Nairobi, 31 August 2023 – Ahead of the Africa Climate Summit, Greenpeace Africa has called on African governments to act now to minimise the devastating impacts of the climate crisis on the livelihoods of Africans. In a letter sent to the secretariat of the summit, the organisation is warning against turning Africa into the frontier of a new scramble for oil, gas and coal, driven by former colonial powers.
As East Africa is reeling from its worst drought on record, extreme heat and wildfires are ravaging northern Africa and flash floods are hitting countries across the continent. The science is clear on what drives the climate crisis: long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns caused by greenhouse gas emissions that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat. This crisis would not happen without human activities like the extraction and burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.
“While greedy corporations continue to scramble for Africa’s coal, oil and gas, more severe and frequent floods and droughts are shattering communities across the continent. This human-induced climate crisis will only become more catastrophic if we collectively fail to act,” said Greenpeace Africa’s Executive Director, Dr. Oulie Keita.
Extreme weather events – droughts, floods and landslides are leading to grave impacts on farming and crop harvests, as seen in the worst drought on record a few months ago in Kenya. This has severe knock on effects on food security, and causes rising food prices, which the people living in Africa can ill afford.
“Africa’s dependence on fossil fuel-powered energy is stealing our future and leading us to an ever worsening climate disaster. Africa has the potential to build greener and better than previous generations did if we act now together. We have a collective responsibility and the power to minimise the harms of the climate crisis, continued Dr. Keita.
“Our governments and leaders must have the courage to reimagine an alternative future and chart a new developmental path away from the destructive models of the West; a path that prioritises people and the planet over profit. This summit is an opportunity for genuine dialogue, where our leaders, civil society organisations, scientists, youth activists, and other stakeholders can assert our perspectives, needs and solutions”, added Dr. Keita.
According to the World Bank, an estimated 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa have limited to no access to electricity, and renewable energy has the potential to deliver distributed energy access to all. Instead of pushing for the continued extraction of dead-end fossil fuels, Africa can lead the world in a just transition to 100% renewable, secure and affordable energy, which empowers communities and workers. Renewable energy technology has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, becoming the cheapest form of energy, also generating a boom in employment.
“Greenpeace Africa calls on Africa’s leaders to avoid falling into the fossil fuel trap and lead the continent towards a clean, renewable, affordable and sustainable energy future. We need policies that incentivise investments in the continent’s exceptionally high potential for decentralised renewable energy,” concluded Dr. Keita
Month: August 2023
BIG NEGOTIATING ROLE OF AFRICA IN CLIMATE AGENDA UNVEILED DURING PARLIAMENTARY DIALOGUE IN SIDELINES OF AFRICA CLIMATE SUMMIT
Clive Ayuko
Nairobi, Kenya 1st September 2023
Climate change is no longer a distant threat to humanity anymore. It is with us in the form of floods, heatwaves and various other natural calamities. At present it is the biggest challenge facing humanity at the moment. Africa despite contributing minimally to the negative effects of climate change is bearing the greatest negative consequences of climate change.
China’s installed base of more than 1000GW of coal fired generating capacity is responsible for 70% of the country’s total emissions and is far away the largest of any country ( more than 4 times the installed capacity of US and India – 2nd and 3rd largest in installed capacity. A 2018 special report by the intergovernmental panel on climate change found that increases of 1.5°C is essentially inevitable and may be reached as early as 2030 with profound consequences on the continent Africa.
According to a 2021 report by the World Bank Sub-Saharan Africa will make up 86 million of the world’s 216 million Climate migrants with North Africa making up the largest share of internal climate migrants. A 2021 staff working paper on the relationship between electricity use and climate change found that Africa is above the sweet spot of comfort and Africa will sue more air conditioning. 1°C increase in the temperature will raise Sub-Saharan Africa Electricity consumption by 7%.
