Africa Energy Access and jobs: “there is hope for youth”- Lawrence Mashungu
Africa Energy Access and jobs: “there is hope for youth”- Lawrence Mashungu The last G20 meeting in Hamburg, in Germany, emphasized the importance of the Africa Partnership launched recently in Berlin, in recognition of the opportunities and challenges in African countries through the creation of jobs for youth and the access to energy in the continent for instance. 39 years old Lawrence Mashungu previously worked with Youth Agenda Trust, a youth organization, where he was working as a project coordinator. He has vast experience in youth and community engagement. He is now in charge of the renewable energy access plan in his country. Interview. Eraenvironnement.com : In 2015, you were part of the youth who organized the African Youth Conference on Climate Change in Victoria’s fall, in Zimbabwe. What are you doing right now? Lawrence Mashungu: I am a Renewable Energy expert working in the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate as a Climate Change Mitigation Expert. I am responsible for Implementation of mitigation actions related to Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency. How do you see the youth with Climate Change opportunities in your country? The youth in Zimbabwe have a role to play in Climate Change Mitigation and adaptation in the country and there are a lot of opportunities for them to participate. The National Climate Change Response Strategy of 2014 provides for the youth to take part in climate change programmes both in policy formulation and actual project implementation. I must say also that before COP 21, the Youth in my country had the opportunities to participate in the National Committee on Nationally Determined Contributions that was established by government to ensure speed implementation of the NDC for the country. How do you position yourself in these opportunities in energy for instance? I am tasked to work directly on energy and also with youth on these issues. Currently the youth under the banner of an organisation called Action 24 Zimbabwe with support from HIVOS, an netherland organization for development, which is implementing a project focusing on promoting renewable energy and also implementation of the NDC in our country. I am working with them closely to ensure success of the project. Do you think that it is difficult to take these opportunities to be for instance entrepreneurs in all the priorities sectors, water, water management, agriculture, energy…? Currently the youth face a number of challenges to take up these opportunities mainly because of lack of funding. I am of the view that there is also a urgent need to invest in capacity building targeting the youth so that they will be able to...
COP 22- Ethiopia- Paris Agreement : strategic orientation for African countries- CCDA-VI
COP 22- Ethiopia- Paris Agreement : strategic orientation for African countries- CCDA-VI By Houmi Ahamed-Mikidache The sixth annual Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA–VI) Conference organized under the auspices of the Climate Change and Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) programme, will be held in Addis Ababa from the 17 th to 20th of October. Overall objective : understanding the implementation implications, nuances, challenges and opportunities of the Paris Agreement for Africa in the context of the continent’s development priorities. This conference will particularly focus its attention to means of implementation of the agreement for accessing finance and technology transfer which are among the national development priorities of african countries. Deepen understanding of the nuances in the decisions of COP21, particularly with regard to means of implementation (capacity, finance and technology transfer), as well the domestication of the agreement in Africa in alignment with national development priorities of African countries With many experts from Africa and around the world, this conference will provide a marketplace for innovative solutions that integrates climate change into development processes, according to the organizers. It will embrace the Paris Climate Agreement within the framework of Africa Union ’s development aspirations as underscored in Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development, with a vision of ‘leaving no one behind’. UN-ECA Coordinator for the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) Dr. Fatima Denton recently interviewed by the Ethiopian Herald said that Ethiopia has designed visible low carbon strategies with hydro-power development, forestry and agriculture. Ethiopia, in East Africa is one of the lead countries in Africa which develops climate resilient green economy initiative, experts said. ...
COP 22- Ethiopie- Accord de Paris : Enjeux pour l’Afrique- CCDA-VI
COP 22- Ethiopie- Accord de Paris : Enjeux pour l’Afrique- CCDA-VI Par Houmi Ahamed-Mikidache La sixième Conférence annuelle sur le changement climatique et le développement en Afrique (CCDA-VI) aura lieu à Addis Abeba ( Ethiopie) du 17 au 20 octobre prochain. Thème principal : le futur de l’Afrique dans l’accord de Paris. Objectif global de la conférence : comprendre les implications de la mise en œuvre, les nuances, les défis et les opportunités de l’Accord de Paris dans le contexte de l’Afrique et de ses priorités de développement. La prochaine CCDA-VI ambitionne particulièrement d’examiner les moyens de mise en œuvre de l’Accord de Paris en termes d’obtention de financement et de transfert de technologie : priorités nationales de développement des pays africains. Marquée par la future présence de nombreux experts africains et internationaux, cette conférence s’intègre, selon les organisateurs, dans le cadre des aspirations de développement de l’Afrique : l’Agenda 2063 qui incarne la vision de l’Union Africaine( « L’Afrique que nous voulons ») et l’Agenda 2030 sur le développement durable qui a fixé des objectifs globaux avec la vision de « ne laisser personne pour compte ». Interviewée récemment par the Ethiopian Herald la coordinatrice du Centre africain pour la politique en matière de climat de la Commission Economique de l’Afrique ( CEA), Fatima Denton est revenue sur le rôle de l’Ethiopie dans la lutte contre les changements climatiques et les opportunités saisies par ce pays d’Afrique de l’Est. L’Ethiopie, d’après elle, a développé de nombreuses initiatives visibles liées au développement de l’économie sobre en carbone par l’hydroélectricité, la forestrie et l’agriculture....