EAC Partner States Must Do More To Achieve The Malabo Commitments

East African legislators have been urged to expedite the domestication of the Malabo Declaration by putting in place a regional legally binding protocol or instruments to ensure the realization of Malabo's goals. 

Without domesticating it at the regional level, it will hinder the full implementation of the Declaration which stakeholders in the agriculture sector see as a vital protocol that can transform the agriculture sector among the East African Community (EAC) member states.

Although the EAC member states signed the Declaration, its implementation has been a big challenge since none of the member states has respected the protocol which they endorsed on their signature in Equatorial Guinea.

 ‘’Our government are not serious when it comes to the implementation of the Malabo Declaration; that is why the agriculture sector among the EAC member states is still underfunded,” Hakim Baliraine, the Chairperson of Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF).

He was speaking during the 6th East African Agriculture Summit held in Arusha Tanzania. He added: “If the protocol was implemented among the seven member states, we could be seeing big achievements in the agriculture sector’’  

The summit was hosted by ESAFF and partners concurrently with the East African Civil Society Summit. The Arusha Summit was attended by various stakeholders including small-scale farmers, policymakers from various partner states, and civil society organisations. 

The focus of the Summit was "Agriculture and Climate Change." Key to the discussion was the financing of the agriculture sector in the region.

It’s the agriculture financing that attracted the stakeholders to raise the matter of the Malabo Declaration. They said that although each African state is supposed to allocate 10 percent of its national budget to the agriculture sector none of them has respected the Declaration, even those in the EAC Member States. 

Yet during the meeting agriculture was considered as the major sector that can transform Africa including EAC member states. 

How member states are responding to the Malabo Declaration, in his presentation, Fahari Marwa, the Principle Agriculture Economist at the EAC agreed with the comments from the farmers who said that the region is not doing well to attain the commitment targets. 

‘’In all the biennial reviews that were carried out in 2017, 2019 and 2021, it was discovered that the region is not on track to meet any of the Malabo Commitments. Therefore, the region needs to pay much attention to all Commitment areas if it’s to meet the Malabo Declaration by 2025,’’ Marwa explained.     

The Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods is a set of new goals demonstrating a more targeted approach to achieving the agricultural vision for the African continent which is shared prosperity and improved livelihoods.

 The Malabo Summit reaffirmed that agriculture should remain at the top of the continent's development agenda and is a crucial policy initiative for economic growth and poverty reduction in Africa. The African Heads of State and governments agreed to seven broad commitments.

These include upholding the principles and values of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP); enhancing investment finance in agriculture; ending hunger in Africa by 2025; halving poverty by 2025 through inclusive agricultural growth and transformation; and boosting intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and services.

Statistics indicate that the EAC region is still performing poorly as meeting the Malabo Declaration Commitments is concerned. Reflecting on the third biennial review, the EAC region achieved an average overall performance score of 5.60 compared to the benchmark score of 7.28 which is the minimum score required for a region to be on track in implementing the Malabo Declaration commitments. 

This shortfall indicates that in 2021, the region was not on pace to meet the Malabo commitments by 2025.

 

 

 

 

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Members of Youth for Green Communities delivered a complaint letter to Hoima Sugar.

Youths Protest Delayed Restoration Of Bugoma Land By Hoima Sugar

Youth for Green Communities, a local Non-Government Authority, on 20th March 2023, wrote to the Executive Director of Hoima Sugar Ltd protesting the delayed restoration of Bugoma Central Forest Reserve.

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), on 27th September 2022, released a Press Statement in which it ordered Hoima Sugar to safeguard the environment and stop any further damage to the environment.

In the statement, NEMA asked Hoima Sugar to immediately stop any further deforestation of the natural reserved forest area, ecotourism area, cultural sites and land reserved for the urban centre.

It also asked Hoima Sugar not to plant any sugar cane in the said reserved area, restore degraded areas, prepare and implement a restoration plan for the affected areas at the company's cost and permit third parties approved by the Authority to participate in the restoration process.

Further, NEMA halted the urbanization of the 312.3ha which had earlier in 2020 been approved to be developed into an urban centre - NEMA said that the said area should be kept as a natural forest in view of the country's effort to recover forest cover loss.

In September last year, NEMA had warned that failure to comply with the given instructions would result in NEMA cancelling the ESIA certificate and further legal actions against Hoima Sugar Limited.