In a forum organized by the Government of Kenya, the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance PACJA, the Africa Climate Summit, Africa Union and the Africa Climate Legislation Initiative ACLI today at a Nairobi Hotel Chief Executive officer of the Africa Climate Summit Mr Joseph Ng’ang’a outlined what Africa has to offer in the climate agenda. These include: the Mineral resources which are essential for the development of manufacture of climate mitigating technologies, Africa has the largest Carbon Sinks in the Congo basin (314 sq Kilometres of Primary rainforest soaking up 1.2 Billion tonnes of Carbon Dioxide every year), 60 % of global arable land and the largest global renewable energy sources in the world.
Public And Private Sector Urged to Disclose Non-financial Information in their Reports
Nairobi, 29 August 2023.
The public and private sectors in the country have been urged by promoters of the Financial Reporting (FiRe) Award to embrace disclosure of non-financial information as it plays a key role in business sustainability. The disclosure of non-financial information is essential for building trust amongst the public by responding to their expectations and needs and by communicating with external stakeholders, including investors, on the need for sound decision making.
The coveted FiRe Award is organized by five promoters namely Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK), the Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (PSASB), Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), Capital Markets Authority (CMA) and the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA). This year’s FiRe Award theme is “utilizing technology and innovation to enhance transparency of sustainability, governance and financial information.” The theme resonates with the critical role that technology plays in ensuring transparency of non-financial information disclosures, which give a wholesome view of organizational performance and its relevance in decision-making. Speaking during the launch of the 22nd Edition of the FiRe Award, the Chairman of the FiRe Award Executive Committee, who is also the NSE CEO, Mr. Geoffrey Odundo, said that FiRe Award promotes financial reporting excellence, fosters sound corporate governance practices, and enhances corporate investment and environmental reporting in public and private sectors.
The CEO of Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (PSASB), Mr. Fredrick Riaga, said that as the demand for non-financial information disclosure increases, data collection and metrics development become a challenge. To surmount this, public sector entities should leverage on technology to enhance transparency and sustainability in financial reporting. “Even as PSASB and the National Treasury are making final touches on modalities of transitioning the country from cash to accrual accounting, public sector entities should strike a balance in reporting financial and non-financial information,” Mr. Riaga said. ICPAK Chief Executive Officer, CPA Dr. Grace Kamau, added that the FiRe Award has recognized and awarded the best reporting entities in East Africa. The Award aims to promote integrated reporting by enhancing accountability, transparency, and integrity in compliance with appropriate financial reporting framework and other disclosures on governance, social and environmental reporting by private, public and other entities domiciled in East Africa.” “The disclosure of non-financial reporting will address the growing expectation from stakeholders on transparency and accountability. The changing market dynamics calls for disclosure on long term value creation and future trends.
The disclosure of non-financial information will restore trust in business, reinforce the stability and predictability of business performance,” RBA Chief Executive, Mr. Charles Machira observed.The CMA Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Wyckliffe Shamiah, noted that ‘’the adoption of a wholistic approach to financial reporting to include disclosure of non-financial information is critical due to the growing concerns around governance practices, business sustainability and the contribution of corporate activity to climate change.”Mr. Shamiah also welcomed the publication of the final standards for Sustainability-Related Financial Information (IFRS S1) and Climate-Related (IFRS S2) Disclosures by the International Sustainability
INTERNATIONAL SPORT AND LEISURE BRAND HUMMEL OPENS SHOP IN KENYA
Nairobi, Kenya 23rd August 2023
Hummel, an International Sport and Leisure brand opened its first Kenyan flagship store in Nairobi on the ground floor of the Westgate Mall over the weekend.
Hummel has been brought to Kenya by WAMA International Group, which has more than 30+ stores in different regions with a massive expansion plan in East Africa. So far Hummel is present in three East African countries; Rwanda, Uganda and now Kenya.
According to WAMA International Group, Kenya has a friendly business environment that is ideal for this venture. Secondly, Nairobi is the hub of East Africa therefore an attractive location for global brands.
As one of the oldest sportswear brands in the world, Hummel is an internationally renowned manufacturer of sports & lifestyle apparel & footwear, luxury lounging apparel in its fashion sub-brand Hummel HIVE.
