… promises continuity and scaled commitment to DRM in Africa Mr. Ibrahima Cheikh Diong has taken over the reins of the leadership of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group, following his unanimous election by the ARC Conference of Parties (CoP) earlier in June 2020. Mr. Diong, an African statesman from the Republic of Senegal, will serve…
The African Risk Capacity Limited (ARC Ltd) Governance Committee has appointed two new Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), Ms. Sarata Kone-Thiam and Ms. Lade’ A. Araba, to join its Board of Directors thereby completing the Board complement of seven individuals in line with structure. The new directors are joining a group of other industry experts led by Mr….
For the first time, researchers can predict how extremely large West African storms may behave when, for example, they approach a cityBy Future Climate for Africa and Researchers at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) Ground-breaking scientific research will make it easier to predict the path of some of the world’s most powerful…
Climate change impacts on the tourism sector and vice-versa hence the need for sustainable management of the natural phenomenon as well so as to create opportunities for the sector, Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu has said. The Minister of Environment, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu speaking at the Tourism and Hospitality Sector Indaba in Victoria…
New research from the Tufts Global Development and Environment Institute finds the billion-dollar Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa is not living up to its promises By Stacy Malkan Massive investments spent promoting and subsidizing commercial seeds and agrichemicals across Africa have failed to fulfill their purpose of alleviating hunger and lifting small-scale farmers…
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the German government assumes premium payments of around EUR 19 million for the drought insurance offered by the African Risk Capacity (ARC). This will reliably protect up to 20 million poor and vulnerable people in Africa against drought in the coming agricultural season and mitigate the risk of a…
The Paris Agreement effectively came into force in 2020, replacing the Kyoto Protocol which has lapsed. Now the COVID-19 is dampening the prospects of countries to update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and implement their commitments to reduce and limit greenhouse gas emissions. Zimbabwe has communicated an NDC that seeks to reduce by 33 percent…
A giant player in bio-technology in Africa, Oil Castor Zimbabwe says it is working round the clock to have Miss Rural Africa Beauty Pageant relaunched at new platform to be unveiled on a later date. In an interview with a top Oil Castor Group Executive, Alvaro Arellano said the high publicized company is working on…
The Conference of Parties (CoP) of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) has elected Mr. Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, of the Republic of Senegal as the new ARC Group Director-General, for a term of four (4) years. The election of Mr. Diong, which was ‘without objection’ from all the Members, was consistent with provisions of the Procedure for…
By Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) joins several countries around the globe in commemorating the World Environment Day. As a public interest environmental law organization seeking to promote environmental justice, sustainable and equitable use of natural resources, democracy and good governance in the natural resources and environment sector we note…
The African Risk Capacity Limited (ARC Ltd) has appointed two new Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), Mr. Jurgen Meisch and Mr. Phillip Pettersen, to join its Board of Directors to bring independent strategic guidance and oversight to its operations. The new directors joined a group of other industry experts led by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh and Dr Frannie…
A new weather forecasting system in Africa allows meteorologists to track approaching storms in real time, potentially saving lives from climate-related disasters, scientists said on Monday. The technology is already used in developed countries but was not available until recently in most of sub-Saharan Africa, according to scientists behind the project at the University of…
Climate change could lead to the sudden loss of biodiversity in Africa and other regions of the world sooner than predicted, with a negative impct on people’s food security and income, a study says. In many developing countries, according to Christopher Trisos, the study’s lead author, more people rely on the immediate natural environment for…
By Anyway Yotamu Hailstorms that swept over some parts of Mutasa and Nyanga districts since Tuesday have left a trail of destruction to property and infrastructure. The storms were first reported in Odzi on Tuesday where a whole roof of a two-classroom block at St Francis Matanga Primary School was blown off.Part of the roof…
Proven solutions are crucial to sustaining momentum on climate action during the Coronavirus crisis, Ashden CEO Harriet Lamb has said. This week, the energy and climate NGO announced the 2020 Ashden Award finalists – 22 organisations delivering green buildings, transport, sustainable cooling and energy access. The list includes organisations working in Cameroon, Togo, Uganda, Rwanda and Egypt. Ms…
The COP26 UN climate change conference set to take place in Glasgow in November has been postponed due to COVID-19. This decision has been taken by representatives of the COP Bureau of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), with the UK and its Italian partners. Dates for a rescheduled conference in 2021,…
European Union leaders have agreed that the bloc’s coronavirus economic recovery plan should take heed of its aim to fight climate change. Following a six-hour video conference, the 27 EU leaders agreed late on Thursday to coordinate a coronavirus economic recovery plan. Although the details of the plan itself still have to be worked out,…
