Over 1.3 million Nigerians have been displaced by the floods, which have killed at least 600 people, destroyed more than 200,000 homes, and hit 32 out of the country鈥檚 36 states. The floods are the worst for more than a decade and have wiped out crops, disrupted drinking water supplies, and turned capital city Lagos into an island surrounded by floodwaters.

Speaking last month during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington, DC, Mai Farid of the fund’s African department warned about the impact of the floods, which have also hit Cameroon and Chad, on transport, food production, and prices.

Farid noted that Nigeria is part of the most food-insecure region, the region most vulnerable to climate change and yet the least prepared. She urged the government to invest in infrastructure and technology to help prevent and mitigate the impact of floods and other climate-related natural disasters in the future: “Rebuilding better is something that countries need to take into account since climate change is not going anywhere and is inevitable.鈥�

Nigeria is Africa鈥檚 most populous country and largest economy. Even before the latest flood, it聽 faced rising food insecurity as a combination of a mostly informal agriculture sector and growing population puts pressure on the country鈥檚 food resources. According to the , food insecurity increased from six percent of the Nigerian population in 2007 to 13.4% in 2017.

The agriculture sector is the largest contributor to the Nigerian economy and聽. However, according to the United Nation (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization, food production in Nigeria is undermined by a number of factors, among them poor planting material and insufficient use of fertilizer, which leads to a growing reliance on food imports.

To help address these issues and support smallholder, the Convention on Business Integrity鈥檚 for-profit arm Innovations Limited, or CBiIL, chose the solution to support 850,000 small maize producers and integrate them into the agricultural value chains.

While West Africa, like Africa as a whole, is still heavily dependent on agriculture, it is home to some of the world鈥檚 fastest growing mega cities like Lagos, so urbanization and the associated environmental issues are top of mind, particularly among young adults.

The region also has a reputation for leap-frogging old technology — first mobile technology and now with cloud computing. In Nigeria itself, the number of mobile phone subscribers is forecast to grow to more than 140 million by 2025 from about 40 million currently.

As Africa鈥檚 largest oil and liquified natural gas (LNG)聽 producer, Nigeria is on the front line of the debate over sustainable development in the West Africa. It is also a key market for 麻豆原创, which counts among its customers Nigeria LNG, which operates six LNG liquefaction units, and Dangote Group, the conglomerate founded and run by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote.

The group鈥檚 Dangote Cement unit already publishes an annual sustainability report, part of Aliko Dangote鈥檚聽 personal commitment to build 鈥渁 socially responsible and impactful business that serves all stakeholders.鈥� Dangote is also close to completing the Dangote Refinery, the world鈥檚 largest petroleum refinery capable of processing 650,000 barrels of oil per day. When it comes online, the $20 billion refinery will enable Nigeria to process most of its oil instead of exporting crude to be refined overseas.

鈥淲e are having conversations with Dangote about some of our sustainability solutions and how they measure their impact on the environment,鈥� says Titilayo Adewumi, regional sales director for West Africa at 麻豆原创.

Nigeria LNG is also committed to sustainability and is Africa鈥檚 largest LNG exporter, but has recently been operating well below capacity because of a number of factors, including under-investment in recent years and endemic crude oil theft. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 address this, we will not get out of this quagmire that we are in,鈥� Nigeria LNG Managing Director recently warned Philip Mshelbila. Speaking last month at a conference in Lagos, Mshelbila also acknowledged that the flooding has reduced the gas supplies from the company鈥檚 upstream suppliers, though he said Nigeria LNG鈥檚 facilities remain unaffected and its capacity to produce LPG is intact.

Companies in Nigeria also have to grapple with unreliable electricity supplies and frequent power outages, a problem that business leaders say has led some manufactures to relocate to neighboring Ghana, which has a much more reliable electricity system.

Ghana is the regional leader in addressing plastics pollution and circular economy issues. A groundbreaking between the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), and 麻豆原创 in Ghana is increasing visibility within the plastics supply chain with the hope of benefiting people, companies, and the environment.

The project involves more than 2,000 Ghanaian waste pickers and makes use of an adapted version of 麻豆原创 Rural Sourcing Management to measure the quantities and types of plastic they collect. Data is then analyzed and matched to market-related prices paid throughout the value chain both locally and internationally.

Ghana generates an estimated 1.1 million tons of plastic waste every year, with only five percent collected for recycling. This new pilot project is currently running in several cities across Ghana, with hopes of expanding to the rest of the region and ultimately the continent through the GPAP-Africa Regional Coordination Working Group, which includes 麻豆原创.

Across the region, the bulk of 麻豆原创 customers are choosing cloud solutions rather than on-premise technology and 麻豆原创 seeks to help customers deliver on their climate goals by creating greater efficiency, transparency, and accountability of carbon and emissions across the entire supply chain and innovating new processes and business models.

