There’s no planet like Earth. The global environment is changing with dramatic disruption of human activity. World Environment Day focuses on living sustainably in harmony with nature. There is a need to analyze and address the impacts of human disruption on Earth’s natural system and the environment.
From leading voices in climate education, addressing waste management, and dealing with climate-related emergencies through humanitarian programs, young people have continued to channel their creativity in innovating, developing, and scaling sustainable solutions toward achieving a healthier climate. For World Environment Day, Nigeria Youth SDGs is delighted to spotlight 6 leading youth activists working to advance a healthier climate and making significant strides toward a sustainable environment.
JUMOKE OLOWOOKERE
Jumoke Olowookere is on a mission to create a sustainable world without waste through recycling. She is the founder of The Waste Museum, the first in Africa to showcase the circular economy of zero waste of plants, animals and humans located in Moniya Ibadan. The waste museum hosts over 140 species of Indigenous plants, ornamentals, air purifiers, numerous functional arts, and wall Installations, made from discarded wastes turned into wealth.
According to Jumoke, she is motivated by the need to work towards a zero-waste living through
training, advocating for proper segregation of wastes and developing upcycling skills. She is currently the Creative Director at African Creative Sustainable Synergy Hub(ACSSH), initiator of PP40 Wastes to Playground, an initiative for 40 Public Primary Schools in Ibadan, Oyo State. Jumoke is an Alumni of the Academy of Women Entrepreneur by the US Mission in Nigeria, an Alumni of Global Entrepreneurship Training West Africa by Hangdong University South Korea, and a Grant Recipient of BurningMan Art Foundation USA and USADF.
“I have the vision to train two million children in functional upcycled Art and empower 200,000 unemployed youths and widows in Africa by 2025”, she says. Jumoke is incredibly passionate about creating a sustainable world without waste through education, upcycling waste into functional, durable and affordable products.
Follow her on Twitter via @JumokeOlowoW @africancr8vehub
www.thewastemuseum.com
ALIYU SADIQ
Aliyu Sadiq is the founder of Ecocykle Limited, a youth-led social enterprise addressing waste management, plastic pollution, and climate change challenges in Nigeria.
Over 2000 youths have been trained on the recycling of plastic waste into paving bricks by Ecocykle. Currently, the organization provides waste management solutions to 70 households in Nasarawa State and recently won the 2022 Global Recycling Hero award.
Aliyu Sadiq is a passionate environmentalist with over three (3) years of work experience in the development sector. A member of the Nigerian Environmental Society and winner of the 2021 African Youth For Environment Fellowship.
Follow him on Twitter @aliyusadiq_gky
JIATA UGWAH EKELE
JIATA UGWAH EKELE is a knowledge Management and Extension Assistant at CSDevNet (Climate and Sustainable Development Network of Nigeria) and a Script Writer at ACR (African Climate Reports) with experience in climate/environmental advocacy, programme management, website publication, and digital activism.
Sparked by a sudden low-yield incident that affected her family farm, she sought knowledge on climate crises and has contributed to advocating for climate-friendly and equity-based responses to climate change, and imparting climate learnings to youngsters. She holds a first-class Bachelor’s degree in Plant Science and Biotechnology from Kogi State University, Nigeria
Jiata is an alumnus of the Young Women Leadership on Climate Adaptation organized by Ban Ki-Moon Centre for Global Citizens in collaboration with Care Climate Resilience Academy, Diplomatische Akademie, The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), and Norad. She is also an alumnus of the Nairobi Climate Justice Summer School.
Twitter: @EkeleJiata
http://www.csdevnet.org/
ANJORIN OLUWATOBI EMMANUEL
Anjorin Oluwatobi Emmanuel is an environmental and social management consultant with involvement in environmental action planning, assessment, management, monitoring and audit of major projects across multiple sectors, including telecoms, energy, maritime and oil & gas in Nigeria.
His journey into the environmental movement started during a sustainability-related course he took and viewing a media illustration of what climate change could mean for Nigeria (and Africa by extension). Over the years, he has continued to engage regulatory stakeholders to achieve the integration of climate change into the Nigerian impact assessment process for development projects. He is also the co-creator of various projects such as “Eyi Africa”; a social enterprise focused on Afrocentric youth capacity building in sustainability and the “African Digital Climate Project (AfDC)”; focused on simplifying climate information.
Presently, he coordinates the Commonwealth Youth Climate Network in Nigeria facilitating global youth engagements and transboundary parliamentary engagements with politicians in various commonwealth countries aiming to bridge the gap between youth activists and policymakers.
Follow him on Twitter: @oluwatobie11
TAIWO OGUNWUMI
Taiwo Ogunwumi is a geo-information management (GIS) professional and a Flood Consultant with over 5 years of experience specializing in the use of space-based technology and GIS for disaster risk assessment, climate resilience mapping, emergency, and humanitarian response mapping.
Growing up with devastating experiences of flooding and drought occurrence in his community causing a decline in food availability, and displacement of people. These personal experiences were his driving force in environmental and climate resilience. Taiwo developed an interest in understanding the issue of climate change; its root causes, and adaptive and mitigation strategies. In addition to his work, Taiwo is the founder of the Geohazard Risk Mapping Initiative (www.georiskmap.org) Geohazard Risk Mapping initiative is a youth-led non-profit organization providing flood maps, level of susceptibility to flooding and statistical estimation of farmlands, educational institutions, and major markets prone to the impact of future floods.
The organization has developed a flood reporting web application (https://arcg.is/1rSqv1) available to the people to report flooding in real-time and successfully mapped 25 communities/LGAs, in Lagos State (Ikorodu, Ibeju Lekki), Borno State (Maiduguri, Mongunu), and communities in Benue, Kogi State and Adamawa State prone to flooding.
Taiwo has continued to work on humanitarian programs and projects that include Flood predictions and Impact Assessment, Education, Livelihoods & Water Sanitation for various international organizations dealing with climate-related emergencies.
Follow him on Twitter: @tyhwoh5
RITA IDEHAI
Rita is a geoscientist and social entrepreneur, passionate about social inclusion, responsible consumption and sustainability. She is the CEO of EcoBarter (https://ecobarter.africa/), a social enterprise providing sustainable waste management services to municipalities through sensitization, recycling and repurposing.
Rita started Ecobarter with a mission to phase out the “waste” idea, to create a world where every material is 100% reintroduced into another production line or biodegrades. Ecobarter operates integrated waste management schemes – a cost-effective recycling collection system where it places young people on the frontline to connect more communities to its recycling network via the Independent Recycling Hub and Affiliate Vendor Programs. The platform has empowered women and youth in local communities.
Rita holds a bachelor’s degree in Geology/Earth Science from Obafemi Awolowo University. She is a fellow of the LEAP Africa Social Innovators Program (2018/2019), 2017 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur, honourees list for SME 100 Africa’s 25 Under 25 awards in 2018.
Follow her on Twitter: @RitaIdehai || CEO, https://ecobarter.africa/
