Green Africa Directory

Embrace Sustainability (Reporting) and Profit

Global Reporting Initiative — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:48:34 +0000

Until relatively recently, sustainability has not been high on the agendas of most large companies – but many of the world’s leading businesses now recognize that the companies that will thrive in the future are those that join the dots between people, planet and profit.

For companies who have truly put sustainability at the heart of their business model, the benefits are many and obvious – increased trust among customers, brand enhancement, more resilient supply chains, happier and more effective employees, improved relationships with stakeholders…the list is long and persuasive.

What has been less easy to define is the impact of sustainability practices on the balance sheet. This has led some skeptics to question whether it is possible to quantify the net contribution that sustainability makes to profitability – can doing the right thing be shown to have a tangible impact on the bottom line?

Today, the notion of ‘be-sustainable-and-profit’ is rapidly gaining ground and it was recently given another boost when MIT Sloan Management Review (MIT SMR) published a report that shows that sustainability is paying off for a growing number of companies.

The study, The Innovation Bottom Line, based on a survey of 2600 executives and managers from companies around the world, showed that the percentage of respondents reporting a profit from the implementation of sustainability practices rose by 23 percent in the last year, to 37 percent. The study found that the degree to which a company incorporates sustainability concerns into its business model often correlates with an increase in profit. GRI Organizational Stakeholders, AT&T, Dell and Nestlé are among the companies cited in the MIT SMR report.

“It’s very positive to see studies like this surfacing,” says GRI’s Director Marketing & Communications, Marjolein Baghuis. “Companies are starting to understand that the monitoring and measuring of energy and water usage, waste, and human capital is good for business, and it is GRI’s mission to make this common practice among organizations of all types and sizes. As the old saying goes, what you measure you can manage, and good management means good business.”

While many organizations now understand the need to demonstrate sustainability in their operations and the benefits that can come from doing so, the task of implementing sustainable strategies into core business processes is often considered a challenging one.

A recent paper by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and KPMG, 20 issues on building a sustainable business, addresses this challenge and takes a look at the practical measures involved in incorporating sustainability into a corporate context.

In the paper, the authors argue that “sustainability has transitioned from an environmental issue to a serious business consideration,” and that most aspects of business can potentially be affected by sustainability issues.

The paper offers guidance on Environmental, Social and Governance risk management, on how to implement a sustainable business plan internally, and on how to report on one’s sustainability performance. It notes that public disclosure of non-financial indicators is becoming an expectation and it mentions the GRI Guidelines as a good tool for organizations to use when developing sustainability reports.

As the business case for sustainability grows, the value of sustainability reporting becomes increasingly recognized. Being transparent and reporting helps companies to set goals, measure performance, and operate as efficiently and profitably as possible.

By engaging with sustainability reporting as a standard practice, businesses can gain a three-dimensional view of profit and value. After all, if money is what makes the world go round, it’s in everyone’s interest for the economic bottom-line to be a sustainable one.

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G4 is Future of Sustainability Reporting, say Business Leaders

Global Reporting Initiative — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:12:23 +0000

Business leaders today called on companies and organizations around the world to embrace the next generation of the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Reporting Guidelines – G4. G4 was unveiled before an audience of 1,600 thought leaders and practitioners from around the globe at GRI’s 2013 Global Conference today. Experienced reporters welcomed the publication of the Guidelines as a major step forward in the evolution of sustainability reporting.

Marina Migliorato, Head of CSR at leading Italian power company Enel, said: “To pursue a new sustainable business model, companies need to integrate CSR into their strategy. It is a long journey, but with G4, GRI has provided us with a milestone to achieve this challenging goal.”

Christian Mouillon, Global Vice Chair – Assurance at Ernst & Young, commented: “One of the key benefits of the new G4 Guidelines is their redefined focus on disclosure of material issues. This step will increase the transparency and value of sustainability reporting for stakeholders and provide a more accessible framework for organizations, particularly those who have not previously reported.”

Christianna Wood, President and CEO at US capital investment company Gore Creek Capital, said: “As global investors push for greater transparency on environmental, social and governance disclosure, only GRI and G4 provide global comparability formulated by a stakeholder based consultative approach. G4 brings sustainability reporting to a new, higher global common denominator.”

