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2018 achievements in Africa - Environment initiatives

2018 achievements in Africa - Environment initiatives

Ghana

As we make way for 2019, lets take a quick drive through environmental initiatives achieved across Africa in 2018

Our first stop is the home to about 5 percent of the worlds plants and animal species – Madagascar.

$390 million is what Masdacascar makes in a year out of this tourist attraction,nonetheless these animals wallow in pools of threats; from frequent logging to bush meat trade, which could wipe out the primates and their natural Habitat

Conservationists and communities in Madagascar came together to find ways to save these animals;by appealing to conscience and tasking communities to save the country’s biodiversity

According to the the president of the Malagasy primatological society, Jonah Ratsimbazafy, the life cycle of Madacascar’s forest could be under threat.

“All lemurs live in the forest, less than 10 percent of the original forests are left in Madagascar that means that within the next 30 years with the speed of the current deforestation remains the same, there will be no forest life in this country. That means there will be no lemurs left in Madagascar.”

The year also witnessed the exploits of Ghana’s local entrepreneur, Nelson Boateng.

A young man ready to stop at nothing,until he lays to rest the waste management crises in the country’s capital,Accra , by recycling used plastic and turning it into pavement blocks used for sidewalks and roads.

The technology provides a cheaper alternative to other blocks on the market and is also expected to be more durable according to entrepreneur Nelson Boateng.

“Currently we are doing about 700 (tons) plastic waste, now all kinds of plastic waste, the one from the gutter and everywhere. See we are seeing in future we can be doing 10,000 (tons) or 20,000 (tons) in a day to save the environment because if you look at the kind of plastic that the country generates in a day, its more than what we are doing. Our plan in the future is that we can recycle about 70 percent of them a day’‘, he added.

In the Southernmost country in Africa green technology thrived.

Teams from various collages and university battled in a road race using solar powered cars.

They covered a distance between 2,500 and 5,000 kilometres through 18 towns over eight days,from Pretoria to Cape Town

Some enthusiast could not hold back their joy.

“The solar car is something that looks futuristic, so, who would not want to be part of a team that is dealing with something that would sort of solve a problem such as fuel in future, because we want to see us having solar cars just that you drive wherever you want to without having to spend money for fuel.”

Ethiopia was not left out the equation this year.The Ethiopian authorities announced plans to build the first waste-to-energy plant, aimed at tackling a growing waste burden and boost power supply in the country.

The waste would be sourced at the 50-year-old Koshe dump site, Addis Ababa’s main landfill, which is also a lifeline for the residents who find value among the garbage by scavenging for recyclable waste.

What more……

Solar power start-up found its way to Ivory Coast this year…

Hundreds of millions of customers in Ivory Coast who lack reliable access to electricity; the country’s power grid,found the pay-as-you-go Lumos Global’ kits a relief to this daunting challenge.

With $600 in hand,customers pick up a solar panel linked to a battery that supports power sockets, a mobile phone adapter , LED light bulbs and users are just able to access electricity

Although much is done to improve electricity in Africa, with less than 40 percent of African households with access to electricity,it appears much more needs to be done.

It been a great and a successful African environmental year, and we look forward to more mind blowing exploits in 2019.

REUTERS