The National Environment Management Authority issued Hoima Sugar Ltd an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) certificate No. NEMA/ESIA/13709 on 14th August 2020 to implement its projects.

Section 4 of the ESIA Certificate indicated specific conditions and components of the project as follows: Sugarcane Plantation (9.24 sq. miles); Urban Centre (1.206 sq. miles); Eco-tourism Centre (1.97 sq. miles); Cultural Site (0.156 sq. miles / 40.4038 ha) and The natural reserved forest and nature walk-ways/trails (6.17 sq. miles).

But according to the protest letter by Youth for Green Communities, Hoima Sugar has not heeded to the directives by NEMA, almost a year later.

According to Aryampa Brighton, the Chief Executive Officer of Youth for Green Communities, they are demanding that the company immediately stops the forest destruction for sugarcane plantations in compliance with NEMA orders.

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Twenty female reporters in Bunyoro sub-region received training that was aimed at making them batter environment reporters.

Female Journalists Get Environment Reporting Training In Hoima

Female news reporters and editors from the Albertine Graben region on 11th March 2023 converged in Hoima City to undergo training aimed at improving their skills as environment reporters.

The twenty environment-enthusiastic newswomen were drawn from the districts of Hoima, Masindi, Mubende, Kiboga, Kikuube and Buliisa among others. 

The training, organized by Western Media for Environment and Conservation (WEMECO) with support from Global Green Grants Fund and other Environment conservationists, among other issues looked at how journalism can be used to conserve the environment and avert climate change.

One of the training facilitators, Leila Bbale, an editor at Spice FM, a Hoima-based radio station, highlighted that women are the most affected when the environment is damaged because of their positioning in society. 

“When water sources like wetlands and lakes are destroyed, it is the women who suffer most. When there are floods or drought because of the climatic changes, the women and children are vulnerable to the sufferings caused,” Bbale said.

She encouraged female journalists to consistently report on the issues of the environment because they can create climate change awareness through their work. 

In an interactive presentation, Precious Naturinda, who works with the National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) and Uganda Community Green Radio Kiboga, highlighted the importance of women's involvement in combating environmental degradation.

Baz Waiswa, the editor of Earthfinds, an environment and extractives publication, trained the participants in the use of digital media to tell environment stories. 

He demonstrated how the participants can create their own blogs to tell community stories and the use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube and TikTok among others.

Waiswa also conducted an afternoon session where he introduced the idea of using shareable podcasts to voice out the issues concerning the environment. He demonstrated how to create and set up podcasts. 

The Executive Director of WEMECO, Peter Akugizibwe Araali, encouraged female journalists to use the available media tools and skills learnt at the training to put out stories that are impactful and can influence change in the way communities engage with the environment.

He said that reporting on the environment offers female journalists opportunities that can scale them up. “There are organizations that are willing to collaborate with journalists like you. When this happens, you are able to get funding to facilitate your journalism and stories output,” he said. 

Akugizibwe said the main objective of the female journalists’ workshop was to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to enable them to understand how to deal with climate change by using new media tools like blogs, social media and podcasts.

Charles Batambuze, a member of WEMECO, and represented the WEMECO board chairperson, Ndeezi Doreen, thanked organizations that facilitated the workshop and the participants and encouraged them to put the knowledge acquired into practice.

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The investment required is calculated by estimating future climate damages, consulting a range of external sources, and then considering the costs to abate those damages.

Lack of climate adaptation investment could cost emerging markets hundreds of billions by 2030

Failure to invest the bare minimum needed to withstand projected climate damage could cost emerging markets hundreds of billions in climate damages and lost GDP growth this decade, according to a new study by Standard Chartered. 

The Adaptation Economy, which investigates the need for climate adaptation investment in 10 markets – including China, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan – reveals that, without investing a minimum of USD30 billion in adaptation by 2030, these markets could face projected damages and lost GDP growth of USD377 billion: over 12 times that amount. 

The projection assumes that the world succeeds in limiting temperature rises to 1.5°C, in line with the Paris Agreement. In a 3.5°C scenario the estimated minimum investment required more than doubles to USD62 billion and potential losses escalate dramatically if the investment is not made.   

Examples of climate adaptation projects include the creation of coastal barrier protection solutions for areas vulnerable to flooding, the development of drought-resistant crops and early-warning systems against pending natural disasters. 

