DO NOT MANIPULATE ME!
Virginia* 20 Virginia shares her sexual harassment ordeal at her new job as a waitress at a restaurant. She was excited for the opportunity since it was an upgrade from her last job, where she was underpaid and overworked. At her new job, she had flexible working hours and a very understanding boss. What Virginia did not know is that all these came at a price. It was nearly the end of three weeks when the manager began groping her body secretly behind the counter. Sometimes he openly commented on her physique before customers. This made Virginia uncomfortable and derailed her job performance. Sadly, none of her colleagues intervened. “Most days I went home crying, talked to my friends about it and they advised me to leave the place,” Virginia narrates. She decided to stay until the end of the month and quit after she had been paid. One day, as she was closing up the restaurant with one of her colleagues, the manager came back to pick something he had ‘forgotten’ in his office. He called out for her to help him search for whatever he was looking for. Virginia was hesitant to go at first. So she hatched a plan with her colleague —she would walk in if Virginia stayed too long. As soon as she entered his office, the manager shoved her against the wall, pressed against her while his hands went up her uniform. He warned her not to scream and threatened her. Before he could proceed further, the colleague walked in on them and shouted, “Get away from her now!!!” He aggressively released her and they left in a hurry, afraid of what he could do to both of them. They both quit their jobs after that. Virginia felt devastated, traumatised and scared. Fortunately, she got someone to talk to and got help. Here are tips (5D’s) from L’Oreal’s Paris sexual harassment campaign which you can leverage in a similar scenario:
USINISHIKE!
Emily* 27 I am trying to manoeuvre through a bustling crowd on a footbridge. There is so much going on; hawkers and customers, mothers with babies tucked on their backs, lovers clutching onto each other’s hands and beggars on wheelchairs holding empty containers. I lack the patience to join the trail moving at a snail’s pace, but moving swiftly through such a crowd requires strategy. So I shift to the left where there appears to be space, and come face to face with a fellow human. His face beams with a silly smile as he stretches his arm to touch me. It happens so fast that I feel his filthy hand on my right boob. Anger consumes me. I am so mad, I knock his hand off me and cuss. He cusses back in a groggy voice. I walk home extremely agitated, I want to punch a wall. The fury in me is intensifying, but then I am just another helpless woman having her share of sexual harassment —for the umpteenth time! I have had a couple of similar experiences on the streets of Nairobi. I was once walking past the Railways bus station, where matatus plying the Ongata-Rongai route park, when a makanga tried to touch me. “Usinishike!” I yelled at him. He responded by saying that one day my body will lie cold in a casket where no one will dare touch me. Other times, random comments like, “Madam dashboard iko poa,” and “Uko na boobs tamu,” have been thrown at me. I have lost count of the catcallings I have had to deal with in the Nairobi CBD. When I am not the victim, sometimes I am a witness. I have seen male hands maliciously caress female bodies on the streets while the people around either stared, laughed, or went about their business as if it was part of the norm. As the victims helplessly grappled away, the perpetrators giggled and continued to scour the surroundings for the next prey. In most instances women are said to be the steers of sexual harassment when they ‘dress provocatively.’ I was taken aback to find out that muslim women too, fully covered in Niqabs, get harassed. Older women, known to dress conservatively also experience this. Young, innocent girls are in the mix too. Clearly, perpetrators have no limits. I no longer feel safe to walk down an alley at night. I am scared that I might stumble into a gross human who will shamelessly invade my body and walk away with it. I have to watch my back on the streets and give the cat-callers a ‘deaf ear’ because no one cares. I have learnt to use my voice and repeatedly tell makangas ‘Usinishike,’ because if I don’t they will keep doing it and assume I am fine with it. Here are tips (5D’s) from L’Oreal’s Paris sexual harassment campaign which you can leverage in a similar scenario;
NEVER SMILE AT STRANGERS
