
Africa's entrepreneurs focusing on sustainability are the continent's changemakers
Stewardship — keeping what we have in trust for our children — lies at the heart of sustainability, and Africa must tell its own story in its own voice.
This was the message from a panel discussion hosted by Nelson Mandela University's (NMU's) Mandela Institute for Sustainable Futures (MISF) earlier this month, which explored how sustainability can be framed in an African context.
The event brought together thought leaders from South Africa and Nigeria, who emphasised that African solutions must be indigenous, inclusive and innovative.
In his keynote address, Professor Bheki Mngomezulu, director of the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy at NMU, highlighted Africa's rich resources and the need to redefine sustainability through African epistemologies, or ways of knowing.
'A subject like history should be reintroduced — we relegated it to oblivion. In 1994 we had the opportunity to commission books and we squandered it,' he said, calling for African-centred books to be commissioned to trace African inventions.
He was critical of both colonial legacies and post-colonial African leadership failures. 'Africans are thinking but not implementing — we should have progressed much faster but we cannot blame the West for all of our wrongs,' he said.
'How do we shift the narrative that Africans have to catch up?' he asked, stressing that African leaders needed to take responsibility and work collaboratively with academics to address sustainability issues.
But he cautioned that research should not be conducted purely for the sake of research; it had to be in service of society.
The conversation underscored the power of narrative in changing attitudes, advocating for pan Africanist intentionality and the celebration of African achievements.
From Nigeria, Dr Nneka Okekearu, director of the Enterprise Development Centre at Pan-Atlantic University, echoed this, saying that Africa's sustainability story must remain true to its roots while looking to the future.
Her key takeaways were:
• Africa has always been sustainable; our roots run deep.
• Entrepreneurs are our changemakers; turning ideas into action.
• Inclusion matters; everyone has a role to play.
• Innovation is local; homegrown solutions are thriving.
• Circular is the future; waste less, do more.
• Tell our story; Africa's voice, Africa's way.
• You are the movement; build it together.
'Let us celebrate local success stories, scale what is working and share South Africa's unique voice globally,' she said, stressing the importance of youth and women's empowerment and the circular economy.
She also gave inspiring examples of African-led sustainable entrepreneurship. These include:
Chioma Ogbudimkpa, founder and creative director of Redbutton, is a sustainable women's fashion brand that fuses African aesthetics, local materials and art to create apparel using yarns made from the invasive water hyacinth.
Amara Nwuneli has transformed a landfill in Lagos into a youth-led, community-based recycling initiative.
Ecotutu is a Nigerian start-up that provides solar-powered food storage for farmers using sustainable cooling technology.
'Africa's entrepreneurs are our changemakers,' she said.
Dr Mia Strand, a postdoctoral research fellow with NMU's Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, challenged participants to centre African ways of knowing in ocean conservation and sustainability.
She highlighted the legacies of colonialism in conservation, which often silenced indigenous voices and imposed external models.
'How can we centre ubuntu and communalism in ocean sustainability? How do we make sure we do not reproduce and reinforce coloniality?' she asked.
She made a strong call for global cognitive justice, noting: 'It is important that this process is African-led — the United Nations sustainable development goal 14, Life Below Water, is not a one-size-fits-all situation, and consideration must be given to specific context.
'What and whose research, methods and knowledges are we including, and not including?
'How do we come together to make this an inclusive process, to ensure that it is actually informed by African ways of knowing and being with the ocean, and connecting with the ocean?'
The panel, facilitated by Dr Shashi Cullinan Cook, said that framing sustainability in Africa demanded more than just replicating global frameworks. It called for intentional, African-led visioning, inclusion of indigenous knowledge and empowerment of local communities to take ownership of their sustainable future.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

IOL News
11 hours ago
- IOL News
July 2021 Unrest: Did SA's Political Leadership Learn Any Lessons?
