Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Hon. Dr. Phillip Mpango says the government has various measures to address climate change issues, including conserving and protecting multiple areas.
Yesterday, Vice President outlined the government’s efforts to combat climate change, which he described as a crisis affecting Tanzania’s economic growth, sustainable development, and poverty reduction efforts.
Vice President was speaking virtually at the fourth edition of Nairobi’s Kusi Ideas Festival.
He stated that climate change has affected Tanzania, like any other African country, with extreme events such as droughts and floods disrupting the livelihoods of both rural and urban communities. Yesterday, Vice President outlined the government’s efforts to combat climate change, which he described as a crisis affecting Tanzania’s economic growth, sustainable development, and poverty reduction efforts.
He stated that the government has taken several measures to address climate change challenges, including reserving and protecting areas.
He also discussed the effects of climate change on agricultural production, water resources, marine and coastal zones, public health, energy supply and demand, infrastructure, biodiversity, and ecosystems.
“We have reserved 361,594 square kilometers of land, which is nearly 40% of the total land area, and 7,330 square kilometers of ocean,” he said.
Vice President was speaking virtually at the fourth edition of Nairobi’s Kusi Ideas Festival.
According to him, Tanzania has been implementing an extensive tree-planting programme in which each district has a target of planting 1.5 million trees annually. In 2021, over 100 million trees were planted countrywide, he said.
Tanzania has also scaled up investment in renewable energy, including solar power plants, windmills, charcoal made from waste, and many others, he said, adding that the country is working on harnessing geothermal energy and targeting to generate about 200 megawatts by 2025.
“We have also launched a campaign to reduce the use of charcoal in cooking, which will help to raise public awareness while increasing supply of liquefied petroleum gas for cooking, installing biogas, and promoting renewable energy cooking stoves,” Dr Mpango told the participants.
“Tanzania recognizes all regional and global efforts to address climate challenges.”
“However, more needs to be done; we believe science, innovation, and partnership are key to finding solutions to these challenges,” he added.
During the event, Prince Rahim Aga Khan of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) announced that the network of companies, including Nation Media Group, is committed to net-zero emissions by 2030.
“This festival brings together some of Africa’s brightest minds to put this agenda into action and put ideas and solutions into action. The Aga Khan is also transforming its business and programmatic models to respond to this crisis,” he said.
“We will demonstrate proactive, socially responsible, and value-oriented leadership.” All AKDN network operations across agencies and institutions will have net-zero emissions before 2030.
In the opening remarks, Nation Media Group (NMG) chairman Wilfred Kiboro hailed the role of the company in the campaign to revive Karura Forest, one of Africa’s biggest forests located within the capital city of Nairobi.
