MY AFRICA: RECLAIMING OUR POWER, REDEFINING OUR VALUE

Tiekie Barnard, CEO of Shared Value Africa & Shift Impact Africa, elaborates on Africa's shift from being externally defined to reclaiming its power and value. She believes Africa is central to the world's future and is finding its voice to lead globally. She calls for investing in and celebrating African businesses, innovation, and excellence without foreign validation. Her piece envisions a proud, purposeful Africa, led by ethical leaders, with youth as a competitive advantage.  

CHAMPIONING GENDER EQUALITY IN MINING AND BEYOND

Joy Ruwodo, head of Shared Value Africa Gender Equality Unit, highlights International Day of Women in Mining, addressing gender inequality and challenges like GBVH in the sector. The SVA Gender Equality Unit (GEU) works to create equitable workplaces across industries, including mining, by providing training, audits, and strategy consulting. She emphasises that gender equality is a business imperative and a collective journey for all sectors.

DEMOCRATISING SUSTAINABILITY: UNLOCKING GREEN POTENTIAL FOR AFRICA’S YOUTH AND SMES

Samuel Mue, Youth Engagement Lead of Sustainable Kenya, talks sustainability, often misunderstood and seen as exclusive, must be for Africa's youth and SMEs. Sustainability Africa, addresses this by using an AI-powered platform to help SMEs assess and improve their sustainability performance practically and cost-effectively, tailoring insights to their context. The transition to a green economy in Africa offers millions of jobs for young people. Stressing the mindset shift towards sustainability as a daily commitment, turning climate risk into economic opportunity by empowering youth and SMEs to lead the agenda from the ground up.  

SAFI ORGANICS: GROWING A GREENER FUTURE AND POWERING CHANGE FROM THE GROUND UP

Safi Organics, a Kenyan agribusiness, revolutionises farming by producing carbon-rich biochar-based fertiliser from agricultural waste, improving smallholder farmers' livelihoods and regenerating the environment. Their model reduces costs and reliance on imported chemicals, increasing crop yields by an average of 30% for over 15,000 farmers. Beyond farming, Safi Organics creates jobs, upcycles waste, sequesters CO2, and enables farmers to earn carbon credits. They are expanding beyond Kenya, aiming to eliminate poverty through profitable regenerative agriculture.  
Written by: Carolyne Kamanzi & Margitte Connan, JamiiTrade Community Members

AFRICA’S ENERGY AND CLIMATE CROSSROADS: HARNESSING RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CARBON FINANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH  

Mahlon Walo, Chairman of Carbon Market Association of Kenya, addresses the critical challenge Africa faces like expanding energy access for over 600 million people while transitioning to climate resilience. Renewable energy offers a pathway to dignity, equity, and sustainable growth. It powers communities and acts as a catalyst for finance and innovation. Carbon finance, through carbon markets, is a key, underutilised tool to fund renewable energy projects by monetising emission reductions. Examples from Kenya show carbon finance supporting clean cooking and solar initiatives. Effective policy frameworks and integrated strategies are crucial to align energy access and carbon finance, transforming renewable energy into shared value for people, investors, and the planet.