SUSTAINABILITY - The African Mirror

Jun

25

2026

African nations announce major electronic monitoring and tuna transparency commitments at Our Ocean Conference

SUSTAINABILITY

AT the Our Ocean Conference hosted in Kenya, the governments of Kenya, Seychelles, Gabon, Tanzania and South Africa unveiled a set of country-led commitments to advance electronic monitoring, the use of onboard video cameras, GPS and sensors to monitor and verify fishing activities to strengthen transparency across their fisheries. These announcements reflect growing African leadership in modernising fisheries management and improving accountability at sea. Countries are advancing electronic monitoring at different stages, from piloting and system development to formal national commitments, but together they signal a clear regional shift toward transparent, data-driven fisheries management. While tuna fisheries are leading the…

Jun

18

2026

By JACKSON OKATA

Landmark study maps the future of coral reef survival

SUSTAINABILITY

SCIENTISTS have identified 165,922 km² of coral reefs across 71 countries and 100 territories with the strongest potential to survive the climate crisis, according to a major new global study presented at the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya today by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Macquarie University, with support from the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative. The research marks the launch of a new global campaign, Our Reefs, Our Future, from civil society calling on governments to prioritise the protection of these reefs from immediate, local threats.  This analysis, developed as part of the 50 Reefs+ study, presents a significant advance in understanding which coral reefs retain the strongest potential to survive future warming. The paper, Machine-learning and prioritisation models reveal climate refugia for coral reefs into 2050,…

Jun

15

2026

By FAMA NDIAYE, BIRD STORY AGENCY

The Riverside story: building an equestrian legacy in Senegal

SUSTAINABILITY

LATE afternoon at Écuries Hachem is one of the busiest times of day. Inside the stables, horses shift in their stalls as riders prepare for training sessions. The occasional neigh breaks through the steady rhythm of footsteps, conversation and work. At the centre of the activity is Rayana Fakhry, moving from one task to another, checking on riders, horses, and staff. The 38-year-old oversees every aspect of the stable, from caring for horses to managing staff and supporting young riders. Écuries Hachem was established in 2022 but became fully operational in June 2023. That was when Fakhry took over the…

Jun

12

2026

By MHLANGABEZI SLAYI; ADMIRE RUKUDZO DZVENE; HLEKANI MUCHAZOTIDA KABITI; SHADRECK MUCHAKU, and SIMBARASHE NDHLEVE

Climate change is threatening sheep farmers in South Africa’s Drakensberg – how they’re adapting

SUSTAINABILITY

IN the rugged and mountainous Drakensberg grasslands of South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, farmers rear sheep for food, cultural practices and financial security. The steep slopes, cold winters, frost and seasonal droughts shape everyday farming life. In contrast to commercial farms with large fenced properties and hundreds of animals, families in the area’s communal villages typically own small flocks of around 10 to 50 sheep. The animals are usually kept overnight in simple kraals (enclosures) near family homesteads, to protect them from theft, predators and harsh weather. During the day, they are herded onto communal rangelands, where households share grazing…

Jun

09

2026

By MORAA OBIRIA, BIRD STORY AGENCY

This engineer helped shape Kenya’s Renewable Energy story

SUSTAINABILITY

BY the time the morning sunlight stretches across the grass beneath the wind turbine on the northern edge of the Ngong Hills, Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has already been counting hours of generation of clean energy. “Standing on this point and seeing this wind turbine generating clean energy for the country… I feel that this is an example that all the countries need to emulate," said Jennifer Gache, an engineer behind the turning blades and the quiet triumph of Kenya’s early wind energy ambitions. When she graduated from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in 1995 with a…

Jun

03

2026

By ZUNAIDA MOOSA WADIWALA and TRACY-LYNN FIELD

Africa’s climate crisis is a legal crisis too: what are states’ duties under human rights law?

SUSTAINABILITY

A landmark climate case is being heard by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The request was brought by the Pan-African Lawyers Union and other African civil society organisations. They’ve asked the court to issue advice on what responsibilities African governments have to protect their countries against the climate crisis and move away from an economy that harms the environment. Zunaida Moosa Wadiwala and Tracy-Lynn Field of the Mandela Institute, alongside several other organisations, have asked to participate as friends of the court (amicus curiae). Their brief argues that African states have a duty to protect the climate…

May

29

2026

By The African Mirror

Africa has been managing climate volatility for decades – what the rest of the world can learn from it

SUSTAINABILITY

THE United States’ retreat from aspects of global climate and health leadership has exposed the risk Africa took in relying on external funding for these projects. When the US pulled back on aid, many African programmes and plans that relied on their funding, expertise, or political support had to abruptly end, leaving millions of people on the continent at risk of extreme poverty. Yet it also created an opening. African institutions, governments, scientists and communities can now strengthen the continent’s voice in climate and health governance. African countries did not cause climate change. It was caused by greenhouse gas emissions…

May

27

2026

By JOSHUA MATANZIMA

Lake Kariba’s rising waters bring hope to communities in Zambia and Zimbabwe

SUSTAINABILITY

BUILT in the 1950s to generate electricity, Lake Kariba in Zambia and Zimbabwe has since supported activities such as tourism, fishing, and conservation. All of these are affected by changes in water levels. The 40km wide and 223km long Lake Kariba is the largest human-created lake by volume. It typically undergoes seasonal rises and falls as a result of the rains. But since the 2010s, prolonged droughts and heatwaves have meant the water levels have seldom risen to full capacity. As a resident of Kariba and a scholar who has studied social life at Lake Kariba for over a decade,…

May

14

2026

By DENBOY KUDEJIRA; CHRISTOPHER MABEZA and LIBOSTER MWADZINGENI

Climate disasters don’t just destroy homes, they change lives forever. We spoke with cyclone survivors in Zimbabwe

SUSTAINABILITY

WHEN environmental hazards strike, the damage is usually counted in numbers: how many people died, how many homes were destroyed, how many people were displaced, and how much money it will take to rebuild. But not all losses and damage can be measured in financial terms. Some of the most profound impacts of climate-induced disasters are emotional, cultural, and social, affecting how people feel, relate to each other, and think about their world. We are scientists who research environmental hazards, climate change impacts, and development practice. We wanted to find out what recovery meant for survivors of Tropical Cyclone Idai,…

May

01

2026

By ABRAHAM NUNBOGU and KAVEH MADANI

The race to mine critical minerals for AI and clean energy is creating ‘sacrifice zones’ that harm water and health of world’s poor

SUSTAINABILITY

THERE is a troubling contradiction at the heart of the global transition to a cleaner, greener, tech-driven future: Modern technologies – everything from AI to wind turbines, as well as cellphones, electric vehicles, and defense systems – depend on critical minerals. But many of the communities where those minerals are mined end up with polluted water and poorer health because of the mining. Lithium powers batteries. Cobalt stabilizes them. Copper carries electricity. Rare earth elements make wind turbines and digital devices efficient and durable. Each of these is essential to the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution, but they are…