Residents of Soweto protest outside the Maponya Mall in Soweto, on July 14, 2021 against the wave of violence and looting that afflicted the Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal. Image: AFP Prof. Bheki Mngomezulu July 2025 marks the fourth anniversary of the July 2021 unrest. On the evening of July 9, 2021, riots broke out across KwaZulu-Natal. In the evening of July 11, 2021, these riots had spread to Gauteng. By the time this civil unrest ended, over 350 people had lost their lives. Some were injured while others lost their property, businesses and jobs. Racial tensions rose in KZN. This untenable situation aggravated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. By August 12, 2022, over 5,500 people had been arrested in connection with these riots – some cases are still active. But how did we get here? Could the riots have been prevented? Who should be held responsible for acting recklessly, thereby leading the country into this chaos? More importantly, did our political leadership learn anything from this incident to ensure that the country does not descend into chaos again in the future? If not, where is our country going? To answer some of these and other related questions, it is of cardinal importance to trace the origin of this incident, reflect on how it unfolded, and compare it with the current situation as a precaution on what could potentially happen if the political leadership turns a blind eye on the concerns raised by South Africans, which leave them frustrated. In a nutshell, the 2021 unrests were caused by factors which could have been easily avoided if the political leadership and the legal fraternity had demonstrated erudite leadership, objective reading of the situation and nonpartisan action. Firstly, the Zondo Commission misread the political mood in the country. It lacked objectivity in handling the witnesses who appeared before it. The great mistake was for this structure to behave like a court. In a court of law, there is a litigant and a defendant. By contrast, in the case of a commission, everyone who appears before it is a witness. Unlike a court of law, the job of the commission is to get facts right, compile a report, and make recommendations to be considered by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and relevant bodies. When former President Jacob Zuma appeared before the Zondo Commission, he received a hostile reception and was treated differently. When this issue was raised, some people outside of the Commission argued that such treatment was justified because Zuma was accused of wrongdoing. This was the first mistake. Given this hostile treatment, Zuma refused to return to the Commission. Justice Zondo approached the Constitutional Court and asked it to rule on Zuma's decision. He went further to prescribe a sentence of two years if the court found him guilty. This was bizarre. It is not common for a litigant to play the role of a judge. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ In its ruling, the court instructed Zuma to return to the Zondo Commission within a stipulated time. It went further to state that it was depriving him of his right to remain silent as had been the case, for example, with the late Dudu Myeni. This was also strange. When Zuma failed to appear before the Commission as instructed to do so, he was accused of contempt of court. Subsequently, Justice Sisi Khampepe read a ruling which was riddled with emotions, sending Zuma to jail for fifteen months with no option of a fine. Zuma was given until July 4 to hand himself in, failing which the police were instructed to arrest him on July 7. Khampepe defended her ruling by saying that Zuma was the one who appointed the Commission. As such, it did not make sense why he was frustrating its function. This statement was misplaced on many grounds. Firstly, Zuma did not voluntarily establish the Commission; he was forced by a court of law to do so as Sec 84(2)(f) of the Constitution states. Even then, his prerogative to appoint the person to chair the Commission was removed from him by Advocate Thuli Madonsela's report. Lastly, Sec 9(1) of the Constitution states that 'everyone is equal before the law.' Indeed, Zuma was sent to Estcourt prison. This happened although some South Africans had already raised concerns that the political leadership and the judiciary had colluded to crucify Zuma. Word spread that if Zuma were incarcerated, there would be riots. The political leadership ignored this warning. There was dereliction of duty on the side of the security cluster. When it became clear that the intelligence agency, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the metro police were struggling to contain the situation, the South African Defence Force (SANDF) was deployed in Gauteng and KZN to suppress the riots as part of Operation Prosper. Eventually, the situation calmed down. On September 5, 2021, Arthur Fraser released Zuma on medical parole. Zuma served his parole period and was supposed to be a free man. Intriguingly, the court ruled that Fraser had erred in his decision to release him. The fact that Zuma had completed his parole period did not seem to matter. He was sent back to Estcourt Correctional Service. Eventually, President Ramaphosa released him together with other prisoners. By then, the damage had already been done. Now, the earlier question becomes relevant. What lessons did the political leadership (including the President) learn from this episode? Zuma's matter was a trigger. The real causes of these unrests included political, social and economic factors, which resulted in frustration. The Frustration-Aggression Theory states that when people are frustrated, they resort to unlawful behaviour and join non-governmental forces which resonate with their situation. Currently, South Africans are frustrated. Issues such as corruption, crime, poor standards of living, political appointments, factional politics, increases in petrol prices, and other issues lead to frustration. What is the political leadership doing to contain the situation? Should there be another spark to ignite the inferno, how prepared is the coalition government to deal with that situation? Looking at how things are happening in the country, there is no sign that lessons were learnt from the 2021 riots. * Prof. Bheki Mngomezulu is Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy at Nelson Mandela University. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.

