Search

Temperatures in the Sahel are increasing 1.5 times faster than the global average, and around 80 percent of the farmland has lost some degree of its natural productivity. Together, these factors diminish the availability of land for food production or grazing, deplete water, and increase the vulnerability of the people living in the region. 

As the GEF’s Country Relations Officer for Sub-Saharan Africa, Susan Matindi Waithaka is the primary point of contact for government officials and civil society organizations from 48 countries working with the Global Environment Facility to tackle tough challenges. In an interview, she shared how her love of geography and teaching led her to a career focused on building relationships in support of collaborative solutions for the environment. What does your job entail?

How do we address the climate crisis, preserve biodiversity and recover from the pandemic? If a frog is put into hot water, it jumps straight out. However, if the water is at room temperature and then heated, the frog settles and relaxes, becoming so comfortable that it does not react, even at boiling point. The convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate change crisis is probably the last chance to save humanity from this boiling frog syndrome. 

Faris Khader is a UNDP Regional Technical Specialist for Climate Change, based in Addis Ababa. In an interview, he shared lessons and insights from his work expanding access to off-grid renewable energy through the GEF-supported Africa Mini-grids Program.  What are mini-grids and why are they important?

There is no getting around it: the COVID-19 crisis will hit Africa’s people particularly hard. Even if the infection rate remains low, the socioeconomic devastation is already being felt. Access to clean water supply and basic health services remain a challenge throughout the continent, making the containment measures taken by most countries all the more challenging.