In Africa, approximately 51 million square miles of land - 43% percent - of the continent is classified as rangeland. Mostly occupied by pastoralists, rangelands support meat supply within cities. Rangelands are also home to Africa's big five games like the elephants, leopards, lions, buffalos, rhinoceros hence contributing highly to countries GDP through tourism. Loupa Pius says unfortunately these are neglected ecosystems attracting less attention compared to other ecosystems like the rainfore...
Jun 22, 2021•43 min
70 percent of GLF Africa participants were aged between [18 to 35](https://www.globallandscapesforum.org/glf-news/youth-emerge-as-vanguard-of-a-growing-movement-to-restore-degraded-landscapes-in-africa/) making up 3000 of the 7000 registered participants. Cities Alliance, a global partnership fighting urban poverty and promoting the role of cities, notes that almost [60 percent](https://www.citiesalliance.org/newsroom/news/cities-alliance-news/%C2%A0burgeoning-africa-youth-population-potential-o...
Jun 15, 2021•39 min
Today Salina Abraham, the [Global Landscape Forum](https://www.globallandscapesforum.org/) strategic adviser joins me as we investigate what was achieved last week during the conference. In this conversation in we talk about the critical issues of finance. How do Africa finance dryland restoration this decade now identified as the UN decade of restoration? How best can Africa take advantage of its massive population of robust youth, among many other issues. Are you aged between 18 and 35 years o...
Jun 09, 2021•30 min
The [Global Landscape Forum Africa](https://www.globallandscapesforum.org) 2021 kicks off tomorrow, the 2nd June, for two days. The digital conference dubbed "Restoring Africa's Drylands - Accelerating Action on the Ground" will be 2021's only conference on drylands restoration. The conference will play an essential role in identifying knowledge gaps while seeking solutions to the challenging issues facing drylands and the people that live in them. Why is this conference critical for the African...
Jun 01, 2021•29 min
Every year, research by the World Resources Institute WRI indicates that Africa losses nearly [3 million hectares](https://www.wri.org/initiatives/african-forest-landscape-restoration-initiative-afr100) of forests. The continents 65% of the land is affected by degradation, and three percent of GDP is lost annually from soil and nutrient depletion on cropland. To tackle the high rates of degradation, African countries, after the Paris agreement, pledges to restore 100 million hectares on land by ...
May 25, 2021•31 min
In 2014, the [Strategic Climate Fund](https://www.climateinvestmentfunds.org/node/5) (SCF) under the Climate Investment Fund (CIF) funded the [Strengthening climate resilience project in the Kafue sub-Basin in Zambia](https://www.mndp.gov.zm/?page_id=5598). Engineer Indie Dinala, the project manager, told Africa Climate Conversations that farmers in the Kafue sub-basin would depend on wild fruits and wild tubers during drought. But today, the USD 38 million projects have introduced, among other ...
May 20, 2021•41 min
[African drylands](https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/drylands-and-land-degradation) are home to more than half a billion people who live and work in the drylands. "We need to rethink restoration within the dryland. The voice of the people must be part of the design, implementation, and the monitoring process," Lalisa Duguma, a scientist with the World Agroforestry, told the Africa Climate conversations. "Restoring drylands is not a walk in the park. It needs a very strong commitments,...
May 18, 2021•44 min
Today on the Financing change in Africa series we are asking ourselves how Africa can balance between its development plans and emission reduction, given that over 600 million people in Africa do not have access to electricity. In 2019, the [United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources (UNU-INRA)](https://i.unu.edu/media/inra.unu.edu/publication/5247/DIscussion-paper-Africas-Development-in-the-age-of-stranded-Assets_INRAReport2019.pdf) report on Africa's stranded assets warned that ...
May 13, 2021•32 min
The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) [Africa Conference Digital 2021](https://events.globallandscapesforum.org/africa-2021/register/) conference will be happening on the 2nd and 3rd of June this year. It is the first-ever digital conference focused entirely on Africa's drylands and how integrative restoration practices can see them flourish once again. The meeting takes place when the world is still finding means to cope with the global pandemic, already impacting restoration. The series will tell ...
May 11, 2021•12 min
Climate change impacts men and women differently. When the COVID-19 pandemic has led to income losses increasing the poverty burden in many countries, Sheila Oparaocha, the [ENERGIA](https://www.energia.org/) International Coordinator and Programme manager tell us why access to energy is critical for women to achieve the SDG goals. Anne Kuriakose, a senior social development specialist at the climate investment funds, explains the [Climate Investment Funds](https://www.climateinvestmentfunds.org...