But 麻豆原创 Africa Managing Director Cathy Smith and other experts caution that while sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues are an increasingly important part of the conversation among governments and corporate leaders, it is important to recognize that customers in Africa often have other — perhaps higher — priorities.

In particular, they say business leaders need to be persuaded that sustainability makes good business sense and will ultimately benefit the company, economy, and people.

鈥淲e lead by asking about their business priorities, and then we fold in sustainability,鈥� Smith explains. “It’s just a different approach.”

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 News Center.

The post African Voices: Creating a Sustainable and Inclusive Future for West Africa appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

Paying a High Price

Everyone suffers from climate change, but some regions suffer disproportionately from its negative consequences. Africa contributes only three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the least of all regions. Yet increasing temperatures, extreme droughts, and floods threaten human health and safety, food and water security, and socioeconomic development in Africa.

African leaders meeting recently at the called on their counterparts from wealthier nations to increase funding for projects to help them adapt to climate change. This topic was already addressed at the COP26 meeting last year, where world powers for developing countries to around $40 billion a year by 2025, but .

“If we want our continent to thrive, we have to adapt to climate change — and to achieve this, financing needs to start flowing at scale,” said Ghana President Nana Afuko-Addo at the summit. The African Development Bank has already committed half the amount needed for the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, but African leaders are looking for the world’s big CO2 emitters to step in.

These discussions will be the focal topic at the 27th Convention on Climate Change this month in Egypt. With a volatile geopolitical backdrop dominating world dynamics since early 2022, leaders at COP27 have their work cut out to around climate.

In the meantime, businesses can play a key role in improving people’s lives.

Harnessing the Power of People

By 2050, Africa will be home to some of the world’s largest cities, including Lagos and Kinshasa, and a $29 trillion economy. The continent boasts the largest youth labor market in the world and is at the forefront of digitalization and cloud technologies. Tech-savvy young people equipped with the right skills and vision can dramatically impact productivity and sustainability, making education and vocational training vital to success.

While connectivity has improved over the last decade, its reach varies. About 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity, and frequent power outages keep the existing supply unstable. Political, economic, and social instability exist in many countries, but the most significant problem remains the high unemployment rate across the entire continent.

“In a world where one employee may be supporting ten family members, sustainability and compliance to environmental, societal, and governance factors may seem a luxury,” says Cathy Smith, managing director of 麻豆原创 Africa. “African enterprises don’t want their growth to be hampered by restrictions from outside their region. At the same time, they realize the need for greater efficiency, lower costs, and less waste in running their business. It’s common sense.”

Africa is vast and diverse. Whereas some countries like Kenya, Ruanda, and Nigeria have digitally savvy populations striving towards digital transformation, others depend on traditional industries such as mining and oil and gas, where change happens at a slower pace. Small and midsize businesses remain the backbone of most economies on the continent.

Businesses have never been a more critical player in responding to significant global volatility, disruption, and conflict. Still, regional enterprises must develop at their own pace based on their strategic objectives and customer needs.

Understanding Human Needs

Like elsewhere, consumer behavior shifts have impacted the African continent since COVID-19. As opposed to many Western countries, where consumers focus more on sustainability, African shoppers are more concerned with household spending. According to a on South African Consumer Outlook, brand loyalty has weakened as consumers more frequently select the lowest-priced product to meet their needs and budgets.

“It’s very critical for consumer goods companies to ensure their portfolio accommodates the changing circumstances of shoppers,” Smith says. “Our job is not to mandate how those companies manage their green lines. Our job is to help them move beyond disconnected, piecemeal approaches and use technology’s power to build inclusive, sustainable, and resilient value chains.”

That said, shifts in consumer behavior toward sustainability are not impacting Africa. According to by De Beers Group, sustainability considerations are now on par with price and design for consumers when purchasing diamonds. While there is undoubtedly a dark side to how people have acquired their sparkling stones, the upside is that the industry creates high employment levels and contributes significantly to the GDPs of the countries producing them.

As quoted in the report, De Beers Group CEO Bruce Cleaver says the research provides important insights on how sustainability factors influence consumer attitudes toward diamonds. A tipping point is happening: sustainability is no longer a trend; it’s already one of the critical considerations in diamond purchases.

Finding the Right Balance

For business leaders, it is a matter of weighing the pros and cons and finding the right balance to benefit people, profit, and the planet. In addition, government policies need to align all relevant parties. Consistent collaboration among governments, businesses, and partners can help maintain the sense of urgency required to ensure the well doesn’t dry.

This approach will help African enterprises of all sizes in all industries chart a sustainable path for the future.

For more information on how 麻豆原创 helps companies record, report, and act on their sustainability goals, visit .

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 News Center.

The post African Voices: Governments, Financial Institutions, and Businesses Must Collaborate to Achieve COP27 Climate Goals appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.