The Herald
13 hours ago
- The Herald
Police crime intelligence on high alert over alleged plan to reclaim 'land stolen' from Lesotho — Masemola
The police crime intelligence division is investigating allegations of Basotho nationals undergoing military-style training on South African farms to reclaim land 'stolen' from the mountain kingdom. This comes after Lesotho police chief advocate Borotho Matsoso is reported to have confirmed the emergence of a group calling itself 'Malata Naha' which is allegedly recruiting Basotho youth from within the country and abroad to incite insurrection against their government and to fight for the contentious land in South Africa. The land being claimed includes parts of the Free State, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Matsoso's comments come after the recent arrest of Lesotho MP Dr Tshepo Lipholo, leader of the Basotho Covenant Movement, a political party which has been demanding the return of Lesotho's 'stolen land'. The arrest sparked unrest in the country. On Saturday, national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola said Matsoso's allegations were high on the agenda of a meeting with all nine provincial commissioners to discuss crime combating efforts in the country. 'A preliminary report from the crime intelligence division was discussed in which intelligence structures have highlighted that they have heightened their operations to investigate allegations made and where necessary, track down and take down such illegal activities. 'The DPCI, also known as the Hawks crimes against the state (CATS) unit has also been roped in to investigate. Various searches have been undertaken by CATS at various identified farms and no such evidence has been found to date.' Masemola said he reached out to Matsoso to discuss the allegations and they had agreed that both countries' law enforcement agencies' intelligence structures would investigate the existence of such camps. Masemola said intelligence structures and operatives were on the ground to establish facts and urged South Africans not to panic as police from both countries were on high alert. In 2023, Lipholo tabled a motion for the kingdom to reclaim South African territory that purportedly belonged to Lesotho in precolonial days. At the time Lipholo declared: ' It's time for what is ours to be returned to us.' TimesLIVE

The Herald
13 hours ago
- The Herald
Kenny Kunene resigns as Joburg councillor and transport MMC
Suspended Patriotic Alliance deputy and City of Johannesburg MMC for transport Kenny Kunene has resigned as a councillor with immediate effect. Kunene's resignation comes after police found him at the Sandton house of murder accused Katiso 'KT' Molefe on Tuesday. Kunene told media outlets he was at the house when police arrived to arrest Molefe because he was facilitating an interview with a newsmaker for journalists from his online news platform. On Friday, PA leader Gayton McKenzie served his deputy with a suspension letter pending an investigation into allegations against him. Molefe is accused of being the mastermind who ordered the hits on DJ Sumbody and Armand Swart, a Vereeniging engineer killed after his company allegedly flagged price gouging in a Transnet tender. In a letter to City of Johannesburg speaker on Friday Kunene said: 'I regret to inform you that I have tendered my resignation as a proportional representation councillor for the PA effective immediately and will thus be unable to continue as a member of your mayoral committee responsible for transport'. 'I am stepping aside from public life for a period, while my party satisfies itself as to certain allegations that have been raised against me, which are unfounded. But I have nevertheless agreed it would be in the public interest for me to await the clearing of my name before considering a return to public service and duty.' Earlier in the week McKenzie said: 'I believe Kenny 100%. I can't expect everyone to believe him, hence we are launching a full investigation to prove what we know, which is that he is innocent,' McKenzie said. The DA responded to Kunene's resignation with renewed calls for an investigation into processes, organisations and projects under his portfolio. DA caucus leader Belinda Kayer Echeozonjoku said the party wrote to m ayor Dada Morero demanding Kunene's removal. It requested investigations into: All contracts and procurement processes at the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA); The contractors and procurement of the Lilian Ngoyi street repairs; and Contracts, appointments and procurement processes at the Metropolitan Trading Company (MTC). The DA asked the mayor to respond within seven days. TimesLIVE