Formation | July 14, 2021 |
---|---|
Founded at | Lagos, Nigeria |
Key people | Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Grace Oluchi Mbah |
Climate Action Africa commonly referred to as CMA is a climate resilience organization located at GRA Ikeja, Lagos. It was founded on July 14, 2021, by Oluchi Grace and Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata. [1] It provides a platform for climate consciousness with data resources to support policies on evidence-based climate issues in Africa. [2]
Climate Action Africa participated in the Africa Climate Summit 2023 from September 4 to 6, 2023 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi. [3] [4] It is a known fact that climate change affects every facet of life, thus, the UN Climate Change News of September 2023 featured the Africa Climate Week 2023 (ACW) with a focus on strategizing solutions, especially across the continent of Africa. [5] [6]
Climate Action Africa officially started operations in July 2021 by Oluchi Grace and Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata at 53 Oladipo Bateye Street, G.R.A. Ikeja, Lagos as a center for accelerating innovative climate-tech startup ecosystem in Africa. [7] Its methodology is said to be hinged on community engagement on open knowledge with free articles, reports, infographics, videos, and interactive tools. They are said to be known for offering available documents on awareness and deep knowledge of climate issues to policymakers, communities, stakeholders, individuals, and civil society organizations. The research discoveries are translated for climate-tech organizations and startups for effective use in sustainable climate solutions. Their emphases are known to be on clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and eco-friendly technologies. [2] [8]
Climate Action Africa happens to be one of the climate-tech innovation hubs in Africa and has localized its solution to spotlight over 50 innovators that drive climate issues in African communities. CMA is known to provide free access to over 2,000 climate knowledge resources in different formats and sources. The free accurate and authentic sources are said to have impacted over 10,000 individuals. [2]
The Climate Action Africa, Labs (CMA Labs) were created to support the climate-tech startup ecosystem in Africa, innovate on supporting communities’ impacts, as well as physical and online mentoring, funding, monitoring, and follow-up. [9] This has also generated collaborations with researchers, experts in climate issues, scientists, and the government as well as with local and international partners, reaching out to over 5,000 people whose focus on climate consciousness has been supported. Again, reports have it that "The Partech State of Tech in Africa 2022 report showed that the climate-tech sector raised $863 million in equity funding." It seems to drive the global actors in the climate sectors into enforcing positive climate sustainability in Africa. [8] [10]
It should be remembered that the African continent has witnessed several challenges to climate change. In Nigeria, there have been a series of flood actions from 2012. The United Nations report of 2023 on Nigeria's climate stated that “in 2022 alone, flooding killed at least 662 people, injured 3,174, displaced about 2.5 million, and destroyed 200,000 houses individuals”. There have been climate effects on agriculture, the environment, businesses, and well well-being of the people. [11] [12] Again, the reports of the Premium Times stated that ‘the climate scourge affecting Africa and the world is evident in the fluctuating weather events (increased/low rainfall, flood, drought, warming oceans and increasing temperatures among others) which are disrupting food systems, and businesses and causing havoc to lives and livelihoods. [13]
Perhaps this is the reason, the United Nations called on the governments, businesses, finance, local authorities, and civil society to respond more on climate issues for a more sustainable economy on what they call “The world is watching – and the planet can’t wait.” [14] [15] This statement is a confirmation that challenges and obstacles are weighing the climate change activities down. In other words, the call imbues all ideation, support and funds for more sustainable environment, especially in Africa. [16] [17]
In September 2023, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata announced the participation of the CMA Team at the Africa Climate Summit 2023. This took place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya, from September 4 and 6, 2023. The summit developed the Nairobi Declaration which addressed the challenges of climate change in Africa. World leaders, governments, and policymakers participated in the summit. At the Summit, Grace Oluchi stated, “As we embark on this journey, let us remember that our collective actions today will determine the world we leave for future generations.” It becomes critical to work towards saving our planet from further damage by climate issues. [18] [19]
CMA has collaborated with tech organizations and hubs which include Creative Space Startups, ISN Hubs, Techbuild, AfriLabs, Founder Institute, and Growth4Her. It has also been known to do joint programs with the Nigerian Library Association (Anambra State Chapter) and Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Catholic Church. [2]
The issue of Nigeria’s climate change brought Climate Action Africa and the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) on a collaboration to work on lasting strategies for a more globally friendly condition. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of the partnership was signed at the NCC office in Abuja. [20] [21] One of the impacts of the collaboration disclosed that a global event on controlling climate change would take place later in 2024 with stakeholders across the world. [22] [23]
The need for collaboration with stakeholders on the climate action like the policy development and implementation, innovation and technology, community mobilization and education, investment and financing sectors has been called by Climate Action Africa to ensure good sustainable future. [24] [25] Partnering on addressing climate change is also a concern for researchers who reported that it will create more sustainable development. [26]
The Global Editors Network (GEN) was an international association of over 6,000 editors-in-chief and media executives with the mission of fostering digital innovation in newsrooms all over the world. GEN had three main programmes: Editors Lab, the Data Journalism Awards, Startups for News, as well as an upcoming hub for the international data journalism community. The organisation’s flagship event, the GEN Summit, gathered over 830 participants from 70 countries. The GEN newsletter was read weekly by more than 13,800 subscribers. It is a non-profit, non-governmental association.
