Digitalising agriculture: Bridging the gender gap

Livestock farmers in rural Ghana are receiving veterinary services delivered to their door at the tap of a finger when they register with Cowtribe’s app.

In the pastoral northern regions of Ghana, as in many African countries, women bear the responsibility for providing and caring for the household. 

As livestock farming is the primary source of income, this includes rearing farm goats, sheep, and poultry. However, the high prevalence of disease often leads to the death of their animals. 

To help farmers fight livestock disease, Cowtribe – a winner of CTA’s 2018 Pitch Agrihack – has developed a digital on-demand and subscription-based service, which delivers livestock vaccines to rural farmers.

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https://spore.cta.int/en/dossiers/article/ghana-digital-vaccine-delivery-service-sid0f8cd8489-ff6d-4c69-aebd-d779263b5715 

Ghana commended for renewable energy commitments

The Ghanaian government has been commended for the commitment to promote renewable energy in the country’s power generation mix.

In his 2019 State of the Nation Address, President Akufo-Addo announced that the seat of government, the Jubilee House, will from August 2019 be powered by solar energy.

This initiative would serve as an example for other public institutions.

“Government is committed to achieving an electricity generation mix that ensures diversity and security of energy supply. For this reason, we will continue to promote the deployment of renewable energy in line with our policy target of 10% renewables in the energy mix from the current 1%,” said the President.

Civil society group, Abibiman Foundation, has welcomed the President’s pronouncement, considering the efforts made by the government to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, and SDG 13 – Climate Action.

“When honoured, it will demonstrate the President’s commitment to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially as he is the Co-Chair to the UN Secretary General’s Sustainable Development Goals Advocates,” said Kenneth Nana Amoateng, Executive Director of the Foundation.

In 2016, Ghana ratified the Paris Climate Change Agreement to pave way for the implementation of its Nationally Determined Contributions (GH-NDCs).

The GH-NDCs seeks to develop a policy framework that integrates adaptation, mitigation and other climate related policies within broader development policies and planning in order to safeguard developmental gains from the impacts of climate change and build a climate resilient economy.

Ghana’s solar energy programmes include the attainment of utility-scale solar electricity from about 22.5 megawatts to 250 megawatts by 2030.

In addition, 200,000 solar systems for households, commercial and government facilities in urban and selected non-electrified rural communities will be installed and 55 mini-grid electrification systems with an average capacity of 100 kilowatts established.

Abibiman Foundation has urged the government to step up commitments to increase the proportion of renewable energy by 10% in the total national energy mix by the 2030 deadline.

“Ensuring the efficient production and use of renewable energy in Ghana is paramount to the country’s development. Even though we commend the government for its effort in working towards the attainment of universal access to energy by 2020, we believe a lot more could be done through improved access to various renewable energy technologies,” said Kenneth.

Most parts of Ghana enjoy high levels of solar irradiation all year round due to the abundance of sunshine. Yet solar energy only contributes 1% to the energy mix, as opposed to 59% from fossil fuels and 40% from hydro.

The Energy Ministry initiated the Solar Rooftop Programme to promote the use of solar power for government and public buildings to reduce expenditure on utilities.

"The Ministry is leading by example with the installation of a 65-kilowatt solar rooftop system at its premises," President Akufo-Addo said.

Civil Society expects a comprehensive plan to roll out the programme to include ministries, department and agencies as well as metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.

“We want to pledge our support to the government and its efforts to drive and improve the use of renewable energy in the country. Additionally, we will complement government’s efforts by creating awareness to drive adoption, improve advocacy and the deployment of various renewable energy technologies across Ghana,” said a statement from Abibiman Foundation.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

VideoReport: Kumasi Children’s Park begs for revival

The Kumasi Children’s Park is begging for revival as the enclave turns into a den of criminal activities.

There have been several talks about private-public sector interest to resuscitate the recreational park.

But this quest to support children’s development has yet to become a priority.

Kofi Adu Domfeh visited the park to assess its state and engage with residents.

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African leaders tasked to focus on climate-related security risks

Researchers at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) have released a new essay that gives impetus for the African Union (AU) to refocus on climate-related security risks and build a broad support to appoint a dedicated AU Special Envoy for Climate Change and Security.

This comes ahead of the 32^nd Summit of AU Heads of State on 10–11 February in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which is on the theme “Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa”.

