruses. South Africa has many valuable locally produced technologies on the market, including precision agriculture platforms, soymilk pasteurizers and sweet potato cultivars, to name only a few.
The predicted increase in the youth population presents another opportunity for the agriculture sector. United Nations statistics predict an increase in the number of young people (aged 15 to 24) from 1.2 billion in 2015 to 1.3 billion by 2030. Most of them will be born in developing countries in Africa and Asia, where more than half of the population still live in rural areas. It is expected that young Africans will make up about 42 per cent of the world’s youth.
The introduction of 4IR technology in agriculture presents an ideal opportunity to involve youth in the sector since young people are among the biggest consumers of new technology. The declining interest of youth in the sector is seen as one of the challenges that could hinder the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 2 – End Hunger by 2030.
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2014 The State of Food and Agriculture report, youth in rural areas continue to face challenges related to unemployment, underemployment and poverty. The agriculture sector has ample potential to provide income-generating opportunities for them. Attracting young people to the sector will also help to meet the increasing demand for food from a growing global population that is projected to reach nine billion by 2050.
The current environment o ers governments on the continent a chance to harness new technologies and involve large numbers of youth to take agriculture in Africa into the digital era. This will not only increase crop yields, but also contribute to economic development, increase
Dr Moses Azong Cho
competitiveness and attract investment. Moreover, it will ensure food security and has the potential to eliminate poverty. ▪
Dr Cho is research group leader for precision agriculture at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation.
➔ Scan this QR code to go directly to the DSI website.
For more information:
+27 (0)12 843 6773 Julian.Leshilo@dst.gov.za www.dst.gov.za
SORGHUM CULTIVATION TO OPEN DOORS
An all-natural, locally produced sorghum drink for diabetics is set to hit the shelves soon, reports Julian Leshilo-Sebake
Diagnosed with rheumatic heart fever at the age of five, Pontsho Lelosa was forced to follow a strict diet and could only look on with envy as friends and family enjoyed rich meals and sweet snacks and drinks.
Little did she know that what started out as a perceived weakness and source of su ering in childhood would ultimately spark the business idea that would bring her success in adulthood.
“My mother used to make sorghum porridge a lot to accommodate my dietary requirements. Out of inquisitiveness, I attempted to make a drink using sorghum,” says Lelosa, who hails from Finetown, a small township to the south of Johannesburg.
“Because of the illness, my life was centred around healthy living and eating. I took time to do some research and kept on improving my juice recipe until it was all-natural.”
About three years ago, Lelosa joined a start-up incubation programme at the University of the Witwatersrand. “The programme mentored us through the processes of ideation, solution development and validation through to commercialisation. That is when I started developing Grain Rush, a drink that specifically targets diabetics.”
Grain Rush, she explains, is an all-natural, sorghum-based alternative to drinking yoghurt. The sorghum content helps regulate blood sugar levels to keep them balanced while also assisting in weight loss and gain.
FUNDING FOR GRASSROOT INNOVATORS
Lelosa is currently receiving funding support to develop a prototype for her product through the Grassroots Innovation Programme run by the Technology Innovation Agency, an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI). The programme targets grassroots innovators who require funding to develop and prototype their technology innovations up to precommercialisation.
Despite the COVID-19 lockdown hampering work on the development of Grain Rush, Lelosa remains optimistic that the product will reach the shelves in the near future, probably in two years’ time. “My biggest ambition is to see the product becoming easily accessible and able to carry out its function of helping the people who need it most; this can happen when the product is available in our retail stores.”
MARKET POTENTIAL AND INITIATIVES
Lelosa’s vision ties in with the DSI’s goal of growing the local sorghum industry as part of its drive to revitalise the country’s agriculture sector, which, according to the National Development Plan, has the potential to expand by one million hectares and create one million jobs by 2030.
Sorghum remains a minority crop in South Africa, and the DSI has stepped in to address the challenges facing the local industry. The Agricultural Bio-economy Innovation Partnership Programme (ABIPP), an initiative of the DSI, recently commissioned a sorghum value chain upgrade feasibility study. The research team identified a number of market opportunities for the local sorghum industry, including import replacement, growth opportunities in local food and beer production, as well as a potential East African export market.
On the challenges side, an analysis of likely climate change impact indicated that the production of cereals in general will be adversely affected by higher temperatures and increased frequency of extreme weather patterns in the future.
Based on the ndings of the study, the research report recommends a programme to upgrade primary sorghum production in South Africa, as key to enhancing the value chain of the local industry. The aim of the programme would be to produce sorghum at a competitive price relative to its grain counterparts, primarily white and yellow maize.
The report also proposes the establishment of a dedicated sorghum industry cluster involving all role players in the value chain, from seed suppliers to retailers. The cluster would implement a market development programme focused on promoting sorghum in the local market while developing new export markets, as well as supporting the inclusion of marginalised rural communities in the industry.