Hummel’s brand story is built behind character which is reflected in all Hummel’s products with each product expressing its own story with the same going for every team and individual player sponsored by the brand. The store plans to work with several local sports clubs in Kenya.
For 100 years, Hummel has honoured the camaraderie, celebrated the wins, and applauded the ability to play, share and enjoy sports and lifestyle throughout life and this is the brand heritage they look forward to sharing in Kenya.
CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS MUST ADDRESS HUMAN RIGHTS CAUCAS OF CLIMATE CENTRIC ORGANIZATION SAYS
Hundreds of African non-state actors represented by The Africa Climate Summit – Non-State Actors Steering Committee placed heightened demands and redlines as the continent prepares for the special Africa Climate Summit to convene in Nairobi Kenya, in September. The summit takes place at a time the developed world presents no signs to address the adverse climate impacts caused by climate change which are the main contributors.
The summit takes place while mild signs show non-significant progress of inclusive solutions to the climate crisis and consider Africa as the last or less important solutions provider at the same table of global climate crisis solutions.
Non-state actors take note that underestimating the role of the continent and suppressing her voice and aspirations make the move stunt and lead to the human rights puzzle towards the betterment of Africans and the next generations.
“With all these foggy moves by mighty global spheres that have not yielded a promising solution for Africa, we demand that all debates and decisions at the African Climate Summit respect and fulfill the human
rights of all people, especially, those left vulnerable and marginalized by the effects of Climate Change such as indigenous people, women, children persons with disabilities and poor communities, said Dr. Mithika, the Executive Director of Pan African Climate Justice Alliance.
The previous sessions and processes were characterized by externally made thoughts and solutions for Africa and Africans while the continent deems to be a continent of potential and solutions. Non State Actors explored the slow or lack of African commitment to find solutions and firm the position and called
Africa’sleaders to shift goals poststoward the contextually Africanized perspectives and aspirations. They requested to focus on major issues during the summit as brought on board by Waituru Mwangi representing VSO/Kenya.
“Africa is most hit by Climate Change. Women, children, and farmers are affected and you know they have a special relationship with the environment.
As we remain with a few days to ACS we need the government and AU to open the space for non-state actors. We want to see processes where all countries can participate for not to waste money and time. In this summit, we need to focus on Climate Justice, children,
women, and Farmers instead of talking about corporates. If we do not focus on these we lose it”, urged Mwangi.
The process of the Africa Climate Summit has been criticized by some clusters who say that they should have been involved so that their views are incorporated into discussions during the summit. “The indigenous community has been sidelined in the process of the African Climate Summit yet we are the most affected, especially indigenous women, indigenous children.
We shouldn’t be left out because we
know our issues better than any other cluster and can articulate them well when we are involved. Wedemand the Government of Kenya to include us” Eunice…./MPIDO, representing MPIDO a Kenya-based
indigenous organization before urging African leaders to cast-off anti-African proposals that increase climate risks for Africa and transfer undue burdens of addressing the climate crisis to African countries and people already suffering the adverse impacts of the debts, global inequality in the distribution of
wealth, and other problems.
The summit will discuss driving green growth & climate finance solutions for Africa and the world. However, the finance question is still fuzzy as no tensible direction taken. Dr. Lesmore Ezekiel, the Director of Programmes at the Africa Conference of Churches questioned why discussions have been
diverted to the Carbon Market as an urgent matter and tasked African leaders to readdress the issue in their discussions during the summit and beyond.
“When we talk about Climate Change we mean that it is a matter of life and death. When it comes to us as a religious and Faith-based organization, and seeing these unclear processes we ask ourselves why we
are not talking about Loss and Damage. Why aren’t we talking about the Adaptation fund? Instead, we advance conversations in Carbon Market! We must reject this and African leaders must take this as a
matter of importance,” tasked Dr. Lesmore.
