Grace Oluchi Mbah | |
---|---|
Born | 22 January 1994 |
Nationality | Nigerian |
Years active | 2021–present |
Organisation | Climate Action Africa |
Known for | Climate change activism |
Grace Oluchi Mbah (born 22 January 1994) is a climate change activist. She co-founded the Climate Action Africa (CAA) on 14 July 2021, with Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata. [1] It is a non-government and non-profit organisation that focuses on addressing the climate issues in Africa and beyond. The organisation partners with institutions, professional associations, government, civil society organisations, business owners and individuals to enhance strategies for innovative practices on sustainable environment and development of Africa for all. [2]
The organisation organises learning spaces for children to know about climate change and start early to be the change agent for a friendly environment. Climate change has become a global discussion with strategies for saving humans and other species of living things therein. The warning on global warming has created impacts that led to the redesigning of how to shape the environment and create the world we want with control of the temperature and weather patterns. [3] [4] [5] [6]
Grace has a B.Sc. in Banking and Finance. She also has an MBA in Business Management. [7]
Grace's career in activism on climate change stemmed from the effects of loss, destruction of life and property, damage to agricultural products and the issues of the waste of resources due to global warming in Nigeria. Even though, climate change is a natural phenomenon, Grace and her team carry out sensitisation and advocacy and build partnerships with the indication that not attending to climate change will have a resultant effect on health, agriculture, environment, economy, society and all aspects of human endeavour. [8] [9] [10] According to Grace, “Nigeria’s vulnerability to climate change necessitates immediate and collective action. Through this partnership, we aspire to harness the power of innovation, sustainable practices, policy dialogue, and community engagement to reshape Nigeria’s future and set a global example.” [11] [12] They develop ideation and provide facilities on climate change.
They launched Climate Action Africa Labs (CAA Labs) which created an innovation that supports the development of the climate-tech startup ecosystem in Africa. [13] Collaborating with the government, researchers, scientists, and experts, the CAA Labs addressed the changing climate issues, and evidence-based policy decisions on the continent support the translation of research discoveries as well as climate-tech organisations and startups in developing sustainable solutions. [14]
Grace with her team under Climate Action Africa established and launched Climate Stories 4 Kids. This is focused on educating and nurturing children and young adults to be aware of climate change and to begin early to protect their communities. It is a “catch them young ”initiative with audio-visual and digital viewing content. The project targets one million young minds across the world with designed fiction on climate change based on real-life settings. According to the Director, “Our children are the future stewards of this planet. When we make climate education exciting and accessible, we empower them to take charge of their environmental destiny and become advocates for change. That is exactly what we are doing.” The Climate Stories 4 Kids series is meant to be aired on radio and TV stations. [15] The idea of children and young adults knowing climate change rhymes with the UNICEF concern that children are affected by access to water, health, education, food security and well-being. [16] The essence is that climate change can be mitigated if safety and knowledge are enhanced.
Again, the report by the African Child Forum stated that “almost 1 billion children – nearly half of the world’s children – live in countries that are at extremely high risk of climate change impacts. Climate change has direct and indirect impacts on children’s rights to health, life, dignity and education. Also, climate change increases the risk of exposure to violence against children. Climate-induced disasters displace people, and limit access to schools, adequate water, and nutrition.” [17] Hence effective direction towards climate change with children will probably have a good effect on controlling the ecosystem.
Grace participated in the Africa Climate Summit in Kenya focused on tackling climate issues in Africa, from 4 to 6 September 2023 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya. [18] This summit was attended by other climate activists, government personnel and other stakeholders. The Africa Climate Summit of 2023 provided a platform for policymakers, practitioners, businesses and civil society that caused interactions on climate solutions, challenges and strategies as well as opportunities achieved in different regions. This led to the first global stocktaking that was concluded at the COP28 in UAE in December 2023. [19] [20] Grace signed a memorandum of associations (MoU), collaborated and participated in climate change events for creating a friendly environment in Nigeria in 2024 in Abuja. [21]
In March 2024, Climate Action Africa under the leadership of Grace Mbah announced its programme Climate Action Africa Forum 2024 (CAAF24) with the theme “Green Economies, Brighter Futures: Innovating and Investing in Africa’s Climate-Smart Development.” She stated, “It’s no news that the world stands at a critical juncture, where decisive action is imperative to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change." [22] [23] [24] The rainy season in Nigeria seems to have been doubled with heavy downpour. It becomes imperative that spaces are created for organisations, government, individuals, and volunteers to effectively deliberate and take decisive steps in saving our planet from harsh climate conditions. Climate change in Nigeria is critical as the nation has witnessed damages across the states, hence the need for collaboration with other stakeholders outside the government to sustain the country with lasting results that will restore the environment. [25] [26] [27] [28]
Grace co-established Climate Action Africa, an organisation for strategising resilience for climate change in July 2021. [29]
Grace with her Team launched Climate Action Africa Labs (CMA Labs) to develop and support the climate-tech startup ecosystem in Africa. [30] [31]
Her team established climate stories for kids in 2023. [32]
She signed the memorandum of association (MoU) with the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) on tackling the challenges of climate change in Nigeria in February 2024. [33]
She participated in the Africa Climate Summit in Kenya on solving issues of climate in Africa in 2023. [34]
She, with her group, planned the Climate Action Africa Forum 2024 (CAAF24) for greater impacts on climate change in March 2024. [35]
The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, commonly known as CAFOD, is an international development and relief charity. It is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
ActionAid is an international non-governmental organization whose stated primary aim is to work against poverty and injustice worldwide.
