“The climate crisis continues to impact the frontline communities’ livelihoods in the Global South, especially in Africa. The affected community’s voices need to be heard. African leaders have to make the right choice and decision at COP28, decisions which consider their communities’ needs. Fossil fuels phaseout must be a priority for African leaders, not the carbon market that will continue fuelling the climate crisis”, said Kwami Kpondzo, Executive Director, Centre for Environmental Justice Togo.

While African leadership has leaned towards increasing renewable energy investments, there is still widespread concern with the ongoing scramble for Africa by oil and gas companies and the willingness of some nations to engage in new fossil fuel investment.

In an open letter addressed to African Heads of State and Governments, 50 African scientists and over 4000 youth across 30 African countries decried a renewed rush for oil, gas, and coal in the continent, driven by former colonial and neocolonial powers, urging leaders to reject fossil fuels at COP28.

“Africa is making promising steps away from the outdated extractive practices of fossil fuel industries which for decades have locked communities in conflict, human suffering, and ecological death. We must encourrage further development driven by innovation rooted in pan-Africanism. To achieve this future, we need our leaders to push back against further attempts at neo-colonial plundering of resources on the continent at the expense of Africans.” said Thandile Chinyavanhu, Greenpeace Africa’s Climate and energy campaigner.

Parts of the African continent are already ahead in the renewable energy push, with countries like Kenya generating over 80% of their energy from renewable energy and the government promising to achieve 100% by 2030.

Ethiopia has over 4 GW of installed hydropower capacity, and it is planning to add 10 GW of capacity in the coming years. Morocco has made significant investments in wind and solar energy, and the country now has over 5 GW of installed renewable energy capacity.

Morocco is also rapidly decarbonising its grid, wind and solar. South Africa has made notable progress in renewable energy development on the continent, and has ambitious plans to generate 42% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

The historic Loss and Damage Fund, agreed at COP28, could further support the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries in enhancing such green energy investments.

“Solar can deliver a more accessible, cheaper, and cleaner energy system for African countries. But this can only happen if the continent’s leaders make the right decisions in Dubai to raise ambition, action, and accountability. They can start by joining over 100 countries from across the world to support a global target to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030,” said Sonia Dunlop, the CEO of Global Solar Council.

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During two separate signing ceremonies held on the sidelines of the on-going United Nation’s Climate Change Conference (also known as COP28), NNPC Ltd signed an MoU with Wison Heavy Industry Co. Ltd, a Chinese company, for the development of floating LNG project in Nigeria, targeting the international LNG market.

Also, NNPC Prime LNG Ltd, an arm of NNPC Trading Ltd, signed a Supply, Installation and Commissioning Agreement with SDP Services, an independent oil and gas company, for a 421 tonnes per day LNG project targeting the domestic LNG market.

The Floating LNG MoU was signed by the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power & New Energy, Olalekan Ogunbayo on behalf of NNPC Ltd and Mr. Kai Xu, Managing Director of Wison Ltd, on behalf of his company. Both parties agreed to work together to chart a roadmap for the project development that will lead to an investment decision.

Similarly, the Small-Scale LNG (SSLNG) Project agreement was signed by the Managing Director, NNPC Trading Ltd., Mr. Lawal Sade, on behalf of NNPC Prime LNG Ltd while Mr. Abhinav Modi, Managing Director of SDP Services Ltd, signed on behalf of his company.

The SSLNG Project, which will be located at Ajaokuta in Kogi State, Central Nigeria, will ensure the efficient supply of LNG to the Autogas/Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and industrial/commercial customers nationwide. The LNG Project is expected to be operational by December 2024.

Speaking shortly after the signing ceremony, the EVP Gas, Power & New Energy, Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye said NNPC Ltd is committed to delivering gas to industries nationwide and accelerating the Company’s gas commercialization efforts through the floating LNG Project.

“We see both projects as having enormous impact all over the country because they are central to the commercialization of Nigeria’s abundant gas resources and ensuring that our country earns the much-needed foreign revenue from its abundant gas assets. It is also consistent with NNPC Management’s drive to deliver on Mr. President’s gas and power aspirations across the country,” Ogunleye stated.

