Background to the Event

Over the past year, APRI – Africa Policy Research Institute partnered with Mastercard Foundation to collaborate with young African change-makers in different climate-related sectors and map out diverse stories of resilience. Over hours of interviews and conversations, email exchanges, report writing sessions, and podcast recordings, this project has created a collage of lived experiences in some of the places most impacted by the climate crisis. Our shared aim and vision were to shed light on the diverse facets of resilience in practice when faced with these converging challenges in the day-to-day life of young people across the African continent. We are now delighted to present the multimedia outcome to you.

Our priority was to spotlight African youth voices in the fight against climate change and examine young people’s various displays of resilience. African youth are well-poised to lead future efforts on climate change adaptation and mitigation. To breathe life into the concepts and statistics of climate data, we have set out on a mission to uncover and amplify the names and stories of some of those living amidst and contending with Africa’s changing climate, shifting demographic landscape, and developmental advancements and setbacks.

The project weaves narratives and research together to examine youth-centered climate resilience across agriculture, health, technology, education and activism, acknowledging where those topics converge and linking them with cross-cutting issues including gender, vulnerability, data gaps, social negotiations, and funding. Those findings are synthesised in the project’s report, and creatively represented on a new website, both of which APRI is launching with this event. In addition, we are shining light on the podcast series which accompanies this launch and features the stories of five interviewees in greater depth and in their own words at APRI’s official podcast, The Africa Hour, hosted by APRI’s Executive Director Dr. Olumide Abimbola.

Event Format

The event will take place online. There will be a live Q&A at the end via a chat moderated by APRI.

The Speakers

Scholar Dike
Keynote Speaker

Scholar Dike is a Consultant, Strategic Communications Expert, and Program Enumerator at the Tony Elumelu Foundation in Nigeria.

Mohildin Bushra
Panelist

Mohildin Bushra is a Media and Communications Officer at the Sudan Urban Development Think Tank (SUDTT).

Richard Matey
Panelist

Richard Matey is the Climate Lead at the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) in Ghana.

Given Patrick Mwakatungila
Panelist

Given Patrick Mwakatungila is a Communications and Advocacy Officer at the Center for Community Initiatives (CCI) Tanzania

Moderation

Dr. Olumide Abimbola
Moderator

Dr. Olumide Abimbola is an Executive Director at APRI - Africa Policy Research Institute.