All posts by : Africasn

By Henry Neondo

On Earth Day 2025, the HBCU Green Fund’s Sustainable Africa Future Network convened a dynamic virtual gathering of youth leaders from 16 African countries and across the African Diaspora. With coordination support from its Dakar-based office, the event marked the official launch of the #Road2Belem Action Plan—a unified effort to develop a bold African Youth Climate Justice Statement and raise funds for over 50 young leaders to travel to COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where they will present the statement and advocate for climate equity on the global stage.

“As we head toward COP 30 in Belém, African and African Diaspora youth are building a collective platform that demands climate equity, economic transformation, and environmental sovereignty,” said Illai Kenney, managing director of the HBCU Green Fund.

To carry this effort forward, the HBCU Green Fund’s Sustainable Africa Future Network and its partners will organize a series of virtual roundtables, strategy sessions, and digital campaigns leading up to COP30. These engagements will provide space for broader youth participation and shape the final Climate Justice Statement that youth will deliver in person at the global summit.

“We are issuing an urgent call to organizations, activists, and key actors around the world to sign on and support this vital declaration,” said Vanessa Ngunjiri, of Udgoon Sustainable Development Initiative in Kenya. “Youth can sign on to the statement and the public can contribute to the campaign at hbcugreenfund.org.”

The urgency of this year’s initiative is heightened by the outcomes of COP 29, where international negotiators made significant progress in formalizing Loss and Damage financing mechanisms—a hard-won victory for climate-vulnerable nations. Youth leaders are now pushing to ensure these commitments translate into direct resources for grassroots and youth-led solutions across Africa and the Diaspora.

“A 2024 UNEP report found that 88% of global loss and damage from climate impacts Africa, yet only 2% of global climate finance reaches the continent,” said Denise Ayebare, founder of Better Life International in Uganda.

“We contribute the least to global greenhouse gas emissions but suffer the most severe consequences of climate change,” said Lucky Abeng, founder of the EcoSteward Humanitarian Foundation in Nigeria. “This injustice is a driving force behind our demands for loss and damage funding, debt cancellation, and direct investment in African-led solutions.”

African Youth Climate Justice demand for immediate fulfillment and expansion of Loss and Damage commitments, cancellation of climate-related debt, and direct funding to grassroots youth initiatives. In addition, they called for ending neocolonial carbon offset schemes, ensuring equitable representation, and protecting Indigenous lands and forests through local governance and stewardship and investment in youth-led renewable energy, agroecology, and sustainable industries, with clear pathways for training and employment.

“This initiative represents more than a statement—it’s a movement. We’re building the infrastructure for sustained youth leadership in climate justice across the African continent and Diaspora,” said Saustine Lusanzu, Earthcare Foundation in Tanzania.

This Earth Day convening continues the HBCU Green Fund’s long-standing commitment to youth climate leadership. For more than a decade, the organization has sponsored and prepared youth delegates from countries across Africa to participate in annual UN climate conferences. Its annual pre-COP programming equips the next generation of environmental justice advocates with the tools to influence international policy and push for systemic change.

By Henry Neondo

The Government of Kenya announced Wednesday to have submitted its second Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), outlining its climate change blueprint for the period 1st January, 2031 to 31st December, 2035.

According to Dr Deborah Barasa, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Kenya has successfully met its submission deadline of 30th April 2025, which demonstrates its unwavering dedication and commitment to advancing it global climate action.

“The NDC underscores Kenya’s continued commitment to bold, inclusive and fast forward looking climate action, despite increasing global uncertainty,” said Dr Barasa.

She said this NDC was developed through a comprehensive, whole-of-society approach engaging a diverse range of stakeholders ensuring it captures the country’s diverse perspectives and aspirations.

Under the new NDCs, Kenya government commits to a Climate-Resilient Vision where livelihoods, communities, socio-economic sectors, infrastructure and ecosystems, will thrive despite the current and projected impacts of climate change. The NDC outlines bold adaptation measures, as well as loss and damage measures aligned to this vision.

In addition, the country commits to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 35% by 2035, compared to the Business As Usual (BAU) projection of 215 Million tons of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (MtCO2eq). This translates to an emissions reduction of 75.25 Million tons of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (MtCO2eq) by 2035.

To achieve this target, Kenya will however have to mobilize domestic resources, and deliver 20% of the emission reductions while seeking for international support, including finance, investments, technology development and transfer, and capacity building, as well as participation in carbon markets to achieve the remaining 80%.

It is estimated that Kenya needs USD.56 Billion for Mitigation and Adaptation actions across sectors from 1st January, 2031 till 31st December, 2035, of which, depending on national circumstances, approximately 19% (USD 10.5Billion, at USD2.1Billion per year) of this budget will be from domestic sources.

The implementation of this Kenya’s New Nationally Determined Contribution (2031-2035) is expected to drive transformative economic development and innovation, and inclusive growth across key sectors of the Kenyan economy.

Dr Barasa noted that since the NDC implementation period extends beyond Kenya Vision 2030, it will be revised to align with the country’s forthcoming Long-Term Development Vision once finalized.

She reaffirmed the country’s leadership in global climate change and called upon the international community to support this bold and ambitious agenda which aims to unlock sustainable development opportunities.

In a powerful virtual gathering held under the banner “Africa Unmuted: Powering Climate Action for COP30”, leading voices from law, youth leadership, and mental health advocacy converged to map out integrated strategies for Africa’s climate future.

The webinar, hosted on April 4, 2025, spotlighted bold, interdisciplinary solutions designed to amplify African perspectives. Speakers emphasized the urgent need for legal empowerment, youth-led innovation, and community-based mental health approaches to climate resilience.

Environmentalist and public interest advocate Priscilla Ibadin underscored the importance of robust legal frameworks in advancing climate justice.

She called for widespread legal reforms that prioritize public interest litigation, access to justice, and indigenous knowledge systems. “Law is not just a system of control—it can be a powerful tool for resistance and restoration,” she stated.

Climate advocate Justin Tanyi championed youth leadership as central to Africa’s climate agenda. He called for deeper investment in youth capacity building, digital advocacy, and eco-entrepreneurship. “Young people are not the future—they are the now. Their ideas and energy are reshaping climate discourse across the continent,” he said.

Public health researcher Mureithi Melvin drew critical connections between climate change and mental health, citing increasing cases of anxiety, depression, and trauma caused by environmental shocks. He introduced Mental Health Literacy (MHL) as a strategic tool to build emotionally resilient communities. “A climate-smart Africa must also be a mentally strong Africa,” he urged.

The meeting called for cross-sector collaboration to ensure African voices influence global climate policies and for inclusive systems that recognize the interconnectedness of environmental justice, youth empowerment, and mental health well-being.