Also, in his address after the signing, the MD NNPC Trading Ltd, Mr. Lawal Sade said the SSLNG Project will boost the domestication of LNG utilisation by supporting the growth of auto-gas initiatives across the country.

“We are looking at a time-frame of 12 months from execution to the commissioning of the project. The project will deliver about 420 tonnes per day of LNG per day into the domestic market, which will enhance efficient delivery of gas to the auto-gas/CNG and industrial customers in line with Presidential mandate,” Sade added.

While expressing their delight at signing the agreements, the partners pledged to work with NNPC Ltd to deliver the projects within schedule and in the most cost-effective manner.

Mr. Ogunsanya, a member of the United Nations Global Compact’s African Business Leaders Coalition (ABLC), addressed a distinguished audience at a COP28 side event co-hosted by Airtel Africa and the ABLC.

Guests included the President of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi; the Finance Minister of Nigeria, Mr. Wale Edun; the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nigeria, Mr. Nyesom Wike; Ms. Sanda Ojiambo, the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC); Chairman of BUA Group Nigeria limited, Abdul Samad Rabiu and several business leaders from across Africa.

The Group CEO of Airtel Africa urged African business leaders and governments to join forces to advance sustainable growth, development, and prosperity across the continent.

He said: “We stress the importance of an enabling policy environment for sustainable development and climate action in partnership with Africa’s private sector. Livelihood and living must go together.”

He also shared details of Airtel Africa’s environmental stewardship initiatives. These include ‘Project Green,’ launched in 2022, and focused on circular economy practices, especially in the responsible replacement of end-of-life equipment to minimize potential adverse environmental impacts.

Furthermore, in March 2023, Airtel Africa joined the multi-stakeholder partnership to eliminate open waste burning from Africa.

This collaborative effort with local authorities, private companies, community groups, civil society and development partners targets a 60% reduction by 2030 and complete elimination of open waste burning by 2040.

Mr. Ogunsanya declared:

“Airtel Africa’s corporate purpose, our driving force, is to ‘transform lives.’ This is not simply a slogan but a genuine passion that informs every aspect of our operations and every decision we take.”

He concluded: “It is our firm belief is our firm belief that African businesses, including Airtel Africa, stand ready to leverage global markets to accelerate the transition to a future-fit economy. We must deliver economic development, inclusive growth and GHG emissions reduction at the same time to enjoy the fruits of sustainability.”

The United Nations African Business Leaders Coalition (ABLC) is a collaborative initiative comprising African business CEOs committed to fostering sustainable growth, prosperity, and development throughout the African continent.

Members in the coalition, including Airtel Africa, committed to escalating the adoption of renewable energy, investing in climate-adaptation solutions, and ensuring an equitable transition.

During COP28, the ABLC released a policy recommendation urging governments to establish conducive regulatory frameworks that facilitate collective climate action.

The recommendation further advocates for the setting of decarbonization targets and the acceleration of initiatives such as green minerals and climate adaptation programs and calls for increased access to climate financing to support these endeavors.

On the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP28, taking place in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter was released.

COP 28: Kyari Makes Case for a Just Energy Transition for Africa

The Charter calls on the oil and gas sector to achieve the goal of reaching net-zero emissions for their own operations by 2050. It also includes commitments to achieve near-zero methane emissions and no routine flaring by 2030.

Speaking on the development during a Panel Session titled “Accelerating the Elimination of Methane Emissions & the Decarbonisation of Oil & Gas,” NNPC Ltd’s Executive Vice President, Upstream, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan said the Charter was a major opportunity not just for the NNPC Ltd, but for the African sub-region.

“Africa contributes three percent to emissions, but that does not exclude us from the consequences of the emissions. I think the decarbonisation drive and the charter are not just ethical but also a strategic imperative for a major African National Oil Company (NOC) like ours.

We believe this charter is an important one. We are committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver on that,” Eyesan stated.

