GLF AFRICA 2024: GREENING THE AFRICAN HORIZON
The GLF Africa 2024 Hybrid Conference, as it happened
Hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, and online, the GLF Nairobi 2023 Hybrid Conference: Greening the African Horizon united 3,555 participants from 119 countries, along with 110 speakers and 69 global and local partner organizations, to forge a prosperous and sustainable future for Africa’s land- and seascapes, powered by local solutions. The global event reached 189 million people via social media and media channels, with more than 2.5 million engagements.
Across 37 plenaries, expert sessions, side events, networking sessions and inspirational talks, the conference sparked vibrant conversations on local solutions to the global climate and ecological crises in 2024.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Capacity doesn’t mean undermining the local and Indigenous knowledge. In fact, that's the starting point. The capacity that I'm talking about is that restoration has been simplified as just about replanting. Restoration is about restoring ecosystem services. And in doing so, we know that there are trade-offs and synergies.
Agroforestry and agroecology and all these things we have been talking about for the last 40 years are the starting point.
There is a need to decolonize how we do climate justice and land restoration. Whatever has happened on other continents, whatever the donors and the granters are saying might not be the solution for Africa. There is a need for Africa to come up with African solutions. There is a need for women to be involved in coming up with solutions to land issues that are upon them.
70% of the African population is under the age of 35. Youth make up a very important and critical mass of the population. The biodiversity and climate crisis requires a whole-of-society approach – everyone must take action.
We need to design systems that are appropriate for the context of Africa. We need data from the places that we’re trying to understand to build better models. Let’s say, for western Kenya, we need a context-aware model that can interpret intercropping in small-scale practices.
As we bring in new tools and approaches, we should look at how best to integrate them into the existing functional systems so that we don’t start from zero or distort what is ongoing on the land. We don’t want to work in isolation; we want to strengthen that system.
Together, we have the power to green Africa and beyond – for securing livelihoods, food security, climate resilience and biodiversity conservation. Land and community are the common denominators for achieving these goals. Though the climate crisis presents immense challenges, Africa holds immense potential of rich local and Indigenous knowledge, innovative solutions, youth leaders, brilliant minds and emerging technologies.
VIDEOS
News
#GLFAfrica Photography Awards Summary
Celebrating Africa’s diverse landscapes and highlighting locally-led landscape solutions
Photographers from all over the world submitted amazing photos showcasing Africa’s diverse peoples and their way of life across the continent’s varied landscapes. Meet the winners of the GLF Africa 2024 Photography Awards!
Past editions of GLF Africa
GLF Nairobi 2023
GLF Africa 2022
GLF Africa 2021
GLF Accra 2019
GLF Nairobi 2018
2024 African Youth Storytelling Contest
What young Africans want the world to know
We received hundreds of stories that paint a picture of hope and resilience in the face of the mounting climate and biodiversity crises, showcasing the diverse and inspiring narratives of Africa’s youth. Congratulations to all the winners of the 2024 African Youth Storytelling Contest!