Environmental justice or eco-justice, is a social movement to address environmental injustice, which occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has generated hundreds of studies showing that exposure to environmental harm is inequitably distributed.
The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation and sustainable development.
Clean technology, also called cleantech or climatetech, is any process, product, or service that reduces negative environmental impacts through significant energy efficiency improvements, the sustainable use of resources, or environmental protection activities. Clean technology includes a broad range of technology related to recycling, renewable energy, information technology, green transportation, electric motors, green chemistry, lighting, grey water, and more. Environmental finance is a method by which new clean technology projects can obtain financing through the generation of carbon credits. A project that is developed with concern for climate change mitigation is also known as a carbon project.
The 34th G8 summit was held in the town of Tōyako, Hokkaido, Japan, on July 7–9, 2008. The locations of previous summits hosted by Japan include Tokyo and Nago, Okinawa (2000). The G8 summit has evolved beyond being a gathering of world political leaders to become an occasion for a wide variety of non-governmental organizations, activists and civic groups to congregate and discuss a multitude of issues.
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is an independent policy research institute whose stated mission is to "build a fairer, more sustainable world, using evidence, action and influence in partnership with others." Its director is Dr Tom Mitchell.
The extensive and rapid clearing of forests (deforestation) within the borders of Nigeria has significant impacts on both local and global scales.
Sam Mbah was a Nigerian author, lawyer, activist, and anarchist.
Temie Giwa-Tubosun is a Nigerian-American health manager, founder of LifeBank, a business enterprise in Nigeria working to improve access to blood transfusions in the country.
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.
Adenike Oladosu is a Nigerian climate activist, and initiator of the school strike for climate in Nigeria. She has showcased her climate action at international conferences including the UN Climate Change Conference, World Economic Forum, and Elevate festival in Graz-Austria.
Global Goals Week is a shared commitment between a coalition of over 160 partners across all industries, which mobilizes annually in September to bring together communities, demand urgency, and supercharge solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was founded in 2016 by the United Nations Foundation, Project Everyone, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It is timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly "High-Level Week" in New York. The week includes events, summits, conferences, forums, workshops, pledges, and other activations in New York, around the world, and online. It usually runs alongside Climate Week NYC, the annual conference of Goalkeepers, Bloomberg Global Business Forum and many other high-level events.
Ineza Umuhoza Grace is an eco-feminist, climate activist and environmentalist from Kigali, Rwanda. She is the CEO of The Green Protector, co-ordinator of the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition and Research Assistant for the CCLAD project. She was a Global Citizen Prize winner in 2023.
The National Council on Climate Change is the national designated authority responsible for combating climate change and its impact in Nigeria. The Council was inaugurated in 2022 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to help formulate policies that will help achieve a green and sustainable economy in Nigeria. The composition of the Council includes The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as Chairman, the Vice President as Vice Chairman while the Director General of the Council as Secretary. In 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Salisu Dahiru as the pioneer Director-General of the Council.
Obi Ozor is a Nigerian entrepreneur, business executive, and public servant. He co-founded Kobo360, a Lagos-headquartered digital logistics platform whose investors include Goldman Sachs, the International Finance Corporation, and Y Combinator.
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. It provides a platform for climate consciousness with data resources to support policies on evidence-based climate issues in Africa.
Terseer Ugbor is the current member, House of Representatives for Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency of Benue State. He is Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Environment and also the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on Students Loans in Nigeria. He is also a Member of the House Standing committees on Aviation, Petroleum Midstream, Ecological Funds, Public Procurement, Steel Development, Public Service Matters and Poverty Alleviation.
The International Panel on the Information Environment is an international consortium of over 250 experts from 55 countries dedicated to providing actionable scientific knowledge on threats to our information landscape. The IPIE has said it is modeled after and learning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The concept was officially proposed in a 2021 virtual meeting by Dr. Sheldon Himelfarb, then President and CEO of PeaceTech Lab, and Professor Philip Howard, Professor at Oxford University and then Director of the Oxford Internet Institute, during the first Nobel Prize Summit organized by the US National Academy of Sciences and the Nobel Foundation.
Abasi Ene-Obong, is a Nigerian biomedical scientist and entrepreneur. Abasi holds a master's degree in human molecular genetics from Imperial College London and a PhD in Cancer Biology from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in England. Since September 2023, he is the founder and CEO of Syndicate Bio, a health technology company driving genomics and precision medicine initiatives in global healthcare. Prior to this, since 2019, Abasi served as the co-founder and CEO at 54Gene Inc, a defunct Nigerian health and biotech firm specialized in African genomics which he grew to a valuation of nearly $200m before stepping down in October 2022.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)