She said to achieve its near-zero methane emissions, Nigeria has since declared this decade as Decade of Gas, which is not only geared towards producing more gas for export, but also towards producing gas for local economy and that of the entire African sub-region.

“I assure you that we are open to working with our partners towards achieving zero-flare and methane emission reduction by 2030. This fits perfectly with our dreams, and we consider it achievable,” Eyesan stated.

She described finance and technology as the two major challenges in delivering on the provisions of the charter, noting that for the two problems to be solved, African countries need to work with partners who have the technology and finance.

She said NNPC Ltd remains committed to expanding its alternative energy sources through investment in solar, wind, and other renewable sources.

Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation (OGRC) supports a stronger, louder voice from Africa, and through its partners, has developed key programmes focussed on addressing and mitigating climate change. 

Global efforts to limit carbon emissions are falling short, developed countries have not coughed up the $100 billion promised to help developing countries meet targets, and the EU is set to impose carbon taxes that will hamstring Africa’s development ambitions.

Exactly how far countries have fallen short in meeting global climate goals and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions will be revealed by the first Global Stocktake due to be presented to delegates at COP28 in Dubai in early December.

In spite of these headwinds, OGRC research on ecosystem conservation, financing, carbon credits and wildlife economies will be highlighted at COP28 to show how African countries can put the brake on climate change while keeping the economy thriving.

As the world continues to heat up at an unprecedented rate, scientists grapple with trying to understand the global impact and the historical lack of decisive action. Climate has shifted temperatures and weather patterns, and although some of these changes are natural the dramatic fluctuations in temperatures and sporadic rainfall patterns are of great concern.

Scientists have persistently highlighted human activities, particularly the unbridled burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas since the industrial revolution, as the primary drivers behind these observed changes.

“Freak weather events” – severe fires, changes in the rainfall patterns in tropical cyclones, heatwaves and flooding – have led to biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and mass extinctions.

These changes have damaged commercial agriculture, subsistence farming and household food security.

There is however hope. Government, business and industry are recognising that robust scientific data and recommendations from scientists are the solid base on which meaningful decisions are made.

At COP28, UAE, NGOs, politicians, scientists, youth, business, investors, civil society and frontline communities will engage in critical discussions and decision-making about global climate change.

The key themes to be addressed will include transforming climate finance by delivering on old promises, putting nature, people, lives, and livelihoods at the heart of climate action and fast-tracking the energy transition to slash emissions before 2030.

The aim is to limit the global temperature rise to below 2°C, preferably below 1.5°C, above pre-industrial levels. However, the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report suggests that even with our best possible mitigation efforts, the chances of us limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees will not be achieved.

The Global Stocktake (GST) will provide a comprehensive assessment of progress made by countries to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the impacts of climate change, and provide support to developing nations in these endeavours.

Unfortunately, the developed world has fallen short of fulfilling its financial commitments of $100 billion in annual funding to assist developing countries reduce their emissions and manage the impacts of climate change.

The failure to fulfil financial commitments has further derailed the world in the ambition to reduce its emissions by 43% by 2030.

The financial commitment required to reach these reductions far outweighs what already heavily indebted developing countries require – yet undershoot the financial capacity the combined developed countries have the capacity to provide.

Yet, instead of meeting their obligations, the European Union has introduced the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a policy that imposes a carbon cost on certain imports based on the carbon emissions associated with the production of those goods.

The implications for African exports to the EU are substantial, potentially hindering the continent’s development ambitions and causing an annual GDP loss of around $31 billion.

The justification for the policy is to level the playing field for industries within the EU that are subject to strict emissions reduction requirements.

We have to question how this reasoning coming from nations that have benefited from fossil fuel use for over 250 years is justifiable, when they are yet to fulfil their commitments to ensure that we have the capacity to explore alternative greener technologies and transition from coal heavy industries to renewable energy sources.

In this context, it becomes evident that for any meaningful change to occur, Africa, where feasible, must assume a leadership role in shaping policies that not only articulate our needs but also position us advantageously in the global fight against climate change.