India to benefit the most from adaptation investment 

Among the 10 markets in the study, India is projected to benefit the most from adaptation investment. The market would require an estimated USD11billion to prevent climate damages and lost growth of USD135.5 billion in a 1.5°C warming scenario – equal to a thirteen-to-one return for the Indian economy of investment in climate adaptation. 

Meanwhile, China could avoid an estimated cost of USD112 billion by investing just USD8 billion. And Kenya could avoid costs of an estimated USD2 billion by investing USD200 million in adaptation. 

Market

Minimum investment required (1.5°C)

(USD)

Economic benefit (USD)

India

10.6 billion

135.5 billion

China

8.1 billion

111.9 billion

Indonesia

4 billion

39 billion

UAE

2.7 billion

31.5 billion

Nigeria

1.5 billion

19.9 billion

Bangladesh

1.2 billion

11.6 billion

Egypt

900 million

8.6 billion

Vietnam

600 million

8.9 billion

Pakistan

600 million

7.6 billion

Kenya

200 million

2.2 billion

The case for adaptation

Even if the world’s nations manage to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, measures to adapt to climate change must be pursued alongside the global decarbonisation agenda, with the banking sector having a critical role to play in unlocking finance. 

The USD30billion investment required for adaptation represents only slightly more than 0.1 per cent of combined annual GDP of the 10 markets in the study and much less than the estimated USD95 trillion emerging markets require to transition to net zero using mitigation measures, as outlined in Standard Chartered’s Just in Time report. 

The Adaptation Economy also surveyed 150 bankers, investors and asset managers and found that, currently, just 0.4% of the capital held by respondents is allocated to adaptation in emerging markets where investment is needed most. 

However, 59% of respondents plan to increase their adaptation investments over the next 12 months. And on average, adaptation financing is expected to rise from 0.8% of global assets in 2022 to 1.4% by 2030. 

Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer, Standard Chartered said: “This report makes it clear that irrespective of efforts to keep global warming as close to 1.5C as possible, we are going to have to incorporate climate-warming effects into our systems and adapt to its reality.   

“All nations will need to adapt to climate change by building more resilient agriculture, industry and infrastructure, but the need is greatest in emerging and fast-developing economies with a disproportionate risk of exposure to the negative effects of rising temperatures and extreme weather.   

“We must urgently recognise that adaptation is a shared necessity, and as our Adaptation Economy research so effectively highlights, inaction creates a shared societal burden of exponentially increasing cost. The financial sector has a crucial role to play in directing capital towards adaptation and creating the proof points to demonstrate that investing in adaptation can be a commercially viable attractive proposition for the private sector."

 

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The country programmes director, Green Economy Coalition, Mr. Stuart Worsley launching the the East African program in Kampala.

Regional Coalition Launched To Push Green Economy Agenda

The East African region is making a deliberate effort to transition the economies of Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania into the sphere of the green economy under the stewardship of Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), a Ugandan Think Tank.

In this region, ACODE has teamed up with the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR) in Rwanda, Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) and Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA) in Tanzania to launch the Green Economy Coalition – East Africa Hub (GEC-EA).

The GEC-EA, hosted by ACODE, is an extension of the globalized Green Economy Coalition (GEC), which has been formed to establish a sub-regional knowledge and action space that connects green economy and natural capital agendas across the three East African member countries.

The executive director of ACODE, Dr. Arthur Bainomugisha, in an interview with Earthfinds at the launch, explained that the Coalition is going to help countries put in place legal, policy and institutional frameworks that will help them transition to a green economy.

Economies That Value Nature

He explained that by green economy, they mean a fair, inclusive economy – one that caters for the future. “When we say green economy, we mean economies which understand that the planet has limits and can revolt because of climate change problems. And that revolt can manifest or is manifesting in a draught, bad rains (El Nino), shrinking rains and disappearing rivers like River Rwizi. In West Africa Lake Chad is disappearing” he said.

In the five years, GEC has been implemented in Uganda, Mr. Bainomugisha says there have been achievements recorded including the finance ministry greening the budget and practising natural capital accounting. Because of GEC efforts, parliament passed the climate change law among other regulatory regimes they are putting in place to facilitate the green economy transition. The government now has bought it, he said, revealing that now policymakers believe that climate change is real. Uganda cannot do it alone hence the necessity to bring on board the neighbours.