The study recommends that the Eastern Cape be considered as a pilot site to demonstrate the value of local processing centres in addressing the logistical challenges faced by producers. The Eastern Cape is considered to have a high potential for sorghum cultivation, especially in view of the growing negative impact of climate change on grain cultivation in other parts of the country. ▪
➔ Scan this QR code to go directly to the DSI website.
For more information:
+27 (0)12 843 6773 Julian.Leshilo@dst.gov.za www.dst.gov.za
IS THE SOYBEAN A MEANS TO FIGHT POVERTY?
Communities are adopting the soybean to ght poverty through small-scale farming. By Julian Leshilo-Sebake
The humble soybean has, over the years, become a key source of nutrition for so many who are lactose-intolerant, with soy being the go-to replacement for dairy. In KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the soybean has become a signi cant source of food security and a catalyst for community development.
In the small town of Bergville in uKhahlamba Municipality, the Eden Social Development Foundation, a nonpro t organisation (NPO), is driving a soybean food and nutrition development project. The initiative forms part of the Agricultural Bio-economy Innovation Partnership Programme, a programme of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) that is run by its entity, the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA).
PARTNERSHIPS BOOST FOOD SECURITY
Henry Davies, the founder of the Eden Foundation, says the partnership with the DSI, TIA, the Oil and Protein Seeds Development Trust, and the Oilseeds Advisory Committee, is helping to boost food and nutrition security in rural communities.
“Through the work of the Foundation, we have witnessed rst-hand the high levels of malnutrition and protein de ciency in many impoverished rural communities in Southern Africa, especially among children and infants,” says Davies, a full-time farmer.
“It is understandable that protein is costly, but there are many a ordable alternatives, and the soybean is one. Soybeans are packed with vitamins and minerals, high in protein and bre, low in saturated fat, and contain no cholesterol.”
Davies works with eThembeni Social Christian Service, another NPO, which teaches communities in villages around the towns of Bergville and Ladysmith how to plant soybeans and use them to make yoghurt, steamed bread, soy chips, biscuits and nuts.
Community training in soybean farming.
Maureen Makhanye, co-ordinator at eThembeni, says the communities are highly receptive to the soybean training and many have adopted soybeans as part of their daily diet.
Makhanye, who has been with eThembeni for 14 years, says the socioeconomic conditions of many people in the villages around Ladysmith are dire. “The soybean awareness training we provide has been of great help. Our people are able to plant in their yards and feed themselves and their families. We have also extended our reach to daycare centres and schools for learners living with disabilities.”
Nomusa Dladla, who works with the community of Sahlumbe Village, says the response was heartening. “I have trained almost 50 people, either in small groups or one-on-one. The feedback I receive from the people fuels my passion for community building.
“One old lady told me how the nurses at the local clinic were surprised by an improvement in her blood pressure levels,” Dladla relates. “Although we do not have medical evidence to back up the effects of soybeans on her health, she says there was a notable improvement in her blood pressure levels after she started including soybeans in her diet.”
Another community facilitator, Celiwe Langa, says people can be creative with
soybeans. “You can make anything you want. I would like to try soy cakes. Also, okara (the soy pulp that remains after puréed soybeans have been ltered) can be used as feed for turkeys, pigs and chickens.”
Langa adds that they are currently testing the feasibility of starting small businesses selling soybean products.
Beaulla Mathebula, deputy director for biotechnology at the DSI, says the soybean project is an on-site innovative demonstration project that aims to improve the diets of rural community members and impart lifelong agricultural production, agro-processing and entrepreneurial skills, thereby providing people with sustainable livelihoods.
“The project is complementary in its nature as it capitalises on existing resources for a robust and focused contribution to food security with tangible socioeconomic outputs and outcomes,” Mathebula adds. “It is a successful public-private partnership that speaks to the core of being truly South African and seeks to bene t all who live in the country.”
HANDS-ON TRAINING
The project includes a soy food training course held over two days and covers basic training in healthy dietary principles and the bene ts of soy in a daily diet. The course provides hands-on training in producing soy base and using it to make soy yoghurt. Trainees are also introduced to the avouring of yoghurt, making soy nuts, and using okara to make soy snacks. At the end of the course, participants are provided with soybeans and one piece of cheesecloth to enable them to start producing in their kitchens.
The training course in soy planting is conducted in participants’ gardens and in elds of approximately half a hectare. The Eden Social Deveopment Foundation supplies all the training materials and manuals to assist the facilitators. At the end of the course, participants receive a small number of seeds and inoculants to begin planting their gardens.
Since its inception ve years ago, the project has trained approximately 2 500 bene ciaries, including 2 229 women, in Uthukela District Municipality. ▪
➔ Scan this QR code to go directly to the DSI website.
For more information:
+27 (0)12 843 6773 Julian.Leshilo@dst.gov.za www.dst.gov.za
