In anticipation of COP28 – the United National Climate Change Conference – which takes place later this month, we speak to food and beverage conglomerate, PepsiCo about the significance of the conference, and how the company is tackling its climate change goals.



Multinationals worldwide have begun the process of reviewing their business and operational strategies in order to meet their net zero goals.



With COP28 set to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 30 – December 12, FORBES AFRICA speaks to Eugene Willemsen, CEO for PepsiCo AMESA (Africa, Middle East and South Asia) about the company’s agricultural strategies, its focus on renewable energy and growth prospects on the continent.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Q. In terms of COP28 and PepsiCo, what&#8217;s the premise behind this? What are your plans for the upcoming conference?



A. COP28 is a crucial event for not just PepsiCo, but for the world. I think everyone is seeing the impact that climate change is having on everything from food security to people being displaced, etc. At PepsiCo, we firmly believe that we have a role to play to create a more sustainable world, and I think that is also embedded in our positive vision and strategy that we rolled out a couple of years ago.



There are a few elements within that strategy that are, for us, critical. One is positive agriculture. The second is positive value chain and the third one is positive choices. As we look at COP28, in particular, the focus is going to be primarily on the first two of those pillars. Within positive agriculture, we have committed ourselves to convert the equivalent of the agricultural land that we&#8217;re using to grow our crops. We work with about 100,000 farmers across the world and we want to convert the equivalent of the land that we&#8217;re using with these farms to grow our crops to regenerative agricultural practices.



On positive value chain, this is very much in focus for COP28. A few key focus areas there – as a company, we&#8217;ve committed to become net zero, across our entire ecosystem, by 2040. If you then break that down –agriculture is, for us, one of the important drivers of our emissions. The second area that we need to work on is packaging, which is another contributor to our emissions. And there, we&#8217;ve pledged to significantly reduce the amount of virgin PET, so we will reduce that by 50% by 2030, per serving. That means that we need to establish proper recycling infrastructure, especially, in the markets that I&#8217;m responsible for, but also start including recycled PET within our packaging footprint to ensure that we create this circular economy for packaging. Within the Africa, Middle East and South Asia (AMESA) sector, we now have established the right legislative framework in most of the markets, in the sense that recycled PET is allowed to be used for food grade consumption.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="567" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Tshego-Selepe-agribusiness-manager-at-the-Kgodiso-Development-Fund-helping-with-the-first-planting-at-a-model-farm-in-Kakamas-Northern-Cape-South-Africa-1024x567.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60163" style="aspect-ratio:1.8059964726631392;width:542px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Tshego-Selepe-agribusiness-manager-at-the-Kgodiso-Development-Fund-helping-with-the-first-planting-at-a-model-farm-in-Kakamas-Northern-Cape-South-Africa-1024x567.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Tshego-Selepe-agribusiness-manager-at-the-Kgodiso-Development-Fund-helping-with-the-first-planting-at-a-model-farm-in-Kakamas-Northern-Cape-South-Africa-300x166.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Tshego-Selepe-agribusiness-manager-at-the-Kgodiso-Development-Fund-helping-with-the-first-planting-at-a-model-farm-in-Kakamas-Northern-Cape-South-Africa-768x426.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Tshego-Selepe-agribusiness-manager-at-the-Kgodiso-Development-Fund-helping-with-the-first-planting-at-a-model-farm-in-Kakamas-Northern-Cape-South-Africa-1536x851.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Tshego-Selepe-agribusiness-manager-at-the-Kgodiso-Development-Fund-helping-with-the-first-planting-at-a-model-farm-in-Kakamas-Northern-Cape-South-Africa-2048x1135.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tshego Selepe, agribusiness manager at the Kgodiso Development Fund helping with the first planting at a model farm in Kakamas, Northern Cape, South Africa</figcaption></figure></div>


We have been and are working with other stakeholders to set up and further scale up proper collection and sorting mechanisms. And also we&#8217;re working with suppliers to secure a sufficient supply of recycled PET and we have now launched, in nine markets, recycled PET with our packaging footprint. We&#8217;re now in the process of further scaling that up and adding a few other markets to the roster.



And the third one, of course, is in our manufacturing and logistics setup. There, the focus is to drive towards renewable energy. That&#8217;s going to be a big focus area for us, again, as we look at COP28, for discussions with governments and other stakeholders.



Then the last focus area for us is on water, where we’ve pledged to become net water positive, and again, making good progress on that by reducing water usage consumption as much as possible, but also leveraging our technologies to help others save on water.



Q. With the countries and the markets you&#8217;re involved in, what kind of practices are you implementing to improve the livelihoods of farmers in those areas?



A. As I said, globally, we work with about 100,000 farmers – that&#8217;s from very large scale commercial farmers, like you would have in the Midwest, to smallholder farmers in, whether it be India, whether it be the African continent. Especially in the sector that I&#8217;m responsible for, we have tremendous experience working with small-scale farmers. We have a lot of know-how in terms of how you can reduce water usage, how you optimize the use of fertilizers, the best type of fertilizers, but also how we can work with those farmers to improve their yields. We&#8217;ve deployed that across many markets in AMESA, definitely also in Egypt and South Africa, as well as in Ethiopia.



In South Africa, one of the other things that we&#8217;re doing, as part of the financials acquisition, is we have made available a development fund, which is R600 million (approx. $32.7 million) in total. [Half of that] is specifically earmarked for agriculture, and with a focus of including emerging farmers into our value chain, and helping them with tools, with skills building, and with that, hopefully, also create better livelihoods for them, for their families and for their communities. That is one of the areas that we&#8217;re very much focused on in South Africa.



Q. With your renewable energy practices, what are some of these you&#8217;ve implemented or are implementing?



A. Net zero has many different components, because we have emissions across that entire value chain, but if you specifically look at what the focus is, and when it comes to our manufacturing and logistics setup, within manufacturing, the aim there is to move to renewable energy sources. That will be through investments in solar energy, using wind energy as well, where possible.



The big unlock that we need to still see happen in many of our markets is the establishment of power purchase agreements, so that will help us generate energy through renewable sources. And when we&#8217;re not in a position to use that energy, we can put it back on the grid. When we need energy from the grid, we can take from it. That is the ‘wheeling arrangements’, as they&#8217;re called, that is not yet in full force in most of the markets in AMESA. That is a big focus area for us in the discussions with local governments.



Second – when it comes to our fleet – you&#8217;ll see us investing in electric vehicles, in order to ensure that our fleet, over time, also becomes a fleet that is not using fossil fuels anymore, but is using renewable energy as the main source, to transport our products and raw materials.



Q. Let&#8217;s talk about opportunities in Africa, and then in the AMESA region in general. What are you seeing in terms of growth and expansion?



A. It spans about 45% of the world population. It&#8217;s a very young population. There is also an opportunity for us, as we look at that growth, to create very positive impact in the communities where we operate. And that is, again, linked to some of the work that we&#8217;re doing with farming communities, because, specifically for our foods business, we need to source crops, and we largely want to source those crops locally. The region as such, I think, offers a lot of opportunity for growth.

Eugene Willemsen

How This Global Company Is Pushing for Regenerative Agriculture And Renewable Energy In Africa

The East African country of Rwanda is deepening its economic and investment ties with the UAE, its leading trade partner that it has now signed five new deals with.



Anyone who has visited both Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) long enough will be able to testify to the striking similarities between the two countries – pro-progress leadership, a readiness for innovation, an enabling investment environment, the important status accorded to women in nation-building, and the safety, stability and security they offer investors, citizens and tourists.



The two nations may be over 4,000km apart, but all of these common nuances and traits converged at the Rwanda-UAE Business Forum that toured the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Dubai in February.



The delegation from Rwanda’s private sector, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Rwandan Embassy in the UAE held roadshows to explore investment and trade opportunities between the Middle Eastern hub and the surging East African nation, known as “the land of a thousand hills”.