The Right Regulatory Frameworks Good

According to presentations made by representatives from Rwanda and Kenya, governments there are making progress – they have over the years put in place policies and frameworks that will make the transition to a green economy much easier.

Mr. Joseph Kagabo of IPAR says things like the banning of plastic carriers, planting of trees, the establishment of the green fund and greening of politics are good strides made by the Gen. Paul Kagame-led country which has in the recent years entertained great admiration for its economic successes.

In Kenya, Mr. Joshua Laichena from KIPPRA underscored the transitional progress being registered there considering that the country is 80% semi-arid and the nation’s Vision 2030 captures and is working on some of these areas of interest. We have good laws, what we need is to implement them, Mr. Laichena stated in a streamed presentation at the launch.

There Is Need For Targeted Reforms

Mr. Ronald Kaggwa who works with National Planning Authority in Uganda as Manager for Production, Trade & Tourism Planning noted that a macroeconomic way of doing things is fundamental if you are going to achieve the green economy goals. Also, Mr. Kaggwa notes that there should be reform to put in place healthy fiscal and monetary policies.

He adds that there should be deliberate intentions for both government and the private sector to invest in sectors like agriculture with high green growth.

The country programmes director, Green Economy Coalition, Mr. Stuart Worsley encouraged member organizations to engage each other, experiment and learn what works and what doesn’t work. “Get citizens to act; if citizens are with you, no one can stop you,” he said.

The Green Economy Coalition is the world’s largest movement committed to accelerating the global transition to green and fair economies. And with the launch of the GEC-EA, Local Green Enterprises (LGE) in the three East African member states join 53 other countries across the globe.

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These efforts can help ensure that capital flows to the frontlines of the fight against climate change—Africa.

Three Steps For Africa To Combat Climate Change

With hopes for countering global warming pinned on progress at the upcoming COP27 UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt, a new report from the Africa Finance Corporation, Africa's leading infrastructure solutions provider, sets out the continent's stance by balancing the need for emissions reduction with critical development imperatives.

The report, Roadmap to Africa's COP: A Pragmatic Path to Net Zero is set within a context where Africa has borne the brunt of the most devastating impacts of climate change, while contributing little to global emissions. This low carbon output reflects Africa's crippling energy deficit which has stymied industrialization and economic development. Africa, therefore, needs a realistic agenda for addressing climate change which allows the region to also continue advancing its industrial base.

The report argues that, while cutting emissions is vital for the more developed and highest polluting wealthier nations, there is a more limited universal impact to be gained from reducing the far lower emissions of sub-Saharan Africa. The report concludes that African nations will drive a far greater effect in combatting global warming by focusing instead on three significant areas of change.

Localize

According to the report, Africa must focus on developing local industries by putting processing and manufacturing at the centre of sustainable circular economies. Doing so will eliminate emission-spewing shipments of Africa's minerals and other commodities to Asia for manufacturing and processing, only to be shipped again as finished goods to consumer markets.

Achieving this objective requires closing Africa's energy deficit. While renewable sources are the ultimate goal, in the near-term Africa must exploit its abundant reserves of natural gas. Since much of Africa is already at net zero, such development can be achieved without contributing substantially to global carbon emissions, while channeling harmful gas flares from oil fields and reducing the use of more polluting fuels such as coal, diesel and firewood. Resultant job creation and economic growth will enable African nations to invest further in renewable sources.

Especially important is creating local manufacturing of the components of renewable energy technology. It is critical for these metals to be mined in such a way that minimises further pollution and for resource-efficient sustainable mining techniques to be combined with ecosystems fostering local production centres.

Re-build

Africa is the most exposed region to the ravages of global warming largely because its infrastructure is ill equipped to withstand climate shocks. Without intervention, the cost of structural damage caused by natural disasters in Africa will increase to US$415 billion a year by 2030 from between US$250 billion to US$300 billion now, according to the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The continent needs strong and resilient building — to re-build ocean and river defenses, and infrastructure in transport, construction, electricity grids and off-grid energy, which will in turn help the development of sustainable mining and the circular economies that drive growth and job creation, according to the report.

Finnovate

Key to effecting change is ensuring that Africa-based institutions such as the AFC get access to essential climate funds through financial innovation to support resilient building and investment in localised mass-scale manufacturing and processing. Financing is also needed to help preserve Africa's vast carbon sinks, which absorb more carbon dioxide annually than any other region's rainforests but are being depleted by local populations for firewood for cooking and heating.