And Kim Hessler, Director of Citizenship at General Electric, added: “In the world of business, what gets measured, gets done. The G4 Guidelines highlight what needs to be done to influence ESG sustainability in a positive direction.”

The latest evolution of the GRI Guidelines – part of the most widely used comprehensive sustainability reporting framework in the world – enable all companies and organizations to report on their economic, environmental, social and governance performance. G4 has been significantly revised and enhanced in order to reflect important current and future trends in the sustainability reporting landscape.

By placing an even greater emphasis on the concept of materiality, G4 will encourage reporting organizations to provide only disclosures and indicators that are material to their business, on the basis of a dialogue with their stakeholders. This will allow reporting organizations and report users alike to concentrate on the economic, environmental, and social impacts that really matter, resulting in reports that are more strategic, more focused and more credible, as well as easier for stakeholders to navigate.

Nelmara Arbex, Deputy Chief Executive at GRI, who has led the development of G4, said: “In today’s world, the increasing demand for sustainability information is inevitable. Increasingly governments, stock exchanges, investors, and society at large are calling on companies to be transparent about their sustainability goals and performance. But this demand is also a demand for sustainability related information that matters. This is what G4 is about.

“The robust sustainability report of today must be far more than a compliance exercise. It is a tool for demonstrating the effort reporters have made in integrating sustainability into their core business strategy, with benefits for business and society alike.

“The GRI Guidelines are designed to support organizations in this strategic journey – to help them to measure and manage change, and to communicate their understanding about the connections between sustainability and business.

“By reporting based on G4, organizations can identify critical risks and main opportunities, which will spark operational improvement and innovation, focused on what really matters.”

The launch of G4 marks the culmination of two years of extensive stakeholder consultation and dialogue as part of a strict and transparent due process. Working Groups from across the world, comprising 120 specialists from constituencies as diverse as field experts, labor, business and civil society, have contributed. Two public consultation periods in 2011 and 2012 generated a total of more than 2,500 responses.

GRI Chief Executive Ernst Ligteringen added: “The G4 Guidelines are unique; they are created in consultation with hundreds of experts from around the world, through an inclusive process that captures input and ideas from thousands of individuals and organizations. These contributors draw on their collective knowledge and cumulative experience, to connect the best practices of the past with new solutions with which to tackle the challenges of the future. This is the time to focus our efforts and resources on what really matters and what needs to change.”

In addition to enhancing the relevance and quality of standalone sustainability reports, G4 will be a powerful tool for generating material sustainability information for inclusion in integrated reports.

Other key enhancements in G4 include increased user-friendliness and greater accessibility for those new to reporting, and harmonization with other important global frameworks, including the OECD MNE Guidelines, the United Nations Global Compact Principles, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

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International Biodiversity Day Celebrations

Green Africa Directory — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:37:35 +0000

The 22nd of May commemorates the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB), a global celebration that aims increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.

Th theme this year is ‘Water and Biodiversity’ - chosen to coincide with the United Nations designation of 2013 as the International Year of Water Cooperation. The linkages between water and biodiversity speak to the important role of biodiversity and ecosystems in providing for water security, and therefore for sustainable development.

“Where once the focus was on trade-offs between water use and biodiversity, today we are coming to understand how biodiversity and water security are mutually reinforcing. This shift from conflict to synergy is particularly welcome in this, the International Year of Water Cooperation.” Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General

Ecosystems regulate the availability of water, and its quality. Ecosystem degradation therefore increases water insecurity. There is a clear need to conserve and restore ecosystems to help achieve water security and enjoy the many other benefits provided by healthy and optimally functioning ecosystems.

Without ecosystems, the water cycle, and dependent carbon and nutrient cycles, would be significantly altered. Yet policies and decisions do not sufficiently take into account the interconnections and interdependencies, nor utilise these as solutions.

Examples of significant opportunities to use ecosystems to manage water include: improving the health of soils and land cover in farming landscapes to simultaneously achieve water security for food security and reduce off-farm impacts, including reducing water use, pollution, erosion and landslides; integrating natural infrastructure approaches into urban water management to achieve sustainable and secure cities; using wetlands, such as floodplains, coastal marshes and estuaries, to increase resilience to natural disasters; managing landscapes, such as forests, to sustain drinking water supplies; and reducing the risks from, and severity of, floods and drought.

