Pamenus Tuso
Bulawayo—The Bulawayo City Council has allocated 30 percent of its climate finance to youth- and women-led climate change mitigation projects.
Speaking at the launch of the city’s sustainability monograph on Monday, the town clerk Christopher Dube, revealed that the local authority was partnering with various stakeholders to unlock climate finance, which refers to funding allocated for activities that help mitigate or adapt to climate change.
It is typically sourced from public or private entities, including governments, international organisations and financial institutions.
The city’s sustainability monograph serves as an action roadmap outlining Bulawayo’s plans to achieve a 40 percent per capita emissions reduction target.
“Equity and transparency are at the heart of this strategy. Affordable housing will be developed near green transit corridors, while 30 percent of climate finance is earmarked for youth- and women-led green enterprises,” said Dube.
He noted that marginalised communities play a crucial role in spearheading climate adaptation programs by ensuring access to clean water, green spaces, and economic opportunities.
The local authority, in partnership with stakeholders, is already supporting various youth-led climate change mitigation initiatives.
One such initiative is being implemented by a group of young people in Robert Sinyoka village on the outskirts of the Old Pumula high-density suburb.
“We are implementing a sustainable solar bottle lighting project in Robert Sinyoka. Under this project, we have provided 20 households with sustainable lighting and educated them on renewable energy,” said Margaret Banda, the project coordinator.
Banda said the community, which is dominated by elderly and unemployed people, struggles with lighting challenges since the area has no electricity.
“The biggest challenge for this community is reliance on candles, which are very expensive. Most families live in darkness, exposing themselves to scorpion and snake bites, especially during the rainy season,” she added.
Kudzai Chivaki, a final-year computer science student at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), has developed a mobile phone application that links waste recyclers with buyers.
“We realised that there is a lot of pollution in the city, with widespread littering of plastic, metal, and other waste. Through our circular economy initiative, we aim to empower residents by encouraging them to see garbage as an opportunity to make money,” said Chivaki.
He added that his team has trained over 54 young climate change ambassadors in the city.
“Since launching the platform, we have received positive feedback from various stakeholders. More waste recyclers are now using our application to find clients. Our goal is to achieve a waste-free environment by 2030,” he said.
Another NUST student, Vernon Montana, and his team have developed an analytical map that identifies areas in the city most affected by methane and carbon dioxide emissions.
“Under our Climate Footprint Project, we analysed satellite images of suburbs most affected by methane and carbon dioxide. We discovered that households in Luveve and Emakhandeni produce more methane due to frequent water and electricity shortages,” Montana explained.
He also noted that areas like Hillside consume less carbon dioxide due to the scarcity of trees.
To address this imbalance, Montana and his team have planted over 100 trees in Centenary Park.