Working with development finance institutions, governments and institutional investors, AFC's many projects over the course of 15 years demonstrate that it is possible to mobilise financing at scale through crowding in private sector investment. Through leveraging financial input from governments and NGOs, we have the tools to de-risk climate investments and offer strong returns to incentivise funding from institutional investors. These efforts can help ensure that capital flows to the frontlines of the fight against climate change—Africa.

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COVID-19 recovery programs must address the issues of environment and its sustainability.

Green Economy: Budget Allocations, Investment Should Cater To The Environment

When the infectious coronavirus disease (COVID-19) hit Uganda, it left the country’s economy in an injurious state that the government, the private sector and the general public are grappling to recover from due to the pandemic devastations, including thousands of lost human life. 

Like many other countries knocked out by the global pandemic has left over 3, 500 dead in Uganda and 6.3m, out of the 512m global cases, dead, the government of Uganda devised recovery plans to resuscitate the economy and bring it back to life.

But in so doing, stakeholders wanted to make sure that the question of environmental preservation and climate change are captured in these government COVID19 recovery interventions. If done, this would help to have a green economy as the country recovered from the pandemic.

In that spirit, Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) commissioned a study on mainstreaming natural capital management into Uganda’s COVID -19 recovery packages. The study intended to, among other things, reveal the extent to which recovery packages worked for or against natural capital and to influence recovery plans to mainstream natural capital in economic decision-making into budgetary, fiscal, monetary and trade policy.

According to ACODE, the study focused on assessing positive measures to integrate natural capital into the recovery including budgetary, fiscal, monetary and trade policies (such as expenditure policies that support afforestation) as against negative budgetary, fiscal, monetary and trade measures which undermine natural capital (such as fiscal and trade incentives for forestry clearance).

 And according to the report compiled from the study titled Mainstreaming Natural Capital Into Uganda’s Covid-19 Recovery Packages, Mr. Aaron Werikhe, a consultant, revealed that the government of Uganda deployed mainly four COVID19 Recovery Packages to intervene.

These were through the third National Development Plan (2020/21-2024/25) which was the overall framework for recovery and the Financial Year 2020/21 COVID Recovery National Budget which was aimed at stimulating the economy to safeguard livelihoods, jobs, businesses and industrial recovery.

The other is the Financial Year National Recovery Budget used to speed up economic recovery & driving inclusive growth and then the $281.7m advanced to Uganda Development Bank Limited to lend out businesses.

These packages targeted economic activities like farming, industrialists, water and environment, energy, natural resources exploitation, land use, forestation. According to Mr. Werikhe explanation, these were geared at having an inclusive growth and sustainable use of natural resources that are a factor of production.

But despite the interventions' limitations like delayed or no monetary releases, confidentiality clauses as the case with UDB, poor accountability and uncertainty of the pandemic end, Dr. Arthur Bainomugisha, the executive director of ACODE, was hopeful and positive that the interventions are headed in the right direction.

Dr. Bainomugisha, in an interview with Earthfinds, said: “From this study which has been presented, there is hope. When you look at the policy framework, the legal framework, and the institutional framework, the government has put in place enabling frameworks. The problem now is implementation; to move from rhetoric to practice. We want to see a government that bites,”

He added: “Some of those interventions like recapitalizing UDB, the emyooga money, and also, they have put aside some money for small enterprises which can create jobs should have a consciousness that this money should conserve the environment.

“If you don’t, then you are going to worsen the situation because we are still dependent on the environment and natural resources. People can use this money to cut down trees, to destroy the wetlands and that will not be good in terms of recovery.

“We are saying that these interventions that government is coming up with, to create jobs, to restart companies that had collapsed, to give them a new lease of life, should have a bearing to invest in nature so that it remains stable and provide opportunities to the current and future generations,”

The report recommends that there is a need to initiate and undertake strategic effective dialogue with high impact national expenditure decision making stakeholders such as Parliament & relevant Government Agencies – on the need to green COVID-19 Recovery Packages.

Also, recommended is the necessity to advocate for environmental fiscal reforms such as tax incentives for local green enterprises, deterrent environmental fines & include environment sustainability commitment among investment license access conditions and the need to generate cutting edge analytical studies that elaborate on the direct nexus between human health, the state of natural capital and achievement of planned development goals.

