This episode is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Amazon Music.
Currently, almost one-fourth of the people in the world under the age of 35 are living in Africa. A whopping 60 percent of the continent’s population is under the age of 25. While this booming young demographic comes with a fair share of livelihood challenges, it also presents enormous opportunities for restoring African landscapes through green jobs and new means of sustainable agriculture.
In this GLF Live on 20 April at 14:00 CEST / 15:00 EAT, four young African environmentalists will come together to discuss the efforts they’re making to transform their landscapes to be vibrant, valuable and sustaining not only now but for future generations as well. Moderated by Kenyan environmentalist Wambui Paula Waibochi, Adrian Leitoro, the Global Landscapes Forum’s 2022 Restoration Steward for drylands, Safiatou Nana from the Ouagadougou chapter of the GLFx restoration initiative, and Patricia Kombo, a UNCCD Land Hero, will exchange solutions and discuss what leadership looks like in the African context.
Listen back to the conversation:
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Adrian Leitoro is co-founder and CEO of Nature and People as One (NaPO) and the 2022 GLF Drylands Restoration Steward. He is passionate about conservation and the involvement of local and Indigenous communities in safeguarding and benefitting from the conservation of landscapes, biodiversity and wildlife.
Patricia Mumbua Kombo is a passionate environmentalist, communicator, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Land Hero, Kenya youth representative for World Future Council and the environmental “youth of the year” in Kenya’s Top 35 Under 35 list. Aside from championing advocacy against the climate crisis, Patricia works on sustainable land-use with the aim to end hunger, malnutrition and poverty in rural communities.
Safiatou Nana is a renewable energy and climate change engineer and the chapter coordinator of GLFx Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. Passionate about climate advocacy, renewable energy and environmental protection, she founded the start-up SOLARKOODO, which helps smallholder farmers increase their productivity and reduce post-harvest losses through the productive use of solar energy. The start-up also aims to train farmers on climate adaptation and pollution reduction measures in the agriculture sector.
Wambui Paula Waibochi (moderator) is a Kenyan woman passionate about empowering the public with the knowledge to affect change in their environment. Wambui believes that through the progression of youth’s inclusion in environmental governance, we can build healthy and resilient ecosystems that symbiotically provide dignified lives and robust livelihoods.
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