Asante Africa Foundation at RewireEd Summit – COP28
Finishing the year with positive momentum, Asante Africa Foundation Asante is excited and honored to take part in the 2023 COP28 Conference. Positioned as a pivotal moment, COP28 presents a unique opportunity for global collaboration, recalibration, and advancement toward limiting global warming to 1.5°C, aligning with the aims of the Paris Agreement.
Despite being the least responsible for the climate crisis, children and young people bear the greatest burden, yet they resiliently take action to survive and adapt. We believe that providing them with lifelong skills and opportunities to become champions for the environment can propel a swifter and more equitable transition to a low-carbon economy. The presence of the Asante Africa Foundation at this year’s gathering promises to yield collaborative benefits for both parties as the Foundation works with children in some of the worst affected areas in East Africa.
The upcoming 28th iteration, COP28, will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between 30th November and 12th December, 2023. This year, there will be three attendees from the Asante Africa Foundation – Erna Grasz (Director and Chief Executive Officer), Wevyn Muganda (Deputy CEO, Strategic Partnerships & Development), and Geoffrey Kasangaki (Deputy CEO, Strategic Program Development & Impact). This opportunity will be paramount in building connections and taking another step in a green direction for Asante Africa.
Asante Africa Foundation will bring insights on reimagining and reshaping education to address the challenges posed by climate change and environmental sustainability. Such initiatives are crucial for fostering awareness, collaboration, and innovation in pursuing a more sustainable future. Erna Grasz has been invited to moderate a panel titled – African Union Year of Education, 2024: Catalyzing Skills Potential for a Green Economy in Africa.
The panelists will include:
-
- H.E. Prof. Mohammed Belhocine, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology and Innovation, African Union Commission.
- H.E Pohamba Penomwenyo Shifeta, Honourable Minister of Environment, Republic of Namibia.
- H.E. Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, Honourable Minister of Environment, Water and Climate, Republic of Zimbabwe.
- Mr. Jesper Wohlert, Director, HUMANA People to People (bringing CSO perspective of an organization working with frontline communities in education and climate resilience and adaptation).
Climate change poses significant challenges to rural communities in East Africa, particularly impacting pastoralist and farming communities, along with those residing along Tanzania’s Tanga coast. The region faces threats from extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, and rising sea levels, jeopardizing these communities’ well-being, security, and livelihoods at local, national, and global levels.
Education emerges as a potent tool in addressing the climate crisis, given that most young people globally spend a significant portion of their time in schools. Asante Africa 
Foundation adopts an innovative approach in its Greening Schools and Communities initiative, blending modern technologies with indigenous knowledge and local resources. This approach equips young individuals with the knowledge, green skills, values, and attitudes necessary to take action against climate change.
Recently, youth Innovators demonstrated the green skills and knowledge they have learned through the Enterprise Challenge Online Pop-Up Game to His Majesty King Charles III, who visited Kenya. Another example of youth green initiatives is that of innovators from Uhuru Girls, Turkana, who shared their climate-smart innovation for their poultry farm business at a showcase event for youth development partners in Nairobi, Kenya.
According to this year’s COP28 attendee Wevyn Muganda,
“Climate change is the defining issue of our time, and empowering rural youth with education and skills for a green economy is key to addressing this global challenge…
Asante Africa Foundation will be at COP 28 to amplify the collective voices of rural youth from East Africa in climate action discussions. The time to include the perspectives and experiences of rural communities in climate resilience interventions was decades ago, and the best next time is NOW.
I look forward to connecting at COP28 to share Asante Africa’s approach to greening schools and communities in East Africa in greater detail with like-minded stakeholders.”
WRITTEN BY: Mayuri Goswami