A total of 50 young climate technology innovators and leaders from 19 African countries yesterday, began in Accra, a three-week leadership and professional development training programme in climate solutions.
They are the first cohort of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Climate Tech Innovators and leaders programme sponsored by the United States (US) government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Announced by the US Vice President Kamala Harris during her historic visit to Ghana in March 2023, the programme would help participants to develop social and business solutions to climate challenges using innovative technology.
They are drawn from Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
At the opening ceremony, the US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer said it was critical for all African countries to be involved in finding solutions to the climate issues because 17 of the world’s 20 most climate-vulnerable countries were in Africa.
“The people of Ghana and every country on this continent must be part of the solution. We need sustainable solutions to the climate crisis that rely on innovation and create new industries, new jobs, and new opportunities,” she said.
Ms Palmer said the youth embodied innovative spirit of Africa and the driving force behind the change that were urgently needed and that the participants had been chosen because of their passion in the battle against climate change.
She expressed concern about how climate change was altering ecosystems, affecting economies, and threatening the very future of our planet and the need to collectively mitigate climate change and build a sustainable future.
“Leadership in the climate arena requires more than just technical knowledge. It requires the courage to stand up for what is right, even when faced with formidable obstacles,” she said.
The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr Henry Kokofu, in a speech read on his behalf, said skills development was a crucial element for speedy technology development and adoption.
He commended the US for the initiative, saying the EPA was willing to promote any innovative and sustainable technical ideas that the youth incubate and develop for the world to see.
The Project Director of the RLC, Dr Esi Sey, said the group which was the 45th cohort of the YALI programme were selected out of more than 4,700 applicants thus the need to put their best foot forward.
She said the programme was a collaborative effort of three YALI RLC; East Africa; Southern Africa; and the West centre at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
The GIMPA Rector, Professor Samuel Bonsu, urged participants to make the best of the opportunity to provide sustainable solutions to climate issues in the world.
The YALI is the US’ signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders. Since 2015, the RLCs in Africa have trained more than 7,800 young leaders.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR