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<figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Emmanuel-Hategeka-the-the-Ambassador-of-Rwanda-to-the-UAE-pic-supplied-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57916" width="461" height="308" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Emmanuel-Hategeka-the-the-Ambassador-of-Rwanda-to-the-UAE-pic-supplied-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Emmanuel-Hategeka-the-the-Ambassador-of-Rwanda-to-the-UAE-pic-supplied-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Emmanuel-Hategeka-the-the-Ambassador-of-Rwanda-to-the-UAE-pic-supplied-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Emmanuel-Hategeka-the-the-Ambassador-of-Rwanda-to-the-UAE-pic-supplied-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Emmanuel-Hategeka-the-the-Ambassador-of-Rwanda-to-the-UAE-pic-supplied-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Emmanuel Hategeka, the the Ambassador of Rwanda to the UAE, photo supplied</figcaption></figure></div>


“The UAE is currently Rwanda’s leading trade partner,” said RDB CEO Clare Akamanzi in her opening address in Sharjah on February 22 (interview on next page).



“Over the last ten years, trade has grown ten-fold to reach $1.09 billion in 2022 from $100.4 million in 2012. In 2022, exports accounted for 53% and investments have equally grown at a tune of $248 million and more are in the pipeline.”



What is in the pipeline for the hilly East African country with a population of 13 million (about 65% under the age of 30) and as the sixth fastest-growing economy on the continent, is a vision to transform itself into a globally-competitive knowledge-based economy. The UAE is a strategic market. Emmanuel Hategeka, the Ambassador of Rwanda to the UAE, tells FORBES AFRICA the objective of the forum was to provide “a match-making platform” for business partnerships between Rwandan and UAE business executives in various sectors.



The key areas of investment, business and trade between the two regions include agriculture, mineral processing, hospitality, logistics, financial services as well as energy.



As for commodities, major exported goods and merchandise from Rwanda include precious or semi-precious stones and precious metals through Dubai as a hub, horticulture products, and products of the milling industry. Rwanda imports from the UAE mainly include petroleum oils, motor vehicles including used cars, machines, wires, telephone sets, recording machines, furniture and other equipment.



The February forum witnessed the signing of five key MoUs including the establishment of the UAE-Rwanda Joint Business Council and a collaboration between the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Private Sector Federation – Rwanda (PSF).



“The value of such MoUs is beyond mathematical calculation… These MoUs are significant instruments that have created a conducive business environment for the two countries,” says Hategeka. The five-day event culminated on February 25 with a tourismdriven golf tournament connecting both communities socially.



There are over a 1,000 Rwandans resident in the UAE, mainly in the global trade hub of Dubai. Attracting high-end tourists from the UAE to Rwanda is also a top priority.



“In 2022, RwandAir operated its maiden cargo flight to UAE and currently operates two flights weekly carrying mainly fresh produce inbound and electronics on the outbound leg. DP World’s (the Emirati logistics company) inland port in Kigali and the regular RwandAir Kigali-Dubai flights provide flexible maritime and air transport means.



“The daily Kigali-Dubai flights by RwandAir provide a convenient mode of transport for travelers from the UAE and GCC,” adds Hategeka.



Reuben Mbonye, the airline’s Country Manager in the UAE, concurs: “We are now looking at upgrading the route with wide-body aircraft and also increasing the cargo flights out of the UAE… The airline plays a very central role, there is no way you can discuss development without it.”



The road ahead also includes collaboration in new areas including sustainability, space, the fourth industrial revolution and artificial intelligence.



This is something the UAE, home to more than 200 nationalities and one of the safest and most investor-friendly countries in the world, is equally looking forward to. Abdul Aziz Shattaf, the Assistant Director-General for the Communications and Business Sector at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, affirms to FORBES AFRICA: “We are very excited and hope our bilateral trade will increase!”



<h2 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="h-shared-ambition-and-vision">‘Shared Ambition And Vision’</h2>



WHERE DO YOU SEE BILATERAL TRADE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS?



It will be accelerated by working together. I think with these kind of meetings, people come and we hope to do even better. And as I said, if we could do 10 times growth over the last 10 years, why not have the ambition to do 10 times more in the next 10 years?


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<figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RDB-CEO-Clare-Akamanzi-pic-supplied-1-985x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-57915" width="362" height="376" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RDB-CEO-Clare-Akamanzi-pic-supplied-1-985x1024.png 985w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RDB-CEO-Clare-Akamanzi-pic-supplied-1-288x300.png 288w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RDB-CEO-Clare-Akamanzi-pic-supplied-1-768x799.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RDB-CEO-Clare-Akamanzi-pic-supplied-1-1477x1536.png 1477w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RDB-CEO-Clare-Akamanzi-pic-supplied-1-1969x2048.png 1969w" sizes="(max-width: 362px) 100vw, 362px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">RDB CEO Clare Akamanzi, pic supplied </figcaption></figure></div>


THE OTHER COMMONALITY YOU HAVE IS THE GENDER AGENDA. PSF RWANDA AND THE EMIRATES BUSINESSWOMEN COUNCIL HAVE SIGNED A PACT. DO ELABORATE.



There&#8217;s no way you can prosper without fully including 52% of the population that women constitute in Rwanda. For us, that has been the logic of bringing them to the forefront, and politically, we have done so well in terms of number of women in Parliament (61.4%) and cabinet (52%). 



Businesses are also catching up. The more women do business, the more inclusive society becomes and the more prosperous because they have a lot to contribute.



WHAT ARE THE NEW OPPORTUNITIES THE SIGNING OF THESE DEALS WILL ACTUALLY BRING FOR BOTH REGIONS?



I am very pleased that the Private Sector Federation Rwanda and Sharjah Chamber of Commerce are going to collaborate even more. It&#8217;s really important for us because Dubai and the UAE in general are important partners… Every country grows because of trade and being able to source products from reliable markets, but also to sell products is really what helps countries prosper. Dubai has a lot of experience; it trades in billions and billions of dollars, is one of the top five export markets in the world… But we want them to do more than trading. We also want them to invest… We share a lot in common, values really, the first is clean governance and clean processes. And I think the second is this whole concept of ambition, vision, excellence and the commitment to those things. The third is the commitment to innovate, and do things in new ways. And also digital infrastructure supporting businesses. So I think innovation, excellence, ambition, vision, as well as governance are what make it easy for businesses to do what they do here in the UAE, but also in Rwanda. Put all that together and we&#8217;re committed to making our people more prosperous, and making businesses thrive. Let&#8217;s work together because we share those values… we&#8217;re investing a lot of resources to build relations with the Middle East.



WHAT’S YOUR MOST FAVORITE PART OF THE UAE?



You know, that&#8217;s a very tough question. I just enjoy seeing the real estate and housing. The innovation and digitalization here are out of this world. And also the entertainment and the restaurants.

The Kigali Convention Centre adorns the night in Rwanda; image by Renuka Methil

From The Land Of A Thousand Ideas To A Global Trading Hub: New Rwanda-UAE Ties

The 12th annual Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture took place in Cape Town, on October 7, the Archbishop’s birthday. Amina J Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), spoke at the in-person event, themed ‘A Vision for Hope and Healing’. Key in establishing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she has worked as Special Advisor to the former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and was formerly Nigeria’s Minister of Environment. She elaborated that while more people are in poverty, denied basic rights, with the climate crisis crossing all borders, social cohesion fraying, inequalities, increasing xenophobia, nationalism and hate speech, it doesn’t have to be this way. The planet has irreplaceable resources and renewable energy, she said, and we’ve never been so connected by technology, living as long, or with as many women in positions of power. More in this interview with FORBES AFRICA:



Q: You spoke a bit about the fourth industrial revolution at the lecture, and you also spoke about decolonizing hundreds of years of education meant for other people. What do you imagine that to look like?



A: I think it starts first of all for from where we create access to education, and the curriculum that we put in place for it. And we talk about the scientific basis that we find we must have in early childcare. I think early childcare is not in a classroom, but very much in Africa today, it needs to start with adult literacy and mothers because as African women, and in our cultures – our children are with us until they’re three, attached at the hip, if you would.



So I think that we need to find creative ways of bringing education into the home, and not taking kids to institutions at that early age. So early childhood education, for me, is one transformation that happens together with a mother [for] that bonding in the community, where we say that Africa is brought up by a village and not by a couple of people. So, really bringing that community learning into early child care.



Then, building on that, the primary and secondary education that we need. One that really looks at that intrinsic value of education to a person, a person&#8217;s identity from their cultures, their religion, the good practices – so we don&#8217;t throw the baby out with the bathwater – we&#8217;re always referring to harmful cultural practices, and we never look at it from the positive side. And that we move on from things that we did not know were so harmful because they were so cultural, or so male-vested. And we need to move on. But there are some good things there.



And then really, to begin to build the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy, by putting the digital in front so that we&#8217;re not waiting until ‘oh, Africa is ready, or Africa has the resources right at the beginning’. Our ambition is for each child, as a global citizen, and not just an African citizen, but to bring that whole technology and learning into an environment. What I&#8217;m trying to say is that as we learn to have pride and independence of one&#8217;s being, how that contributes from the inside out. So you&#8217;re not just looking at capacities and skills to connect to the outside world without understanding anything about who you are, and the part that you play in your own ecosystem.



I do this because I was part of an education system that did this, although I have to say that we had a broader education. But as years have gone on, that curriculum has become loaded. It has lost its core. And I think people are struggling with who they are, and who they are is such a contradiction to people who want us to join this global family. And I think that we are richer for it if we identify with what we really are. The question of diversity for me is far deeper than the narrow, silo approach that we are seeing on diversity now.



The diversity piece has lost its meaning, because we&#8217;ve sort of pigeonholed different parts of our society that are different, and will choose to live differently. And what we need to see is healthy respect, and that these are the threads of our human fabric. And as such, each thread matters, each thread makes the fabric stronger, not weaker. So the less threads we have, that we leave behind, the weaker that fabric. And I think if you say that to people, then they see themselves in the fabric. It&#8217;s not you against us. And that&#8217;s what really draws me to the Arch [Desmond Tutu]. Because I think he really taught us how to respect what&#8217;s behind our skin. It&#8217;s us, it&#8217;s human beings. And as you&#8217;re born, you&#8217;re incredibly free of everything, and depending where you land, is what shapes you.



Q: You spoke about this at the lecture with your vision for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in light of all of the global and local conflicts. You termed it the ‘world in crisis’, how do you think Africa can move forward?



A: I think essentially, we&#8217;ve got to have a few conversations with ourselves. And there has to be a huge amount of courage that what you&#8217;re doing is shaping the future. I mean, concretely, shaping that future for your people with what you know is the right thing. And this is our leaders, and I&#8217;m saying leaders at different levels, because the leaders that we point to and look to as inspirations and heroes, they&#8217;re all gone now. And I don&#8217;t know who we point to, to replace them. Because today, we&#8217;re so critical of the person, we&#8217;re so judgmental of the person, and we miss the message that that person carries.



I think people like the Arch and Madiba [Nelson Mandela] always recognized their failings. And so people didn&#8217;t have a chance to throw any stones at them. What came out was ‘okay, I&#8217;m not perfect, I&#8217;m not God, but these are the things that I believe in, these are the things that I will fight for’. So as human beings, what we look to is what they stood for. And I&#8217;m not sure today that we give so much grace to leaders. And I think that we have to think and listen to what the leader is saying and doing, rather than judge what&#8217;s in the closet. Everybody&#8217;s got a closet, and some worse than others. But if that person takes a good message that does no harm, that brings people together, that forwards Africa, we need to find that community.



We have a responsibility as followers to get behind them to do the right thing. So conversation, really serious conversation. Whether it happens in the African Union [AU], and I have to tell you that in the AU, when leaders try to get together to have a closed-door meeting, the international community wants to be in on it. Even I, as an African, say to people, ‘oo, I&#8217;m the United Nations’. That&#8217;s their conversation they need to have. I can have a private one as well, as a brother or sister conversation to them. But in this piece here, give them space, because every one of them has baggage, and that baggage is colonial. And many of them are tied to it inextricably, and it&#8217;s hard.



So what common ground can they come together on to move us forward? And I think that the fact that we&#8217;re seeing no solidarity with Africa right now has actually empowered a conversation. I think the United Nations has been helpful for a sanguine Economic Commission for Africa that did a lot of work with the Minister of Finance. So they were able to take the issues in an international arena and argue them, and it&#8217;s quite difficult for our people to do that because essentially, they&#8217;re in their own bubble, fighting the day-to-day challenges of broken democracies and an incredibly different set of difficult situations, conflict, etc.



Q: At the lecture, you were also speaking about the need for self-determination; what does Africa need to do for that?



A: I think we&#8217;ve been told what to do and what&#8217;s good for us. And we have to come back and determine what is good for us. That&#8217;s why I said for education, it&#8217;s really important we think about that. And we think about what skills are going to put a kid, from when they get into school for 15 years, to the workplace? Is it the skills of tomorrow?



Then you hear what&#8217;s going on in South Africa with AI, and you&#8217;re thinking, ‘okay, what is the transition going to look like? How do we build that capacity? How do we look at the financial architecture, which was really built for another era, and not for our development – [what about] access courses or even profiting from the natural resources that we have, so that we can build?’ And so it&#8217;s going to be complex, because we are many, and our issues are very complex.



We need to think, ‘what is the low hanging fruit for a politician that is bound by a four or five-year cycle of democracy and elective office, to one that is longer?’ Longer term means you need institutional memory; that means that the services the institutions need to be able to carry us through these different cycles of elections.



The policy somersaults that we are feeling right now, I guess they feel them in the United Kingdom, they feel them in countries in Europe now that are going so far right from being so far left. So, it’s important, and then I think that, the more we educate people, the better constituencies we have for engaging. You can&#8217;t engage with one person, one vote, when there is quite frankly, a lack of education as to understanding why the vote, and what&#8217;s my vote worth? Is it $5? Or is it educational reform, and health services, and things that are my rights, that&#8217;s what my vote is. So it&#8217;s a little bit of a journey, as you know, the long road to freedom – the road is still being tracked.



Q: Is there anything else you&#8217;d like to anecdotally share on the issues you spoke about either in the lecture or about achieving the SDGs?



A: There are so many. Climate for me is the biggest challenge that we have, and opportunity. So when a farmer says to me that this is not about a flood, or temperatures, it&#8217;s about ‘I wake up in the morning



and my crop is gone because of a dust storm, and that dust storm has come because of drought, and my farm is gone, my livelihood is gone’. And then the livelihoods of all these Maasai women and men that I met, their livelihoods, their cattle have died. You see the carcasses on the road. And we don&#8217;t want to talk about that much. But that&#8217;s assets that have just been taken away. And so when Kenya is dealing with that, they&#8217;re saying, ‘okay, right now, the private sector is coming in, and we&#8217;re asking them to put a fund together, so they buy the cattle before they die’. So there are resources for that community, for the hard times, and they can replenish stock. Then we have put things together that will help us to build back with a level of resilience.



Those are real stories. They are real situations that have to sometimes find their way into the media, into the headlines. Not so much the misery of it, but the way that we can prevent it and then link that to the 1.5 degrees. I think there&#8217;s a disconnect between science, the 1.5 degrees and the reality on the ground. We need to link it, we need to say a third of Pakistan is underwater, because we&#8217;ve just had floods that are melting glaciers, and we can tie that to China, and it&#8217;s industrial pollution. We can do all this. So how do you tell the story?



I listened to an elder just three days ago, and his eyesight had gone. And all he said was ‘we&#8217;re very grateful for what you&#8217;ve been able to give us here, but there&#8217;s a lot of people you can&#8217;t see that haven&#8217;t been able to get to this’. And the first thing he said was women and people with disabilities. And it just made me think, ‘wow, this person right now is not talking about can we have more for me and my tribe’, which is what generally gets into a story, he’s been very specific about the people that are being left behind, that we don&#8217;t see.



I think he&#8217;s given me fodder for my advocacy. Because when I go back into those sterile rooms, that somehow craft language that I don&#8217;t understand, and many people don&#8217;t understand, we can break it down. And this is where I think the partnership with the media is so important. This is a new partnership that we need to have.

Batet Receives Un Deputy Secretary-general, Amina J. Mohammed

‘What We Need To See Is Healthy Respect, And These Are The Threads Of Our Human Fabric’: Amina J Mohammed On Diversity, SDGs, Climate Change and Africa Moving Forward

When she speaks, the world listens. Melinda French Gates is one of the most powerful advocates for women and girls in the world and co-chair of the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation, which has, over the last 10 years, spent at least $10 billion to benefit sub-Saharan Africa. In an exclusive Zoom interview with FORBES AFRICA, she speaks about the 2022 Goalkeepers report, on female economic power, building food systems and the bright future of young people on the continent.



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Q. Your foundation has just released the Goalkeepers 2022 Report: The Future Of Progress that tracks the progress of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There’s data and diligence, but seven years in, how are we doing? Has anything changed?



A. These goals were set because they’re ambitious. We were making substantial progress on a number of them before the pandemic hit. But I’m sorry to say that since the pandemic, it has set back every single goal that was set. That’s how devastating this pandemic has been. So we need to take that in as a world and say ‘that’s a setback, but also what’s possible’. And I think one of the things that still makes us hopeful as a foundation is we see the incredible progress that was made before: the deaths of children under five going down, malaria going down, and more people on HIV/AIDS treatments than ever before. And we believe that we can make progress again. But as a world, we’ve got to invest now, because unless we do, you’re going to see millions of people who do not get their livelihoods back or do not reach their full potential because of the devastating impacts.



Q. You visited Africa in June, your first visit post-pandemic. What were your learnings in the rural parts? What were the innovations you saw on the ground, in particular, from young people?



A. The cell phone! In some places, it’s the smartphone, in some places, a plastic phone&#8230;I am seeing that when women get cash put in their digital accounts, it changes their economic power. For instance, in Niger, when women got that money on their phone, they were 70% more likely to go to the market, they bought 15% more grain. So we’re seeing the protection of having it on their phone – somebody doesn’t take it, their husband doesn’t use it for something else. That’s an innovation we didn’t have 15 years ago in this development space. I’m also seeing young people have great ideas for business. I met a young woman in Senegal who started a company with her female business partner, and they’re collecting rubber tires from around the city that used to collect water and breed mosquitoes. They’re crushing them, selling them to cement factories, they’re using them so that the rubber goes under the pitch of the football field. And they’ve got orders from all over the continent now, they can’t keep up. So we’re seeing like in Senegal, 31% of businesses are being created by women, but they only have less than three and a half percent of access to capital. So we need to open capital up to women, so they have it in the informal sector but also the formal sector. I see this incredible ingenuity and potential, but we’ve got to do the right things to unlock it.



Q. In your report, you say gender equality depends on women having power, not just empowerment. Can you elaborate?



A. Having economic power means you have resources in your hand, wherever they come from – the informal sector or formal sector – but you have them in your hands in a way that’s specific for you, and you get to spend them the way you think is right. Often, women know the right thing to do is to spend it on more food for their family, or buy a bicycle for the child who needs it to get transported to school. When you can make a decision about your own resources and you have them, that’s economic power. And women spend their resources differently. We need to make sure that women are supported in the right ways to have digital money at their disposal. 



Q. &#8230;And also supported in terms of caregiving infrastructure, which brings me to the question of childcare and about Africa lagging in terms of quality healthcare for women. We’ve had telemedicine and all the new technology coming up during the pandemic, but in your home visits to the rural areas, what did you see?



A. Women are demanding healthcare, they know they need it. They’re saying, ‘I have to walk so many kilometers to get even decent healthcare, I get there and the supplies aren’t there’. Again, an innovation that I saw in Rwanda was a company called Babyl, where women can call in on their cell phone and ask questions. There’s a whole symptom tracker; they talk to a nurse, they talk to a doctor. Young girls are calling



in and asking about their sexual and reproductive health and where they can access contraceptives, so that privacy is an innovation that takes some of the pressure off the health system&#8230; because some of that can be handled over the phone&#8230; we’re seeing innovations there that can help. And then you’re absolutely right on the caregiving side, I see it in my own country, and I see it across Africa. I met several, many impressive female scientists in Senegal, and they’re saying ‘I could only get my doctorate degree because there was a childcare solution available to me, or the place that I’m working, I’m demanding childcare on site’. We have to solve the childcare crisis. If we want women to work, and they want to work, they have to have a safe and affordable place to put their children.



Q. In the US, what’s the buzz around African ingenuity and innovation at the moment?



A. I think we need to remind people there’s this vibrancy in Africa, and we are seeing it in the cultural space, in the music, people are being exposed to it and there are amazing African artists. We need to remind people what stimulates business



– having access to capital. We haven’t solved that in the US yet; there is access to capital for men, but women still in the US have trouble accessing capital. As we open that up, we need to remind people that in emerging markets, in low- and middle-income countries across the continent of Africa, there are amazing ideas, and we need to have access to capital there too. Again, in Senegal, I met a woman who had started an accounting business, she sold it to one of the Big 8 accounting firms. And she’d started a women’s investment club. And she was not only teaching women how to start a business, she was making sure they had access to capital. I’ve seen the same thing in other places like Kenya; those are all ways we can start to see that entrepreneurial spirit that people already have, and make sure their businesses get funded and started.



Q. It is an unfortunate reality that there is a lot of gender bias in the investment landscape in Africa. How do you think industry, the private sector, the business world, the billionaires of Africa, need to start thinking differently to channel those investments to purposes that are very imperative not just for Africa, but for the world?



A. I think as we now finally have data and are collecting data about women, people are waking up. Presidents, prime ministers and heads of companies who are starting to realize that ‘I sell more product if I have women at the creative table creating products that benefit everybody, and not just males in society’. So we have to make sure they all come together and start to see that their business is going to be better off. We actually know we can grow the economy by trillions of dollars if you bring women into the formal sector, right? The only way is to make sure they have a solution for their childcare needs. As a world, we expect women to care for the children. But unless they have safe and affordable childcare, they can’t take that great accounting job, that great tech job, and they can’t work in media. So we got to have that solution for them if we’re going to draw them in. And in the informal sector, there are so many things we can do to make sure they have access to credit, to make sure that women are seen and are on registers. Having data on women’s lives is imperative. And it’s something we can all contribute to.



Q. In the Goalkeepers report, Bill Gates writes about the war in Ukraine and that there should be investments in agriculture R&amp;D. This is where climate change also enters. And it is the largest threat to food production, especially in Africa. What kind of innovation or innovative thinking is needed to address the current food crisis?



A. There absolutely is a food crisis, the hunger is just growing across the continent. That’s because 14 African countries rely on wheat from Ukraine and Russia to feed the population. What do we need to do? We absolutely have to give humanitarian aid to people going hungry today, and of the people going hungry, 150 million of them are women who are food-insecure; of all the people who are food-insecure, three out of five are women. We have to address the humanitarian crisis, and we’ve got to build the food systems. There are seeds that are drought-resistant, that are flood-resistant, seeds that deal with crop problems and being able to predict that, using those innovations and [to make sure] they reach not just male farmers, but also female farmers; 50% of the farmers are also women, if you get this whole system working right, Africa can actually feed itself. And it’s completely possible.



Q. What excites you most about Africa today, what is the future of the continent for you?



A. It’s seeing young people say ‘I not only want to reach my full potential, I can and here’s how I’m going to do it’. There’s this entrepreneurial spirit that exists. I see it in Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, South Africa&#8230;when you start to see these businesses created for the economy, and the young people are also thinking about climate change early. And they want to do it for their generation and for those who have come before them. Human ingenuity is what’s going to lift up the continent. And when you pair that with the innovations that they have, and the ideas, you can see an incredible amount of lift coming for the continent from them.