Clearly in 2019, the AU wants to increase attention to the root causes of forced displacement and bolster the capacity of AU Member States to tackle the problem and create sustainable strategies.

As SIPRI researchers point out in a new essay, migration and forced displacement are only symptoms of broader social, political, economic and ecological ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors. “Especially in Africa, climate-related change is one of the most serious push factors,” says Dr. Florian Krampe. He stresses that “to address the push from climate impacts, there is a need to not only better comprehend but, to better respond to climate-related security risks.”

The AU is critical in showcasing leadership and developing adequate responses to climate-related security risks.

Vane Aminga argues: “The responses will require an integrated approach that combines knowledge on climate risks and the social and political realities of the regions.”

As the SIPRI essay shows, despite rhetorical steps and statements—including the proposal of a Special Envoy for Climate and Security in May 2018—the AU lacks a tangible policy framework that lays out specific actions on how to respond to climate security within the its peace and security framework.

Being the most vulnerable continent to climate change—inextricably linked to the continent’s peace and security—Africa is in need of a clear climate security strategy and strategic leadership.

Part of this should be the appointment of a Special Envoy to Climate Change and Security which could help widen the understanding of climate-related security risks within the AU.

“The idea of the Special Envoy is apt and an opportunity to pre-empt migration and forced displacement,” says Krampe. “Moreover, this will provide an opportunity to ‘climate-proof’ the AU’s peace and security architecture”.

Reviving dying land is doable by 2030, UN review concludes

Reviving damaged lands and the livelihoods of people affected by desertification, land degradation and drought can be possible by 2030, according to participants who attended the intergovernmental committee that reviews the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Participants at the 17^th Committee to Review the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC17), in Georgetown, Guyana, stated that the speed at which countries are implementing the Sustainable Development Goal target of land degradation neutrality puts it within reach, and stated two other reasons.

The process of setting the target at the country level has drawn in other land-related sectors at the country-level, and triggering positive change. In addition, countries are spending more money on activities to contain land degradation and desertification and to manage drought effectively.

In the four years since countries reached the agreement to achieve land degradation neutrality (LDN) by 2030, 120 of the 169 countries affected by desertification, land degradation or drought have started identifying where to reduce the risk of degradation and where to recover degrading land. The process of setting the 2030 country targets for LDN has broadened action to other land-related sectors.

As a result, the Committee was able to review the first-of-its-kind global assessment of land degradation by governments, which is based on quantitative earth observation data collected and analyzed in at least 127 countries. The assessment’s uniqueness lies in that countries are working to measure and monitor three essential indicators of land degradation in the same way over the same period, so that the status of LDN can be determined for the globe.

Based on the assessment, the Committee laid out a range of actions that address issues such as land rights, drought and gender equality, for governments to consider and agree on when they meet in October of this year in New Delhi, India, during the 14th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP14).

“We have seen a sea-change and huge progress” since the Convention was negotiated in 1994, said Monique Barbut, the UNCCD Executive Secretary, during the closing of the meeting.
“With a tiny budget we’re getting things done. We have the LDN fund up and running. We have LDN projects taking shape in more than hundred countries.  A project preparation facility with the other Rio conventions is in the pipeline. Drought plans are being developed in nearly 50 countries. Land degradation and drought are recognized in the Global Compact on migration as key areas of concern,” Barbut said.

Countries said “LDN is a visionary target” and expressed their satisfaction with this first collaborative analysis and assessment of land degradation. Many countries praised the achievements in data gathering and stressed the added value of the provided tools, which facilitated the use of national data to derive the indicators of land degradation using internationally standardized methodologies. However, many also called for the improvement of the tools, training in their application and support to generate more detailed national data.

Barbut, whose term as head of the Convention ends in February, admitted she “was very suspicious and very tough about UNCCD and what it could achieve” in the very early days when she was part of the team that negotiated the three Rio Conventions on climate change, biodiversity and desertification.

“But the potential of this convention has only just started to be realized,” she said, and urged countries to use their creativity and imagination to help amplify UNCCD and help it reach its full potential and stressed that “it is not an impossible ambition.”

The Committee thanked the outgoing Executive Secretary for her contribution to raising the visibility of the Convention at a global level.

In a statement released yesterday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked Barbut for “her outstanding commitment and dedicated service to the Organization,” and announced the appointment of Ibrahim Thiaw of Mauritania as her successor.

The CRIC has met for its 17th session with 94 countries in attendance.