Chinese purchases of US grains have been quite scant since the coronavirus epidemic hit the country, despite the phase one trade agreement being signed by both nations back in January. China pledged to buy an additional US$12.5 billion worth of agricultural goods in 2020 compared to the 2017 level of US$24 billion. Many analysts have…
Governments and financial institutions are under growing pressure to make economic bailouts designed to counter the coronavirus pandemic dependent on climate action in the longer term. Over the last week, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of stopgap measures have been announced to fight the coronavirus and limit economic shortfalls. In the US, industries are…
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Government of Ethiopia received a consignment of medical equipment Africa’s response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak received a boost today as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Government of Ethiopia received a consignment of medical equipment from…
On World Water Day, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is calling upon policymakers, local and central government to take concerted and coordinated efforts to develop and implement action plans on access to water that will help mitigate the impact of climate change. Commemorated every year on 22 March, World Water Day aims to underline…
At the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, countries set goals that require halving carbon emissions by 2030. In a new piece in Nature, Professor Harald Winkler, as part of an international team, delivers the bad news that the emissions gap – between what countries pledged to then and what needs to be…
Oxfam is working towards enhancing stakeholders’ collective capacity to respond to humanitarian emergencies. Mirjam Van Dorssen, Country Director of Oxfam in Zimbabwe made the remarks while officially opening contingency planning and emergence response training workshops for stakeholders that rolled to life in Harare on 16 March 2020. “These two workshops should equip us…
By Joyce Mukucha The impacts of climate disasters have continued to make headlines around the world and this has seen cases of gender-based violence, including sexual harassment, domestic violence and sexual exploitation increasing amongst rural based girls and women. Research and statistics indicate that floods, wildfires, and droughts are decimating communities across the globe. Already,…
Climate change is disproportionately impacting developing countries in the Global South as witnessed by incessant droughts, flooding, heat-waves, sea-level rise, water shortages, famine and disease. This emerged at the Advocates4Earth half-day Meeting on the theme Climate Change Negotiations at Cop25: Implications and Challenges for Zimbabwe held at today at the Bronte Hotel in Harare. Anna…
By Adelle Thomas The 2020 International Women’s Day theme: I am Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights is closely linked to climate change impacts and the need for ambitious climate action. As the global community assesses progress made for women’s rights during the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, it is timely to take…
Tens of thousands of people across Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique are still suffering 12 months after Cyclone Idai battered Southern Africa, warned Oxfam yesterday. Cyclone Idai, one of the worst cyclones to hit Africa, made landfall on 14th March 2019. A new Oxfam briefing, ‘After the Storm,’ highlights that over 100,000 people in Mozambique and…
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) and Harare Wetlands Trust (HWT) have welcomed the report of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environment and Tourism on Wetlands Management, presented to Parliament in February 2020. The report was prepared in response to submissions made by ZLHR and HWT to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environment and…
By Charles Dhewa All over the world, information sources are no longer just important for journalists. African policy makers who really want to transform their agro-based economies cannot afford to remain silent about their sources of information. There is emerging consensus to the effect that information from academic institutions, private companies and development agencies is…
Joseph Makamba Busha, the President of FreeZim Congress Party has thrown a tantrum on government for neglecting pressing needs of the populace in preference to programmes that do not change people’s lives positively. Speaking to journalists in Harare today, Makamba singled out government’s prioritisation of a new Parliament building and possibly a new city…
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of $3 million CAD from the Canadian Government to life-saving humanitarian operations in Zimbabwe. The funding supports WFP’s rapid scale-up of emergency food assistance to reach almost 55,000 people in Matobo district. Canada’s contribution comes at a crucial time when WFP is working to…
By Anyway Yotamu. SADC member states have been urged to come up with legislation on disaster preparedness and strengthen warning systems to reduce the loss of lives. The just ended three-day SADC regional dialogue on rethinking disaster preparedness and climate change held in Mutare, saw participants from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe discussing how communities can…
The Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, Mr Vangelis Haritatos has said that the agricultural sector is the most significant prime-mover of Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030. He made the remarks at the two-day consultative workshop on the Enabling Business of Agriculture (EBA), pillar 1 of AGRINVEST Initiative that kicked off in Harare today….