Q. You have young daughters as well. What do you tell them about having a voice?



A. I tell all three of my children – two daughters and a son – use your voice, use your education, use your intelligence to give something back to the world and lift someone else up. My youngest daughter is 19. She spent three weeks in Rwanda. I was there for part of the time with her. She saw the most remote parts of the Rwandan health system, and says ‘how do I get my generation in the US focused on these issues on the continent, how do we make sure my generation sees what I am lucky enough to see in my travels, and that we do something about it’. I talk to all three of my children about using their voice, and using their generation to help lift up everybody.



Q. If you were to wear a businesswoman’s hat, what is the advice you would give young African female women entrepreneurs coming up? What are the qualities that they should have?



A. You have a lot of potential and ideas; do not let anyone tell you that you can’t live your dream. When you’re a young female entrepreneur, even in my own country, or in Africa, you have a lot of people who will put your idea down or say ‘that won’t sell or I’m not going to fund you’; you’re going to hit barriers, women hit far more barriers than men do. Keep going, your ideas are worth it, and you’re going to find people who are there to support you.



Q. When are you coming next to Africa?



A. Sometime in 2023. I need to get to Southeast Asia at the end of 2022. But I certainly will be back on the continent. I love being there, any chance I get, and I missed being on the continent during the pandemic.



Q. Any one country here you are really looking forward to that you’ve not visited?



A. That would be like picking your favorite child. I think I’ve been to maybe 30 African countries. I’m always trying to go to a new one just so I make sure I’m going around in different regions. But then I like to revisit certain African countries too because I want to see the progress and what’s possible. So we’ll see.



Q. You earlier mentioned culture, do you follow African music, and the art scene here?



A. I do. And of course, YouTube makes that incredibly easy. But then when I was in Senegal, I actually got to meet with some of the young female designers who are making new fabrics and some of the artists and it’s just amazing to see the vibrancy that’s there and how they’re trying to support the rest of West Africa. So I love that!

Clinton Global Initiative September 2022 Meeting – Day 1

‘Incredible Ingenuity And Potential In Africa’: An Exclusive Interview With Melinda French Gates

Spotify Monthly Listeners: 505K YouTube Total Average Views: 21 Million SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORTH Instagram: 465K Twitter: 96.7K Facebook: 2.4 Million TikTok: 37.4K



The winner of five Grammys with 14 albums to her name, Angélique Kidjo is one of the greatest artists in international music today. Time Magazine has called her “Africa&#8217;s premier diva” and she has cross- pollinated the West African traditions of her childhood in Benin with elements of American R&amp;B, funk and jazz, as well as influences from Europe and Latin America. She recently released Queen of Sheba – it’s on Spotify – with Ibrahim Maalouf from Lebanon. In an exclusive interview with FORBES AFRICA from Paris, Kidjo says she is right now, in a moment where “things are blooming in her inspiration zone”. She talks life, work and the road ahead for her – and African music. Excerpts:



Q. At age 21, you became a star in Benin, with the album Pretty. But you had to quietly flee your home for Paris at 23, because of the regime that took over in Benin. It was Paris in the 1980s and you were at the prestigious jazz school, CIM. How did you connect with African music? What were you influences at the time?



A. My permanent influence in my music until now is always the culture and tradition of my country. The magnificent thing I learned from my musical journey doing my trilogy album tracing back the roots of slavery through music, is that there&#8217;s not one music in which I don&#8217;t find Africa, it does not exist. We live in Africa not knowing and realizing the power of our culture, how we have ruled the music on the planet. People can say no to it, but it&#8217;s okay. That fact is it’s never going to disappear. Because we are all from Africa – homo sapiens came from Africa. And for me, in that journey, looking back at my culture was something that empowered me the most. I wrote a song called The Sound of the Drums. Because I have to come back, after all this, I said to myself, ‘I have got to figure out if I am dreaming, if I am fantasizing, I am romanticizing the power of my drums and the music of my continent and my country’. And I went back, the awe was still there&#8230; And I&#8217;ve been booed, been bullied and asked ‘is this classical music, you can’t say this’, and I say ‘I will prove to you one day’. All the way, it’s proving to people that everything I do is to build cultural bridges for people to see not only through music that we have one music, but also we are one humanity, we are all unique.



Q. When you went on stage to receive your Grammy this year (Best Global Music for Mother Nature), was there any other emotion you felt that you didn&#8217;t the previous four times you received the award?



A. I did not expect to win, even though I was nominated three times in that category. Because the competition was tough. Being nominated is already a great honor. For me, each nomination is [proof ] my work is out there. People are paying attention to what I do. When I won, I was humbled and didn&#8217;t know what to do&#8230;



I was in total panic, because I did not expect to win. For me, winning a Grammy is not only my work – and I work hard – but also [that of ] the people that come and share the talent with me. And we have a conversation about climate change on this album with new artists.



Since I&#8217;ve written my autobiography (Spirit Rising), I&#8217;ve been doing a lot of talks at universities, and it&#8217;s always exciting, challenging, thrilling to speak to youth in campuses. They have so many ideas. I&#8217;ve been sitting with deans of universities, telling them how come we do not prepare our kids for the workforce&#8230; You can&#8217;t just give them education and let them run out like that, it’s not productive or constructive for us, because we lose a lot of great people the way we are doing this.



Q. On young people and artists, your album Mother Nature also featured Africa&#8217;s young superstars, such as Mr Eazi, Yemi Alade, Burna Boy&#8230; what was that experience like?



A. What I learned from them is their professionalism – it’s mind-blowing. Every music that had been sent was spotless. I had waited for this day&#8230; And on top of being artists, these are entrepreneurs, they understand they have to be free. [In my time], I had to sign a contract for 10 years&#8230; These kids have the right to do whatever they want. They sat back and learned from my experience, and the experiences of Youssou N&#8217;Dour, and Salif Keita. And they don&#8217;t want to take that road. They want to be free in their own right and they are right to be free. And they have to learn that to last, they need discipline: when you say you have got to deliver, you have to deliver. Because when you come from Africa, it&#8217;s a double tragedy, because they expect you to be late, they expect you to do a job that isn&#8217;t good, everything goes against you.



You always have to prove that what you say is what it’s going to be and you can deliver. 



Q. Is that perception changing globally now?



A. Not really. It’s changing but slowly, because those young artists are filling up big venues, and they are unapologetic and taking whatever opportunity they have to be here. Some people are resisting that thinking that it’s going to be a fashion that will dwindle, but it’s going to last and they&#8217;re going to come to the ball. They&#8217;re going to jump on this boat sooner or later.



Q. What is in the next phase of your career?



A. I don&#8217;t know what the future holds. But what I know deeply at the center of my work is that if you don&#8217;t see your own humanity, you can’t see humanity in anybody. If you have freedom and you are not fighting for the freedom of others, you don&#8217;t have any. It’s not just words for me, it’s fact. When we lose sight of those principles, of those self-evident truths, we put ourselves in danger. Because when we allow the bully to walk away with crimes without being punished, they will knock at your door and do the same thing. Our complacency and silence have allowed many people to live a very difficult life that was unnecessary.



So for me, my energy comes from the fact that I believe that what is true is true, what is fair is fair, and let&#8217;s work together. And in that, there is no concept of color, of language, of religion, nothing!



Q. You have global fame. What does fortune mean to you?



A. Fortune for me has never been a matter of money. Because money is a tool that allows you to buy things. But essential things, money can never buy – such as health, and the air you breathe, which is polluted. You can have billions of dollars in your bank account, but you can’t clean that air.



You have got to be happy with yourself and content with what you have to be able to live a balanced life&#8230; What is our purpose on this earth? And that&#8217;s the question I ask all the time, you have to find your purpose before making any plans. And when you start making plans, don&#8217;t make one, have plan A, B, C, D, E, as much as you can. If one door closes, get to the next one. You can fall all the way beneath earth, but you can always rise if you want it&#8230;



In business, having money is a good thing but my father&#8217;s mother always used to say to me that if you are given the choice to choose between your friend and wealth, choose your friend because your friends, when you need them, will be there. When you are down, they will come and talk to you.



Q. And is social media your thing?



A. That is part of the game. But being on stage is what creates a career. I never liked being in a studio, because I started my career on stage. But I knew that going through the studio was compulsory for me to be able to have a career. So doing both is equally important.



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Artists Perform At The 2022 WOMAD Festival

THE PLAYLIST: An Exclusive Interview with Five-Time Beninese Grammy Award Winner Angélique Kidjo on Closing The Cultural Gap

Screenshot-2021-12-03-at-11.30.58

Q&A With the AFRICAN OF THE YEAR: Nana Akufo-Addo

Beijing Daily: The world is paying attention to whether the Beijing Winter Olympic Games can be successfully held 6 months after the Tokyo Olympics in the face of COVID-19. How do you evaluate the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics? What is the key to the success of the Beijing Winter Olympics? What kind of signal will the successful hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics send to the world?



Siddharth Chatterjee: Let me start by echoing the UN General Assembly Resolution 76/13 on “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”. It expresses the expectation that “the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 will be a meaningful opportunity to harness the power of sport to advance the world by fostering an atmosphere of peace, development, resilience, tolerance and understanding, and welcoming all the delegations of National Olympic and Paralympic Committees to participate in the Games.&#8221;



At a time when the world is battling against the COVID-19 pandemic, solidarity and friendship among nations have never been more important. Let me take this opportunity to commend Mr. Thomas Bach the President of the International Olympic Committee for his courageous and inspirational leadership. He has said, “Solidarity is not just about respecting each other, but also helping each other and being part of a community,”.&nbsp;



The IOC, the Beijing Organising Committee along with the Government of China have made it clear that preparations for the games are in its final stages and are being carried out in a safe and orderly manner, and I support the adherence to all relevant public health measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.



It will also be critical for all Member States to observe the Olympic Truce, and ensure the safe passage, access and participation of athletes, officials and all other personnel taking part in the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.



Beijing Daily: The Winter Olympic Games will begin soon. Have you been doing any work related to the Winter Olympic Games recently? What will you do during the Winter Olympics? How does the success of the Winter Olympic Games or Olympics relate to the goals and objectives of the United Nations in your mind?



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="560" height="828" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Siddharth-Chatterjee-UN-Resident-Coordinator-to-China.-Photo-Beijing-Daily.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-53783" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Siddharth-Chatterjee-UN-Resident-Coordinator-to-China.-Photo-Beijing-Daily.jpeg 560w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Siddharth-Chatterjee-UN-Resident-Coordinator-to-China.-Photo-Beijing-Daily-203x300.jpeg 203w" sizes="(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px" /><figcaption>Siddharth Chatterjee UN Resident Coordinator to China. Photo- Beijing Daily</figcaption></figure></div>



Siddharth Chatterjee: I am delighted my boss the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has accepted an invitation from the International Olympic Committee to attend the Beijing Winter Games. I echo his wise words, when he said that “the Olympic spirit brings out humanity’s best: Teamwork and solidarity. Talent. Tolerance.”



The UN has long recognized the contribution of sport for development and peace, and collaboration between the IOC and the UN has played a central role in spreading the acceptance of sport as a means to promote mutual understanding, friendship, tolerance, non-discrimination, and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.



The 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing are a prime example of how the games can affect a society. Winning the right to host the 2008 Games triggered action by the Government to improve the lives of people with disabilities and protect their rights as equal members of society. New legislation on accessibility was passed and, in the seven years leading up to the Games, China spent more than US$ 150 million on making 14,000 facilities accessible throughout the country.



It was during the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games, that we also saw a key partnership between UN entities in China, including UN Volunteers and the UN Development Programme and key Chinese volunteer organizations, increasing the impact and elevating the spirit of volunteerism throughout China.



For the Beijing Winter Games, the UN Volunteers programme along with the UN Development Programme will take part in an innovative project to promote sustainable urban development through volunteer service.



Nelson Mandela once said: “Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.”&nbsp; The UN family in China is ready to show its support and play its part to ensuring the success of these upcoming games.



Beijing Daily: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People&#8217;s Republic of China&#8217;s restoration of its lawful seat in the United Nations. How do you evaluate China&#8217;s influence on the UN and the world over the past 50 years, especially in recent years?



Siddharth Chatterjee: China was one of the architects of the United Nations and was the first signatory of the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945.&nbsp;



But it was only in October 1971, with the Chinese delegation led by Mr. Qiao Guanhua, that China&#8217;s representation at the UN resumed. Since that time, the UN has had the great privilege of witnessing and supporting China in achieving one of the greatest periods of socio-economic progress in world history.



Now, on the 50th anniversary of China in the UN, I am honored to serve as the UN Resident Coordinator, a post I took earlier this year.



While I am a recent arrival to China, only just beginning to understand its rich tapestry of over 5,000 years of civilization, the UN in China has had the privilege to shape and witness the profound economic and social transformations that have occurred since reform and opening-up.



As we commemorate a half-century of cooperation, a question naturally emerges: Which way now for the UN and China?



This is a weighty question, as China and the world are at a critical juncture. Tentatively emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, but with many countries still struggling terribly. Staring down the threats of climate change, with record-setting heat, fires, storms, and other disasters. Counting down the years in this &#8220;Decade of Action&#8221; to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.



China&#8217;s standard-setting leadership in past decades gives me confidence that we can achieve even greater things in the years to come.&nbsp;



Today, China is the second-largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and has sent more peacekeepers to UN missions than any other permanent member of the Security Council. China also played a vital role in shaping the consensus needed for the SDGs and the Paris Agreement.



It is now time for the UN and China to reimagine, innovate, reinvigorate, and continue in our cooperation, dedicating ourselves anew to creating lasting prosperity for the people of China and all the world.



Beijing Daily: Are you a fan of winter sports? Or what sports do you like (not necessarily winter sports)? Do you feel Chinese people love sports?



Siddharth Chatterjee: I regret to say that I have no skills in any winter sports. I grew up in a place, where we had two seasons. Hot and very hot.



However. I am an avid practitioner of yoga and running in all seasons. As a frequent runner, I also must attest to the improvements in air quality now enjoyed by Beijing residents.



The prevention of noncommunicable disease and keeping one’s body and mind sharp are just two of the many reasons that motivate my interest in sport, also emphasized by the Healthy China 2030 initiative.



Traditional Chinese culture has long regarded physical fitness as an important characteristic, as seen in the long historical association with the martial arts. In the streets and public parks of China we see these elements to this day, along with more contemporary sports such as basketball.



I think back to a mere 13 years ago where the eyes of the world turned to Beijing for the Summer Olympics and Paralympics. What we all saw was not only a proud moment for the people of China, but China asserting itself as an enthusiastic sporting nation, leading the medal tally that year.



This year we saw athletes such as Su Bingtian – who set a new Asian record in the men’s 100-meter dash earlier this year at the Tokyo Olympics and he’s often referred to as the disrupter and game-changer for Chinese runners; &nbsp;Yang Qian, a third-year undergraduate young girl studying economics and management at Tsinghua University who also won the very first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics – take this spirit forwards and I am confident that the athletes and people of China will put their love for sports on full display during next year’s games.



However, I must also add a word of caution. China is also seeing a surge of non-communicable diseases, like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.



Almost 10% of all adults in China&nbsp;– about 110 million people – currently live with diabetes. Without urgent action to reduce lifestyle risk factors like unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity, that number is expected to increase to 150 million by 2040 – with major health, social and economic consequences.



As the UN we will work closely with the Government of China to achieve its vision of a Healthy China by 2030. I will surely lead by example.

Siddharth Chatterjee practicing handstand at office during lunch break

Interview with Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China, on the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics

With new Covid-19 variants being identified, FORBES AFRICA speaks to renowned bioinformatician Professor Tulio de Oliveira of KRISP to discuss South Africa’s role at the forefront in variant identification, and why there is hope on the horizon.



