Foresight Africa

COP29 and climate finance: What it means for developing nations and Africa's future?

By Sévérin EKPE, Monroe Dikiny

Introduction

The recently concluded COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, brought together nearly 200 countries to engage in discussions focused on climate finance.

Research and Sustainability Policy: The ACTS Fellowship Journey

By Kibet Tonui

Partaking in the ACTS Sustainability Fellowship Programme is an exclusive learning session that has strengthened my potential to influence climate and sustainability policies in many ways.

From data to dialogue, inclusive science for local change

Gillian Faith Achieng, Joel Onyango, Eric Magale, Maureen Kabasa

Community-centred science communication is a shift from the conventional top-down dissemination of knowledge to a participatory, co-creative approach where local communities are integral to every stage of the research process.

Promoting Nutrition and One Health Approach through Climate Smart Agriculture.

By Monroe Dikiny, Joel Onyango, Priscila Njue & Maureen Kabasa

Introduction

Malnutrition and undernutrition continue to be an enormous global challenge despite several political and financing interventions. A survey conducted in the year 2023 revealed that, in 59 food-crisis countries, 281.6 million people experienced high levels of acute food insecurity resulting from decreased access to nutritious, safe, and sufficient food (FSIN and Global Network against Food Crises, 2024).

Harnessing CRISPR-Gene Editing to Create Disease-Resistant Crops

By Gillian Faith Achieng, Joel Onyango, and Eric Magale

Plant diseases remain a threat to global agriculture amidst growing global challenges such as climate change and population growth. In the Biotech field, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) gene editing technology stands out as a groundbreaking solution with immense potential for developing disease-resistant crops.

Climate Change Mitigation Efforts by the Ogiek Community

By Monroe Dikiny, Joel Onyango & Benard Simiyu.

Overview

Human beings have an intertwined relationship with climate, depending on and impacting one another. This extends beyond the human capacity to rely on modern technology and innovations to solve their day-to-day activities.

Driving Change in Kenya’s Blue Economy: Outcomes from the Blue Empowerment Workshop

By Anne Maina, Benard Simiyu and Joel Onyango

Introduction

The African Union identifies the Blue Economy as the next frontier in Africa's unfolding transformation. According to the World Bank , “Sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem” defines the term Blue Economy. While drastically lowering environmental dangers and ecological scarcities, the concept seeks to increase social fairness and human wellbeing.

What makes ACTS excel in Capacity Strengthening?

By Monroe Dikiny Joel Onyango, Maureen & Salome Okoth

As delineated by the World Bank, capacity building entails strategic investments in individuals, institutions, and practices to propel nations towards the realization of their development objectives. Within the realm of community capacity building lies the essence of self-reliance, cultivated through nurturing social cohesion and security.

Community River Health Management

By Monroe Dikiny, Joel Onyango, Maureen Kabasa & Salome Okoth

Introduction

Rivers are complex systems influenced by physical, social, biological, and governance dynamics, reflecting the interplay of geomorphological, hydrological, and ecological processes. Despite this understanding, addressing river challenges often involves disjointed input from various disciplines.

Decoloniality in Gender and Diversity in Science Communication

By Monroe Dikiny, Joel Onyango & Maureen Kabasa

Introduction

Decoloniality represents a profound movement transcending political and epistemological aims; it seeks to liberate (ex-)colonized peoples from global coloniality. Acknowledging the persistent influence of imperial technologies and colonial power structures on the minds, lives, languages, dreams, imaginations, and epistemologies of contemporary Africans and the global South is crucial. As a result, indigenous and endogenous knowledge has been marginalized, leaving Africa with outdated understandings that obstruct individual and community empowerment.

Bridging Innovation and Market: Effective Technology Transfer and Commercialization

By Kevin Ouko, Nicholas Odongo and Esther Mugera

Overview

On August 8, 2024, the Research and Innovation Management (RIM)[1] Project hosted a webinar themed “Bridging Innovation and Market: Effective Technology Transfer and Commercialization”. The webinar was led by Prof. Tom Ogada, Executive Director of the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) and Principal Investigator for the RIM project as the main speaker.

Powering transition to sustainable energy systems in Kenya: Perspectives of stakeholders about Feed-In Tariffs (FITs) and Renewable Energy Auctions (REAs) policies

Issue 2

May 2024

By Ann Kingiri and Yvonne Gitu

Appraising Technology, Policy, and Governance Options to optimize women empowerment using a Multi-criteria Mapping Approach

Issue 1

By Dorcas Kalele and Joel Onyango

Real-world impact can be realized through action-oriented research approaches as well as through knowledge generated to impact societal technical action. Creation of knowledge for sustainability and achieving real-world impact can be mediated using different methods and tools, especially based on decision theory, to support decision-making processes.

Leadership for climate change: Insights from the ACTS Pathways Academy webinar series

Authors: Monroe Dikiny and Maureen Kabasa

Introduction

All regions worldwide are experiencing and will continue to experience the effects of climate change with varying magnitudes and consequences. The United Nations defines climate change as the long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns, and human activities are the main drivers of these changes (McMichael, 2003).

Shaping a fair and clean energy future: The essence of a just transition

Authors: Erica Atieno, Lindah Kakai, Joel Onyango

Background

Climate change, a pervasive global phenomenon, mainly driven by anthropogenic activities, manifests in far reaching consequences such as extreme weather events, rising sea levels, ecosystem disturbances, and threats to biodiversity.

How Kenya is Transitioning to Electric Cooking: Insights from the Monthly Dialogue on eCooking Solutions

Monroe Dikiny, Mourine Cheruiyot, and Joel Onyango

The energy sector is a critical driver of economic growth in Kenya, with the country's development goals heavily reliant on access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy. Compared with conventional cooking technologies and fuels, electric cooking (eCooking) is a relatively new choice for many households in Kenya.

The Future of Global Environmental Policy: Key Takeaways from UNEA-6

By Gillian Faith Achieng and Joel Onyango

The Sixth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), convened in Nairobi, Kenya, emerged as a defining moment in the evolution of global environmental policy, marking significant strides towards addressing the planet's most pressing ecological dilemmas.

Using T-Labs to find transformative pathways to equitable and sustainable utilisation of Kenya’s Yala and Kingwal wetlands

This blog was originally posted on Water Transformation Pathways Planning website.

Wetlands are valuable ecosystems to humanity. They provide clean water for domestic use, construction materials, and food. Wetlands also protect us from flooding events and help us to combat climate change.

Transforming Climate Innovation Ecosystems: Reflecting on TransCIIT Phase 3 Outcomes and Lessons Learnt

We are thrilled to share reflections on the project outcomes and the valuable lessons learned during this transformative journey. Our mission was ambitious, aiming to institutionalize the matchmaking service at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) and the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC), while also paving the way for a national-level integration in Kenya.

Reflections on Institutionalization of Matchmaking Service at JOOUST

By Solomon Ogara, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST)

Following the completion of the matchmaking activities between the students and entrepreneurs and the development of the matchmaking platform the next phase involved the institutionalization of the matchmaking service at the national level through a policy workshop and institutional level at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) and at the Kenya Climate Innovation Center.