Recognising that climate change is a collective responsibility, Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation (OGRC) has committed to contributing to the global effort to combat the adverse effects of climate change. We view COP 28 as an invaluable platform to showcase the innovations and climate research done by our partners.

Our Future Ecosystems for Africa (FEFA) programme, in collaboration with AGNES (African Group of Negotiators Expert Support) and OGRC, has recognised the need to mobilise African climate science and evidence on the continent, to feed into important discussions and provide an integrated, technical summary of the potential synergies and trade-offs between climate actions and sustainable development.

This work focuses on developing viable and pragmatic solutions to contemporary climate-related challenges, derived in collaboration with numerous other research partners, with the overarching goal of enhancing decision-making processes in relation to climate change and development on the African continent.

In line with COP28’s core theme of “investing in climate solutions by committing and investments in nature-positive projects, policies and practices, OGRC has partnered with the African Wildlife Economy Institute (AWEI) to address these aspects.

Conserving Africa’s biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides should be central to climate change responses, given the high dependence of people on these services.

The key finding of the Africa chapter of the last IPCC report was that reduced species representation in protected areas is predicted due to climate-induced range shifts, with range shifts impeded by increasing land transformation and fencing.

African countries urgently need complementary conservation strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change on biodiversity.

Wildlife economies present one such strategy, which involves increasing the extent of conserved ecosystems and their connectivity, while also contributing to livelihoods and food security through sustainable wildlife use, including hunting, harvesting, meat, and tourism.

Our research also shows that wildlife economies have more diverse revenue streams than conventional agriculture, which builds their resilience to disturbance and change.

Wildlife economies can simultaneously contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Africa through sequestering carbon while conserving biodiversity and promoting resilient livelihoods.

Another OGRC-supported programme, the African Leadership Universities (ALU), School of Wildlife Conservation, states “you can’t manage what you don’t measure”.

The key concept here is to gather consistent, comparable data on the impacts of climate change on wildlife economies across Africa.

In Africa, climate action alone is unlikely to succeed, but if combined with development in a way that wildlife is seen as a key strategic asset, it will encourage investment and finance in conservation.

OGRC has further invested in Rewild Capital, a carbon credits company. Experts from Rewild Capital use their knowledge of international carbon market dynamics and integration into global networks to reduce transaction information asymmetry and secure the best prices and terms for landowners across the continent.

Their carbon and rangeland scientists deal with the complexity of meeting international carbon standards requirements. From start to finish they take care of soil carbon measurements and analysis.

These measures ensure that Africa can lead in the mitigation of climate change, while securing livelihoods in non-forested African ecosystems.

Some of the major messages that will emerge from COP28 are on workstreams that will attract climate investment and finance, as well as assessing mitigation and adaptation response measures.

Research tells us that finance gaps across Africa are huge and that new, additional money is needed.

There is a strong feeling that new, multinational, scaled finances for long-term goals are required. So, there will be focus on securing new financial pledges, while encouraging fulfilment of old promises.

There will be a focus on adopting high level targets with clear delivery indicators, including the enhancement of adaptive capacity, with a hope of doubling finance. Negotiators will also be pushing for a clear roadmap to achieve these outcomes.

There will be a focus on developing countries and ensuring that all are supported through delivering on promises made at COP27, with a focus on compensation and provision for historical loss and damage.

*Duncan MacFadyen is head of research, and Rendani Nenguda research associate at, Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation.

Nature demands that Net-Zero requires a reinvention of civilisation particularly when decarbonising our world was an inconceivable task even before the energy fright triggered by war could indeed remain trending. Such accentuation anchors, the fossil fuel energy that has been the material rationale of trendy civilisation.

The Industrial Revolution was the start of an energy uprising that remade how humans could live and ingrain posterity unharmed. Today’s prevailing four basic physical pillars of our society: ammonia, cement, plastics, and steel are greatly elicited by the exploitation of fossil fuels.

So, Net-Zero requires fathoming modern civilisation, which could entail an overhaul of transformation holistically. Such needs are transformational as the energy basis of our way of life, which stands within the range of three decades now becoming enforcing so to say!