PROFESSOR TULIO DE OLIVEIRA is director of the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) in South Africa, and at the coalface of research to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.



He is known for leading the team that first identified the Beta variant of the virus in December 2020 – the same team has identified another new variant currently termed C.1.2 here in South Africa.



Currently, the Variant of Concern dominating the rise in cases globally is the Delta variant, which has allowed massively increased transmissibility. Another Variant of Interest is the Mu, which is being closely followed by the World Health Organization (WHO).



Q. What is the difference between a Variant of Interest and a Variant of Concern?



A. When we look at variants, we as scientists keep a close eye on these changes because the mutations mean that it might have increased neutralization of vaccines, or for example be transmitted more quickly and take over. A Variant of Interest is one that we are interested in looking at because it’s a variant that seems to be growing, but it’s not definitive – the Lambda variant in Peru for example. The spread of this variant was relatively slow so it wasn’t upgraded to a Variant of Concern.



A Variant of Concern is the next stage in that mutations that a variant might have is allowing it to grow very quickly – such as the Alpha in Western Europe during the second wave, the Delta Variant here in South Africa, which is dominating the third wave of infections.



The new Mu variant has been identified as a Variant of Interest, but potentially, it may not become a Variant of Concern because it seems to be not as transmissible.



We also monitor lineages which you can think of as a third category; there are thousands and thousands of these, but we don’t define them as a variant because they are not spreading very fast.



We have a handful of lineages around the world being examined – such as C.1.2 – and if these progress, they will then become a Variant of Interest, then Variant of Concern.



Q. There are a number of Covid-19 variants around and many seem to be identified in South Africa – what is the reason for this?



A. We have variants identified for a few reasons. One is that you see more variants when there are higher levels of transmission. For example, no variants have



originated in New Zealand and Australia because their transmission rates are so low.



Another reason is virus transmission in immune-compromised individuals – we saw this in the Alpha variant in the United Kingdom with variants in cancer patients.



There is a similar suspicion that this might be the case with the Beta variant and C.1.2. in South Africa due to HIV [prevalence] – because someone’s immune system is already so low, once they are infected with Covid-19, this infection could last in them for a hundred days and the virus could evolve.



Obviously, another reason we think plays a role is the rate of vaccination – people who are vaccinated will clear the virus much more quickly so there is less likelihood of mutation.



Our ability to detect variants and identify them in South Africa is also because we have excellent funding and infrastructure for genomic surveillance. We have a history of TB, HIV – we’ve learned that this surveillance is very important in identifying the source of an epidemic and intervention. We have experience in working with epidemics and strong support for science and innovation – some of the best examples in the world are Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.



Q. If you had a message for people reading this, what would that be? 



A. The main message I would have is that we should increase our rate of vaccination. We should also improve our HIV treatment program to make sure people who get infected can clear the infection.



It’s quite simple. You’ve got to know the enemy in order to fight. It’s important to identify the variants that spread more quickly so we can inform governments and guide the public health response. If a variant isn’t identified here, it will be identified when it is found somewhere else, and that can be even more damaging.

Pro de Oliveira

‘Know The Enemy In Order To Fight’

In an exclusive with FORBES AFRICA from Seattle in the United States, Melinda French Gates speaks about the billions pledged to support women and combat Covid-19, and the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation’s new Goalkeepers Report that features an updated global dataset explaining the pandemic’s adverse impact on progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.



Q. How can the world collectively come together to combat the shadow pandemic that women and girls are grappling within Africa, in the wake of Covid-19?



A. Even a cursory look at the latest data shows us how devastating the pandemic has been for women, particularly when it comes to the economy. This year, women’s employment globally is expected to remain 13 million jobs below the 2019 level — while men’s employment is largely expected to recover to pre-pandemic rates.



The reason for these striking gaps is that women have long faced barriers to economic participation – and those barriers have only worsened amid the pandemic. For example, women have a harder time accessing finance and credit than men, and they are disproportionately employed in sectors that have lower pay.



The evidence leaves us no doubt: With women making up 50% or more of the workforce in many African countries, we can either take action now or risk facing decades of growth-restricting inequality.



And if we want to avoid that fate, leaders must prioritize women within pandemic recovery planning and policy-making, and donors and global institutions must further expand their support for women-focused programs.



For example, our foundation recently pledged $2.1 billion to support women’s economic and health issues, which we hope will be just one piece of a larger puzzle. Our hope moving forward is that governments, philanthropies, non-governmental organizations, and everyone looking to improve their corner of the world will join us in supporting the empowerment of women and girls. It’s a step that will ultimately pay off for everyone, everywhere.



Q. What are the foundation&#8217;s plans for Africa in the coming months?



A. Our foundation has worked in partnership with African countries for decades, and the more than $1.9 billion we’ve contributed to the global effort to combat Covid-19 is just the latest part of that commitment. We believe strongly that all people deserve to benefit from the innovations and science developed to respond to the pandemic and save lives. Right now, the lack of equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines is standing in the way of our ability to put the pandemic behind us.



In this year’s Goalkeepers Report, we explain how Covid-19 vaccine access has been strongly correlated with the locations where there is vaccine R&amp;D and manufacturing capability. Though Africa is home to 17% of the world’s population, for example, it has less than 1% of the world’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities. That’s why we’re supporting the Africa CDC and African Union’s vision to create a sustainable regional vaccine development and manufacturing ecosystem in the region. These investments in low- and middle-income countries — which are too often left waiting for life-saving interventions— would better protect communities and families from diseases like Covid-19 in the future.



Our foundation is also committed to investments in Africa because we’ve seen the impact of African innovations on many health and financial challenges. As your magazine recently noted, the continent’s diversity and ingenuity inspires resilience and optimism for the future.



For example, one of South Africa’s leading scientists, Dr Penny Moore, discovered that a coronavirus variant first found in her country could circumvent the immune system. Another example we highlight in the report is Senegal. The country led an incredibly effective campaign to ensure forward momentum on routine immunizations, helping health workers adapt their strategic outreach to their communities during the pandemic.



With more forward-thinking, long-term investments in Africa and by continuing to encourage local innovation, we will all benefit from improved health security and pandemic preparedness moving forward.

French President Macron Hosts Counterparts Attending Generation Equality Forum

‘A Step That Will Ultimately Pay Off For Everyone, Everywhere’- Melinda French Gates In Exclusive Interview

Elizabeth Elango Bintliff, the CEO of Junior Achievement Africa, on why quality education should be available and accessible at scale and what needs to change to fill the gaps in teaching.



JA Africa’s mission is bridging the gap between classroom education and the world of work for young Africans, reaching 250,000 students in 15 countries in Africa each year. It’s CEO, Elizabeth Elango Bintliff, tells us more about building the workforce of the future:



You’ve been working in the youth empowerment sector for a long time. What do you see as the challenges?



I think three things are critical for young Africans to be empowered: education, experience and exposure. Access to the internet is ‘solving’ for exposure, though to a limited extent. But we need to solve for experience and education. Of the three, education is key and education tends to be the domain of the government. Elite private schools are great, but often cost-prohibitive for the average student. We need to make quality education available and accessible at scale.



Conversely, what are the opportunities?



The digital and online space are great opportunities for Africa. We are seeing this now in the time of Covid-19 more than ever. Yes, access to computers is a challenge, but even more challenging is access to data. There is no shortage of online resources that teach entrepreneurial mindsets to young people. I think what governments need to be working towards, more than even buying and putting computers in schools, is making offline access to these resources possible. If we make them affordable to access, the private sector would be more inclined to solve the hardware needs.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">&#8220;Classrooms are still configured for desks to face the teacher who is the sole holder of knowledge, whereas the world of work operates on round tables and collaborative thinking. Small changes like that matter.&#8221;</blockquote>



How do we give young people in Africa greater access to these opportunities?



We need to overhaul the way we are teaching. We need not only change how teachers are trained but what they are teaching students. In many countries, the curricula are antiquated. But the approach to teaching is even more so. Rote learning; providing information to children to memorize and regurgitate is still the dominant approach. It gives students little space to think for themselves. Classrooms are still configured for desks to face the teacher who is the sole holder of knowledge, whereas the world of work operates on round tables and collaborative thinking. Small changes like that matter.



What is the role of government and the private sector?



The role of government is central to success in changing education. Government has the ability to make change happen at scale. But African governments have to make these changes not just at policy level but also in implementation. We know that governments don’t have the resources to do so, but at least they can coordinate the efforts of the private sector. The private sector is going to have the greatest need for skilled labor, and there is increasing willingness to make these investments in education, but the effort is fragmented. It needs coordination.



Who are the other stakeholders and what can they contribute?



Non-profit organizations like ours are working hard to fill the gaps in education. But those gaps are big and growing and the scale is limited. NGOs can develop and test hypotheses about doing things in new ways. But governments have to adopt and scale them. JA Africa is currently undertaking a continent-wide youth employability survey, along with global consultancy firm Oliver Wyman, based out of Johannesburg. The findings of that survey will be invaluable to the private sector and policy-makers.



In education, parents are often the most critical stakeholders. Parents have to embrace new pedagogies, even if they are unfamiliar to them. Parents fear entrepreneurship because it is uncertain. But nothing is certain. Large multinational companies are laying off their staff because of Covid-19. So young entrepreneurs [should be equipped to] be better off in times of uncertainty. Africa becoming the largest workforce in the world is a huge opportunity if young Africans are skilled enough to take advantage of it.

E Bintliff

How Teaching Must Change To Prepare Youth In The Covid-19 Era

Mexican tequila mogul Guillermo Sauza’s recent visit to South Africa was to explore the premium spirits market and also hark back to tastes from 150 years ago.

There is a sizeable community of tequila-drinkers in Africa. And so it was that Guillermo Sauza, the CEO of Tequila Fortaleza, visited South Africa recently to explore the connoisseur market.
Fortaleza, a small-batch, hand-crafted, 100% agave tequila from the town of Tequila in Jalisco in Mexico, was launched in South Africa over a year ago.
“It is such a beautiful country with so many resources and just great people. Everywhere I’ve gone so far, I’ve been very impressed with the markets here,” said Sauza during his visit.
The fifth generation tequila mogul and founder of Tequila Los Abuelos was here to observe and understand how the tequila market continues to expand, saying people still need to be educated about the different blends.
“There is a big community that likes tequila in Africa. We saw people enjoying it in the bars we went to. There is a bartender community that likes it… [But] I think that there is much education that needs to be done.”
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/entrepreneurs/2018/10/24/the-comedian-with-spirit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: The Comedian With Spirit</a>
Sauza, who has been working at the distillery in Mexico since his early teens, has mastered the art of traditional methods used by the Sauza patriarchs. The small, family-owned distillery, located on the slopes of an extinct volcano amongst maturing blue agave plants, is where Sauza makes tequila using the same production methods employed by his forefathers.
“We make it like it was made by my great-great-grandfather 150 years ago. This is how all tequila was made 150 years ago but as the market demand increased, people changed to automated machinery which of course changes the tastes that are there. Making it the old way is a taste from a period of time that has been long gone,” said Sauza.
“A baked potato in the microwave is a lot faster but it doesn’t taste the same as the baked potato in the oven. The baked potato in the oven takes longer and that is just one piece of the component that you would say changes. Are we the tequila for the mass market? No we are not. We are the tequila when you have been drinking tequila for a while or a fine spirit and you want to try it. We are the tequila for the 5% -10% of the market; the connoisseur market that understands what they are drinking. Otherwise you don’t see the value proposition, you could go into a bar and you can buy a four-dollar shot or you can buy an eight-dollar shot. At some point in your life, you’ll say I am worth that eight-dollar shot, I am going to drink better and not rasp up my throat.”

LION5880

From Mexico To Africa

We recently spoke with film producer Helena Spring on being a woman in a very male-dominated field, her success with the box office hit Keeping Up With The Kandasamys and her opinions of the proverbial glass ceiling in the world of film and how it’s being broken. Spring has been a producer for some 30 years and was also a producing partner with South African filmmaker Anant Singh for many of those years. She’s a force to reckon with in the international and South African film industry.
Do you think the film business is still very male-dominated in South Africa? 
The SA film industry is evolving very dynamically and the number of women making their mark as writers, directors and producers has definitely increased. The ratio of men is still higher than women but there has never been more opportunity for people with talent, vision and ability, irrespective of their gender, than now.
Have you had to face challenges as a woman in this space?
My work is important to me in a very personal way. I have always aspired to excellence without thinking of my gender as an obstacle to that. Luckily, the film industry nurtures that approach. My main obstacles came from financial institutions that seemed to believe that even women with sound track records cannot be considered economically reliable without some guy in the background signing surety for them. And of course, our industry is a high-risk one which further underpins that misconception.
However, the hardest part for me, was making sacrifices on the home front when my children were young. Working 15-hour days, seven days a week when you’re in production is very tough on children and relationships. Without good support, this often becomes an insurmountable challenge for women.
How have you overcome some of these challenges?  
I’m sad to say that I’ve often put work first when I shouldn’t have but I’m fortunate enough to have a wonderful life partner and good family support. These were key factors that enabled me to work long hours for extended periods, under stressful conditions. It also gave me the latitude to be away from home on remote locations when necessary. Knowing that my children and household suffered minimal disruption during these periods gave me the freedom to keep making films.
Is there scope for growth with women in the world of film and TV? 
Of course, now more so than ever before. Young female filmmakers are being singled out for opportunity. That, together with the hunger for content, opens up many possibilities. Today, the main criteria for achievement in the entertainment industry is original thinking, strong creative vision and insight into audience needs. Combine that with discipline and reliability and the sky is the limit.
Do you think women&#8217;s voices are important in the world of South African film?  
Absolutely. We have complex gender issues in South Africa arising from challenging conditions such as lack of opportunity and education, domestic violence, poverty, cultural and traditional limitations around a woman’s role and sexuality and that’s just scratching the surface. There are extremely serious issues, such as the high level of rape of women in this country, a significant symptom of women’s subjugation in our society. So it is critical that female perspectives are communicated, be it through the eyes of a character or the storyteller. Film and television has the ability to embody dreams and aspirations, to create role models and smash stereotypes – music, art, film and television have at times been the catalysts that have brought about bigger societal change than politics or legislation.
Your director on Keeping Up With The Kandasamys was a woman – what prompted this choice?  
There was never any doubt about Jayan Moodley directing the film. Early on, there was some discussion about another possible director, proposed by Jayan herself, who was writing the script at that time. But this is a story about two matriarchs within a culture and lifestyle that she understood really well so she was our clear choice from the get go.
You&#8217;ve broken some local box office records with this film – tell us a little bit about the achievements from a box office perspective?  
The film resonated with audiences as an authentic slice of family life, with a lot of heart and humor. It offered people enough to entice them to leave their homes and go to cinema. Good box office is difficult to predict – the audience either warms to the film or not, however, it is important to give your film visibility with strong marketing and publicity.  You have to give the opening weekend your best shot, after that you’re at the mercy of good (or bad) word of mouth.
<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/entreprenuers/2012/02/01/film-africa-ready-strive-suffer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">More on film in Africa</a>
Do you believe that film in South Africa is still financially viable – if so how? 
SA has a small diverse market – 11 different languages, numerous cultural and economic divides. Europe, Australia and the USA with their large homogeneous populations are able to recover production costs in their home markets. We rarely do so in SA with the result that we have to keep our budgets small, so it is difficult for us to meaningfully compete with the high production values of international films. At some point, we need to make films that will sell into other markets too if we really want our industry to be economically sound. We also need to cultivate a stronger culture of support for our films in our home market.
What advice do you have for women trying to break into the world of film and television?  
I have the same advice to all filmmakers irrespective of gender: learn your craft well, develop your own authentic voice and vision, work hard, take risks, under-promise and over-deliver.
&#8211; Interviewed by Robert Haynes

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