26, September 2024
UN Conference on diversity holds in Nairobi 0
A UN conference on climate diversity and desertification, held on the theme “Greening the African Horizon” took place in Nairobi, Kenya, on 17 September 2024 with Africa taking center stage in efforts to restore degraded landscapes, protect biodiversity and build sustainable livelihoods for its citizens.
Dubbed as the GLF Africa 2024 hybrid conference greening the African Horizon, the event brought together thousands of participants from local communities, indigenous peoples, youth leaders and policy makers, as well as innovators to showcase Africa’s immerse potentials.
Speaking at the event, the CEO of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), Eliane Ubalijoro, said that the event was designed to showcase Africa’s immense potential to construct a resilient equitable future through its landscape.
“Together, we have the power to green Africa and beyond- for food securing livelihoods, food security, climate resilience and biodiversity conservation. Land and community are the common denominators for achieving these goals. Though the climate crisis presents immense challenges, Africa holds immense potentials of rich and local indigenous knowledge, innovative solutions, youth leaders, brilliant minds and emerging technologies,” she said.
Also speaking at the event, Elijah Mboko, National Technical Specialist at FAO Kenya said that “As we bring in new tools and approaches, we should look at how to best integrate them into the existing functional systems so that we don’t start from zero to distort what is ongoing on the land. We don’t want to work in isolation; we want to strengthen that system.”
By integrating local knowledge with cutting-edge technology and the latest science, the GLF is creating an AI hub to promote community-driven AI solutions that challenge the status quo. It will connect landscape actors and create interdisciplinary alliances to foster collaboration, innovation and inclusive knowledge.
Catherine Nakalembe, Associate Research Professor at the University of Maryland and Africa Program Director at NASA Harvest, who also attended the event pointed out that Africa needed to design systems that fitted the African context.
“We need to design systems that are appropriate for the context of Africa. We need data from the places that we’re trying to understand to build better models. Let’s say, foe Western Kenya, we need a context-aware model that can interpret intercropping in small-scale practices,” she said.
A key aspect of restoring forest is planting trees, which in turn requires effective tree seed and seedling delivery systems. During a session hosted by CIFOR-ICRAF, panelists and participants emphasized the need to develop a market for demand-driven native tree species to engage communities through participatory approaches and to share knowledge and resources broadly through stakeholder networks such as the nascent Transformative Partnership Platform (TPP).
Also present at the event, the Senior Manager for the Youth Leadership Program at the African Wildlife Foundation, Simangele Msweli, underscored that youths made a critical mass of the population. “70% of the African population is under the age of 35. Youths make up a very critical mass of the population. The biodiversity and climate crisis requires a whole-of-society approach-everyone must take action,” he said.
“There is a need to decolonize how we do climate justice and land restoration. Whatever has happened on other continents, whatever the donors and the granters are saying might not be the solution for Africa. There is a need for Africa to come up with African solutions. There is a need for women to be involved in coming up with solutions to land issues that are upon them,” said Deborah Oyugi, English Countries Manager and Safeguarding Lead at Youth Initiative for Land in Africa (Yilaa).
By Cecilia M. Manjang
3, October 2024
4 Cameroonians in court for falsifying Zimbabwean passports 0
Four Cameroonian nationals appeared in court on Saturday facing charges of falsifying information to obtain Zimbabwean birth certificates and passports. The accused – Duma Ebako Christiana Boyombe (39), Yvette Kum Noam (24), Marvel Ngeyi Tegha (28), and Emile Muya Muya (23) – were remanded in custody by Harare magistrate Fadzai Mthombeni until October 2, pending a bail application.
They face charges of bribery and violating the Birth and Death Registration Act.
Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti told the court that between July 7 and September 16 this year, the accused sent US$3,200 from Cameroon through Western Union to bribe officials at Zimbabwe’s Registrar-General’s Department. The alleged bribe was facilitated with the help of a Zimbabwean, Tafadzwa Chiundiza, who is currently on remand for the same offense.
Chiundiza, working with Leona Patience Funga and an individual known only as Jeff, allegedly paid US$440 to Tawanda Wanira, an employee at the Mt Darwin Registrar-General Department, to fraudulently process birth certificates for the four Cameroonians. The certificates bore fake Zimbabwean names – Christiana Mhereyenyoka, Marvel Chimbwanda, Yvette Maini, and Emile Chingwaru – listing non-existent parents.
The money was reportedly sent to Wanira’s EcoCash account via an agent, who distributed US$90 to Mike Kudzai Chikumba and Titos Mutandwa to expedite the issuance of identity documents at the Epworth Sub-Office in Harare.
Using these fraudulent birth certificates, the four Cameroonians applied for Zimbabwean passports on September 17, which were issued two days later.
Their scheme unraveled when they were arrested at Beitbridge Border Post, attempting to cross into South Africa with the fraudulent documents.
Meanwhile, three officers from the Epworth Registrar’s Office, who allegedly assisted the Cameroonians, are also in custody facing charges of criminal abuse of office.
Source: Bulawayo24