Sammlung von Newsfeeds

By Humphrey Njogu

Africa’s urban transportation is generally costly, unreliable, and ill-equipped to meet the needs of its population. Inefficient and unsustainable transport networks lead to lower productivity gains and can have a negative impact on the quality of life in cities. Conversely, investments in urban transport not only improve mobility through reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, but also lower transport and commuting costs by increasing connectivity between business and residential areas. As African cities grow, policymakers need to plan for sustainable transport to increase both the livability and productivity of their cities.

The African Growth Initiative (AGI) at Brookings has developed a framework that assesses key factors limiting a city’s ability to contribute to the national economic growth. The framework’s ultimate objective is to identify strategies for increasing productive jobs, a central concern in poverty eradication and improving quality of life. As a start, the AGI framework was applied to the city of Nairobi to analyze three primary constraints to its ability to benefit from agglomeration and generate productive jobs: accessibility, the business environment, and public sector governance. This blog focuses on one of the three fundamental aspects that the framework seeks to understand: accessibility and its related elements (such as inter- and intracity accessibility) in enhancing sustainability of urban transportation.

Kenya is home to about 2 million cars and 1.4 million two-wheelers with Nairobi City County accounting for the highest share in the country. Nairobi City County transport is dominated by private cars, matatus (shared taxis), and two-to-three-wheelers (motorbikes and tuk-tuks)—all of which contribute up to 80 percent of total carbon emissions growth each year. Moreover, the country’s carbon emissions have shown a worryingly increasing trend over the last 10 years due to more roads, highways, and car usage. Besides the environmental hazards associated with Nairobi’s current transport system, the city’s current mobility model is also dominated by importation of secondhand fossil-fuel vehicles that require importation of fossil fuels to run them. For instance, Kenya spent over 335.3 billion Kenyan shillings (approximately 2.6 billion U.S. dollars) on petroleum imports in 2021. This attribute is unfavorable on many fronts, including widening the trade/balance of payments deficit and limiting the creation of local manufacturing jobs.

As the number of secondhand fossil-fuel vehicles increases, switching to electric mobility will be an innovative way to build sustainable transport in Nairobi City County. Shifting to electric mobility will also help to reduce the burden of fossil fuels and emissions—essential for better air quality, improved public health, and environmental protection. Furthermore, it will create job opportunities in automotive, electronics, and other supporting industries.

In view of the above, Nairobi City County is laying a strong foundation to support adoption of electric mobility. Kenya is well-endowed with cheap renewable power resources, a key ingredient for electric mobility. Kenya currently generates over 2,700 megawatts (MW) against a demand of 1,860 MW. About 90 percent of the generated electricity comes from renewable sources, which is an improvement from 66.8 percent in 2008. The country’s strategic position near the equator enables ample daily solar exposure of five to seven peak hours that equates to 4-6 kWh/m2/day. Great winds of up to 6 m/s and beyond are also present in specific counties like Samburu, Kajiado, Marsabit, and Laikipia. Despite these favorable conditions, electricity costs in Kenya remain the highest in East Africa partly due to high taxes, inefficiency in transmission, and heavy reliance on fossil fuels in electricity generation.

According to the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (2020), Kenya’s target over the five years to 2025, is to expand the percentage of electric vehicle imports from 0 percent to 5 percent of total vehicles imported into Kenya each year (this would translate to increasing the number of imported electric vehicles by 16,000 per year). Kenya also signed the COP26 declaration on accelerating the transition to 100 percent zero-emission cars and vans. In addition, the national government has identified adoption of electric mobility as a priority action for sustainable transportation.

These efforts notwithstanding, Kenya’s electric mobility sector is still in its nascent stages with an estimated 671 electric motor vehicles in total. The sector is also heavily dominated by two-wheelers that account for almost half of the electric vehicles. However, a recent Mckinsey study points to rapidly increasing demand and estimates that Kenya will transition faster than most countries in the region, with electric vehicles accounting for 60 to 75 percent of all two-wheeler sales by 2040.

Nairobi’s electric mobility is promising based on the demand for electric vehicles, as well as the growing number of related innovations and startups in the last few years. These innovations are primarily driven by private actors based in Nairobi, including BasiGo, Kiri, and Opibus. Currently the city hosts more than six assemblers of electric vehicles focusing on two-wheelers; multiple infrastructure providers for charging facilities; and several interested financiers for mobility solutions.

