By Brighton Tchongwe
Self Help Africa says that Programme of Activities(PoA) aims to support local organisations and companies to participate in the Carbon Market which will help tackle financial challenges, reduce carbon emissions, conserve the environment, and promote health and economic development towards Malawians.
Speaking during a stakeholders consultation meeting in Lilongwe for the Coordinating and Managing Entity (CME) of the Board-based Carbon Finance Programme of Activities (PoA), Self Help Africa Project Manager Charles Matewere said engaging stakeholders meaningfully is important in enhancing project design and outcomes.
Matewere explained that the consultation aims to inform stakeholders about the project, discuss its potential positive and negative impacts, and establish a continuous engagement process for stakeholders to provide input and raise concerns throughout the project’s lifecycle.
He noted that the Programme of Activities allows for the registration of multiple similar carbon projects as a single programme, reducing transaction costs and increasing management efficiency.
Self Help Africa will serve as the interim CME, linking the initiative with Gold Standards.
“We are establishing a Programme of Activities and need to consult various stakeholders to gather their views, which will be essential for our registration process. We want to hear the thoughts and expectations of those involved in this initiative,” said Matewere.
Matewere added that participating in the carbon market presents huge financial opportunities. He mentioned the need to support people and projects aimed at mitigating carbon emissions, noting that current participation levels are low.
“Self Help Africa is committed to opening doors for those lacking financial and technical capacity,” he explained.
In his remarks the Lilongwe City Council’s Environment Health Officer, Benson Chidaomba, welcomed the Programme of Activities citing the council’s responsibility to address environmental and health issues in the community.
“It is crucial to consider projects like this, especially since health concerns are often overlooked. Cooking activities produce harmful emissions, such as carbon dioxide from the smoke, which can lead to health issues like tuberculosis.
The Lilongwe City Council will play a role in disseminating information to improve community health during the project’s implementation,” Chidaomba stated.
The impacts of climate change are alarming, with projections indicating that over 840 million people could face food and nutrition insecurity by 2030, up from 690 million in 2020.
Meanwhile, more than 3.2 billion people are expected to live in water-stressed regions by 2050, and an estimate of 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050 could be attributed to climate change.
Self Help Africa is establishing this Programme of Activities with funding from USAID and UKAID through Tetra tech under the Morden Cooking for Health Forests(MCHF).
