sustainable development - The African Mirror

Feb

2023

What is Mondiacult? 6 take-aways from the world’s biggest cultural policy gathering

CULTURE’S status in global society got a major boost in 2022 when it was recommended to become its own sustainable development goal. This happened at the Unesco World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – called Mondiacult. The world’s most important cultural policy gathering took place in Mexico City 40 years after its first edition in the same city. The 2022 meeting gathered 2,600 participants including 135 government ministers, 83 non-governmental organisations, 32 intergovernmental organisations and nine UN agencies. Author RIBIO NZEZA BUNKETI BUSE, Associate Professor, University of Kinshasa Mondiacult is important because it’s a decision-making meeting that helps…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Technology and sustainable development: a hamlet in rural South Africa shows how one can power the other

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

IT'S hard to imagine that the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the fourth industrial revolution can be part of the same conversation. But, as a briefing paper by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) points out: Over 70% of the 136 SDG targets could be enabled by technology applications already in deployment. To be achieved, both ideas – sustainable development and the fourth industrial revolution – require innovative thinking and a change of attitude. Authors SAURABH SINHA, Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation, University of Johannesburg MDUDUZI MBIZA, Research Associate, University of Johannesburg The fourth industrial…

May

2022

By The African Mirror

Climate change isn’t a priority for Kenyan universities. It should be

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITIES can play a vital role in shaping change in societies. They produce knowledge through research, train future decision-makers, and contribute to public awareness of issues. But not all universities are rising to challenges like this. Studies have established that efforts to integrate sustainable development into African universities’ curricula and their community engagement processes leave something to be desired. Teaching and research don’t always reflect society’s real problems. Author JACKLINE NYERERE, Senior Lecturer of Educational Leadership and Policy, Kenyatta University Climate change is another area where universities should be identifying and providing solutions. It’s a complex, politicised and global issue…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

In the search for reliable data, space science takes off in Africa

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD AFRICA is to more than triple the number of satellites sent into the earth’s orbit over the next few years, as it looks to build robust data for sustainable development. The 2021 edition of the Africa Space Industry Annual Report shows 125 new satellites have been lined up for development in 23 African countries by 2025, as activities in the continent’s space market heat up significantly. “These projects are capitalising on earth observation resources and satellite communications to address various socio-economic problems across the continent,” says the report. Data captured will be used to inform strategic decision…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa looks likely to continue relying on power from fossil fuels for some time

ENVIRONMENT

THE narratives of “leapfrogging” to new technologies are pervasive when it comes to development in Africa. One example is skipping cord phones and landlines to advance directly from limited phone coverage to wide mobile phone usage. Another that’s frequently discussed is Africa’s potential for a quick transition to renewable energy. GALINA ALOVA, Environmental Economist | Energy, Sustainable Finance and Machine Learning, University of Oxford PHILIPP TROTTER, Research Associate, Renewable Energy, University of Oxford This is important both from a climate change and an economic development perspective. Providing affordable clean energy is big on the UN Sustainable Development Agenda (Goal 7).…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

New targets to protect biodiversity must include farmers and agriculture

ENVIRONMENT

THE UN Convention on Biological Diversity is a treaty that aims to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of a country’s natural resources, or biological diversity. This is a general strategy that all countries must then adopt at the local level. ANJA GASSNER, Global Landscapes Forum science advisor and Senior Scientist, World Agroforestry (ICRAF) PHILIP DOBIE, Senior Fellow, World Agroforestry (ICRAF) TERRY SUNDERLAND, Professor in the Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia The Convention – a legally-binding international treaty – is currently negotiating new targets for the next 30 years. Decisions are made by parties to…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Pandemic changes may point way to sustainable cities of the future

AFRICITIES

CITY dwellers and planners should build on the dramatic changes swept in by COVID-19 to create a more sustainable and low-carbon future, urban experts told a virtual meeting of global leaders on Monday. Rigid school and office hours have given way to a more flexible system of working during the pandemic that puts less pressure on transport systems and energy grids, heard a "net-zero" cities panel organised by the World Economic Forum. "If you can actually reschedule cities thanks to the newfound flexibility following the pandemic there could be ... a big impact," said Carlo Ratti, director of the SENSEable…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Central African states seek to make forests work for people and planet

ENVIRONMENT

MEGAN ROWLING COUNTRIES home to the Congo Basin rainforest, including Gabon and the Republic of Congo, are working on ways to harness their majestic trees to benefit their people while maintaining climate protection and other natural services the forests provide. This week, the Republic of Congo - also known as Congo-Brazzaville - officially published a new law, approved by the president in July, to ensure more sustainable management of the country's vast forests. Gabon, meanwhile, hopes to have a new forest law in place by next summer, marrying efforts to safeguard the climate and biodiversity with creating jobs in forestry,…