Adjany da Silva Freitas Costa, the youngest minister in the Angolan cabinet, is an intrepid adventurer, biologist and conservationist committed to saving the world’s last wild places.



Adjany da Silva Freitas Costa is not your ordinary minister. At 30 years old, the Luanda local is currently the youngest minister to serve in the Angolan cabinet and an intrepid adventurer with an inspiring hands-on background.



In 2015, Costa was one of the braves who undertook a four-month journey from the highlands of Angola, meandering 2,400km by mokoro (a traditional canoe), camping wild along the Okavango River until they reached the town of Maun in Botswana. The trip illustrated how the Okavango Delta relies on Angolan rains, but also highlighted the costs of Angola’s lengthy war to its landscapes.



In April this year, Costa assumed the government position as Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment. “It is not exactly unusual for a woman to join the Angolan government,” says Costa, “but it&#8217;s not exactly common either.&#8221; Currently, there are seven women ministers in the Angolan cabinet, creating a gender split of roughly 35% female.



“We bring a lot of benefit for the simple fact that we can bring inclusion to the politics forged in society,” says Costa. “I think that every single one of us brings a different perspective to the whole context of politics. Currently, I am the youngest minister to serve in the Angolan cabinet. It makes me feel like there is hope for youth and hope for the future. I do think we bring an innovative way of thinking and innovative vision into the current system that is very beneficial to change and to the improvement of the system here in Angola.”



The cross-country expedition revealed new species (to date, ongoing field trips have resulted in the discovery of 26 species new to science, more than 75 species potentially new to science, and more than 130 species previously unknown in Angola). It also embedded in Costa a life-long commitment to saving the world’s last wild places. It short, it changed her life.



“It changed the whole perception that I had of everything, personally, professionally, academically,” Costa admits. “The trip helped me see the world and my participation in the world, in a very different way. In a very concrete way and I don&#8217;t think I would be sitting here answering these questions if I hadn&#8217;t participated. I have never, ever in my entire life “envisioned myself as a minister. I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ve ever envisioned myself being part of politics, but there is a writer who once said, ‘You don&#8217;t choose politics. Politics chooses you’, and that&#8217;s exactly what happened. I see it as an opportunity to bring change from the outside. I am someone that has always applied the policy that&#8217;s created by decision-makers. I think it&#8217;s an opportunity to bring that applicability into the system and make it much more action-focused – and more than a piece of paper.”



In 2017, Costa was named an emerging explorer at National Geographic, and in 2019, she became the Young Champion of the Earth for Africa in the United Nations Environment Program. Before taking a seat in the government, Costa worked as an ethno-conservationist to pioneer projects that developed working conservation models for communities living alongside crucial wildlife hubs.



“Being a biologist is also a great advantage for this position. I believe that policies should be made to be applied and not archived,” Costa says. Another benefit for her position is that she knows all about being on the ground. “I started my journey in conservation, looking specifically at biodiversity and working directly with the specimens. I started with turtles, and all we did was patrol the beaches and look after the nests – and that was it. There was no engagement. For a long time, I always thought there was a separation between humans and wildlife – and that the separation was needed for us to protect wildlife. Working for the past five years in the East of Angola, I realized that it is the complete opposite. The gap that we&#8217;ve created with nature is what causes us to destroy nature in the first place.”



Costa has a masters degree in Biology and a PhD in International Wildlife Conservation Practices from Oxford University. In the wake of Covid-19, we are just beginning to see the harsh effects of tourism loss to wilderness protection.



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“Rural communities are the true protectors of the environment around them,” Costa says. “Ethno-conservation is the art, and it is our privilege of being able to work with communities for the sake of nature. Not just for the conservation of biodiversity, but also the improvement of their own lives.”



The drastic decline in visitor numbers in the wilds of Kenya, Zimbabwe and across the African continent highlights the importance of such a conservation model more than ever as decades of conservation successes hunker in jeopardy due to tourism collapse.&nbsp;



“Our main target for tourism in Angola is internal tourism. We have 29 million people that don&#8217;t know most of the country,” says Costa. “We have a lot of potential though; whether it&#8217;s landscape, culture, adventure or eco-tourism, it’s possible in Angola. We are very much focused on creating the services and infrastructure for internal tourism before we look outside of our borders.



“In terms of tourism, Angola’s biggest asset is definitely diversity,” Costa enthuses. “Not just naturally and not just culturally. The conditions that you find from one place to the other are so unique that you can go, within Angola, to 10 different places that feel like completely different countries. We literally go from a tropical forest, all the way to a desert in one row. Angola has partnered with different collaborators to assure the protection of these spaces. Whatever happens in Iona National Park is completely different from what happens in the Luengue-Luiana National Park (which feeds the Okavango Basin), and that’s completely different from what happens in the Quiçama National Park.”



She also believes that protecting such wild spaces enables wildlife to flourish.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“Nature has this incredible thing that is, to me, one of the most fantastic traits. It is resilient. Even now, with this Covid-19 situation, we have seen how resilient nature is. Wilderness itself can resuscitate, and wilderness can find a future – if we just know how to protect it.”</blockquote>



When asked about inspiration and the future, Costa cites other intrepid conservationists, Jane Goodall and Sylvia Earle as strong influences.



“If I have to send a message to young women around the world, what would it be? Do it. That&#8217;s something that I always say. Do it. Whatever it is that we set our minds to do. We can most definitely, definitely do it. We can achieve impossible things. I&#8217;m a minister today. That says a lot!”



