Twenty young Africans whose enterprises offer innovative solutions that foster climate change adaptation and resilience have each received $100,000 awards for winning the 2022-2023 African Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge (#YouthAdapt Challenge).
When we save Africa, we save the world; when we save the world, we save it for the youth of today and tomorrow.
Selected from 3,000 entries, the 20 winners will also receive mentorship and coaching.
The awards ceremony took place on 10 November at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The 20 winners participated via video link.
How my award transformed my business --2021 recipient Gislaine Matiedje Nkenmayi
Gislaine Matiedje Nkenmayi, from Cameroon, was one of 10 young Africans who won the #YouthAdapt Challenge award in 2021.
Ms. Nkenmayi manages Muminta Holdings - an agro-processing company based in Buea, Southwest region of Cameroon. The company is involved in tackling the short life cycle in the vegetable value chain.
"The $100,000 we received enabled us to engage with more farmers, from 357 to now more than 700 smallholder farmers, mostly women. The farmers themselves are employing more people," says Ms. Nkenmayi.
"We got into this business because we realised that women vegetable farmers were experiencing heavy post-harvest losses, sometimes up to 90%, because of a lack of storage facilities. They were also facing and vegetable dehydration because of drought caused by climate change.
They have now established 10 low-cost greenhouses through farmers' cooperatives to ensure the farmers can cultivate all year round.
"And we have solar-powered irrigation systems to help pump water from water tanks or boreholes to the greenhouses.
They also provide post-harvest technique training to the farmers and link them to new markets. As a result, the organisation has shortened the time between production and demand.
"More women are now getting involved. We have increased agricultural productivity, empowered more women and boosted climate adaptation," says Ms. Nkenmayi.
The lowest bar is for Africa to feed itself; the high bar is for Africa to feed the world.
The #YouthAdapt Challenge is jointly organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) and the UN Climate Investment Funds (CIF) to "boost sustainable job creation through support for entrepreneurship and youth-led innovation in climate change adaptation and resilience across Africa," according to the AfDB.
The President of AfDB Akinwumi Adesina praised the winners, half of whom are women, for providing innovative solutions to climate adaptation and resilience in agriculture, infrastructure, waste management, and other sectors.
African youth should be the "Vuvuzelas[loud horns] for Africa on climate," he said.
"When we save Africa, we save the world; when we save the world, we save it for the youth of today and tomorrow," Mr. Adesina maintained. "The lowest bar is for Africa to feed itself; the high bar is for Africa to feed the world."
Patrick Verkooijen, the CEO of the executive board of GCA, spoke about the "real climate tragedy unfolding in Africa." He said it was important for the global north to support the continent, insisting that, "The impact of climate change in Africa will not stay in Africa; it will travel the globe"
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Norway's Minister of International Development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, lauded young African entrepreneurs for proffering tailor-made climate solutions on the ground. "Adaptation comes from necessity, but it also provides opportunities for entrepreneurship and jobs," she said.
One of this year's award recipients, Rwanda's Yvette Ishimwe, described the award as "a life-changing opportunity. It will enable us [her business] to provide more drinking water for people and to create more jobs."
Ms. Ishimwe's company, Iriba Water Group, offers an adaptation solution for floods. It collects rainwater from roofs, purifies and then distributes it to women in her country.
The inaugural #YouthAdapt Challenge awards ceremony was held last year at COP26 in Glasgow, benefiting 10 young entrepreneurs in micro, small and medium-sized businesses.