Conserving or restoring ecosystems to manage water also delivers significant co-benefits. For example: wetlands can help regulate water but can also support significant fisheries; restoring soils can help achieve more productive agriculture and sustainable food security; forests provide timber and non-timber resources and habitat for pollinators and wildlife; improved landscapes provide significant recreational and cultural values. These benefits should be added to water-related benefits when considering returns on investments in water related infrastructure.

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CAN DO! Trekking for Trash Completes 3300km Journey along South Africa’s Coast

Kate Berrisford — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:11:43 +0000

The CAN DO! Trekking for Trash team, Camilla Howard and Michael Baretta, have completed their epic journey around South Africa’s coastline which took 7 months and spanned over 3300 kilometers – showing that two people can make a significant impact and influence the behavior of thousands of other South Africans.

These social change adventurers started their journey in Alexander Bay (Northern Cape) and finished last month in Kosi Bay (KwaZulu Natal). The aim of the CAN DO! Trekking for Trash campaign was to raise awareness, educate people and inspire change towards a cleaner South Africa.

The Trekking for Trash duo did just that – collecting a total of 7155kg of litter along their journey, visiting 15 schools across the country to engage with leaners and local communities about the importance of looking after the environment by eliminating litter, and hosting 6 community beach cleanups.

Michael Baretta says that the best thing about the journey “was being exposed to so many different people every day. Their views, comments and actions keep influencing my frame of reference and making me a richer person.” One of the team’s highlights was also meeting and spending time with Kingsley Holgate at his home in Zinkwazi.

These ambassadors for change have new adventures on the horizon. Michael has started his own sponsorship and marketing agency that specialises in pairing organisations and individuals that aim to ‘do good’, with corporate sponsors. Camilla is heading off to the south of France to work for two months and it seems there is potentially another mountain trek on the cards.

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Co-working Hubs and Sustainability in Africa

Green Africa Directory — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:34:46 +0000

Co-working hubs are a relatively new concept which are taking off in many parts of the world. Essentially, co-working involves sharing office space and resources in a collaborative, community environment that typically attracts like-minded entrepreneurs, freelancers and people who run their own businesses. Co-working office spaces are becoming an attractive alternative to individually owning or renting offices as they can save members money, resources and offer a place where people can share ideas, network and interact.

The Office is a coworking hub in Kigali, Rwanda.

There are a growing number of co-working spaces across Africa, although compared with North America, Europe and Asia, there is still al lot of scope for expansion. By their very nature, co-working hubs tend to have less of an environmental impact, as they facilitate sharing of resources and more efficient use of resources. For example, instead of 100 people each renting, buying or building office space and office resources such as a printers, fax machines and stationery – co-working hubs offer access to shared space and facilities which means fewer resources are consumed and resources are used more efficiently.

Some co-working hubs around the world are taking their commitment to sustainability even further. For example, certain co-working hubs are powered by renewable energy like solar and wind, are built using natural building materials and techniques, encourage waste recycling and minimization, grow their own organic vegetables and have sustainable procurement policies.

Goba Hub in Accra (Ghana) is partly powered by renewable energy which has helped to provide energy security and a competitive edge in times of power outages. In the absence of running water, it has created a rainwater reservoir which is used to flush toilets and Goba Hub encourages quick flushing to minimize water use. Goba Hub also encourages paper re-use and printing to be kept to a minimum.

The District in Cairo (Egypt) is a co-working space, which has started its own organic rooftop food garden, uses energy efficient lights, encourages re-use of waste paper and is introducing the popularizing the concept of upcycling – they recently hosted a wood upcycling workshop.

The District in Cairo is a coworking hub that has a rooftop organic food garden.

The District in Cairo, Egypt, recently held a wood upcycling workshop as part of their commitment to sustainability.

The Office in Kigali (Rwanda) uses locally sourced resources in nearly all their design and construction elements, as well as reclaimed furniture. They have established themselves as a center for different groups of intellectuals to congregate and share ideas, including the environmental community in Rwanda. They hosted a sustainability-themed event, in which they showed environmental themed TED talks, and invited representatives from a new government-sponsored climate-change fund (FONERWA) to discuss how Rwanda is working to finance and support green initiatives. The Office plans to host similar events in future to engage the community on green issues.

The Hub in Kampala (Uganda) minimizes waste from their restaurant and work space, have a herbal garden which is used is ingredients in their cooking, support local vegetables sellers (mostly organic) to supply their restaurant, and they collect rain water which is used for cleaning and occasional watering of their garden. The HUB Kampala also host some sustainable social enterprises including Solar Sister.

The Office is a coworking space in Kigali, Rwanda.

Hubspace in Cape Town (South Africa) uses energy efficient LED lights throughout the majority of their coworking space and switch off all appliances and lights at night to minimize energy usage. They also recycle glass, paper, tin and plastic, which is collected bi-monthly by a local recycling company. This has even encouraged some members to bring their home waste to Hubspace for recycling. Hubspace also helps raise awareness about sustainable lifestyles by hosting monthly films and talks in collaboration with a local sustainability consultancy.

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Un duo du projet CAN DO! Trekking for Trash mobilise le nettoyage du littoral de l’Afrique du Sud

Kate Berrisford — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:57:34 +0000

Le 3 Octobre 2012 Camilla Howard et Michael Baretta, deux agents de changement adventureux et soucieux de la conservation, ont entrepris un “Trek for Trash” - un Trek pour dechets – le long de 3000km du littoral de l’Afrique du Sud. Leur but : de ramasser et recycler les dechets tout en sensibilisant les gens, pendant un voyage qui durerait sept mois.

Michael Baretta et Camilla Howard de CAN DO! Trekking for Trash voyagent 3000km le long du littoral de l’Afrique du Sud pendant sept mois, pour ramasser et recycler les dechets et pour sensibiliser la population sur le chemin.

Maintenant dans le septième mois de leur trek, ce duo audacieux a marché tout le long du côte, de Alexander Bay dans le nord-ouest jusqu’à Kenton on Sea dans le Cap de l’Est. Venant juste de passer le mi-chemin vers Kosi Bay – leur destination, près de la frontière de Mozambique - ils ont déjà beaucoup accompli et ont inspiré tous ceux qui vivent près du côte. Bien qu’ils marchent le long du littoral, ils veulent que leur message soit national, et espèrent qu’ils aient incité les vacanciers à motiver leurs propres communautés en rentrant chez eux partout dans l’Afrique du Sud.

Pendant leur voyage, l’équipe CAN DO! Trekking for Trash a réussi a mobiliser du soutien pour le nettoyage du littoral de l ’Afrique du Sud. Trekking for Trash a organisé deux nettoyages de plages soutenus par les communautés au Cap, et un autre à Port Elizabeth le week-end dernier qui a été un grand succès. Deux cent personnes leur ont rejoint sur King’s Beach à Port Elizabeth, et ensemble ils ont ramassé 900kg dans deux heures.

Le nettoyage de plage soutenu par la communauté sur King’s Beach à Port Elizabeth a eu pour résultat 900kg de dechets ramassés dans seulement deux heures.

Ils espèrent une assistance encore plus grande le 2 Mars pour un nettoyage à East London, qui aura lieu sur Eastern Beach entre 10h et 12h. Jusqu’ici, ils ont visité dix écoles et ont ramassé presque quatre tonnes de déchets. Chaque jour, ils remplissent leur sac à dos-poubelle, et sont souvent rejoints par des habitants et des groupes de la région, venus pour remplir quelques sacs. Ce poids qu’ils ramassent eux-mȇmes sera rajouté aux totals ramassés aux grands nettoyages. Ils espèrent reussir leur but de set tonnes pendant la durée de la campagne.

Les défis physiques et mentaux qui font partie de treks de longue portée peuvent ȇtre redoutables. Ils demandent beaucoup de tenacité et d’engagement. Camilla et Michael ont vécu pas mal de défis sur le chemin, qu’il s’agit de la périostite tibiale ou de l’aponévrosite plantaire, de glisser sur des parois de falaises raides et rocheuses ou d’entailler des doigts en ouvrant des huitres, ou mȇme d’ȇtre arrȇté pour entrée non-autorisée sur un Grand site National (avec R100 000 de fausse monnaie dans un sac à dos que nous venions de trouver sur la plage!!!). Jusqu’ici, leur aventure a été pleine de temps forts, et a été touchée par très peu de moments décourageants.

La réalisation du montant de déchets qui ne sont pas remarqués, ainsi que le désir de faire un impact positif sur l’environnement et sur les communautés au long du côte ont inspiré Camilla et Michael à commencer l’initiative “CAN DO! Trekking for Trash”. Ils ont été rejoints par le département de métaux de Nampak et par Collect-a-Can, ainsi que par encore plusieurs parrains désireux de soutenir cette initiative noble.

Pour ȇtre tenu au courant des dernières nouvelles et pour soutenir Camilla et Michael pendent leur trek, connectez-vous sur Facebook et suivez-les sur Twitter. Ils aimeraient bien que le grand public leur rejoigne pour leurs nettoyages à East London et à Durban, mais si vous habitez sur le littoral entre East London et Kosi Bay, n’hesitez pas à les contacter. Ils ont besoin de toute l’aide possible sur le chemin, que ce soit en les rejoignant pour une courte randonnée, en remplissant quelques sacs, ou en les accueillant pour une nuit ! Selon Camilla et Michael, faire connaissance des gens merveilleux sud-africains le long du chemin a vraiment été l’expérience le plus fort de leur voyage.

This article was translated by Globofish - follow them on Facebook

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Innovation Prize for Africa Winner Uses Fly Larvae and Waste to Make Food

Green Africa Directory — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:42:36 +0000

Showcasing African solutions to African challenges, the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) has named the AgriProtein team as its 2013 winner. The team of researchers and entrepreneurs will receive USD 100 000 for their innovative approach to nutrient recycling – a method that uses waste and fly larvae to produce natural animal feed. AgriProtein’s innovation was selected because of its potential to address growing demand for nutritious food and hunger – and its contribution to sustainable agriculture and waste minimisation. The selection by judges was also based on the marketability, originality, scalability, social impact and business potential of their respective innovations.

Jason Drew receives $100.000USD on behalf of Innovation Prize for Africa 2013 winner, Agriprotein.

Selected from more than 900 applications from 45 countries, the AgriProtein team was recognized at the 2013 Innovation Prize for Africa Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner in Cape Town, South Africa. The AgriProtein solution collects biodegradable waste, feeds it to flies that in turn produce larvae that are ground into protein to provide a more ecologically friendly, naturally occurring type of animal feed. This approach is said to improve the nutritional value of meat and lower the cost of animal feed for African processors and farmers.

Two runners up were also recognized for their contributions to African innovation. In the business potential category, Hassine Labaied and Anis Aouini from Saphon Energy received USD 25 000 for creating a bladeless wind convertor. In the social impact category, Sanoussi Diakite received USD 25 000 for developing a thermal powered machine that husks 5 kilograms of fonia – a West African cereal – in just 8 minutes.

“The Innovation Prize for Africa winners showcase African solutions to African challenges,” said Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, co-founder of the African Innovation Foundation and the IPA. “It is time for private sector leaders, donors and governments to work together to invest in practical solutions that will sustain Africa’s economic growth.”

“We are honoured by this remarkable recognition,” said Jason Drew a member of the AgriProtein team. “We are passionate about expanding our business to recycle more waste nutrients and supply a natural protein to feed farm animals – helping sustainably feed our continent – this is an African contribution to sustainable agriculture for our planet.”

Founded by the African Innovation Foundation and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the IPA is focused on building Africa’s capacity by investing in local entrepreneurship. The Prize mobilizes leaders from all sectors – private sector, donors and government – to promote and invest in African development through innovation.

“The AgriProtein team’s innovation is just one example of the game-changing African ideas that will continue to harness our natural resources profitably and sustainably,” said Dr.Francois Bonnici, Director Bertha Centre for Social Innovation at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. “The IPA invests in Africa’s greatest resource – its human capital.”

