Let us be frank. The Africans who bear the harshest effects of the climate crisis are those least responsible for creating this crisis in the first place.

This month’s Cop27 climate negotiations in Egypt were being called “Africa’s Cop”, a recognition of the daily impact of the climate crisis on communities across the continent.

The question is whether climate negotiators used this opportunity to address the urgent, immediate needs of African communities around food security, adaptation and access to climate financing.

We are already seeing how the climate crisis is negatively impacting food security and economic livelihoods tied to food production. Africa is home to 60 per cent of the world’s agricultural land and the majority of the population are smallholder farmers. While Africa has the potential to be an agricultural powerhouse, the continent’s rain-fed agricultural focus creates unique vulnerability. And as one of the most climate-affected parts of the world, immediate action from the international community is required.

The impending famine in east Africa is a devastating example. Today, the region faces its longest-running drought in 40 years. Thousands of people have already died. As many as 36 million lives are affected, across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. This is a story of political and international failure.

And let us be frank. The Africans who bear the harshest effects of the climate crisis are those least responsible for creating this crisis in the first place. The continent contributed a total of 3.8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. Somalia, at the epicentre of the hunger crisis in east Africa, only contributed 0.002 per cent of emissions over the past 250 years.

Following Cop27, it is clear that we need more action on the climate crisis and the inclusion of the world’s most affected in climate solutions.

After the meetings, the impact of climate change on people, livelihoods and communities must remain front and centre. Failure to address climate inequity will result in growing economic disparities for countries in Africa. The continent’s rising debt is expected to reach close to 70 per cent GDP, up from 58 per cent as of 2019.

The first critical action for world leaders is ensuring these communities have access to climate financing.

Currently, Africa receives less than 4 per cent of global climate finance – most of which is made as loans, not grants – and burdens the countries with debt. To bridge the energy inequality that exists between Africa and the rest of the world, the continent must prioritise investments in the provision of traditional and renewable energy for Africans. Green energy transition must allow room for Africa to sustain its economic growth.

Furthermore, for the millions who live with the present effects of extreme weather, major donors must focus on devoting at least 50 per cent of the climate finance commitment to adaptation. Climate-resilient agriculture, for example, would help to support rural communities through climate shocks. Progress, transparency and time-bound tracking of climate finance commitments, bringing international finance on adaptation onto an even footing with mitigation, is central to addressing the climate crisis.

Secondly, green entrepreneurship and agripreneurship play critical roles in driving innovative solutions to environmental issues. It is crucial to invest in the people behind these ventures to attain climate equity on the micro level. There are bottom-up solutions that must be pursued.

Local entrepreneurs have the power to affect change through their actions or inactions. To empower and further their focus on sustainability, the Tony Elumelu Foundation mentors and provides $5,000 (£4,200) seed capital towards sustainable businesses across the 54 countries in Africa. More than 1,500 of these entrepreneurs run small businesses addressing environmental issues, in sectors ranging from energy and power generation to waste management.

Over a million Foundation participants are being encouraged to create businesses that incorporate sustainability into their practices. And, to empower youth and grow the demand for and availability of solar power in Ivory Coast, an International Rescue Committee (IRC) programme is building skills and supporting access to employment in the renewable energy sector.

With 22 per cent of working-age Africans already starting businesses and contributing to the economic growth of the continent, according to the African Development Bank, these businesses have the power to serve as agents of a sustainable revolution.

Third, to break the cycle of hunger and famine, long-term, flexible programmes that strengthen livelihoods and resilience at the earliest warning signs of drought are needed to prevent, recover and rebuild.

Supported by Google, the IRC is piloting a project in Nigeria that aims to improve smallholder farmers’ ability to weather climate stress and shocks and build sustainable agricultural livelihoods. To achieve this, the IRC is testing the effectiveness of providing advanced cash transfers, triggered by an innovative data platform that predicts climate risks in these communities.

In the Central African Republic, the IRC and partner organisations are implementing a Forest Garden Approach to help vulnerable smallholder farmers to increase their own food security, generate sustainable income and revitalise degraded natural resources.

Investing in resilient livelihoods will not only reduce personal vulnerabilities to climate stress and shocks. It will also foster economic growth in green jobs and greener economies, which holds the potential to mitigate future crises, conflict and migration.

There is no time to wait for climate action in Africa. Too many lives and livelihoods are already at risk in east Africa and beyond to delay bold and visionary investment and leadership any further.

