Climate Change: Somali Minister honoured for founding ‘green wall’

Somalia's Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Khadija Almakhzoumi, was honoured on Thursday for launching a localised fight against climate change.

Ms Almakhzoumi is this year's recipient of the Africa Sustainability Award, also known as the ASO Awards, for encouraging local communities to adopt local habits and adapt to erratic climate patterns.

A dispatch from the Addis Ababa-based ASO said the Somali minister, a former diplomat, was being honoured for her "commitment to creating a sustainable future for Africa".

Coming from a country that often struggles with drought and flooding, the minister's recent launch of the Great Green Wall Initiative, which encourages communities to plant trees suited to their climate but which also help prevent environmental degradation, won her the award.

The initiative is part of the wider Somalia Green Initiative, which is Somalia's way of adapting to climate change as a whole.

"You have set a great vision to plant millions of trees, promote renewable energy solutions, empower women and youth, and create an enabling environment for peace," said Dr Anyangwe Emmanuel Ngassa, Chair of the ASO Awards Nominations Committee, in a statement.

“You advocated for environmental awareness, actively engaging with local, national, regional and international actors and agencies to pull solutions to the challenging issues of sustainable development in Somalia.”

Somalia continues to be battered by erratic weather, and humanitarian agencies said this week that floods are expected to displace more families as rains pound the country. But the minister's localised initiatives are seen as a way of preventing future disasters by preparing local communities to adapt.

Organisers of the awards say it is an honour for those fighting to improve ordinary living conditions, "where outstanding individuals and institutions are carefully evaluated, selected and celebrated for their remarkable contributions to a more sustainable future for Africa".

"The selection process for the ASO Awards is a journey of discovery and recognition - a journey that begins with identifying those whose dedication has left an indelible mark on our continent," they say on their website.

Other winners include Wanjira Mathai, Managing Director for Africa; Nigerian oil and gas specialist Mobolaji Ogunlende; Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago; Harsen Nyambe, Director, Directorate of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy, African Union Commission; Thandie Mwape Villadsen, Regional Humanitarian Diplomacy Coordinator, the Regional Coordinator for Humanitarian Diplomacy (Africa Region), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Cameroonian law and development expert Estherine Lisinge Fotabong, and Dr Peter Akong Minang, Director for Africa, Center for International Forestry Research & World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF).