Africa’s low carbon entrepreneurs targeted in Ashden Awards

NAIROBI, KENYA: Africa’s low carbon innovators have up to mid next month to apply for Ashden Award now in its 20th year.

The awards highlight outstanding climate innovations, boosting bright ideas that can be scaled up or replicated around the world.

Awards relevant to Africa with the imminent deadline for applications of March 3 include humanitarian energy, cooling in informal settlements, energy access innovation, natural climate solutions (Congo basin, Amazon and South-East Asian rainforest specifically).

Two new awards with a deadline for applications of March 17 are the Ashden Award for energy access skills and Ashden Award for regenerative agriculture.

The organisers are particularly keen to receive applications for the categories of energy access skills, regenerative agriculture and humanitarian energy.

“While too many young people face unemployment or underemployment, new opportunities are opening for jobs in building the low carbon economy of the future. We know that renewable energy generates more jobs than fossil fuels. But we don’t have people being trained up with those skills to power the future economy. That’s why we are looking for exciting initiatives training people in green skills,” CEO Harriet Lamb said of the new Award for skills in energy access.

Referring to the new Award for regenerative agriculture, she said: “Small scale farmers are the heart of the low carbon revolution. They grow our food and they often practice traditional techniques that help store carbon and protect the soil – in fact, the techniques of the future. We are looking for those examples that can inspire others to follow in their footsteps.”

Regenerative agriculture is sustainable farming that nourishes the soil, boosts biodiversity and improves water management – it could bring enormous benefits to our climate, and 500 million smallholder farmers around the world.

Winners will be announced at the international climate summit COP26 being held in Glasgow, Scotland in November.