David Miliband is president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee. Tony Elumelu is chairman of the United Bank for Africa and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Source: Independent.co.uk

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On Friday, September 23, 2022, TEF Founder, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, C.O.N, CEO, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu and TEF Director of Partnerships, Somachi Chris-Asoluka, held a series of bilateral meetings to further drive the importance and urgency of global investment in Africa for jobs creation, economic opportunities, climate responsibility, environmental sustainability, and poverty eradication.

The team met with Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, for conversations around climate change and the current global focus on green and renewable energy. Africa’s focus is and should remain, providing energy from both traditional and green sources for its citizens, including energy sustainability and clean cooking for women. It was determined that Africa’s full transition green and renewable energy sources will require considerable investment, and this cannot be at the expense of the drive to urgently address the current energy deficit. Green energy transition must allow room for Africa to power its development and sustain its economic growth. Anything else will be potentially detrimental to all across the continent.

The team also met with Benedikt Sobotka CEO of Eurasian Resource Group (ERG) – The 2nd largest producer of cobalt in the world operating in 8 African countries, as well as Bogolo J. Kenewendo, Africa Director, UN High Level Climate Champion to discuss the increasing need for African voices on climate change, ahead of COP27 in Egypt.

“Africa must go to Cop 27 with one voice highlighting the importance and need for capital to fund the energy transition”, Mr. Elumelu said. “African governments must provide the enabling environment to promote climate change and incentivise the private sector to own these initiatives and begin implementation in their various organisations.”

The bi-lat meetings closed with a high-level session with President Adama Barrow of Gambia, where the party discussed ways in which the country’s government can work with the Foundation to empower even more young Gambians. The President expressed his deepest appreciation to the Tony Elumelu Foundation for empowering entrepreneurs in The Gambia and across Africa.

So far the Foundation has mentored, trained and disbursed nearly US $200,000 directly in seed capital to hundreds of Gambian entrepreneurs.

“We look forward to exploring investment opportunities in the Gambian financial sector with UBA, and hospitality sector with Transcorp Hotels PLC”
– Mr. Elumelu

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As the world continues to experience the daily impact of global warming, whether the tragic recent flooding in Pakistan, or the less covered, but equally harmful, persistent environmental degradation of Africa’s Sahel region, leaders need to act, not just talk.

Equally, Africa should not just be in the conversation, but actively set the agenda.

While Africa’s 3.8% contribution to global emissions is immaterial compared to others, we are the most vulnerable region to the effect of climate change. Africa’s rain-fed agriculture focus, and a large share of agriculture in Africa’s GDP, add to the continent’s  vulnerability.  It is clear that climate change is not just a threat to the future, it is also a threat to the present.

Global conversations around climate change are geared towards a focus on green and renewable energy. However, Africa’s focus is and should remain, providing energy from both traditional and green sources for its citizens – this was the focus of my discussion with Senator John Kerry, Former Secretary of State and Current United States of America’s Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, along with the CEO of Heirs Oil and Gas (HHOG), Osa Igiehon, at Transcorp Hilton Abuja, yesterday.

We must be realistic about the inequalities that exist between Africa and the rest of the world. Africa has a significant energy deficit, with a substantial amount of its population living with minimal or no electricity. Africa transiting fully to green and renewable energy sources will require considerable investment, and this cannot be at the expense of the drive to urgently address the current energy deficit. Green energy transition must allow room for Africa to power its development and sustain its economic growth. Anything else will be potentially detrimental to us all.

There must be an equitable transition – that is why I welcome the US’s recent recognition of this concept in its much-awaited Africa strategy announced earlier this month.

Africa’s green revolution requires immediate and significant funding – funding that is larger than the resources available to African governments, that have so many competing priorities such as poverty, economy, education, healthcare, security, and more – all of which have a direct impact on the livelihood of Africans, especially the youth.

With this dilemma, the world must step up! Africa will require far more external support and the same policy flexibility that rich nations claim for themselves in the energy transition.

As the world gathers in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt for COP27, African nations must engage with the rest of the world, with one voice about the massive support required for this transition – one that is frankly in everyone’s interest.  The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s work with the UNDP in the Sahel seeks to address the toxic cocktail of the lack of opportunity and extremism, and the frightening impact of environmental change has only made this task more difficult.