&nbsp;– By Melanie van Zyl

Adjany Costa – Forbes Africa-2

‘With Covid-19, See How Resilient Nature Is’

Botswana is no stranger to National Geographic photographers, but this is not the only reason why it is the third most-visited African country. In 2012, the number of annual tourists (2,337,998) surpassed the number of its citizens. While Kasane, Maun, and the Okavango Delta remain the country’s most visited regions, investors and entrepreneurs flock to the economic hub.
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The country is the least corrupt on the continent and FORBES rated it as the fourth best in Africa in terms of doing business. In November 2013, De Beers relocated its sorting and marketing headquarters to Gaborone from London. The capital will also host the second Youth Africa Games in late May, thus bringing with it enterprises connected with the event. But business aside, from the moment tourists arrive at the newly renovated Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, they are met with modern and innovative architecture. Since independence in September 1966, Gaborone has transformed from a mostly dry shrubland with haphazard buildings, to a high-rise metropolis that is peppered with towering cranes and glass-faced skyscrapers.
Despite its altitude of 1,005 meters above sea level, the capital city is looking to further elevate itself to greater heights. The new central business district is a playground for architects, as key government ministries and the private sector play a friendly game of architectural one-upmanship along the stretch called Government Enclave.
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iTowers, the city’s tallest building, is a recent addition to Gaborone’s skyline. This office and residential block is best known for Sky Lounge on its topmost floor. Businesspeople seal the deal over cocktails and Lebanese food on the 19th floor. While there, visit the Sophie Lalonde Art Gallery, which showcases African artists. But be warned, the 360 degree panoramic views of the burgeoning development below comes at a hefty price for non-members of this exclusive venue. The glass balustrades reveal the city’s blueprints for a second tower and similar feats of civil engineering.
The Botswana Ministry of Defense, Justice and Security evokes images of the hollow, cube-like La Grande Arche de la Defense in Paris with its mirror façades. The ministry can be seen from the city’s most visited attraction: the bronze Three Dikgosi Monument. It is a tribute to three tribal chiefs – Khama III, Sebele I and Bathoen I – who traveled to Great Britain to prevent the country from being incorporated into neighboring Rhodesia or South Africa. In the backdrop is Botswana’s new BWP500 million ($55.8 million) high court.
Down the road, the Masa Center – meaning a new dawn in Setswana – is more accessible, but just as trendy. Its two symmetrical towers are on either side of a piazza. It is home to the country’s first 3D cinema, boutiques, a luxurious hotel and spa, five restaurants, as well as the blue-themed Absolut Bar – a rooftop venue with a pool and five-a-side football pitch.
The dirt road away from the inner city towards Sanitas Tea Garden gives the impression that one is bundu bashing in Africa, but do not let that put you off. This idyllic eatery is located in the country’s oldest and largest nursery, and uses its own fruit, vegetables and herbs in its dishes. Birds rest in the immense fig tree that provides shade to its patrons in this sanctuary of calm. The nursery grows water-wise plants due to the ongoing drought.
And while in the area, the Gaborone Yacht Club (open Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) is a must. During regattas it overflows with expatriates. This local watering hole offers splendid views of the sun sinking behind the horizon. Yet, these days it is also a stark reminder of the water shortage.
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Go for an early morning hike up Kgale Hill, nicknamed the sleeping giant. At 1,287 meters above sea level, the rocky outcrop is the city’s natural observation deck. There are three one-hour hiking trails to the top. Rusty’s Route, from Lobster Road, is the most challenging, the easier two start at the quarry entrance. Whichever way you choose to ascend, the views are well worth the trek. And who knows, perhaps you will meet the resident baboons along the way.
Upon descending, it will be breakfast time. Tuck into an English or continental breakfast at Savuti Grill at the Gaborone Sun Hotel and lounge around the pool deck before meandering through nearby Main Mall. While there are many modern shopping malls scattered throughout the city – such as Riverwalk, South Ring, African, and others – one can buy just about anything along this commercial strip. It is lined with stores that sell clothing, shoes, music, and stationery. The headquarters and outlets of various organizations, banks and service providers also call this pedestrian shopping complex home.
Meet some of the capital’s most colorful characters here. From the 68-year-old seamstress, who manually pedals her Singer sewing machine and has called Main Mall her open-air office for decades, to the inviting photographer, who takes passport photographs against a red bed sheet that is hung against a building wall.
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Vendors have makeshift stalls from which they sell a smorgasbord of curios and treasures, such as leather sandals made from buck, quirky bumper stickers, books and DVDs, and sports t-shirts. They gleefully wave for attention. If hunger sets in, countless mmas – a term of respect for an older Motswana woman – sell home-made meals, such as beef stews and roasted chicken with cooked vegetables. Do not leave without trying dried Mopani worms, a protein-rich and crunchy delicacy among the Batswana. Of course, there are numerous fast food outlets too, and the Cresta President Hotel never disappoints.
A mere 15 kilometers beyond the city center, Mokolodi Nature Reserve delights visitors with the prospect of a close encounter with nature and wildlife on a giraffe or rhino tracking expedition. Those that feel safer within the confines of a Jeep opt for a game drive, especially the night drive, which is followed by a barbecue in the bush. Otherwise, the seating outside the reserve’s restaurant draws large crowds as wildlife comes to find respite at the watering troughs positioned a few meters away.
No matter what experience you may be after, Gaborone is sure to deliver.

Tag: National Geographic

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

‘With Covid-19, See How Resilient Nature Is’

From Concrete To Rhinos