The other recommendations captured in the report are the need to lobby for adherence to social inclusiveness and equity in the design of COVID-19 recovery packages beyond the narrow focus on economic & financial recovery and the development of an engagement strategy with the government to bilaterally track the enforcement of the polluter pays principle stipulated in the new environment Act.    

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COVID-19 recovery programs must address the issues of environment and its sustainability.

Green Economy: Budget Allocations, Investment Should Cater To The Environment

When the infectious coronavirus disease (COVID-19) hit Uganda, it left the country’s economy in an injurious state that the government, the private sector and the general public are grappling to recover from due to the pandemic devastations, including thousands of lost human life. 

Like many other countries knocked out by the global pandemic has left over 3, 500 dead in Uganda and 6.3m, out of the 512m global cases, dead, the government of Uganda devised recovery plans to resuscitate the economy and bring it back to life.

But in so doing, stakeholders wanted to make sure that the question of environmental preservation and climate change are captured in these government COVID19 recovery interventions. If done, this would help to have a green economy as the country recovered from the pandemic.

In that spirit, Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) commissioned a study on mainstreaming natural capital management into Uganda’s COVID -19 recovery packages. The study intended to, among other things, reveal the extent to which recovery packages worked for or against natural capital and to influence recovery plans to mainstream natural capital in economic decision-making into budgetary, fiscal, monetary and trade policy.

According to ACODE, the study focused on assessing positive measures to integrate natural capital into the recovery including budgetary, fiscal, monetary and trade policies (such as expenditure policies that support afforestation) as against negative budgetary, fiscal, monetary and trade measures which undermine natural capital (such as fiscal and trade incentives for forestry clearance).

 And according to the report compiled from the study titled Mainstreaming Natural Capital Into Uganda’s Covid-19 Recovery Packages, Mr. Aaron Werikhe, a consultant, revealed that the government of Uganda deployed mainly four COVID19 Recovery Packages to intervene.

These were through the third National Development Plan (2020/21-2024/25) which was the overall framework for recovery and the Financial Year 2020/21 COVID Recovery National Budget which was aimed at stimulating the economy to safeguard livelihoods, jobs, businesses and industrial recovery.

The other is the Financial Year National Recovery Budget used to speed up economic recovery & driving inclusive growth and then the $281.7m advanced to Uganda Development Bank Limited to lend out businesses.

These packages targeted economic activities like farming, industrialists, water and environment, energy, natural resources exploitation, land use, forestation. According to Mr. Werikhe explanation, these were geared at having an inclusive growth and sustainable use of natural resources that are a factor of production.

But despite the interventions' limitations like delayed or no monetary releases, confidentiality clauses as the case with UDB, poor accountability and uncertainty of the pandemic end, Dr. Arthur Bainomugisha, the executive director of ACODE, was hopeful and positive that the interventions are headed in the right direction.

Dr. Bainomugisha, in an interview with Earthfinds, said: “From this study which has been presented, there is hope. When you look at the policy framework, the legal framework, and the institutional framework, the government has put in place enabling frameworks. The problem now is implementation; to move from rhetoric to practice. We want to see a government that bites,”

He added: “Some of those interventions like recapitalizing UDB, the emyooga money, and also, they have put aside some money for small enterprises which can create jobs should have a consciousness that this money should conserve the environment.

“If you don’t, then you are going to worsen the situation because we are still dependent on the environment and natural resources. People can use this money to cut down trees, to destroy the wetlands and that will not be good in terms of recovery.

“We are saying that these interventions that government is coming up with, to create jobs, to restart companies that had collapsed, to give them a new lease of life, should have a bearing to invest in nature so that it remains stable and provide opportunities to the current and future generations,”

The report recommends that there is a need to initiate and undertake strategic effective dialogue with high impact national expenditure decision making stakeholders such as Parliament & relevant Government Agencies – on the need to green COVID-19 Recovery Packages.

Also, recommended is the necessity to advocate for environmental fiscal reforms such as tax incentives for local green enterprises, deterrent environmental fines & include environment sustainability commitment among investment license access conditions and the need to generate cutting edge analytical studies that elaborate on the direct nexus between human health, the state of natural capital and achievement of planned development goals.

