The Young Earth System Scientists (YESS-community) and
The Pan-African University, Institute of Water and Energy Sciences (PAUWES) with the contribution of
Future Earth’s Water-Energy-Food Nexus Knowledge-Action-Network (Nexus KAN) and
the United Nations University (UNU-EHS) are pleased to announce the webinar series on
Sustainable Development in Africa:
The role of science and social engagement in shaping the future of the continent
Africa is the second largest continent in the world and covers approximately 20 percent of the earth land, counting about 17 percent of the total world population. Rich in history, resources, languages and biological and geographical diversities, the African continent is also widely recognized to be one of the most vulnerable regions to extreme weather and climate change impacts (IPCC, 2019). The number of reported disasters, particularly those related to climate change and extreme weather events, has significantly increased in recent decades throughout the continent (World Bank, 2014). In this context, this webinar series aims to explore the challenges and opportunities facing the continent and stress the role of social engagement and science in shaping the future of Africa. This initiative brings together scientists, stakeholders and fresh vision of early career scientists (ECRs).
The second edition of the webinar series of webinars focused on the following topics:
- Innovation in Africa: Is there any choice for Africa but to innovate and institute the entrepreneurship spirit – A moment of reflection during this Covid 19 Pandemic Era
- Untapped opportunities in water, energy and climate change in Africa for youths and women
- Strategies put in place to achieve the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, timelines and the roles of youths
Webinar 1 (April, 2020)
Speaker: Mr. Nazeh Ben Ammar, Carthage Business Angel
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj39k59eF4M
Topic : Innovation in Africa: Is there any choice for Africa but to innovate and institute the entrepreneurship spirit all over.
Summary:
We have the choice but open up our borders as ONE economy and get rid of corruption and install good governance. The after COVID-19, there will be a new world order and it will be more chance for Africa to get rid once for of poverty and ignorance. Copying other economical model will not be the best choice, it has to be a Pan-African model that has to deal with all aspects: infrastructure, transport, education, health, and prosperity
Webinar 2 (May, 2020)
Speaker: Mr. AbdelKader Allali, Morocan Association for Environment and Health
Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg9iZ51ow9I
Topic: Untapped opportunities in water energy and climate change in Africa for women and youth
Summary:
The discussion of climate change, water energy scarcity and gender need to be mainstreamed into the water and energy management question and following the UN Sustainable Development Goals that recognize the need for a broader framework that includes gender equality as a goal. A way forward to ensure sustainability – both social and environmental – can come through empowering women and considering the role gender plays in water conflict and water rights. This should also lead to a progress in the public debate to identify intersecting challenges of women’s rights and environmental threats. Unless the rights of women are tangibly fulfilled in places facing environmental threats, their exposure to risk will remain disproportionately higher. Understanding the specific burden of climate change on women and youth is essential both to find solutions on an environmental level, but more importantly to create a broader sustainable society which shares the burdens of climate change and provides fair access to resources to every member of society.
Webinar 3 (June, 2020)
Speaker: Mr. Foster Nicholas Ofosu, African Development Bank Group
Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlTE16ecfzY
Topic: Post-COVID Innovation Readiness in Africa
Summary: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, African innovators and entrepreneurs had been making tremendous efforts in creating and accelerating projects, all with the view to creating the much-needed products, technologies and business ventures that Africa required. In addition to the existing challenges that African entrepreneurs and innovators faced (e.g. capacity to innovate, the lack of finance and the lack of innovation infrastructure and support from policy makers), the full or partial lockdowns and shrinking market space, which have been resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, have imposed additional challenges. Despite the adverse effects on countries and markets, the current situation also provides a unique opportunity for innovators in Africa to re-think product and technological innovations that will help the continent deal with the pandemic in the short term and, at the same time, propel the continent to greater technological heights. Disruptions in global value chains on which Africa depended for product and technology imports impose a sense of urgency on African innovators to accelerate solutions to bridge the gap created by the market disruptions.
Webinar 4 (June, 2020)
Speakers : Ms Faten Attig Bahar and Dr Claudia Volosciuk, members of the YESS community
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3O_n0e0i_A
An interaction and evaluation session with the PAUWES student on the Second edition of the webinar series Executive Committee member of the YESS community.
Sustainable development in Africa webinar – Edition I (2018 -2019)
For the first edition of the webinar series, a particular focus was given to food, water, energy availability as well as to the adaptation strategy to extreme climate and weather events:
- Sustainable development, air quality and climate change in Africa.
- Securing nexus resources while facing extreme events and the impacts of climate change.
- Roles of early career scientists for Africa’s sustainable development.
- The use of the digital revolution for the sustainable development
The first edition produced the following 4 webinars. Webinars proceedings are available at the following link: http://repository.pauwes-cop.net/handle/1/379
Webinar 1 (December, 2018)
Speaker: Mr Peter Akari, PAKARI Associates Limited and former Chief Policy Officer, African Development Bank, Ghana
Video available in this folder
Topic: Practical and Modern Development Approaches – Integrating Key Issues with Emphasis on Water, Energy and Food Security
Webinar 2 (January, 2019)
Speaker: Professor Kobus Pienaar, iCACGP Commission Member at North-West University, South Africa and Scientific Steering Committee member of the World Meteorological Organization’s Global Atmosphere Watch Programme
Video available in this folder
Topic: Sustainable Development in Africa – How will Africa’s future be shaped by air quality?
Webinar 3 (February, 2019)
Speaker: Dr Cheik Mbow, Adjunct Associate Professor in Environmental Science at Michigan State University and Executive Director at START, USA
Video available in this folder
Topic: Chances and Challenges of Sustainability Science for Africa’s Development
Webinar 4 (June, 2019)
Speaker: Professor Mammo Muchie, DST/NRF SARChI Chair in Tshwane University of Technology
Video available in this folder
Topic: The Digital Explosive Technology in the 4th Industrial Revolution in the African Context: Threat or Opportunity for Solving Globally the Economic, Environmental, Social and Political Problems