Africa must do what it can in the present – African governments must provide the enabling environment to promote climate change and incentivise the private sector to own these initiatives and begin implementation in their various organisations.  At Heirs Holdings Group, with our integrated energy strategy, we are working to address Africa’s energy needs.  Our energy strategy comprises three pathways

1. an oil and gas pathway (with HHOG already providing up to 12million standard cubic feet of gas per day into the Eastern Nigeria Domestic gas hub);

1. a gas-fired electricity generation pathway (with Transcorp Group operating an aggregate of approximately 2000 megawatts, some 15% of Nigeria’s total installed electricity generating capacity); and

1. a renewables/green energy pathway currently being developed.

We cannot afford to ignore traditional energy sources, to power basic needs, but equally we cannot ignore our responsibility to future generations in developing alternatives.

We are great supporters of young entrepreneurs – and we are ensuring that we infuse green climate awareness in young African entrepreneurs, through the work of The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF).  We believe that the current energy transition and future lies in the hands of our private sector, who through their actions or inactions can either perpetuate current ills or catalyse change.  Our over 1.2m TEF entrepreneurship seed capital/knowledge beneficiaries are being encouraged to create businesses that incorporate sustainability into their practices.

My conversation with Senator Kerry ended with a broad based discourse about opportunities for Africa in the renewables space, and technology-focused initiatives that will aid in addressing and improving access to energy in Africa.

I applaud the United States of America, for this inclusive approach to addressing the climate issues.  It is through such direct engagements that a comprehensive agenda will be developed for faithful implementation across Africa and the wider world.

Collectively, we can do better.  We must do better.  We have a dwindling window to address, probably the most significant challenge of our time.  Our children deserve and expect better.

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While being the least contributor to greenhouse gas emissions with less than 5%, there is still an urgency for our continent to respond to the impending effects of climate change. This presents multiple opportunities to assist African households and communities while targeting growth and reducing poverty.

As entrepreneurship continues to be a means of economic development and job creation for African youth, a focus towards green entrepreneurship has become more necessary. Green entrepreneurship is crucial to the economy as we think about making our world and continent a greener and safer place.

According to the ILO, Green entrepreneurship can be defined from two perspectives related to the output (products and services) as well as the process (or production) of an economic activity.Entrepreneurs can enter an overtly ‘green’ business sector, providing green and environmentally friendly products and services (e.g., waste management).

Alternately, green entrepreneurs can provide their products or services through an environmentally friendly process or with the help of clean technologies (e.g., eco-tourism).

Green Entrepreneurship at TEF

Till date, the Tony Elumelu Foundation has had a total of 525 entrepreneurs with businesses addressing environmental issues, with the popular sectors being energy/power generation and waste management. Entrepreneurs from Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda had the highest representation in this group.

Entrepreneur stories: 

Leroy Mwasaru is a 23-year-old renewable energy social entrepreneur and sustainable design thinking prodigy. He founded Greenpact, a social enterprise obtaining biogas from both agricultural and human waste and works with communities to redefine renewable energy as a sustainable and necessary part of everyday energy needs. Since completing the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, Leroy has gone on to other exciting projects and was the young person listed on Forbes Africa 2018 30 under 30.

Steve Matenda from the Democratic Republic of Congo founded EcoTech RDC, a Congolese start-up specialised in the development of innovative technologies focused on ecology. With a business based on the principles of circular economy, EcoTech has developed a new product made from recycled plastic waste. Through a long-term partnership with UNICEF, his products are being shared across the country and region.

Chioma Ukonu from Nigeria founded Recycle Points, Nigeria’s foremost waste recycling and social benefit venture that motivates consumers to recycle while creating value from their everyday waste. Recycle Points developed a point-based incentive model where waste collected from registered post-consumers and in turn reward them with POINTS, with the seed funding from TEF, Chioma was able to drive innovation by procuring two electric cargo tricycles (first of its kind in Africa) for door-to-door recyclable material collections.  With a revenue of over $400,000, Recycle Points has been instrumental in empowering women in low-income communities. By doing this, they have been able to add more greenpreneurs to their business model while creating 250 direct and indirect jobs.

Looking ahead:

As the world continues to focus on climate change and its impacts, policies and business regulations that support green entrepreneurship need to be created. By encouraging and investing in green businesses the Tony Elumelu Foundation is continuing its commitment to support African entrepreneurs focused on creating long term solutions to some of Africa’s most pressing challenges.

Working with entrepreneurs on key climate issues such as energy production and distribution, waste management, the circular economy and advanced agricultural practices is of utmost importance. Entrepreneurs play a major role in sustaining the green economy and have the power to push the needle in how the world thinks about sustainable businesses. Investments as well as policies favourable for green business sectors are therefore crucial to helping green SMEs expand their operations.

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