As I stand close to the entrance of the African Union pavilion at the Africa Climate Summit (ACS) in Nairobi, I witness a scene filled with excitement and dynamism. Women and youths from various African countries have gathered here, radiating enthusiasm, and proudly showcasing an impressive array of innovative solutions.
These innovators span across diverse fields, from clean energy and climate-smart agriculture to sustainable land management, biodiversity conservation, water conservation, waste management, circular economy initiatives, technology advancements, and agriculture. They are taking matters into their own hands, designing cutting edge solutions to the climate change scourge facing the continent.
“I believe creating change doesn’t have a boundary on who should engage in pioneering this change. I believe in the power of women.” says Matini Janepher, one of the innovators exhibiting at the event.
The 25 year old who hails from Luwero, Central Uganda, is the co-founder of Women Income Network, a Ugandan-based organization pioneering smart agriculture through maggot technology farming.
According to the UN, women and girls, who make up 70 percent of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty and heavily rely on natural resources for their livelihoods, bear the greatest brunt of climate change.
Women in Sub-Saharan Africa are responsible for 80 percent of food production, and over 60 percent of employed women work in agriculture. They often shoulder a disproportionate burden in securing food, water, and fuel, especially during periods of drought and erratic rainfall. This puts added pressure on girls, who may have to leave school to assist their mothers.
Through training in maggot farming, creating market linkages, and providing financial resources, Janepher aims to uplift vulnerable women in her country, and enable them to adapt to climate change.
“The climate issue we found in our communities was poor waste management. The population was complaining about how waste was causing discomfort in the community, leading to unpleasant smells and greenhouse gas emissions which are really dangerous to our environment. That inspired us to introduce the technology of maggot farming which processes waste from communities and landfills into organic fertilizers.” She explains.
Janepher is one of the 70 Women and youths selected to showcase their innovations at the Climate Action Innovation Hub, hosted by the African Union Commission.
The initiative serves as a platform for innovators whose climate solutions align and operationalise specific ambitions and goals of the Africa Climate Change Strategy.
“I have had a platform to exhibit what I’m doing in my community. I was amazed by everyone welcoming our maggot farming technology. This has been an insightful experience for me, full of fostering collaborations, and of course, networking with other brilliant minds from Africa.”
The UK ambassador to the African Union Madeleine Garlick applauded their initiatives, saying, “These are young, African women leaders in business, who are trying to find innovative ways to basically tackle the climate challenge. So really innovative and interesting ways of tackling the climate challenge from the bottom up.”
However, while women and youths lead on innovative approaches to mitigate the effects of global warming and helping communities adapt and build resilience to climate impacts, they are poorly equipped to make the necessary adaptations due to a number of challenges.
“Access to finances at the local level is challenging. You really have to prove yourself to people that you can make it or show even a tangible impact, whereby that impact has to come with a certain investment. It is difficult. We are working in the grassroots setting where there are no financial institutions. There are no micro finances. It is now up to us, the women who are mobilizing our fellow women into Savings and Credit Cooperative groups to start accessing finances so that they can start the Maggot farming technology.” Jennifer points out.
According to Oxfam’s ‘Climate Finance Shadow Report 2023,’ climate-related development financing is largely gender-blind. Only 2.9 percent of all funding identified gender equality as worth prioritizing. Only one-third of climate finance projects in 2019-2020 mainstreamed gender, meaning that they took into account both women and men’s specific needs, experiences, and concerns.
To offer a solution, the African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina announced a $1 billion facility, on the sidelines of the summit, to accelerate climate financing for Africa’s women and youth businesses through YouthAdapt, a joint initiative with the Global Centre on Adaptation. This initiative aims to support young entrepreneurs and small enterprises in Africa with innovative climate change adaptation and resilience solutions.
Adesina emphasized the importance of youth, saying, “Africa’s youth are the present. It is their views and perspectives that are going to change the continent. Failing to invest in the youth will hurt Africa; failure is not an option.”
While these are notable efforts, there is a need for more support.
According to Wambui Muchaba, a pioneering research, awareness, and advocacy expert in Gender and Climate Change, and Programs Director at the Inclusive Climate Change Adaptation for a Sustainable Africa (ICCASA), there are more gaps yet to be filled. She outlines key areas of focus, saying, “We would like to see women have equitable access to land, water, and other critical resources needed for farming and adaptation efforts. We must establish training and capacity-building programs to enhance the skills and knowledge of women in climate resilience and sustainable agriculture. It is crucial to improve data collection on the contributions of women to climate adaptation and resilience. This data can help advocate for increased support and recognition of their efforts. Finally, inclusivity and representation are essential. We must include women in decision-making processes related to climate adaptation and resilience at all levels of governance.”
Post-event, Jennifer is brimming with energy and determination. She sees her experience at the Africa Climate Summit as a catalyst for her mission back home. She is determined to influence and mobilize other women to take a leading role in the fight against the global climate challenge.
Africa’s youth, particularly its women, undoubtedly hold the key to driving meaningful change and building a sustainable, resilient future for the continent in the face of the climate crisis.
With the significant adoption of the Nairobi Declaration by African Heads of State, calling for the accelerated implementation of the African Union Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan (2022-2032), there is increased optimism for women and youths like Janepher.
The African Union Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan among other things, calls for empowering and engaging young people and women in climate adaptation planning and implementation through inclusive and participatory approaches, improving gender and youth participation in policy co-design, co-development processes, co-implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Additionally, it aims to enhance education and sensitization on gender and youth-responsive approaches and increase financial and technical support for youth and gender organizations.