The Republic of Kenya is the host of the summit from 3-6 September 2023. The president of the Republic
of Kenya is the chair of the African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change Committee (CAHOSCC) which was established in 2009 during the 13th ordinary sessions of the African Union
Assembly.
In collaboration with the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) and the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), CAHOSCC works to advance the Africa Common Position on
Climate Change at global fora and negotiations on climate change.
AMCEN 2023: Africa’s Ministers of Environment Must Push for a Strong Africa Position on the Global Plastic Treaty
Addis Ababa, 16 September 2023 – At the 19th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), Greenpeace Africa has called on Africa’s 54 Ministers of Environment to urge Member States not to compromise in the negotiations for a treaty that would cap plastic production at the source and keep oil and gas used in the extraction of plastics in the ground.
The session of AMCEN is taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 14 to 18 August under the theme: Seizing opportunities and enhancing collaboration to address environmental challenges in Africa. AMCEN provides a platform for strengthening Africa’s collective engagement in the global environmental agenda, including in the International Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop a legally binding global plastic treaty.
“As Africa’s Ministers of Environment converge in Addis Ababa, Greenpeace Africa calls for AMCEN to urge African member states to present a united front in the negotiations and ensure a treaty that is centred on justice and firmly rooted in human rights. A treaty that will reduce inequality and prioritise human health. Governments must deliver this treaty to meaningfully tackle the plastic pollution crisis that communities across Africa are fighting against,” said Hellen Kahaso Dena, Greenpeace Africa’s Communication and Story Manager.
From raw materials extraction, production to disposal, plastic pollution negatively impacts our human rights. It accelerates social injustice and environmental degradation of ecosystems that are essential to African livelihoods and reinforces the harms and inequalities brought about by the climate crisis.
“We urge the African Group of Negotiators to call for a strong treaty that prioritises a just transition to sustainable livelihoods for workers and other affected communities across the plastics value chain. The treaty must support reuse and refill business models, taking into account the interests of waste pickers and Indigenous Peoples while utilising traditional knowledge,” added Dena.
Plastic production and climate change are inextricably linked. With over 99% of plastics being made from fossil fuels, plastic production is a major driver of the climate crisis and accounts for approximately 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Cutting plastic production and ending single-use plastic is therefore in line with the goal of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees.
The proponents of single-use plastics are pushing for more plastic production and exportation into Africa. This could undermine the progress made by African countries in combating plastic pollution. Collaboration among Africa’s Member States is key in addressing these challenges to bring to an end this illegal and neo-colonialist way of dealing with plastic waste from the Global North.
“With 34 governments having passed a law banning single-use single-use plastics and implemented or passed a law with the intention of implementation, Africa has already shown great leadership in the quest to deal with plastic pollution on the continent. We expect AMCEN to urge all Member States to adopt a progressive plan that supports ambitious goals towards a strong global plastic treaty that will solve the plastic pollution crisis and the added burden of plastic waste dumping in Africa,” concluded Dena.
Deputy Inspector General RECEIVES TROPHIES FROM THE KENYA SHOOTING TEAM
Nairobi, Kenya 16th August 2023
The Deputy Inspector General(DIG) Mr. Douglas Kanja, S/AIG, today received trophies from the Kenya Shooting Team at the KPS Headquarters, Vigilance house.
Receiving the team match Royal Airforce trophy(Missile) dubbed ‘Harambee’ won at Bisley, United Kingdom, Mr. Kanja congratulated the team for its exemplary performance.He advised the team to embrace discipline and carry the Kenyan flag higher as they represent the Kenya Police Service and the Country at large.
On grand aggregate, the shooting team won two medal after IP. Sanford Otundo became position 38 out of 684 and IP. Clifford Kiptarus grabbed position 43 out of 684. The team also won 2 Gold medals, 2 Silver medals, one Silver HPS cross, 2 Silver Bars amongst other medals.
Amongst Senior Officers who accompanied the DIG at the Ceremony was the Principal Assistant to DIG, Madam Miriam Muli, S/AIG, Director Logistics Mr. Peter Ndung’u, S/AIG, Mr. Philip Ndolo, S/AIG, Director Personnel Ms. Jacinta Muthoni, S/AIG, Director Operations Mr. Ranson Lolmodoni among others.