Historically, there is no precedent in the human past timeline and up until date to determine the execution of the Net-Zero Agenda of the current global initiative aiming at a high degree of acceptance.

Therefore, it is more appropriate to anchor reinventing modern civilization on the global attainment of leadership transformation in achieving the Net-Zone through sustainable technology.

Such will be a paradigm shift needed now to proliferate and integrate concurrently the digitalisation forming of Green Information Technology (IT) and its literal dictations.

The urgent need for Energy Zealots should centrally motivate the Net-Zero Agenda globally. Boomers have generally dealt with their corporations through broad investigation-based arranging and control, fully intent on limiting interruptions.

Pioneers today can figure out how to become acclimated to functioning in more limited, faster cycles. This requires putting a more prominent accentuation on fast, generally safe trials and choices, acquiring information from those that fizzle, and scaling those that succeed.

Successful leaders and pioneers could hold a review toward the start and end of every quick cycle to evaluate progress, develop learning, and get ready for the following cycle. Each cycle could focus on a lot of passing outcomes, accomplished through zeroing in on assumptions and drives that reflect open transient cut-off and fittingly regulate risk.

Functionally, during each cycle, results, expectations, exercises, and assets can be reprioritized to reflect quickly moving conditions.

How this affects authority in the new energy industry is exemplified by portraying methodology at a seaward penetrating to stress that, in an industry where raising capital is turning out to be progressively troublesome, potential open doors can without a doubt be made with a sharp outer concentration and deft reasoning.

A continuous analysis of the drive of standard oil and gas organizations summed up what various pioneers said: We need to become spearheading and non-administrative. Being slow and considered may be huge in gigantic, ordinary planning errands, notwithstanding, that this approach doesn’t work in the new energy space. Right now, we love to control and work in storage facilities.

This undeniable need changes. At the end of the day, we want to become enterprising and non-regulatory.

Consequently, being slow with due consideration might be significant in huge, conventional designing activities, yet such an approach doesn’t provide a paradigm shift in the new energy space.

At present, the key should thrive essentially to control and work in storehouses. Such control and exclusive operations could unquestionably necessitate changes that might have deep-reaching outcomes.

The debate around the leadership of integrated energy companies could call attention to the significance of entrusting those who work in their organizations.

The thought could become more impactful to see stakeholders act more quickly, allowing staffers to make relevant decisions in a more thematically driven essential and sensibly.

Regardless, the leadership transformation requires five keys to open the enormously imagined possibilities as demonstrated: Setting concentration and heading anchor on be focused and on the right direction; Past benefit to influence entirely with the notion to promote impact instead of immediate profit on investment; Overhauling esteem creation in redesigning the value creation procedures; Past grudge to camaraderie as in beyond vendetta to neighbour watch in sorting out how individuals work in light of individual approach to get the right results; Past order to coordinated effort; Finishing the work: Out of hand to development to appearing as a pioneer: Past expert to human.

These five mentalities and social movements could add to a special and all the more remarkable sort of initiative.

At the point when pioneers distinguish and fabricate the way of life they believe the company should encapsulate particularly when uncertainty becloud the business space. They can make a prudent cycle, drawing in the right ability that will flourish, open their worth plan, and turbocharge their presentation.

In any case, the way to change is brimming with knocks and curves. Such moves frequently require changing current frameworks and approaches to working, which will unavoidably cause some authoritative obstruction.

Pioneers might have to prepare themselves for intricacy and disorder while exhibiting profound mindfulness, as they address their own implanted inclinations and update their outlooks for the new climate solution bringing about the new environment.

The change can likewise expect organizations to focus on initiative turn of events and a comprehensive social change — wide goals and little gradual changes may presently not be adequate.

Arising ways of behaving and outlooks can’t exist as simple trademarks on a wall or in snappy email marks.

They require encapsulation on an everyday premise, being ceaselessly job displayed by senior chiefs combining into centre business exercises and explicit activities; and show at the times that matter in the provision of the transformation the Sector urgently requires now.

These are energizing times for the Energy locale, given its arrangement at the focal point of the basic difficulties confronting our reality.