Lucy* 48 Sexual harassment reminds me of the ‘Me Too’ movement. I think a lot of black and brown women in developing countries did not take part. We were all probably quietly thinking, sexual harassment is such a normal occurrence in our lives, where do we begin…well, that is what I was thinking. Sexual harassment is ‘unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature.’ I had to look it up. If that is the definition, then I may have a story for every month of every year from primary school until now. That is why ‘Me Too’ probably did not ‘rise’ as much in this country or continent. Sexual harassment is the regular (dare I say daily) life of girls and women. Here is my story, I cannot forget it. It still makes my blood boil. I was in a Christian university and as I regularly did, I got on the university bus from town taking students to the campus. I sat by the window. I liked the window as I could rest my head and nap for the journey. A fellow student came and sat next to me on the bus. He was an older student, so we politely said hello. The bus got on its way, and soon after, the warm sunshine streaming through the window beckoned me to rest my eyes and I did. I was safe on my university bus. I woke up to a warm feeling moving up my thigh. My eyes still closed, I realised that my arms were still on my lap – so what on Earth was that?! My eyes flew open and I saw a third hand on my lap – well, on my upper thigh edging to get between my legs. I thought I was imagining things, my mind was racing trying to piece all the information together, what was going on and whose hand was that? I turned in horror to the older male student sitting next to me – he smiled with a sneer, put his finger to his mouth and whispered ‘Shhhhhh’. His hand on my upper thigh did not move away, it kept on trying to inch closer, trying to get between my thighs! I was shocked, I was scared, I was confused, I was ashamed. I did not say anything. I slapped his hand away and moved closer to the window but I was not far enough. My instinct finally kicked in and got me to stand up and change seats. I was so ashamed like I had done something to warrant this. I kept silent on the bus all the way to our campus. He got up, winked at me and walked off the bus and on into life- like he and I were sharing a special secret on this Christian campus. I felt sick, I felt dirty, I felt like a coward. I stayed silent. I will never forget this incident of many – it changed me and so I remember. I remember to not stay silent again. That creep taught me how to harden my face in public like I am angry, he was (and still is) every male stranger on the street, in a waiting room, in public transport, in a queue, he is probably everywhere – I do not smile at strangers, ever. Once bitten, twice shy. Here are tips (5D’s) from L’Oreal’s Paris sexual harassment campaign which you can leverage in a similar scenario;
HOWEVER I DRESS WHEREVER I GO, LET ME BE!
Annabel* 22 Annabel is a student at State University and she loves wearing fashionable clothes. From her style, one can tell that her sense of fashion is bold, classy, sexy and aesthetic —she likes to subtly show her skin. Annabel prefers walking to school since the university is nearby, except for instances when she foresees lateness. That is when she opts to board a public vehicle. Very often, when walking to school, Annabel experiences catcalling and vulgarity from men. They would say things like, “Huyu ni size yangu” (she is my size) or “Eii msupa hata si usmile?” (Pretty girl, can’t you smile? This makes her feel sick and angry, but she fears reacting to it. Provoking them would cause a more embarrassing scene. Sometimes they would go to an extent of touching her arm, trying to force a greeting. When she resists, they call her ‘proud.’ Other times Annabel gets long stares, which makes her uncomfortable. There is this one time a guy grabbed her arm while trying to force her to board a ‘matatu’. She got irritated and responded aggressively. The guy refused to let her arm go and tightened his grip. At that moment she felt scared, weak and wished she did not respond in that manner. She yelled “Mwizi! Mwizi!” (Thief! Thief!) in attempt to free herself, and he eventually let her go. These ugly encounters have made it difficult for Annabel to express herself. She is scared. She is always aware of her walking, dressing, showing her skin and avoids eye contact just in case she triggers the annoying perpetrators. Here are tips (5D’s) from L’Oreal’s Paris sexual harassment campaign which you can leverage in a similar scenario;
KAA RADA
Rosita* 30 It was a busy Friday evening in Nairobi town. That day after work, I decided to take a bus instead of the small matatus to get home. Since it was the beginning of the weekend, I was very excited to get home and relax after a long week of so much to do here and there. Being glad to have found a seat with access to an intact window, I took off my tote bag and positioned myself in a sleeping position. Before I closed my eyes, a middle aged guy was looking for a place to sit. Our eyes locked, he smiled in a friendly manner and so did I. He then sat next to me. In a few minutes, the vehicle’s engine coughed and our journey kicked off. It was not too long before I started feeling sleepy. So I gave in, closed my eyes and fell asleep. As we proceeded, I felt very uncomfortable to the point that I woke up. I felt his cold hand pressing my thigh. When I noticed it, he withdrew his hand immediately and pretended nothing happened. He went on and looked the other side. I felt shocked and confused whether to yell out loud for help or shift my body to a different angle. I asked him, “What do you think you are doing?” He stared back at me without uttering a word but gave me the expression of ‘what?’ I began to get really frightened for my safety and started looking around to see if anyone was aware of this happening but no one was. My huge tote bag was probably what hid his hand the whole time. I immediately got up and began wondering whether to find another place to sit or walk out and take another bus to my destination. Luckily there was an empty seat with a woman sitting on the other chair. I was shaking, embarrassed and humiliated into silence questioning myself why me especially that this was the first time something like that had happened to me. I opened up to the woman who sat next to me and she made an immediate glance at my short skirt then looked at me. From the look of things, one would conclude that it was my fault. Her casual response later revealed that she has experienced this sort of thing before. Nonetheless, she encouraged me to take a breather and said that it was a good thing I got away from there. She also mentioned that I should be cautious not to sleep in public vehicles and open places. She added that I need to be aware of my dressing when I am in public places (cover up myself when my dressing is too revealing) because ‘these things have become a norm’ and it is up to ourselves to have ways to prevent it from happening. I never reported it or told anyone else about it. It was not my fault that it happened. I told myself that next time I would be more aware and try to be present in public places. This campaign is an opportunity for me to SPEAK UP and tell my story so that other victims can find courage to do so. I also find it useful to take part in training sessions, like one offered by L’Oreal, to learn how to handle sexual harassment. Here are tips (5D’s) from L’Oreal’s Paris sexual harassment campaign which you can leverage in a similar scenario;
MSF AT THE FOREFRONT OF HUMANITARIAN ACTION IN EASTERN AFRICA
For over 50 years, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders has been at the forefront of humanitarian action in Eastern Africa —serving people affected by war, conflicts, epidemics, natural disasters and providing access to medical assistance. MSF’s 2022 report indicates that they provided more than 4 million vaccinations against measles and 16 million medical consultations. These notable achievements have not been without challenges as the organisation has had to grapple with bureaucracy and insecurity issues. In this conversation, Hassan Maiyaki, the Head of Mission for MSF in Kenya shares with us in depth the impact of MSF’s work in Eastern Africa, funding and general support for their work, obstacles encountered in implementing their projects, and what the future looks like for MSF particularly in Eastern Africa. Q1: Tell us briefly about what MSF does and your role in the organisation My name is Hassan Maiyaki. I am from Niger, and the Head of Mission for MSF in Kenya. I have a background in nursing and I have been working for MSF for 22 years now. MSF provides care to people affected by war, conflict, outbreaks and epidemics, natural disasters or in places where people would not otherwise have had access to medical assistance. Q2: Where do you work in Africa, particularly Eastern Africa? MSF was born out of the experience of doctors working in the Biafra war in Nigeria and today it is still where we run some of our largest medical projects worldwide. According to our 2022 report, 55 per cent of our projects are in Africa, and the countries with our largest programmes are usually South Sudan, DRC and the Central African Republic. In Eastern Africa specifically, we work in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan and Tanzania. We also have a regional office here, which supports our global programs as well as supply centres in Kenya and Uganda, where we also have an epidemiological research centre. Our projects differ in size depending on the medical and humanitarian needs that we identify in different places. For example, in South Sudan, MSF provides comprehensive healthcare in mobile clinics, health centres and hospitals, and we respond to emergencies and outbreaks as they occur. In Kenya, where there is better access to healthcare, we focus on specific health issues such as advanced HIV or addressing the needs of marginalised people in places such as the Dadaab refugee camp. Q3: I am aware that you recently launched your headquarters here in Nairobi. Why Nairobi? We have had a regional office in Nairobi for some time, given that it is a humanitarian and media hub, a place for us to mobilise and influence people, and because Kenya is a stable country from where we can support and in some cases, run, our regional operations. The office has grown significantly over recent years and now also hosts a number of experts who advise our global operational teams on specific areas. MSF has evolved over our last 50 years, and though we were born in Europe we are now a thoroughly global organisation and the development of offices such as the Nairobi office, outside of Europe reflects that change towards the globalisation of our organisation. Being close will allow us to understand the context, the challenges/needs of the people and also enhance people’s understanding of the organisation. Acceptance from the people is very important Q4: What are some of the humanitarian issues that MSF focuses on in Eastern Africa? MSF focuses on a broad range of medical and humanitarian issues across the region. Some of the current major impacts