Workforce Investment and Skill Adaptation key to Thriving in an Evolving Job Landscape
Nairobi, August 15th, 2023
Employers have been urged to invest in their workforce and adapt to skill sets to match the changing job landscape.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the Zamara Regional summit, Sally Mahihu, Chairperson, Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest) emphasized on the need for aligning talent with market opportunities and the role of strategic workforce planning in driving growth and achieving success in a dynamic business environment.
“Organizations must now recognize the transformative nature of the job market due to technological advancements, shifting consumer demands, and the global economic changes. These necessitates continuous learning and upskilling to ensure that employees remail relevant and competitive in their respective field,” she said.
On his part, Raymond Muthama, Chief People and Culture Officer at Zamara, emphasized on the significance of understanding the unique needs of each generation within the workforce.
“Crafting a robust workplace culture should not be misconstrued as creating a cult-like atmosphere. Rather, it involves aligning values, fostering inclusivity, and nurturing innovation,” Mr. Muthama said. He added that an inclusive workplace culture acts as a catalyst for employee engagement and overall organizational success.
With an increasing number of Millennials and Gen Zs now in the workforce, Mr. Muthama sighted the significance of crafting an environment where diverse generations collaborate seamlessly, recognizing one another’s strengths, and jointly contributing to the growth and innovation that propel businesses to new heights. “Understanding generational dynamics should be a guiding principle for leaders aiming to establish workplaces that not only endure but flourish in the face of changing times,” he concluded.
Zamara Group kicked off its Regional HR summit for 2023. The summit, themed “The Future of Talent, Work, and Workspaces,” is taking place at the Diamonds Leisure Beach and Golf Resort. With a gathering of over 20 esteemed speakers and over 200 HR business leaders, policy makers, and visionaries from across the region from 6 countries.
GOVERNMENT URGED TO FAST TRACK FORMATION OF NATIONAL SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE
Stella kariuki
Nairobi, Kenya 15th August 2023
The government has been urged to fast-track the formation of a national spatial data infrastructure to impact community livelihoods.
Speaking on the sidelines during the ongoing 7th Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) International Conference in Nairobi, scientists have said critically important geospatial data is often insufficient or unavailable in many areas due to a lack of national coordination.
They also decried the need for a national method for coordinating policies, data, tech, and resources for supporting geospatial data sharing and application.
Pheobe Oduor, Point of Contact for the AfriGEO Secretariat said the lack of a shared data infrastructure puts lives and livelihoods at risk. AfriGEO is an initiative that supports global earth observation in terms of prioritising activities on the continent.
“In Kenya, we have had challenges around data and particularly, the national spatial data infrastructure. This is a conversation that has been there since 2009, and still, to date, we do not have one national spatial data infrastructure, yet the value of why we need to share the data is very apparent to everybody,” said Mrs Oduor.
“But I think it’s about time that we start acting proactively considering that the challenges that we are getting are becoming more and more complex,” she added.
Several African communities, including in Kenya, still lack the geospatial data, tools, and capabilities to better understand their risks and identify mitigation measures.
Mrs Oduor elaborated the need of utilizing the date we have to create useful information that is impactful and working for the communities.
Patrick Murunga, from Research and Mapping at Regional Centre on Ground Water noted that there are still numerous challenges when it comes to data access and sharing.
“In most countries across Africa, Kenya included, there are several data gaps. Most of the data still exists in silos and has a lot of inaccuracies. There is a need to validate the data that already exists,” said Mr Murunga.
Murunga warned that Nairobi City for example is already nearing a tipping point by over-abstracting its groundwater noting that, “We are likely to have more problems if this is not addressed.”
Mrs Oduor noted that Kenya still does not have a national data policy. However, there are institutional policies around sharing data that are adhered to.