Meeting these difficulties requires the improvement of the drawn-out attributes of the initiative we have featured here. Fortunately, industry pioneers know about the difficulties and are intentionally beginning to address the requests of the new administration.

This not only requires new ability from places outside the customary energy area but also a dynamic change of existing initiatives to escalate the passion for the active transformation of currently enabled leadership in the sector.

Decisively, the difficulties in accomplishing Net-Zero communities practically on having ground-breaking authority to spearhead the Space basically to obtain the right outcomes.

The inquiry then, at that point, emerges: Where do we get the business-people we want now to lead in the following period of the energy business? You want a few new pioneers from outside the business, offset with those from the current business. You want the new-energy radicals to motivate, yet you additionally need pioneers to exhibit that genuinely useful headway is being made on the ground. It is an urgent matter arising to track down many business visionaries globally.

Conclusively, simply put, the Energy space now needs most urgently the pioneers who are more gradual yet simple and will consent to be business people. We want to enact them because, by nature, leaders are more cumulative but in this case, they just need clearance internally to be entrepreneurs.

The time to activate such transformational leadership is now. Certainly, we need to bring them on literally!

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At the ongoing COP28 Summit, the UK Government made commitments to help vulnerable countries strengthen their resilience to the increasingly frequent and severe effects of climate change.

Andrew Mitchell, UK’s International Development and Africa Minister, announced the £100 million package at the COP28 Summit today, 3 December, 2023, to support some of the most climate-vulnerable countries tackle climate change.

This will support an initiative to strengthen early warning systems in countries on the front line of climate change, giving people advanced warning of cyclones, flooding and other extreme weather so they can move away from danger, saving lives and protecting vulnerable communities.

The funding will also help make health care in these areas more resilient and able to withstand disasters, like floods, and ready to deal with spikes in infectious diseases, like cholera and malaria, due to floods caused by climate change.

Recognising the urgency of the situation, which forces 26 million into poverty every year, the Government also joined calls for bolder collective action to protect the lives, health and livelihoods of those most impacted by climate change.

This supports the Prime Minister announcing major funding for climate projects and stressing the need for ambitious, innovative and pragmatic action.

Andrew Mitchell, said:

“The devastating effects of climate change hit the most vulnerable the hardest.

“These funding commitments will help countries and people be better prepared and protected against extreme weather events and natural disasters. They will help roll out measures such as early warning systems, and open up access to climate finance to build resilient health services.

“The UK will continue to press for a bold and ambitious approach to support those on the frontline of our changing climate, and to create a safer planet for us all.”

On behalf of the UK, Minister Mitchell endorsed the ‘Getting Ahead of Disasters’ Charter, the ‘COP28 Declaration on Relief, Recovery and Peace’, and the ‘COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health’.

Speaking at COP28, he outlined details of the funding package, which include:

• Nearly £20 million for a package of disaster risk financing and early warning systems. This will help the one-third of the world’s population who are not covered by early warning systems to prepare for climate shocks and extreme weather, reducing disaster-related mortality and damage. It will also provide affordable insurance against climate disasters, such as droughts.
• Funding of £36 million for climate action in the Middle East and North Africa to support long-term climate stability. This will mobilise $500 million for clean energy and green growth projects, support 450,000 people to adapt to climate change, and support 200,000 women in better protecting their families from climate shocks. This delivers on the UK’s commitment to scale up pre-arranged finance for crisis recovery.
• Over £4.4 million to improve access to climate finance for Small Island Developing States and enable them to adapt to the impacts of climate change, with support from the Global Environment Facility’s Special Climate Change Fund and the Alliance of Small Island States.
• Another £3 million for a new research hub in partnership with Canada, to help local communities address climate shocks and adapt to the long-term impacts of a changing climate. This will be delivered through the Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) programme, launched by the UK at COP26.
• Up to £18 million for an innovative new programme to adapt and strengthen health systems. This will help partner countries manage the growing health impacts of climate change, from infectious diseases and food shortages, to water insecurity and other health-related emergencies. It will be the first climate and health programme to be announced by a G7 country.
• A further £20 million for a new research programme to guide the UK’s future work on climate-resilient health systems, recognising the fast-evolving agenda and the need for a stronger evidence base of what works to address the growing threats from climate change to health.
• Finally, £3 million for a new partnership with the International Rescue Committee to reduce the impact of climate-related crises on schools, students and communities. The Climate Resilient Education Systems Trial will build an evidence base of effective approaches to combatting climate change in and through education.