AfriLabs is a pan-African innovation-focused organisation that works with over 400 innovation hubs in 53 countries and other stakeholders to raise successful startups and entrepreneurs that are developing and deploying innovative solutions to African problems through the adoption of technologies.
The 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference was an international meeting of political leaders and activists to discuss environmental issues. It was held in Marrakech, Morocco, on 7–18 November 2016. The conference incorporated the twenty-second Conference of the Parties (COP22), the twelfth meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP12), and the first meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA1). The purpose of the conference was to discuss and implement plans about combatting climate change and to "[demonstrate] to the world that the implementation of the Paris Agreement is underway". Participants work together to come up with global solutions to climate change.
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Adenike Adebukola Akinsemolu is a Nigerian sustainability advocate, educator, author, and a social entrepreneur. She is a lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University. She is known as one of the country's leading experts on environmental sustainability.
Nkiru Balonwu is an entrepreneur and activist based in Lagos, Nigeria. She is known for her views of women as the solution to Africa's problems and is the founder and chairperson of African Women on Board, an independent, women-led African non-profit organisation focused on advancing narratives to improve realities for women and girls of African heritage. She is also founder and managing partner of RDF Strategies, a consultancy firm that provides advice on strategic communication and stakeholder engagement. In 2016, during her time at the helm of Spinlet, Balonwu was featured in YNaija as one of "Nigeria's 100 Most Inspiring Women". In October 2019, Balonwu was awarded the 2020 Powerlist International Award by the Powerlist UK.
Patrick V. Verkooijen is the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the Chancellor of the University of Nairobi.
Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr. also known as CFA is a Nigerian journalist and a former television presenter at Channels TV. He is into digital marketing and known as a technology entrepreneur with focus on business coaching and public speaking. He hosted the first virtual telehealth conference of Nigeria’s telemedicine company, CareClick with the theme ‘The Future Of Healthcare Today’ on 24 September 2020. He was involved in various ICT-related companies that contributed to the development of the Founder Institute. He is known as the founder of Pacer Venture and has links with Climate Action Africa. He is the MD/CEO of Anambra State ICT Agency.
Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) is a network of more than 1000 organisations from 48 countries in Africa. It is based in Kenya and consists of NGOs, grassroots organisations, trusts, foundations, indigenous communities, farmers, community-based organisations, and religious organisations. It advocates for climate and environmental justice and it is a people-centered consortium. It was co-founded by climate activists Augustine B Njamnshi and Mithika Mwenda.
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Most Affected People and Areas, also known by its acronym MAPA, is a term that represents groups and territories disproportionately affected by climate change, such as women, indigenous communities, racial minorities, LGBTQIA+ people, young, older and poorer people and the Global South. The term and concept is interconnected with intersectionality. Countries in Africa and Asia, including India, Sub-Saharan Africa, and coastal communities of Asia, identify as MAPA territories. These communities bear the brunt of carbon emissions and climate change due to the colonization of their land. In particular, with the rise of grassroots movements that had the goal of climate justice - such as Fridays for Future, Ende Gelände or Extinction Rebellion - the connection of these groups in the context of climate justice became more important. The acronym MAPA is preferred by climate activists compared to terms like the Global South, as it better acknowledges the issue of climate justice.
Olumide Idowu, is a Nigerian youth campaigner and climate change activist. He is the co-founder of the International Climate Change Development Initiative, Climate Wednesday and Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition. Olumide was an Atlas Corps fellow, State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni, social media and communications officer for Association for the Development of Education in Africa, Triennale 2017 in Senegal, and the senior communication director for African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC). He was the Organizing Committee Member for 7th Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Mexico, African Youth Champion for the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and he received the 2015 Save the Children Award for his Contribution towards Sustainable Development in Nigeria.
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