May 06, 2021•38 min
Mental health is not often directly linked to [climate change](https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/climate-change-and-mental-health-connections/affects-on-mental-health). But let's be honest, temperatures are rising, floods, droughts, heatwaves, bush fires, rising sea levels are getting real and affecting real people. Their livelihoods and day-to-day quality of life is adversely affected. Not to mention the Covid-19 pandemics and high cost of living which adds on to the economy and ment...
May 04, 2021•33 min
Africa forest cover accounts for 23 percent of its planned area. Africa is also home to the most significant proportion of forest-dependent subsistence households globally. More than half of the continent's population relies directly or indirectly on the forests for livelihoods. Ines Angulo, the [Forest Investment Project](https://www.climateinvestmentfunds.org/sites/cif_enc/files/results-2015/fip/) (FIP) coordinator at the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), says Africa is the continent with the hi...
Apr 29, 2021•38 min
Africa accounts for total funding of 300 million USD of the The Pilot Program for Climate Resilience. The pilot project for climate resilience is a USD1.2 billion adaptation funding window of the climate investment funds under the Strategic Climate Fund. Lorie Rufo, the project coordinator of the, says the adaption funds worked with Mozambique, Niger, and Zambia, among other countries, to build community resilience. The fund has also supported Ethiopia, the Gambia, Madagascar, Malawi, and Uganda...
Apr 22, 2021•38 min
Located in the Rift Valley, [Lake Bogoria National Reserve](https://www.naturaltoursandsafaris.com/kenya-safaris/parks/lake-bogoria-national-reserve-kenya/) is a stunning place. It is adorned by a pink cloud of flamingos and geysers bubbling with the most spectacular hot water volcanic springs. But unfortunately, James Kimaru, the Lake Bogoria National Reserve Senior warden, told the Africa Climate Conversations that the lake has increased by more than 10 kilometres, and 90 percent of these hot ...
Apr 20, 2021•36 min
Today we are talking about the [Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program in Low-Income Countries (SREP)](https://www.climateinvestmentfunds.org/sites/cif_enc/files/results-2015/srep/) funded by the Strategic Climate Fund. the Strategic Climate Fund is one of the two Climate Investment Funds (CIF). The funds are channelled through five multilateral development banks. SREP has been financing the scaled-up deployment of renewable [](https://www.climateinvestmentfunds.org/sites/cif_enc/files/results-2015...
Apr 15, 2021•43 min
In Kenya's Baringo County 22 schools have either been wholly submerged or destroyed following the swelling of Lakes Baringo, Bogoria, and lake 94. Jacob Chepkwony, the Baringo County deputy governor, says the county requires nearly 550 million shillings that is nearly a 4.5million US dollar for the education sector to recover. Chepkwony says the administration challenge now is balancing resettling the displaced and achieving the development goals the administration has set to achieve. But for a ...
Apr 13, 2021•24 min
Today for the Financing change in Africa series, we feature the $5.4 billion [Clean Technology Fund](https://www.climateinvestmentfunds.org/topics/clean-technologies) (CTF). One of two multi-donor trust funds under the [Climate Investment Funds](https://www.climateinvestmentfunds.org/) (CIF) Danny Morris, the clean energy lead coordinator for the CTF tell us all about the CTF, what is the fund has achieved in Africa and future. We also talk to Fatima Hamdouch, the Director of Strategic Steering ...
Apr 08, 2021•44 min
Have the persons displaced by the 2020 flooding Kenya's Rift Valley Lakes been forgotten? As Kenya rolls out a Covid-19 vaccination drive amid the country struggling with the third wave, communities displaced by the flooding of Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, and Lake 94 among the swelling [Rift Valley Lakes](https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/147226/rising-waters-on-kenyas-great-rift-valley-lakes) spend a sleepless night. Nearly a year on and with long rains starting, parents staying in tents...
Apr 05, 2021•23 min
The[ Climate Investment Funds (CIF](https://www.climateinvestmentfunds.org/)), a multilateral climate finance mechanism, has been working with the continent's premier financial development institution, the [African Development Bank (AfDB](https://www.afdb.org/en)) - CIF's implementing entity - renewable financing energy, forestry, and resilience solutions in Africa. Of about $8billion funding, Africa receives one-third of the total funding. In today's conversation, Mafalda Duarte, the Climate In...
