Zambia At WEF

The World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos draws to a close today after a week of conversations between some of the most influential people globally, from US President Donald Trump to climate change activist Greta Thunberg.

A major focus during the summit was what action could be taken to tackle climate change, with the US announcing that it will join the WEF initiative to restore a trillion trees by 2050.

Zambia is already feeling the effects of climate change with a devastating drought that experts say has been caused by a dramatic shift in weather patterns and has left more than two million in need of food aid. It is expected that Southern Africa will be among the regions to suffer most from climate change in coming years, with temperatures in parts of the region projected to rise by twice the global average.

Given Zambia’s dependency on hydropower the drought, which has seen the levels at Kariba Dam fall to a quarter of its original capacity, has had a number of knock on impacts, cutting an already insufficient power supply. As a result the pressure on businesses has increased, undermining economic growth prospects.

The 50th annual meeting, this year Davos saw a number of young influencers invited to participate in discussions. Zambia was represented in this group by 18-year old Natasha Mwansa. 

Mwansa is a child journalist, child and women’s rights advocate and activist at the Media Network on Child Rights and Development. A former runner up in the 2015 Junior president competition, she was appointed a Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Child Rights ambassador at the age of 13, before becoming a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) youth representative. She is the first young Zambian to have been awarded the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Award in Geneva Switzerland.

Taking to the stage at Davos Mwansa called on governments and business to give young people a seat at the table.

“Young people are no longer just seen. Either partner with us or we will do it on our own … we have to find a way to have that inter-generational partnership,” Mwansa stated.

“We have energy, we have solutions. We need to collaborate,” she added.