RSB expands footprint in Africa with new projects, members
Reflecting our commitment to regional representation, RSB’s drive for new members across sub-Saharan Africa in the first part of 2019 has seen us welcome 3 new organisations to our community: Solidaridad Network – Southern Africa in South Africa, ICENECDEV (International Center for Environmental Education & Community Development) in Cameroon, and the Addis Ababa Institute of Technology in Ethiopia.
By joining RSB, these organisations add to a wealth of global expertise and regional voices to help shape the future growth of the bioeconomy – a sector that will impact livelihoods, food production, conservation, water and human rights for generations to come as countries and organisations around the world seek to address climate change.
That Africa is well-represented in RSB’s community is key to ensuring that regional voices and expertise can guide the development of our standard and ensure that the emerging African bioeconomy is not tied to the same social and environmental abuses that have been seen in previous cycles of resource exploitation on the continent.
“At Solidaridad we believe that moving from petroleum based fossil fuels to renewable energy is a bold step forward towards ensuring a sustainable future. Accelerating the actualisation of this vision requires audacious initiatives driven by partnerships. The RSB platform provides a great opportunity for innovative partnerships for impact”. – Nqobizitha Ndlovu, Regional Climate Innovation Lead, Solidaridad Network – Southern Africa
RSB’s commitment to working in Africa is advanced by our collaboration with WWF South Africa, in a project supported by the The Boeing Company. Fuelling the Sustainable Bioeconomy aims to help the aviation industry and the wider bioeconomy sector play a leading role in tackling the threat of climate change, creating jobs, stimulating economic growth, developing rural livelihoods and protecting the environment. Ethiopia and South Africa are key focus areas for the implementation of the project – with regional impact also expected.
“ICENECDEV is proud to join RSB’s network to contribute and advance the transition towards green and low carbon economy within the context of the Paris Climate Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).” – Eric Fongoh, General Co-Ordinator, ICENECDEV
Welcoming new members on the continent will be key to ensuring that our work reflects experiences, expertise and voices that can guide the development of socially and environmentally sustainable responses to the threat of climate breakdown.
With a focus on developing regional tools and solutions to guide the development of the bioeconomy, RSB’s work includes the development of a bioeconomy platform for South Africa and a national sustainable biofuel roadmap in Ethiopia. Committed to job creation, sustainable development and locally relevant solutions, RSB’s partnerships with local organisations will ensure regional expertise and voices are front and centre of the project.
About our new members:
Addis Ababa Institute of Technology is the leading Institute of Technology in Ethiopia and functions with special autonomy from Addis Ababa University. It aims to educate competent graduates and researchers in Engineering and Technology by advancing relevant, innovative and creative teaching, research and technology transfer to foster social and economic development of the country.
ICENECDEV is a Cameroon-based organisation building a global grassroots movement to raise environmental awareness, promote education and support community development programs by sharing practical ways in which people are addressing environmental conservation issues.
Solidaridad Network – Southern Africa manages programmes in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia that contribute to its vision of a sustainable and inclusive economy that maximises the benefit for all.