Apr 01, 2021•38 min
Mental health problems in Kenya and Africa are often interpreted from either a religious or traditional perspective influenced by a person's cultural perceptions. These perceptions impact not just the provision of care but also determines access. The World Health Organization (WHO) says a growing number of people with mental illness are not receiving mental health care and treatment. Estimates indicate an [85 percent](https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/89/3/10-082784/en/) 'treatment gap' for l...
Mar 30, 2021•36 min
Starting coming Thursday, 1st April 2021, the Africa Climate Conversations is collaborating with the African Development Bank and the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) for an 8-part series on Financing Change in Africa. Since 2010, the continent's premier financial development institution plays an essential role as a CIF implementing entity, advancing a growing portfolio of renewable energy, forestry, and resilience solutions in Africa.
Mar 25, 2021•5 min
This week, we are still staying in Murang'a county. Today, we talk to Joseph Mbai County Executive Committee member in charge of Health Murang'a County. He ascertains that three people are dying every week due to substance abuse. Why? Why are the youth and young adults are making about 70 percent of the population engaging in drug and substance abuse? What are some of the county's challenges dealing with rising mental health and substance abuse cases? Photo by [Michael Longmire](https://unsplash...
Mar 23, 2021•35 min
In many countries, some landslide-prone areas are known. But often, communities seem to be caught unaware when these landslides hit. How do you ensure policymakers pay special attention to the future landslide in their locations? Michael Ngugi, a geographic information system (GIS) expert from the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) based here in Nairobi, developed a landslide monitoring tool that tells where a landslide is likely to happen. The economic losses emana...
Mar 16, 2021•32 min
Today's episode features a family, victims of a landslide from Gitugi village in Mathioya, Murang'a County in central Kenya. About three years ago, a landslide struck in the middle of the night. Taking away 39-year old mother of four, Mary Wambui, entire livelihood. Her family, still traumatised to return and settle at the affected farm, was evicted from a vocational school they have called home since the landslide. Ever since the landslide, when Red cross offered psycho-social support, her fami...
Mar 09, 2021•20 min
Kilifi county in Kenya has three practicing mental health specialists against a population of about 1.4 million. Mental health is allocated less than 0.5% of the general health budget. In Kenya, out of 47 counties, only 22 have a mental health specialist. "Understanding your mental health, gives you a better standard of life. But though Mental health is part of the general health system, very little funding is made available compared to fields like maternal and child health, reproductive issues,...
Mar 02, 2021•37 min
In today's episode, we talk to Elias Fondo, the Kilifi County Mental Health Clinical officer, Leonard Nasoro, a mental health specialist, and a nurse at the Kilifi County Hospital. They tell us that uncertainty due to changing weather leads to anxiety and fear, dragging communities deeper into poverty. How?. In a country where one out four Kenyan's suffers a mental illness once in their lifetime, why is there too much stigma around mental illnesses? Is mental illness an "African" problem?
Feb 23, 2021•32 min
This week's episode takes you to Kilifi, Kenya - home to Watamu and Malindi's sandy beaches. The only permanent river - River Sabaki - emanating from Kenya's Aberdare Ranges west of Central Kenya floods each time it heavily rains upstream. Now, the 2018 Kilifi County Drought contingency plan notes that the drought return period has reduced to two to three years from every five to seven years in the last decade. Between 2016 to 2020, Kilifi County experienced a devastating drought that leads to m...
Feb 17, 2021•25 min
In Kenya, one out of every four Kenyans suffer a mental illness in their lifetime. Natural disasters like flooding are becoming prevalent, and, in some counties, communities are struggling with disasters interchanging between flooding and drought, not giving them enough time to recover. How is the changing climate affecting mental health? Listen to Dr. Pamela Kaithuru a counselling psychologist and a meteorologist from Kenya Meteorological Department. Image by [chenspec](https://pixabay.com/user...
Feb 09, 2021•23 min
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports indicate 2020 was one of the three warmest years on record after 2019 and 2016. In today's episode, Dr. Abubakar Salih Babikier, a climate scientist from IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC), tells us that since tropical storm Sagar flooded most of Somaliland in 2018, at least a tropical cyclone has hit Somalia once or twice a year. How hot are the other parts of the Horn of Africa? What are the impacts?
Feb 01, 2021•23 min
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has said that 2011-2020 was the warmest decade on record, in a persistent long-term climate change trend. 2016, 2019, and 2020 are recorded as the top three warmest years on record. The series explores how the rising global temperature, flooding, increased landslides, rising sea levels, warming oceans, and droughts impacting communities mentally.
Jan 26, 2021•7 min