“We need to have these policies at a national level. To achieve this, it will require policy frameworks and strategies for implementation at the national level. It is very challenging to make decisions that are not backed by data,” she said.
She further noted the importance of data sharing including reduction of redundancy, and exploiting minimal resources by creating value addition products.
“For instance, within Kenya, the same data will have so many versions that it is almost impossible to know which is the original. And this creates a lot of challenges on issues of credibility data that is out there. What we are doing at the AfriGEO national coordination mechanism to create a centralized way where people can be able to access baseline data,” explained Mrs Oduor.
“As a country, we need to embrace data sharing. There are a lot of ill and skewed concepts around data sharing that we need to break and make sure that we are working together to enhance the data that we have. When we do share data, there is a lot of value that we get.”
Dr Michael Kizza, Deputy Executive Director, Nile Basin Initiative Uganda said leveraging earth observation data is crucial in addressing the country’s gaps in our decision-making and planning. He also challenged governments “to put more effort in investments on data monitoring.”
Mrs Oduor noted the critical role of data standards including how the data is collected, stored, and shared. There are principles around data creation that calls for meticulous observation like making sure the format is interoperable in different systems, consistently documenting the process of data collection, and when the data was created.
KENYA TO TO CREATE DIGITAL IDENTITY CARDS
Stella kariuki
Nairobi, Kenya 14th August 2023
Kenya and UNDP have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see the United Nations agency support the rollout of the planned digital identity.
Under the deal, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) will provide technical assistance and work with the government to mobilise funding and other resources to support the development and implementation of digital ID.
Immigration and Citizen Services PS Prof Julius Bitok and Anthony Ngororano, the Resident Representative for the UNDP, who signed the MoU on behalf of the government and the UN agency respectively, said the partnership will also extend to monitoring the rollout of digital ID.
“This is a crucial project and that is why we are leveraging on partnership and technical advice of UNDP to realise a solid fool-proof digital Identity,” the PS said.
According to the PS, Kenya hopes to benefit from the UN vast experience gained from supporting at least 25 countries across the world to develop their own digital ID systems.
Going digital with personal identity is also intended to make the country compliant with international standards on cross-border travel set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other agencies.
Mr. Ngororano described the digital ID as the missing link between citizens and accessible digital services and said the UNDP was keen to support the government to bridge the gap.
He said the objectives of the ongoing digitalisation of government services will only be achieved if there was a reliable and compatible personal identification system in place.
“Onboarding 5,000 services online will not, of themselves, resolve development if important segments of the population are left out. And they will be left out if the digital ID architecture does not have this at its centre.”
PS Bitok and Mr Ngororano said the partnership will also factor in the role of stakeholders and interest groups to ensure that the envisaged digital ID gained from a broad inclusion of ideas and acceptance.
With the partnerships in place, the government hopes to get it right with a project that has run into headwinds under at least two previous administrations and officially unveil the digital ID in early October this year.
For instance, the Huduma Namba that was touted as one-stop ID for all Kenyans was plagued by court cases and a hostile reception led by the civil society and human rights organisation protesting alleged encroachment on privacy amid concerns over the security of obtained personal data.
During the signing of the MoU, PS Bitok said the government had learnt from previous challenges in related projects. He revealed the government will be launching four related products in line with the Presidential directive to create digital ID.
The four items are:
i. Maisha Namba: This will be a Unique Personal Number assigned to each individual and that will be the personal identity number from birth to death.
ii. Maisha Card (3rd generation ID): This will be the document that will bear the Maisha Namba (a) above. It will replace the current 2nd generation ID
iii. Digital ID: This will be virtual digital identity for registered persons to support online authentication (using a scanner to pick out biometric features for instance)
iv. National Master Population Register: This will consolidate existing and independent data bases into a single integrated register of data on Kenyans and foreigners resident in the country.
The signing of the MoU was also witnessed by Indian High Commisionr to Kenya,
Ms. Namgya C. Khampa, her Barbados Counterpart, Mr William A McDonald, among other dignitaries.
The whistling African 
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