on people are the result of conflict, displacement, epidemics and outbreaks. We are also responding to malnutrition. We provide care to survivors of sexual violence, to people who use drugs, HIV/AIDS treatment and counseling, and specific health services to adolescents and young people. Currently, with the ongoing conflict in Sudan, we have surgical teams in Khartoum providing lifesaving surgical operations to people injured during the fighting. We are also supporting other hospitals with treating trauma injuries, maternal healthcare, measles vaccination in 12 regions in Sudan and also neighbouring countries like Chad and South Sudan where many people are fleeing conflict. Q5: What is the progress so far? Approximately how many people have you supported? We recently released our 2022 activity report, which shows all our medical activities for the year per country. As an example, we provided 16,272,300 medical consultations, treated 4,268,600 medical consultations, and 4,124,700 vaccinations against measles. As a snapshot in Kenya, we assisted 3,460 births and treated 3,420 people for sexual violence. Q6: Have you experienced any challenges in implementing your projects in Eastern Africa? Please mention some of them and how MSF has mitigated them. We aim to provide emergency humanitarian assistance in some of the most challenging places – so challenge is something that we are familiar with! One of our biggest challenges is to reach the people who need us the most. The challenge can sometimes come as a result of bureaucratic impediments, or the risk to our teams due to the lack of respect for humanitarian workers by parties to a conflict, for example. We try to mitigate this through ongoing negotiations with all parties to a conflict, or relevant decision makers in a specific place, for example. We have to assess the situation to ensure that the team is protected and also dialogue with different actors —to help them understand that MSF has no hidden agendas other than serving the population. Q7: Speaking of support earlier on, do you get any funding from Africans? Ninety seven percent of our funding comes from private individuals all over the world. To retain our independence and ability to act according to the humanitarian needs alone, not to any political agenda, we do not take money from governments or institutions that are active in conflicts or contexts where we work. We are already fundraising in Kenya and South Africa, and are looking at other countries in Africa that might work
Reflections on Realizing Africa’s Potential
Over the last two decades or so, Africa has steadily shed its tag as the Dark Continent. The somewhat derogatory nickname has been used in reference to the perceived economic backwardness of the continent and other problems such as perennial hunger, disease, illiteracy, and political instability. In its place, more positive perceptions are taking root owing to the realization of the many opportunities that Africa presents to human development in terms of agriculture, natural resources, sustainable energy, and labor etc. To highlight just a few of the reasons that make Africa the future of economic development, the continent has the world’s largest reserves of cobalt, chromium, diamonds, platinum and uranium and also holds 65 percent of the world’s arable land and ten percent of the planet’s internal renewable fresh water sources as reported by the UNEP. Further to that, Africa has 40% of the world’s biodiversity, 60% of its uncultivated arable land. Africans have also stepped up to tell their story of hope and progress amid all the fears and negativity of the past. Improved governance and better economic policies have seen the continent host some of the fastest growing economies in the world. As of 2019, the IMF reported that six of the 10 fastest growing economies globally were in Africa with the region’s GDP growing by 5%, almost double the global average of 2.6%. It is no surprise then that multinationals are setting up base in Africa allowing the continent to play an integral role in global economic development and globalization. Without a doubt, the past few years saw a downturn for the continent’s development; but Africa is still growing. The Economist Intelligence Unit highlights a 3.2% growth for Africa in 2023. Even more appealing is the fact that Africa has thousands of ethnic groups that allow not only a diversity in culture but also a diversity in world views and problem solving. The continent’s population dynamics are also favorable with 35% of Africa’s population comprising of youth. FDI inflows into the continent have also been growing exponentially but remain relatively small at only 2.5% of global FDIs according to the World Bank. As such, the key challenges of diseases, hunger, drought and climate change have prevailed. But Africa cannot and must not rely on FDI alone. The continent must prioritise its own resources (human, natural, financial) for its own growth. Responsible and ethical governmental leadership is key for this – from debt management, to local manufacturing and mobilizing all its peoples equitably towards prosperity and growth. To address these challenges and accelerate engagement for the continent’s development, multi-stakeholder forums will be vital for partnership and collaboration towards a common goal – the Africa, Africa’s people want. The African Union’s Agenda 2063 defines that as ‘An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena.’ Forums to accelerate change One of the most recent conclaves that brings different stakeholders from around the world is the Africa Shared Values Leadership forum. The forum held the 6th annual Africa Shared Value Leadership summit in Kigali Rwanda in late 2022. The summit addressed both the future of connectivity and how combining it with the Shared Value mind-set can enable economic growth and people-centric sustainability. The Shared Value Africa Initiative is a business concept that calls upon the private sector to effectively leverage their resources to simultaneously improve societal and business needs with the goal of creating a sustainable business environment. Ideally, the private sector can employ its immense resources to complement the efforts of the governments and civil society to address societal issues and challenges that can include improved healthcare, environmental conservation and job opportunities. The first day of the summit covered the topics of creating shared value, digital inclusion and climate justice. All these aspects have proved relevant to Africa’s development agenda and have been addressed by other forms such as the SDGs. In the past, Africa has relied on aid and donations from the West to shape her development agenda. ASVL summit commits the private sector to adapt new methods of innovation and corporate responsibility by addressing pressing social and environmental problems in society and simultaneously generating returns for their investors. To drive this agenda home, African businesses must view the challenges facing Africa as new opportunities of doing business and innovating sustainable solutions. Another key platform to watch will be the Global Compact’s Uniting Business for Africa initiative that brings together African and global business leaders, civil society, government and UN agencies to spur sustainable development action for the continent. The initiative focuses on driving Global Compact’s Africa Strategy with small and large businesses to uphold principles in human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Africa’s digital age One way of addressing Africa’s challenges is enhancing the digital infrastructure in Africa. Private technology companies need to provide sustainable solutions to poor digital connectivity in the region whose weaknesses was exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. To put into context, while many western counties continued with education away from schools following COVID-19 restrictions, Africans could hardly cope with online learning due to poor internet connection. As a demonstration of how well digital infrastructure and technology can be employed to create positive social impact and also benefit privates firms, one entrepreneur participating in the AVSL summit explained how AgriLift in partnership with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), through its private sector driven agricultural growth project (PSDAG) has employed smart phones and drones to aid sweet potato farmers in Rwanda and Burundi in adapting advanced potato farming methods and also training the farmers on value addition for their products and preservation. It was also revealed that in a study in Ghana, 3G technology contributes 15% growth in the GDP. Another good example from one of the entrepreneurs discussed how GPS technology has been used in tracking and fighting locust invasions in Mali and other countries neighboring the Sahara Desert. Such technologies create value to farmers and also drive private firms to innovate and employ technology to address perennial problems Africa. Another example is Ho Hub in Ghana. The hub, seeks to enhance financial and digital literacy
3 Major Reasons Why Having Women in Leadership Matters
This article was originally published on Qazini.com On April 19, 2023, Africa.com released the 2023 Definitive List of 93 Women CEOs on a live webinar, which had over 700 participants in attendance. This ranking is based on meticulous scrutiny of 2,020 firms listed on 24 African stock exchanges; 787 were selected and then further analysed to determine the performance of women-led companies spanning 17 African countries. Such a rigorously developed index, detailing a group of incredible women is evidence that women make great leaders. According to Africa.com, only 5% of African listed companies have women CEOs and these women CEOs are outperforming benchmarks by a ‘wide measure’. Now you can see one of the reasons why having women in leadership matters… The state of women’s leadership in Africa A study by McKinsey and Company reveals that only 5% of CEOs in Africa, 29% of senior managers, and 14% of those in board positions are women, with 44% of senior women holding line roles. Considering the time this research was done, there is undoubtedly a slight improvement but we are not there yet. Women still occupy a very low percentage in leadership and they have to prove themselves twice as much as men. What difference would it make to have more women in leadership? Below are three