By switching to electric mobility, Nairobi will derive social and economic benefits from decarbonization, inclusive mobility, improved air quality, and local manufacturing of electric vehicles. To accelerate the adoption of electric mobility in Nairobi City County, the following should be considered:

• Promote investment in key infrastructure to support public charging points and servicing of electric mobility.
• Enhance the efficiency and reliability of supply and distribution of electricity through last-mile power connectivity; increase uptake of renewable energies such as solar energy; reconfigure existing thermal power plants to use liquefied natural gas; and adopt smart technologies.
• Increase financing for local electric mobility startups and innovations by tapping global climate change funds and working with climate change champions to promote take-up and a greener economy.
• Provide policy and tax incentives to local assemblers of two-wheelers, auto assemblers, and support adoption of electric buses, minibus taxis, and private cars.

      

Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung/Antwort Die Bundesregierung berät derzeit im Lichte geopolitischer Entwicklungen in China über den künftigen Umgang mit KfW-Förderkrediten. Das geht aus einer Antwort auf eine AfD-Anfrage hervor.

INCLUDE & ThinkYoung are organising a virtual event on the barriers faced by young people in accessing digital skills education and development.

In an interactive conversation between youth, EU representatives and Kenyan policymakers and digital programme directors , the webinar will explore:

1. The experiences of African youth to overcome the digital divide;

2. Key recommendations to realise the potential of digitalisation for social inclusion and gender equality;

3. Lessons learnt from Kenyan Ajira Digital and Youth Employment Programme to create equitable access to digitally-enabled jobs;

4. Reflections from Christina KOKKINAKIS, Deputy Managing Director for GLOBAL agenda, Director for Values and Multilateral Relations, European External Action Service (EEAS).

You can join the webinar using the link below.

Date & Time:
Wednesday, 5 April 2023

12.00 – 13.00 CET / 13.00 – 14.00 pm EAT

REGISTER

 

 

Digital transformation and digital jobs have the potential to reverse the trend of ‘jobless growth’ in Africa, altering the structure of African economies by investing in digitally-enabled decent jobs. However, it is still unclear what the main challenges and opportunities are in this transformation and which skills are needed to capitalise on it.

To find an answer to these questions, INCLUDE commissioned ThinkYoung, an international youth think tank, to critically engage with the key interrelated drivers and barriers to digital skills development and employment for young people in Africa. The conclusions are now published in the new evidence synthesis paper: Digital Skills for Youth Employment in Africa, authored by Charles Howard (Head of research at ThinkYoung), which sheds light on the question of what digital skills actually are and what is needed to create an enabling policy environment for these.

You can download the paper here.

For a quick synthesis on the context of digital skills in Africa, take a look at the video below, produced by INCLUDE and ThinkYoung

Het bericht WEBINAR: Digital Skills for Youth Employment in Africa verscheen eerst op INCLUDE Platform.

Meldung | 23.03.2023Voraussetzungen für eine Carbon-Management-Strategie Was ist erforderlich für einen erfolgreichen und breit akzeptierten Einsatz von CCS und CCU in Deutschland?

Ende März 2023 startet die Bundesregierung den Prozess zur Entwicklung einer Carbon Management Strategie (CMS): Unter Beteiligung von Stakeholder:innen sollen damit die Rahmenbedingungen für das Nutzen von Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) bzw. Carbon Capture and Use (CCU) in Deutschland und mittelfristig für das Erzielen von Negativemissionen geschaffen werden.

Germanwatch hat gemeinsam mit drei weiteren Umweltverbänden Vorschläge und Erwartungen formuliert, wie eine CMS von einem möglichst breiten gesellschaftlichen Konsens getragen werden kann, um so einen Beitrag zur Klimaneutralität und zum Fortbestand einer wettbewerbsfähigen Industrie in Deutschland zu leisten.

Aktuell

Welche Rolle spielen CCS und CCU bei der Emissionsminderung? Das möchte die Bundesregierung in den nächsten Monaten klären.

Foto: Unsplash / Chris LeBoutillier

Deutsche und Europäische Klimapolitik Deutsche Klimapolitik Entscheider Journalisten Dateianhang

Download: Voraussetzungen für eine erfolgreiche und breit akzeptierte Carbon-Management-Strategie [PDF; 200 KB]

Ansprechpartner:innen Echter NameDr. Simon Wolf Teamleiter Deutsche und Europäische Klimapolitik +49 (0)30 / 57 71 328-74 wolf@germanwatch.org Echter NameDr. Georg Kobiela Referent für Industrietransformation +49 (0)228 / 60 492-74 kobiela@germanwatch.org

Der Beitrag Tikvah Institut: wiss. Mitarbeiter:in (m/w/d): Projekt zu israelbezogenen Antisemitismus, 27.3. erschien zuerst auf Gesines Jobtipps.

