For the past decade, Cladys Mhlanga has been the nurse -in-charge with the IGAVA clinic. Her commitment to the community’s health and well-being seems boundless. Added to her usual overwhelming array of duties of delivering babies, immunizing children and providing HIV testing and counselling, these days of COVID-19 pandemic, she is also keeping her eye on household hygiene practices.
So having felt a bit lonely when I started talking electric mobility for Africa almost three years ago, it finally seems the winds of change are starting to blow. Now not just Tesla is talking electric. In the last year or two, all the big car companies are introducing new models and investing in partnerships with battery companies. The bottom line is if countries are to meet the targets set under the Paris Agreement to curb carbon emissions, 20 % of all road vehicles should be electric by 2030.
Women are an important part of the transport market in Africa. They rely on mass transport to get to work, carry goods, access services and transport their children. Yet while transport can make up more than 20 % of their expenses, the suffer from often overcrowded, unreliable, and a poorly regulated transport services.
While drought in Southern Africa looks likely to enter its second year, and Zimbabwe’s economic isolation remains in place, there is no doubt that the country continues to face tough times. Yet, when I meet with the local people in rural communities, their resilience and strength, is a reminder of the great potential and why we need to continue to believe in them. Small scale agriculture remains the backbone of the economy. With the potential of off grid renewable energy, combined with the potential multi-purpose batteries, provides an exciting opportunity for Africa to overcome many of the challenges that confront small scale farmers
While many head home to their families for the Chinese New Year holiday, a dedicated group of students from Tsinghua University's Lifelong Learning Lab are instead heading to Zimbabwe. They are part of a pilot to see how to bring the electric mobility revolution to rural women by learning from China's own experience and adapting it to remote parts of the continent