The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) joined the rest of the world in commemorating the World Wildlife Day (WWD). On the 20th of December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly at its 68th session declared March 3 as UN World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. This WWD…
As prevalent debates concerning the implementation of carbon neutral sources continue to make headlines, also increasingly rife, is the energy industry’s endeavour to explore a broader array of renewable energy sources including biomass. Great strides have been made in Africa’s development in biomass. Interestingly, Africa has the highest portion of bioenergy, at 45% of the total energy mix,…
By NJ Ayuk Pressure is building to phase out fossil fuels in Africa to fight climate change. Organizations ranging from the World Bank to the European Investment Bank (EIB) have dropped support for African fossil fuel production in hopes of encouraging a transition from oil, gas and coal to sustainable energy sources like wind and…
Population growth, rapid urbanisation, and energy insecurity, are causing a soaring demand for wood fuel across Sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that wood fuel is the main source of energy for cooking for over 60% of households in the region, contributing to the food security and nutritional needs of millions of people. But due to…
A seven-member delegation of Executive Directors of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) visited Zimbabwe on a week-long fact-finding mission where they held meetings with a number of officials including President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. The delegation also met officials from various ministries, civil society, private sector and multilateral financial institutions, during which they were briefed on…
Noting that Africa has made considerable progress in education, health and other social outcomes, Amina J. Mohammed, the United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General has said the pace of poverty reduction is slow on the continent while inclusive growth still remains elusive. Mohammed made the remarks during a Special Session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism for…
By Rael Ombuor As the Earth heats up, weather and climate patterns are changing dramatically around the globe. Africa felt the effects of those changes in 2019, experiencing cyclones, droughts and unstoppable rains that jeopardised livelihoods. Sixty-two-year-old David Kemboi sorts out dry maize stalks on his 21-hectare farm in Kenya’s Trans Nzoia County. He turns…
By Anyway Yotamu The rains which have been experienced in recent weeks are expected to continue with the Meteorological Services Department confirming that several parts of the country will receive rainfall this coming weekend. According to latest predictions by the Meteorological Service Department, the rains being experienced in various parts of the country are likely…
Tatenda Mqetu The Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA) perceives Zimbabwe energy problems are due to the lack of the will to prioritise, invest and transparently administer the sector as currently the state relies on intensive models to generate grid electricity for both the industrial and household sector. Zimbabwe has 43% of…
By Joyce Mukucha and Anyway Yotamu In an effort to support the agricultural sector and eradicate hunger and poverty in Zimbabwe, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has handed over a substantial donation to the Horticulture Development Council (HDC), a parastatal which operates under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture,Water,Rural Resettlement. The…
Global Renaissance Investments have earmarked an international Infrastructure Summit and Expo involving South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe that will take place in the resort town of Victoria Falls from 4 to 7 March 2020 at the famous Kingdom Hotel. Addressing journalists at the five-star Meikles Hotel in Harare today, Mr. Ngoni Dzirutwe, the Chief Executive…
The Environmental Management Agency, Birdlife Zimbabwe, NetOne, and Haka Game Park, among other stakeholders have joined hands in commemorating the belated World Wetlands Day under the theme, “Wetlands and Biodiversity.” This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar, therefore the…