At the COP28 Summit on Sunday (3 December), the UK convened experts and thought leaders for a panel discussion on climate security.

It was the first time that the UK has hosted such an event, with the US, the EU, Iraq, Kenya, Mali, NATO, and United Nations Development Programme in attendance.

It aims to improve collective understanding of the security implications of climate change, including global instability and conflict, while exploring best practice to respond to these risks through data-informed policy making, stress testing, analytical foresight capability, and international cooperation.

[Feature Image Credit]

It is significant to highlight the role business leaders from Africa, a continent at the centre of the climate emergency, will be playing at COP28 to help galvanise progress towards concrete action.

I am proud to be part of the part of the African Business Leaders Coalition, a partnership of CEOs dedicated to advancing sustainable growth, prosperity and development across the African continent. Our commitment goes beyond corporate pledges; it represents a collective determination to fulfil the climate commitments of African businesses.

At COP28, we will stress the importance of an enabling policy environment for sustainable development and climate action in partnership with Africa’s private sector.

I strongly believe that progress on our continent towards the Paris Agreement goals can be achieved only through a solid public-private partnership, undertaken in an environment of settled rules and incentives.

We are long past the days when it was assumed desirable outcomes could be achieved with the stroke of a minister’s pen, just as we abandoned the idea that businesses alone can magically conjure into existence the public goods and services that we all seek.

As a representative of the ABLC, I urge African businesses and governments to come together to collaborate and to focus on the future. The progress, prosperity and sustainability of our beloved continent depends upon it.

Serving fourteen markets across sub-Saharan Africa, Airtel Africa is acutely aware of the challenges faced by communities across the region – including the severe impact of climate change.

In the absence of meaningful and rapid action, our customers, employees and communities will suffer some of the most serious consequences.

At Airtel Africa, we are working relentlessly to reduce the carbon emissions from our business – throughout our operations and across our supply chain.

We have committed to reducing our Scope 1 emissions (those generated by our own processes) and Scope 2 emissions (generated by bought-in energy) by 62% from the 2022 baseline by 2032, with net zero absolute emissions by 2050.

This is to be achieved by improved energy efficiency, the deployment of renewable energy, and sustainable, efficient growth.

In addition, we are engaged in programs that foster environmental stewardship. ‘Project Green,’ introduced in 2022, is a cornerstone of our environmental impact reduction strategy.

This initiative emphasises circular economy practices, especially in the responsible replacement of end-of-life equipment to minimise potential adverse environmental impacts.

In March 2023, we joined the multi-stakeholder partnership to eliminate open waste burning from Africa.

This collaborative effort with local authorities, private companies, community groups, civil society and development partners targets a 60% reduction by 2030 and complete elimination of open waste burning by 2040.

This requires a fundamental shift in public behaviour, effective policy frameworks and the rollout of sustainable infrastructure for waste management.

Collaboration is the key to combatting climate change and unlocking the immense potential our continent holds.

At COP28, the ABLC will impress three major strategic imperatives on those present.

The first is for governments to create the regulatory environment that will drive collaborative climate action.

The second is for us all to accept the challenge of establishing decarbonisation targets and projects in areas where Africa can really benefit, such as green minerals and climate adaptation programmes.

Finally, it will call for an increase in, and in access to, climate financing.

Governments, regulatory bodies and development partners must play a pivotal role in creating an enabling environment that facilitates increased access to climate finance and clean technology. Airtel Africa’s corporate purpose, our driving force, is to ‘transform lives’ – and I would urge others to join us on this journey. Public-private co-operation is more critical than ever in turbo-charging climate action on the continent – in catalysing innovative solutions, channelling resources, and leveraging expertise for a more sustainable world.