Der Beitrag ARIBA: Referent*in (i/m/w/t/*) für das Projekt POWER ME!, 29.3. erschien zuerst auf Gesines Jobtipps.

Der Beitrag Tikvah Institut: wiss. Mitarbeiter:in (m/w/d): Projekt zur prekären Situation des Judentums in der Ukraine, Belarus & Russland, 30.3. erschien zuerst auf Gesines Jobtipps.

Der Beitrag Start with a Friend: Leitung Öffentlichkeitsarbeit im Bereich Migration, Teilhabe & Zusammenhalt, ohne Bewerbungsfrist erschien zuerst auf Gesines Jobtipps.

Der Beitrag ELNET Deutschland: Project Coordinator (m/w/d) im Bereich Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik, ohne Bewerbungsfrist erschien zuerst auf Gesines Jobtipps.

Der Beitrag ELNET Deutschland: Project Coordinator (m/w/d) Innovation, ohne Bewerbungsfrist erschien zuerst auf Gesines Jobtipps.

Der Beitrag ELNET Deutschland: Program Manager (m/w/d) Innovation, ohne Bewerbungsfrist erschien zuerst auf Gesines Jobtipps.

With the SDGs, countries agreed that Peace, Planet, Partnership, Prosperity and People are connected. To maximise synergies and minimize trade-offs, their interactions need to be better understood. While 'SDG interlinkages' are increasingly studied, SDG 16 is rarely covered. This new publication builds on the first, ground-breaking study ‘Connections that Matter: How the Quality of Governance Institutions may be the Booster Shot we need to reduce Poverty and Inequality’ on the interlinkages between SDG 16 and SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequality). UNDP's Oslo Governance Centre and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) have now released this second study on interlinkages between SDG 16 and SDG 14 (Life Below Water). Based on a scoping literature review of 300+ academic papers, the study finds empirical evidence from across the globe that inclusion and participation, accountability and rule of law, as well as transparency and control of corruption and crime can improve the effectiveness of marine and coastal protection efforts and contribute towards the sustainability of fisheries. The study highlights a number of examples, including how governance can regulation, management and enforcement tends to improve marine park conservation whereas lack of enforcement can lead to ‘paper parks’. This publication offers initial policy insights on how to identify and activate governance levers to accelerate progress on SDG 14.

With the SDGs, countries agreed that Peace, Planet, Partnership, Prosperity and People are connected. To maximise synergies and minimize trade-offs, their interactions need to be better understood. While 'SDG interlinkages' are increasingly studied, SDG 16 is rarely covered. This new publication builds on the first, ground-breaking study ‘Connections that Matter: How the Quality of Governance Institutions may be the Booster Shot we need to reduce Poverty and Inequality’ on the interlinkages between SDG 16 and SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequality). UNDP's Oslo Governance Centre and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) have now released this second study on interlinkages between SDG 16 and SDG 14 (Life Below Water). Based on a scoping literature review of 300+ academic papers, the study finds empirical evidence from across the globe that inclusion and participation, accountability and rule of law, as well as transparency and control of corruption and crime can improve the effectiveness of marine and coastal protection efforts and contribute towards the sustainability of fisheries. The study highlights a number of examples, including how governance can regulation, management and enforcement tends to improve marine park conservation whereas lack of enforcement can lead to ‘paper parks’. This publication offers initial policy insights on how to identify and activate governance levers to accelerate progress on SDG 14.

Der Beitrag Stephanus-Stiftung: Sozialarbeiter *in / Sozialpädagogen *in / Sozialwissenschaftler *in, ohne Bewerbungsfrist erschien zuerst auf Gesines Jobtipps.

Der Beitrag Acker: Leitung Kommunikation, Markenstrategie & Public Relations, ohne Bewerbungsfrist erschien zuerst auf Gesines Jobtipps.

On 6 February 2023, Turkey was hit by one of the worst earthquakes in its history. Buildings were destroyed and damaged across the southern and eastern provinces. The official death toll is already over 50,000, and it is conceivable that the real num­bers will be much higher. The earthquake also exposed the scale of political and institutional deterioration in Turkey. During Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s two decades in power, Turkey has experienced an enormous construction boom, evolved into an impor­tant player in humanitarian aid, and become an increasingly important region­al military actor. However, the earthquake revealed that the highly centralised and personalised system of power had weakened state institutions and undermined their capacity to deliver. Turkey needs to reform its disaster management and gov­ern­ance. The European Union should assist the recovery and reconstruction efforts by target­ing aid and using the momentum to mitigate anti-Westernism.