The United Nations Environment Programme’s Regional Office for Africa, in partnership with the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE), convened the second roundtable of the African Forum of Environmental Protection Agencies (AFEPA) from December 3 to 5. This gathering brought together prominent figures, including Khaled Fahmy, CEDARE’s Executive Director; Ahmed Abdel Rahim, Senior Technical Advisor and Regional Director of CEDARE’s Knowledge Management Programme; Faustine Munyazikwe, President’s Representative of the African Environmental Protection Association; and Rose Mwebaza, Director and Regional Representative of UNEP’s Africa Office. Heads of environmental agencies and directors from across the continent also participated in this critical dialogue.
Egypt’s Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, opened the event by emphasizing the need to integrate science and policy to address Africa’s environmental challenges. She stressed the importance of leveraging data and scientific advancements to find actionable solutions tailored to the unique circumstances of each nation. Fouad highlighted the energy sector as a prime example of the synergy between science and policy, pointing to Egypt’s initiatives to expand renewable energy use, such as the introduction of a feed-in tariff in 2016 and subsequent updates to encourage private sector involvement.
Fouad unveiled Egypt’s ambitious plan to declare the entire Red Sea coastline a protected area, to be named The Great Coast. This initiative, the result of two years of consultations with various stakeholders, aims to safeguard coastal and marine ecosystems from the impacts of development and population growth. Scientific studies have identified coral reefs in the northern Gulf of Aqaba as among the last to resist climate change effects, underscoring the urgency of this conservation effort.
Ahmed Abdel Rahim of CEDARE underscored the significance of the roundtable as a platform to strengthen coordination of environmental policies and institutional capacities across Africa. He highlighted CEDARE’s contribution to developing a digital platform for AFEPA, fostering cooperation among member states to address shared environmental challenges.
Faustin Munyazikwiye, Deputy Director General of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority and Chair of AFEPA, emphasized the importance of uniting efforts to combat transboundary issues such as climate change, air pollution, plastic waste, and biodiversity loss. She noted that AFEPA serves as a critical mechanism for collective action, enabling African nations to tackle these pressing issues together.
Launched in 2023 during the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Kigali, Rwanda, AFEPA is positioned as a vital forum for collaboration and knowledge-sharing among African environmental agencies. This second roundtable marks a significant step forward in advancing sustainable development and ensuring a coordinated approach to the continent’s environmental priorities