The other recommendations captured in the report are the need to lobby for adherence to social inclusiveness and equity in the design of COVID-19 recovery packages beyond the narrow focus on economic & financial recovery and the development of an engagement strategy with the government to bilaterally track the enforcement of the polluter pays principle stipulated in the new environment Act.    

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Renewables provide the chance for Africa to leapfrog to a sustainable, prosperous future.

A Clean Future For Africa's Energy

Africa's rapid economic expansion creates a daunting energy challenge, combined with rising expectations of improved resilience and sustainability. Finding a sustainable way to meet growing energy needs is one of the core development challenges for the continent.

Africa is rich in renewable energy sources, including hydro, sun, wind and others, and the time is right for sound planning to ensure the right energy mix. Decisions made today will shape the continent's energy sector for decades.

Endowed with substantial renewable energy resources, Africa can adopt innovative, sustainable technologies and play a leading role in global action to shape a sustainable energy future.

Over the past two decades Africa has been experiencing rapid economic growth and improving social conditions. Supply unreliability is a concern holding back economic development, with most countries facing frequent blackouts and often relying on expensive and polluting solutions.

Clean, indigenous, and affordable renewable energy solutions offer the continent the chance to achieve its economic, social, environmental and climate objectives.

According to the 'Scaling Up Renewable Energy Deployment In Africa' report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Africa could meet nearly a quarter of its energy needs from indigenous and clean renewable energy by 2030.

Modern renewables amounting to 310 GW could provide half the continent's total electricity generation capacity. This corresponds to a sevenfold increase from the capacity currently available, which amounted to 42 GW.

A transformation of this scale in Africa's energy sector would require average annual investment of $70 billion US dollars to 2030, resulting in carbon-dioxide emissions reductions of up to 310 megatonnes per annum.

West Africa growth supported by World Bank

In West Africa the new Regional Electricity Access and Battery-Energy Storage Technologies (BEST) Project, supported with $465 million from the World Bank Group, will increase grid connections in fragile areas of the Sahel, build the capacity of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), and strengthen the West Africa Power Pool's (WAPP) network operation with battery-energy storage technologies infrastructure.

This is a pioneering move that makes way for increased renewable energy generation, transmission, and investment across the region.

"West Africa is on the cusp of a regional power market that promises significant development benefits and potential for private sector participation," Charles Cormier, practice manager in the Energy Global Practice at the World Bank, says.

"Bringing electricity to more households and businesses, improving reliability, and harnessing the region's substantial renewable energy resources—day or night—will help accelerate West Africa's economic and social transformation."

Over the past decade, the World Bank has financed close to $2.3 billion of investments in infrastructure and reforms in support of WAPP, considered the key to achieving universal access to electricity by 2030 in the 15 ECOWAS countries. This new project builds on progress and will finance civil works to accelerate access in Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.

In Mauritania, rural electrification will be expanded through grid densification of existing substations, which will enable the electrification of Boghe, Kaedi and Selibaby, and neighboring villages along the Southern border with Senegal.

Communities in Niger's River and Central East regions that live near Niger-Nigeria interconnector will also gain grid access, as will communities around substations in Senegal's Casamance area. Connection charges will be partially subsidised, which will help keep costs down for the estimated one million people expected to benefit.

In Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, and eventually Mali, the project will finance BEST equipment to improve the stability of the regional electricity network by increasing the energy reserve in these countries and facilitating integration of variable renewable energy.

Battery-energy storage technologies will enable WAPP operators to store renewable energy generated at non-peak hours and dispatch it during peak demand, instead of relying on more carbon-intensive generation technology when the demand is high, the sun is not shining, or the wind is not blowing.

It is expected that BEST will further spur private sector participation in the region by supporting the market for renewable energy, as the battery-energy storage capacity installed under this project will be able to accommodate the 793 MW of new solar power capacity that WAPP plans to develop in the three countries.

"These ambitious results will be achieved through a regional approach," Deborah Wetzel, World Bank director of regional integration for Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Africa, adds.  "By working together, these countries can optimise investments and economies of scale, harmonise equipment and standards, and synchronise systems to deliver the transformative power of electricity to more people and usher in a new era of low-carbon energy trade."

Power to Ethiopia

Last year the World Bank approved a $500 million International Development Association (IDA) credit to support Ethiopia's goal of achieving universal electricity access by 2025.

