Everyone's talking about critical minerals. Almost nobody is talking with the communities living on top of them. We went to Zambia and asked what they think. Investing in the #energy transition without community insights is a losing strategy. Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/africacl...

I wrote about critical minerals, meeting a humanoid robot for the first time, and why excluding community and citizen voices from global decision-making on critical minerals is a strategic failure for #climate and the #energy transition. #Africa africaclimatexnaturesalon.substack.com/p/creating-c...

Niger revoked the concessions of three gold mining firms, due to them not honoring "key commitments, including the payment of taxes, submission of annual technical and financial reports, and adherence to environmental regulations." #Africa africa.businessinsider.com/local/market...

On this #WorldWildlifeDay, we honor the ecosystem services and beauty that African wildlife offers to the world. People and wildlife are worth protecting, and so are the futures they make possible. We are proud to support innovative leadership on nature and climate futures in #Africa.

On this #WorldWildlifeDay, grateful for all the medicine, beauty, and ecosystem services that African wildlife provide us, and for their stewarding guardians and communities in #Africa I've gotten to work with. Photo of me and a beautiful elephant I recently met who outmogged me <3

It was an honor to guest lecture for the Global Politics course at York University in Toronto on what #climate and #energy diplomacy must become in a moment shaped by geopolitical tension, rapid technological acceleration, and escalating climate risk. Always a joy to engage with young leaders!

The race to access critical minerals heats up: A Belgian museum is refusing to share 1960's/70's DRC mining maps, stating that it would be unethical to share such information with companies that want to monetize the data and use for commercial interests. #Africa www.barrons.com/news/belgian...

I gave a briefing three years ago on my analysis & predictions of how the energy transition + focus on rare earths / critical minerals would benefit African people and economies. Looking over my presentation now and realizing I'd been too optimistic.

Bad Bunny including power lines in his Super Bowl performance is a great example of accessible + engaging storytelling that the climate + clean energy community SHOULD do. Countless folks are now going to social media to ask questions/educate themselves on Puerto Rico's power crisis. Impact 💥

On Bad Bunny showing power lines in his Superbowl halftime performance: "Customers in Puerto Rico experienced on average 27 hours of power grid interruptions per year between 2021 and 2024" while U.S. mainland customers only experience two. Energy justice is needed. www.eia.gov/todayinenerg...

For anyone wondering why Bad Bunny would include power lines in his Halftime Super Bowl show, here's a recent article from San Juan on how "the island’s power system continues to operate with significant limitations in both generation and transmission." www.sanjuandailystar.com/post/power-s...

Creative vision went crazy for this performance, like have we ever seen an entire little town set up for a halftime performance at the Super Bowl 😭 kudos to Bad Bunny 🙌🏽 #Superbowl

I'm kind of surprised they let them play American Idiot for the Super Bowl but Green Day is gonna Green Day 😂

Sustainable #AI is a hot topic at #Davos this week. In our latest #Substack post, we outline a series of key questions for experts to ask to determine whether AI for Good + AI for Nature programs can contribute to conservation in #Africa. africaclimatexnaturesalon.substack.com/p/aiforclima...

You would never know this based on what gets discussed on social media the most, but #solar power and #renewables are apparently outpacing fintech in where VC's want to invest in #Africa. #energytransition #energy #venturecapital www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Saudi Arabia will enter into their gold market "to provide Sudan with a more transparent and profitable channel for its mineral wealth, diverting from reliance on Dubai" and to curb gold smuggling. Fascinating... #Africa #trade #naturalresources #MENA africa.businessinsider.com/local/market...

Interesting lessons being learned in Rwanda on Kigali's quest to both reforest the city and restore the city's wetlands to help protect against deadly flooding, with implications for Africa’s other cities facing increased flooding amidst climate change. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

“Ten thousand fools proclaim themselves into obscurity, while one wise man forgets himself into immortality.” - MLK Timely reminder with the state of geopolitics, AI, and social media: focus on the good work in service of humanity, not to the ego or algorithms. Thank you for Martin Luther King jr.

The photo of MLK and Nkrumah of Ghana always circulates this time of year, but it's also important to acknowledge MLK met and was friends with many African leaders in the 60's. Here's a photo with him and former President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia. Leaders with integrity and aura 🔥 #africa #mlkday

So many crises of leadership across different spheres of the world right now. Supporting smart, ethical, and intentional leaders who can innovatively and effectively solve challenges that people face should be a top priority for any institution of influence right now.

BYD has been expanding across Africa for the past year or so with the most affordable EV models hitting the African market. I’ll be curious which models and at which price points enter Canada with the new trade deal in place between them and China. africa.businessinsider.com/local/market...

Sad to see deadly flooding in Southern Africa. Seeing they also had to evacuate safari tourists, it reminds me of how much climate change will influence tourism. Before you go on your next trip, can you afford evacuation insurance in case of an extreme weather event? www.nbcnews.com/world/africa...

This is a really good time to reevaluate your relationship to social media. In a time of painfully obvious algorithms prioritizing negativity, reactive clickbait, and other forms of shallow entertainment, I think it's valid to step back if participating is not giving you joy or paying your bills.

IShowSpeed in Africa has been a great watch. There's something magical about seeing someone for the first time travel to new places and meaningfully learn and connect with the cultures and environment. The spirit of global community and collaboration ✨ #Africa #travel www.bbc.com/news/article...

As the Africa tour goes on, it's clear to see which countries put more thought + creative vision into iShowSpeed's visit vs countries who just put a bunch of random activities together. I'll be curious if there's a tourism boost for the countries who've been more strategic.

So much of the "AI for good" and "AI for Nature" conversation consists of us hearing from companies or developers on how this area is promising, versus actually seeing results and hearing from people using AI to successfully solve real world challenges. More of the latter please.

If only all world leaders were required to read books about environmental justice and indigenous rights...!

AI for Nature is attracting funding + growing attention from private, public, and philanthropic investors, but is the investment producing societal + environmental benefits for the communities living in project sites? #Africa #conservation #AI africaclimatexnaturesalon.substack.com/p/aiforclima...

What are the possibilities for using emerging technology like AI to build climate and nature futures that nourish communities and nature in Africa? Read what we uncovered in our first #Substack post. #ai #aiforgood #africa #climatechange africaclimatexnaturesalon.substack.com/p/aiforclima...

Touched on this at the Africa Climate x Nature Salon in our AI series, but there seems to be a preconceived notion that Africa is a "free for all" when it comes to data capture when in actuality there's a few strong, model data privacy laws on record to protect consumers. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Ritz-Carlton sued in Kenya for blocking wildlife on their $3,500/night safari 👀 this is one of many projects in Kenya by a U.S. company where the local community says they never approved. Whoever is being hired to do stakeholder engagement clearly failed. #Africa www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/t...

Recently met someone from Arizona who vacationed in Zanzibar this year and was so relieved there wasn't much sargassum as they felt their usual vacations to the Caribbean part of Mexico were getting soured by the smell. Tourism in less tropical, coastal East Africa will likely rise. #climatechange

wore pink to see #wickedforgood and someone said I looked like Glinda from the Wiz 😭🤣 like that is the biggest compliment to be compared to THE Lena Horne. #wicked

#COP30 has two more days left, but clearly it's becoming increasingly unrealistic (and unwise) to expect COP-style processes to deliver in an era of rising energy and economic nationalism.

Africa’s first AI-powered adaptive power backup system can extend network uptime by up to six hours without the need for additional batteries or generators. #AI #Africa Much needed in Zambia where many suffer with 20+ hours of no power daily due to load-shedding. techafricanews.com/2025/11/13/m...

California continues to implement its own Africa strategy and policy as demonstrated by Governor Newsom at #COP30: "California is honored to join hands with Nigeria — a powerhouse of trade, technology, and innovation — to build a cleaner, more connected future across continents"

As a speechwriter, I particularly enjoy listening to Mamdani not just because he's a charismatic speaker but I can tell he is very involved in the writing of his speeches. It's easy to spot disconnect between flow, energy, and words from a speaker who doesn't believe or write their own content.

Mamdani in his victory speech calling out Ethiopian aunties as one of his voter blocs 😭 incredible

Guinea’s Simandou $23 billion iron ore project is set to launch soon and could make the country Africa's second-largest mineral exporter after SA. Important to note that the project has been flagged for environmental + human rights issues over the years. africa.businessinsider.com/local/market...

Found my dream car at the #AfricaClimateSummit - an old school, green EV Volkswagen beetle converted to electric by an Ethiopian startup. #ACS2 #EVs

Looking forward to this session on using South-South technological innovation to advance #climatechange adaptation and resilience in #Africa hosted by @wmo-global.bsky.social @fao.org @undp.org @unep.org @wfp.org at #ACS2 #AfricaClimateSummit

One of the speakers just talked about how Africa has been sending delegates and negotiators to every COP and "we never win despite being the largest continent - why are we still going?" 🙃 Didn't expect the candidness but it's welcomed. #ACS2 #AfricaClimateSummit #climateaction

Attending a session on Green Industrialization in Africa with President William Ruto of Kenya as the guest speaker and honorary convener. #AfricanClimateSummit #ACS2

The first paper I wrote in college was on water scarcity and geopolitics of Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Nile River. This Tuesday, Ethiopia will inaugurate the dam on the Blue Nile, something that felt impossible even a short while ago. History in the making. www.bbc.com/news/article...

China's solar exports to Africa surge, as Chinese overproduction of solar panels have prices dropping. Solar imports by Africa from China increased by 60% between July 2024-June 2025, with Nigeria, South Africa, and Algeria buying the most. #cleanenergy #Africa www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/c...

Cool things are happening in the emerging technology and energy space in Japan as they open up the world's second-ever osmotic power plant. #cleanenergy #Japan #tech www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

This rock from Mars was found in Niger by "a meteorite hunter, whose identity remained undisclosed" and was "sold by the local community to an international dealer." Lots of missing info...likely means the community received very little for what sold for $4.3m. Shameful. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Having to unfollow social media accounts you like and have followed for awhile because they started posting too much AI slop...many such cases.

warmer spring weather means 'tis the season for Tej (Ethiopian honey wine) to start coming back to the table again🍯

Ghana estimated that last year the country lost up to 1/3 of all cocoa due to smuggling so it makes sense to try different tactics to combat this but curious how starting early affects the crop quality and quality of chocolate. #Africa www.bloomberg.com/news/article...