Sustainable Initiatives by African Non-State Actors on Agenda of Virtual Workshop

Rabat – Sustainable initiatives carried out by non-state actors in the sectors of agriculture, food and reforestation in Africa, were on the menu of a virtual workshop, held Thursday by the Paris-based association Climate Chance.

On this occasion, the Director for planning and sustainable development at the municipality of Dakar, Ndeye Ndack Pouye, presented the micro-gardening initiative in Dakar, a project introduced in 2006 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Micro-gardening consists of tabletop vegetable gardening with small, simple and inexpensive production units adapted to high-density urban neighborhoods, explained Ndack Pouye, who is also a member of the Convention of Mayors for Sub-Saharan Africa (COMSSA).

“This initiative targets mostly women (83% of beneficiaries) and youth (50% of beneficiaries are under 36 years), and we are trying to popularize it at the level of centers for people with disabilities, detention centers and schools, “she noted.

For his part, Jean Goepp, director of Nébéday, a Senegalese association for environmental protection, stressed the importance of tree planting, an initiative that will ensure a safe and sustainable future.

“We need young people to grow up with a love of trees,” said the head of Nébéday, a Wolof name for the Moringa tree that symbolizes life.

The founder and executive director of Women in Nature Conservation Organisation (WINCO) Emem Umoh said that under the “Stubb’s Creek” project, her organization has established activities related to sustainable development and forest development in Nigeria.

“We have also done a follow-up program for women, launched a tree replanting campaign and an awareness campaign in schools to learn how to reduce the impact on the climate,” Umoh said.

Moderated by Evra Radek, in charge of events and coalitions at Climate Chance, this meeting is part of a cycle of online workshops, which invites key witnesses to discuss the main issues facing their sectors of activity to ensure the continuity of their climate actions and move forward on the various roadmaps of the association’s coalitions, in this context of pandemic.

Created in 2015, Climate Chance aims to strengthen the climate action of local authorities, businesses and civil society by networking actors and sharing practices, defend and disseminate priorities and common proposals and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the Paris Agreement.