factors, highlighting why having women in leadership matters. Research shows that organisations that have women as top leaders have higher financial returns. Following Africa.com’s definitive list announcement, some of the women CEOs have generated over $10 billion—surpassing the $100 million benchmark. Kanyisa Mkhize, the CEO of Sanlam, led the company in yielding $13.6 billion last year. During her tenure as the CEO of Anglo American Platinum Group in South Africa, Natascha Viljoen played an integral role in generating returns worth $41.6 billion for the company. Last year, Anne Juuko, the CEO of Stanbic Bank Uganda, led the company into generating $267 million in revenue. These are a handful of examples, showing the great potential women have in scaling Africa’s economy. The greatest enabler of gender disparities in leadership positions is the underrepresentation of women in leadership. Bridging this gap will help mitigate the unfair conditions women are subjected to. This will in return foster a diverse work environment and attract quality talent. Borrowing from two quotes featured in McKinsey’s report, “Introducing more women at leadership level simply introduces broader perspectives and new ways to manage problems. Diversity is key for a successful organisation. It also allows companies and public entities to tap into the entire talent pool rather than deprive themselves of half of it,” said a conglomerate executive and private sector representative from Morocco. A senior public sector official from Nigeria also notes, “With more women in leadership, decision-making would be more inclusive and consider multiple points of view.” Therefore, this is not a nag for representation, women are good for business. Young birds are not taught to fly. They are expected to figure things out on their own once they fall from the nest. The problem with this strategy is that you have to learn on the job and there’s a high probability of repeating past mistakes. By having women in leadership positions, girls and women who aspire to lead get to have people to look up to. Research by The Rockefeller Foundation indicates that two-thirds of women in entry-level positions shared that it matters for them to have women role models in leadership positions. These women are an inspiration and provide the influence other women need to grow their careers. In conclusion If we are to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030, then we need fair representation of women in decision-making processes. By 2030, there should be no ‘women in leadership’ kind of narrative. Instead, we should just have leaders because women have proven more than enough that they can and deserve to lead. Achieving gender diversity should be a priority for African senior leaders on the board. Employees should be educated on unconscious bias to avoid making biased judgements, assessments and decisions; and organisations need to implement informed gender-inclusive strategies. Congratulations to all the 93 women for making it to the Africa.com Definitive List! Check out the video summary: Africa.com The Definitive List Women CEOs
How Tourism & Agriculture Can Address Climate Change in Africa
This article was originally published on Qazini.com Human activities are causing climate change on earth, which is now endangering lives and livelihoods. Rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and food insecurity are some of the consequential effects of the climate crisis. As a result, Africa’s economy has been greatly disrupted and the effects are taking a toll on businesses. A report by the World Meteorological Organization indicates that Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) could incur a further decline of up to 2-3% by 2050. To create adaptability, resilience and cushion the continent from experiencing further loss, different sectors in the African economy are tackling climate change. The insights shared here are inspired by a Twitter space conversation held by Qazini and Responsible Business Consulting earlier this year to recognize and applaud women environmental champions in Africa. We shall look at two key sectors for the continent: 1) Tourism 2) Agriculture The tourism and hospitality industry is a key driver of Africa’s economy. The International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group indicates that in 2019, the tourism industry in Africa yielded $169 billion and resulted in creation of over 24 million jobs. But with the looming effects of Covid-19 and climate change, these profits are set to substantially shrink. In their article dubbed, ‘Hospitality Industry 4.0 and Climate Change,’ published by Springer, Adel Ben Youssef & Adelina Zeqiri note that tourism and climate change carries double-edged repercussions. The hustle and bustle involved in tourism, including travel (especially by air), accommodation, food production and consumption, largely contribute to the hazardous greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, climate events such as rising sea levels, heat waves, ocean salinity, droughts, tropical cyclones lead to erosion of beaches, extinction of wildlife, forest fires, water shortages and cause damage to the heritage sites, which slows down the operation of tourism activities and causes a reduction in returns. Various countries in Africa are making efforts to mitigate the atrocities of climate change on the tourism industry and vice versa. Carbon offset programme and biofuels and alternative fuels programme are some of the tourism-related initiatives that have been implemented across Africa’s travel related businesses to curb carbon footprints on the environment and enhance sustainability in the Airline industry. To alleviate effects of climate change in the tourism sector in Africa collaboration with communities should be a key consideration. There is a need to understand the role of communities and involve them in solving climate challenges. As the tourism industry players seek to foster collaboration among communities, they must listen more, detach themselves from preconceived misconceptions, to learn and absorb and understand how communities can fit into the solutions being implemented. A partnership with communities will foster collective action and create a ripple effect in curbing climate change and protecting habitats. “Earth is our home. It houses both flora, fauna and humans. Destroying the planet means destroying everyone and everything in it.” 2. Enhancing green financing and smart agriculture A report by Relief Web records that over two thirds of Africa’s population depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Basically, agriculture is at the core of Africa’s development. With extreme climate change events such as floods, droughts, and cyclones, the agricultural sector is highly threatened. This means a substantial decrease in food production, disruption in the supply chain, high food prices, reduced consumption and a strained society. There is hope in securing more food for Africa. The World Bank Group, for instance, is implementing the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) project in different parts of the world, including Africa (in Kenya, Malawi, Niger). CSA refers to integrated agricultural best practices that lower the risks of carbon emissions and focuse more on climate-resilient approaches. CSA aims to address food insecurity and enhance sustainability: by reducing emissions, increasing production and enhancing resilience. In an event in early 2022, the UNU Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), which focuses on natural resource management issues on the continent, highlighted that our African traditional knowledge potentially holds environmental wisdom for our wellbeing in agriculture (crops, livestock, farming practices); eco-system conservation; construction and housing. This traditional knowledge can provide insights perhaps identifying or re-discovering foods and crops for our food security and livelihoods – remember that our traditional crops have existed for centuries standing the test of nutritional value and resilience. Sustainable financing entails investment in climate smart, eco-positive projects and organizations that practice good governance and social inclusion. Major investors and other finance practitioners are becoming more keen on the impact their money is making. Sustainable businesses have become a priority and are gaining an advantage in financing, by attracting more funds than the short-term oriented businesses. One of the panelists from the finance sector, highlighted that it is important to prioritize climate change solutions based on what is priority for Africa and Africans. For example, adaptation may be more of a priority; as Africa contributes minimally to carbon emissions and this will be the case for a number of years to come. Women at the heart of industry-related climate action Women are not only bearing the brunt of climate change (according to the United Nations), but also playing a critical role in mitigating it. However, women seem to have been omitted in the climate action narrative. To bridge the gender gap and bolster women’s representation in addressing climate change, We Africa is not only empowering women and leveraging their capacity in enhancing environment conservation, but also telling successful stories of women championing conservation. Some of the female champions, who are in various sectors (including finance, tourism, agriculture and the creative industry) shared their contributions towards solving climate change. This article was inspired by the insights and contributions from women championing environmental action like: Jane Waiyaki, Maina, then Head of Sustainability & Responsible Business Partnerships, Absa Bank, Kenya, Dr. Winnie Kiiru, Founder of CHD Conservation Kenya and Director of Government Relations at Elephant Protection Initiative, Kenya and Zilanie Gondwe, Co-founder and Director of the Institute of the Conservation of Nature, Malawi. A greener future As we continue to join our efforts adapting and mitigating climate change in Africa, it is important to recognize
Mashujaa Day: Celebrating #WomenWarriors Across Pre-colonial Africa
This Mashujaa Day campaign shifts our view to the vast continent of Africa. An opportunity to celebrate women who influenced the trajectory of Africa’s growth and culture from the pre-colonial period. Download the graphics here Highlighting women who shaped the cultural and political landscape of Pre-colonial Africa