From Tunisa to South Africa, the IPA 2013 finalists are leaders in the areas of agriculture, environment, health, ICT and manufacturing. They include:

Zero-Blade Wind Convertor (Tunisia): Innovators Hassine Labaied and Anis Aouini from Saphon Energy, a Tunisian R&D start up, developed a wind turbine with no blades that does not rotate – it uses sailboat technology to create cost-effective energy through a back-and-forth 3D motion.
SavvyLoo (South Africa): Innovator Dr. Dudley Jackson developed a waterless toilet for rural areas and temporary settlements that separates liquids from solids to improve environmental impact, decrease the potential for disease, reduce odour and ensure easier removal.
The TBag Water Filter (South Africa): Innovator Prof. Eugene Cloete created a water filter that uses electrospun tea bag material to ensure one litre of the most polluted water is 100 percent safe to drink.
The Malaria pf/PAN (pLDH) Test Kit (South Africa): Innovator Ashley Uys created a new rapid malaria test that indicates within 30 minutes if treatment is effective. The test kit is one of only nine developed globally and is the only test of its kind fully-owned by an African company.
The Fonia Husker Machine (Senegal): Innovator Sanoussi Diakite developed an electric and thermal powered machine that husks 5 kilograms of fonia – a West African cereal – in just 8 minutes.
Novatech Construction Systems (Cameroon): Innovator Njokikang Faustinus created an efficient construction process. Its flagship product is a manual brick press that more easily produces 3,000 interlocking bricks per day.
Mobenzi (South Africa): Innovator Andi Friedman and his team has developed a software that provides mobile data collection and field research solution, allowing sophisticated forms of research to be conducted across Africa online or via mobile phones.
Mimosa for Solar Powered Production (Nigeria): Innovator Justus Nwaoga developed a new way to collect renewable solar energy by using the mimosa pudica weed, an organic African medicinal plant.
Agroforestry Model Farm (Sudan): Innovator Muna Majoud Mahoamed Ahmed created an agro-foresty model farm in Khartoum that produces innovative sources of income from moringa leaves, seeds and jatrofa seeds.

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AfDB to Host the Africa Hub of the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative

Green Africa Directory — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:10:51 +0000

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced that it will host the Africa Hub of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Initiative, in cooperation with its African partner institutions: the African Union Commission and the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency, and with the support of United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The Hub will be part of the global implementation structure of SE4All.

Almost one in five people globally lack access to modern energy services and around 3 billion people rely on wood, charcoal and animal waste for cooking and heating. The SE4ALL Initiative aims to provide sustainable energy – energy that is accessible, cleaner and more efficient – to all, by 2030. The Initiative has three main goals to be reached by 2030:
1. to ensure universal access to modern energy services, in particular access to electricity services and to clean cooking solutions;
2. to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and
3. to double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

SE4ALL has gained substantial political momentum with the UN General Assembly having declared in December 2012 a decade of Sustainable Energy for All. The Initiative is also at the forefront of advocating the inclusion of energy in the post-2015 process in view of the enabling role of energy for sectors such as health, agriculture, water, education, and women’s rights. To date, some 41 African countries have joined the Initiative.

The AfDB’s President whilst addressing fellow Advisory Board members insisted on the importance of the role of the Initiative on the continent: “In order to maintain the momentum in Africa, we need now to shift decisively to concrete actions on the ground, we need to communicate clearly the Initiative’s value proposition and quickly demonstrate with concrete success stories that SE4All is not just another initiative, but truly a game changer for Africa. The Africa Hub is ready to play a key role in facilitating coordination amongst stakeholders and to realize synergies and avoid overlap”.

The Hub will be officially launched during the AfDB’s Annual Meetings on May 31 in Marrakesh, Morocco.

The Hub will work closely with the Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), which aims to unlock private sector driven initiatives/investments that promote sustainable energy access, in resource mobilization and in financing the upstream activities linked to SE4All. During Rio+20, the Bank announced its commitment to SE4All: Investments of at least US $1 billion per annum in energy projects addressing one or more of the SE4All objectives until 2030 and thus participating to the structural transformation of the continent.