COP 28 has been described as a global stocktake of progress so far towards the Paris climate goals, the results of which will be used to produce a rapid-response plan to drive further progress. Now is the time for African businesses, including Airtel Africa, to step up and demonstrate our collective determination to fulfil our climate commitments of African businesses.

AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, will demonstrate at COP28 how leveraging data in a connected industrial economy can accelerate the path towards a sustainable future.

AVEVA is a gold sponsor of the International Chamber of Commerce pavilion within the Blue Zone of the United Nations Conference of the Parties, in Dubai, UAE, with the aspiration of building bridges between developed economies and the global south.

AVEVA’s leaders will highlight how digital solutions can minimize CO² emissions of existing industrial infrastructure while maximizing efficiency across the value chain and delivering measurable cost savings that can be reinvested in clean technologies.

AVEVA’s delegation at COP28 will be led by CEO Caspar Herzberg along with Lisa Wee, Head of Global Sustainability; Harpreet Gulati, Senior Vice President, Head of PI System Business; Evgeny Fedotov, Senior Vice President, EMEA; and Nayef Bou Chaaya, Vice President MEA.

Caspar Herzberg, CEO of AVEVA, said: “The world must dramatically cut waste. The industrial sector accounts for a quarter of global emissions. Every day, our customers prove that digitalization enables industrial companies to drive measurable carbon reductions, including for traditionally energy-intensive industries.

“At AVEVA, our ambition is to accelerate low-carbon innovation, and to drive circularity and efficiency across the value chain. We want the software we create to transform how industries are designed and how they operate, to accelerate climate action and reduce inequalities. Forging partnerships with businesses, governments and civil society leaders here at COP is critical to build forward-thinking, collective solutions that accelerate climate action, worldwide,” Herzberg said.

Evgeny Fedotov, Senior Vice President, EMEA, at AVEVA, added: “Collaboration is essential to driving efficient global value chains – collective action is also essential to drive decarbonization. This is why we want to be part of the conversation at COP28 to advance necessary and inclusive climate progress by building bridges across international communities.

“As a driving force toward a more sustainable world, COP28 is a milestone moment for the world to take stock of its progress on the Paris Agreement. We are eager to engage with world leaders, governments, and our technology peers, to drive insightful discussions on how together, we can accelerate the transition to a sustainable future.”

Nayef Bou Chaaya, Vice President MEA at AVEVA, said: “While AVEVA helps industrial customers optimize their existing processes and operations, we drive innovation, opening up new industry frontiers, that leverage emerging green technologies.

“Our software empowers teams with connected insights so that they can make the best decisions at speed, ensuring the resilience and efficiency that in turn drive sustainable success. The positive impact our solutions bring to customers is our single biggest opportunity to make a difference in the world.”

Lisa Wee, Head of Global Sustainability at AVEVA said: “At AVEVA we want to lead by example in the fight against climate change. We have already cut our scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 93% and we are actively working to reduce the environmental impacts of our value chain. We have made significant progress in delivering solutions that are low carbon by design and have in-built capabilities to enable industries to decarbonize, drive circularity and adapt to the impacts of global warming.”

“Exchanging insights and forging partnerships with forward-thinking businesses, governments and civil society leaders is critical to finding solutions that increase the scale and scope of climate action across the globe. COP28 is an ideal forum to have these discussions, given the breadth of stakeholders convened alongside key national and international policymakers capable of actively contributing to our collective endeavor for decarbonization.”

Harpreet Gulati, Senior Vice President, and Head of PI System Business at AVEVA, said: “Harnessing the potential of green hydrogen could avoid up to 80 gigatons of cumulative CO² emissions by 2050, contributing to as much as 20% of total abatement required to drive the net-zero economy. The hydrogen sector will require a new transportation, distribution, and regulatory approach to operate successfully as an alternative fuel. Combining this with the latest digital twin and AI-enhanced capabilities, industries can discover new paths to drive efficiency and decarbonize.”

During COP28, AVEVA executives will participate in various panels aimed at defining a clearer roadmap to a better future through digitalization.