Over the past decade, the Government of Ethiopia has made encouraging progress on its electrification program and expanded the grid network coverage to nearly 60 per cent of towns and villages.

Despite this progress, Ethiopia has the third largest energy access deficit in Sub-Saharan Africa with more than half the population still without access to reliable electricity, especially in deep-rural areas which are dependent on biomass and kerosene.

The electricity deficit in Ethiopia continues to exacerbate the poverty situation, preventing far too many people from fulfilling their basic socio-economic needs and limiting access to opportunity.

The Access to Distributed Electricity and Lighting in Ethiopia (ADELE) Project is an important component of Ethiopia's National Electrification Program (NEP), which aims to strategically change direction from infrastructure development to the delivery of adequate, reliable, and affordable electricity services.

"With a goal of providing electricity services for nearly 5 million people, 11,500 enterprises and 1,400 health and education facilities, the project represents the World Bank's continued support to the Government of Ethiopia's NEP and is aligned with our commitment to support Ethiopia's resilient recovery from the COVID 19 pandemic.

It is also an important step towards improving service delivery and addressing drivers of fragility and conflict" Ousmane Dione, World Bank country director for Ethiopia, explains.

An important feature of ADELE will be the deployment of innovative solutions such as decentralised renewable energy technologies, particularly solar photovoltaic (PV) mini-grids and individual solar system for both household and productive use, deployed through a combined approach of public and private delivery modalities that further enhance affordability and inclusion.

The project also has a strong focus on closing the gender gap in the energy sector and increasing the percentage of women participating in the mini-grid sector and off-grid technology value chain.

Supporting a renewable future for Africa

Renewables provide the chance for Africa to leapfrog to a sustainable, prosperous future. Increasing access to reliable, affordable, and clean energy resources is a key priority, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Around 600 million people in Africa still have no access to power, representing 48 per cent of the continent's population of nearly 1.2 billion. Accelerated deployment of renewables creates jobs and brings health benefits.

The renewable energy sector today employs 10.3 million people worldwide. With far-sighted industrial policies and targeted skills development, millions of new jobs can be created in Africa. Doubling the share of renewables by 2030 would create additional economic value by increasing global gross domestic product by up to 1.1 per cent.

This would signify a 3.7 per cent improvement in global welfare and jobs for over 24 million people in the renewable energy sector. This would enable further economic benefits such as improved healthcare services, especially in the most remote areas.

 

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Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja

Climate Change Fueling Famine In Karamoja, Not Laziness – MP

The Amuria district Member of Parliament (MP) Susan Amero believes that the recurring famine in Karamoja sub region is caused by climate change effects. She also urged government to allocate the country’s resources to the right causes like water for production.  

“It is not that the Karamojongs are lazy or they are not planting crops. We are strongly faced with the issue of Climate Change,” Amero said during a parliament plenary were the issue of famine in Karamoja was being discussed.

Karamoja is a semi-arid sub region that rarely receives rainfall most parts of the year. This has made agriculture difficult. Local leaders have consistently asked government to introduce irrigation farming but to no avail.

“We have been discussing issues of water for production but we see government investing a lot of money in things that do not benefit the people,” Amero noted.  

Pictures of people in Karamoja sub region malnourished and reportedly dying of hunger caused by a griming famine did rounds on social media riling off many Ugandans who called on government to take action.

And today, during the plenary session in parliament, the Prime Minister (PM) Robinah Nabbanja revealed that a cabinet decision reached on Monday sitting will see the finance ministry provide Shs135bn to address the famine situation in Karamoja.  

The money, Nabbanja said, will be for provision of food, and seeds and seedlings so that people can plant their own food. She also said that cabinet directed the PM's office to provide food and, according to Nabbanja, over 200 Metric tonnes have been sent to Karamoja.

Iganga Municipality MP, Mugema Peter, appealed to the government to prioritize food insecurity in the country especially in the Karamoja Region. He revealed that there people from the Karamoja region who live in Iganga who have been equally affected.

Moroto Municipality MP, Hon Adome Francis Lorika, asked government to engage and listen to the MPs from the Karamoja Region so that they can come up with  sustainable solutions to the food insecurity affecting the region.

Napak Woman MP, Faith Nakut, that thousands of people are in dire need of food and will die if no action is not done. She says that issues of meetings and procedures should be put aside but rather send food to the starving communities.

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