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Over 5000 Power and Water Professionals to attend African Utility Week

Green Africa Directory — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:03:23 +0000

Over 5000 power and water professionals from more than 60 countries (27 of them African) will meet in Cape Town this week for the annual African Utility Week at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, at what is the largest utility gathering of its kind on the continent. Eskom Chief Executive Brian Dames will deliver the keynote address during this year’s opening session. South Africa’s Water and Environmental Affairs Minister, Edna Molewa, will also address this session.

Power professional getting their hands dirty
African Utility Week will address many of the ongoing challenges that utilities on the continent grapple with says programme director Claire Volkwyn. “The day to day challenges of African utilities include getting the generation mix right so that they have the optimal balance of energy efficiency but also the maximum energy security that they can ensure. This year we have greatly expanded our practical offering for visitors with a selection of 60 free-to-attend, CPD-accredited technical workshops on the expo floor. The workshops offer practical take home solutions, demonstrations and practice installation opportunities for electricians, engineers and other power professionals in the metering, water, transmission and distribution, smart grids, hydro and renewable energy sectors.”

Utilities CEO Forum
The exclusive CEO Forum will bring together the utility heads from more than a dozen African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Sudan and Uganda to discuss strategic goals, regional cooperation, utility reform and reputation management. Overcoming the challenges of financing projects is also on the agenda. Industry leaders in technology and engineering such as SAP, Symbion Power, Ernst & Young and MTN will have the exclusive opportunity to engage with these utility leaders.

Clean Power Africa
The co-located Clean Power Africa will give an overview of the role of renewable energy in the energy mix – focusing on hydro, wind and solar projects and opportunities across the African continent. It will gather major stakeholders in the renewable energy generation sector looking at feasible solutions to fulfill Africa’s generation capacity needs. Says Claire Volkwyn: “renewable energy sources need to play a vital role in increasing capacity worldwide. Not only are they necessary to create sustainable energy sources and reduce carbon emissions but they also help to create jobs.“ The event will also offer a unique site visit to three successful renewable energy projects in the Cape Town region including the Green Energy District in Montague Gardens with a state of the art manufacturing facility at AEG Power Solutions where over 60% of the components are locally sourced. Clean Power Africa delegates also have the opportunity to visit Africa’s largest rooftop solar installation at Vodacom in Century City. According to African Utility Week, this 500kw installation supplies 65% of the peak power required for the Vodacom site.

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SEED Award 2013: Accelerating Social and Environmental Entrepreneurship in Africa

Green Africa Directory — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:44:44 +0000

The international SEED Awards help accelerate the work of social and environmental entrepreneurs – providing a tailor-made support package to the most promising start-up enterprises in emerging economies, developing and least developed countries.

SEED Award winners receive expert advice on developing their business plans, take part in specially-designed workshops to enhance their skills, and benefit from high-level profiling of their enterprises through an international network of businesses, governments and development institutions.

Photo: 2011 SEED Winner KICK Kenya

Support for entrepreneurship and building a talent pipeline in Africa was one of the topics discussed at the recent World Economic Forum meeting on Africa.

In scaling up and replicating their activities, these entrepreneurs contribute to making the green economy a reality at the grassroots level. They generate employment and new livelihoods, train local communities, and use natural resources in a sustainable manner.

This year there are several categories of awards, for which SEED receives support from the European Union, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the government of Flanders, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the international law firm Hogan Lovells.

For the 2013 cycle, SEED will make available up to:

15 SEED Awards to enterprises in Ethiopia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda;
5 SEED Awards for enterprises in South Africa;
3 SEED Awards for South African enterprises in the provinces of Free State, Limpopo and KwaZulu Natal;
10 SEED Low Carbon Awards for enterprises in Colombia, India, Tanzania, Uganda and Viet Nam;
2 SEED Gender Equality Awards, for enterprises in other countries (except countries that are OECD or EU members).

Photo: 2011 SEED Winner Everpix South Africa

Previous SEED Award Winners include enterprises that transformed groundnut shells into fuel briquettes in The Gambia; developed solar ovens in Burkina Faso; trained and employed street youth to collect waste materials in Ghana, which they then transformed into handmade designer products; and employed women to produce aloe-based skin care products in Kenya.

The deadline for applications for the 2013 SEED Award is 12 June 2013.

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