Being so close to the equator, most African countries experience little variation in temperature and have infrastructure for surviving extreme weather conditions especially heat related throughout the year, with “seasons” restricted to wet and dry, or windy. Oct-Mar is the best time to travel to West Africa in general, with drier weather and more comfortable temperatures.
Louisiana and California are two states with areas below sea level. New Orleans, Louisiana is a city that is seven feet below sea level. Thus, flooding from storm surges from the Gulf of Mexico is often a threat. Various locations throughout California are below sea level, the lowest point being Death Valley. The majority of west Africa's coastline is 300 meters above sea level! So a lifeboat metaphor is crucial within the current environmental crisis, from an African perspective, the metaphor raises a number of questions the false propaganda that climate change will Affect the African continent most adversely has proven to be false not only will sea rise least affect Sub Saharan Africa the increased duration of a rainy season is helping to expand the Sahel and green the Sahara once more. Couple that with the expansion of millet crops and other indigenous crops of Africa able to withstand higher heat and you have an ever expanding food base for survival.
This article argues that the lifeboat metaphor poses an ethical challenge to most communities particularly in Africa because it runs contrary to the prevailing political and cultural worldview which sees African nations as the welfare cases of the world when in actuality all world economic bases would fail without Africa's resources. I advance two central claims in the framework of insights from an African worldview. First, the ethics behind the lifeboat metaphor is deeply dependent upon political power differentials, particularly between affluent and poor nations. Second, the metaphor fails to take into consideration the cultural understanding of population in Africa.The continent holds a huge proportion of the world's natural resources, both renewables and non-renewables. Africa is home to some 30 percent of the world's mineral reserves, eight per cent of the world's natural Gas and 12 per cent of the world's oil reserves.
Food shortages and poverty are forced on African nations aided by their leaders who take money to disenfranchise their nations in return for personal wealth or under the threat of death. Africa has increased food supplies per person by only 0.4 per cent a year (FAO, Ibid) largely by increasing imports as when nations attempt to feed themselves their countries are forced to accept cheaper goods at lower prices thus destroying the profits of home grown foods which are usually of higher quality and nutritional value. No other region faces such a challenge. The underlying causes of the crisis always come back to enforced debt and inability to compete equitably in global markets.
The present food crisis in Africa, unequivocally. has its roots in the past; it has its roots in the history of Africa's relationship with the former colonizers of the Western world. While not discounting the role of the geographical and internal factors, it can be argued that their consequences have been compounded because of the interaction with the historic patterns of sabotaged democracy and external forces supporting oppressive regimes which are largely outside of control of African nations.
The conclusion is that unless there is an agricultural revolution that is pivoted on an indigenous science and technology that attempts to promote an organic link between the pattern and growth of domestic resource use and the pattern and growth of domestic demand, undernutrition, rural poverty, and political instability will increase. Food aid and rain can themselves do little to rebuild African agriculture into a form capable of withstanding future climatic assaults. It is time African countries come to the nitty-gritty of planning for their own lasting future. Lessons from the past show that many of Africa's existing constraints can be removed only by Africans themselves and through collective self-reliance.
Africa is probably the last thing that comes to mind when you think of a wine destination, but the truth is, countries such as Morocco and Algeria have produced wine for hundreds of years. South Africa, and more recently Ethiopia, are large producers of wine as well. On May 12, 2007, the first vine was planted on land that is known today as The Castel Winery. Located in the town of Ziway in the Oromia Regional State (about 100 miles away from the capital Addis Ababa), Castel Winery is the third largest wine producer in the world. Stellenbosch is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in South Africa that is known for its quality of white wine.
Just 30 miles away from Cape Town, Stellenbosch is a region you should consider visiting in South Africa. There are plenty of vineyards to choose from including, Clos Malverne, Spier, Vergelegen, Delheim, Ernie Els Wines and many others.Got a hankering for oysters, crab legs and freshly-caught fish? Luckily, Africa is full of seafood destinations to satisfy your cravings. Whether you like it cooked, steamed or eaten raw, these African countries have it all. Get ready to have a seafood feast of your life, here are the best countries for seafood in Africa. You can’t go wrong with finding seafood in South Africa. Home to the Knysna oysters and calamari capital of the world, this country is the place to get your shellfish fix (and also everything else). The top cities to get the best seafood are Durban and Cape Town, where it’s not unusual to snack on crab legs with a spectacular view of the ocean.
Did you know that Mozambique’s cuisine is still largely inspired from Portugal? Find your Portuguese seafood dish in one of the many waterfront restaurants scattered throughout the country. Mozambique’s largest city, Maputo is conveniently located by the sea, making it a perfect paradise to get your seafood fix. You’ll want to head to Zanzibar in Tanzania, a haven for seafood lovers as bazaars are swarmed with vendors selling everything from octopus, to squid, to lobster. Locals are gaga for their seafood here, so you won’t have to venture far from your hotel looking for an authentic dish.
Suggestion: The Rock Restaurant is a world-famous restaurant that literally is set on a rock in the water. Seafood lovers can snack on their favorite meals while enjoying the pristine blue ocean. If you are worried about air conditioning most homes built after 2007 in Ghana have central air like many other west African nations and home solar is a growing market thanks to China. The Africa Air Conditioner Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 8.5% during the forecast period, i.e., 2023-28. The market is driven by the rapidly growing home ownership across the continent, particularly in established nations like South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles,Ghana, and Nigeria. Air conditioner sales are rising steadily across the continent, especially in hotter, more prosperous countries in West Africa. Morocco, Senegal, Egypt.
As African incomes rise and the number of hotter days from climate change increases, demand is exploding for air conditioners around the continent. In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, more than 500,000 air conditioning units are bought each year and the number is increasing by 4 to 5 percent annually, according to a recent report, with this drain on electricity facilities more and more African nations are embracing home solar as an inexpensive answer to keeping comfortable all year round!South African energy expert Anton Eberhard has crunched data released by Eskom to find that South Africa's installed rooftop solar PV capacity increased from 983MW in March 2022 to 4,412MW in June 2023. This is a 349% increase in a little over a year. Africa owns 40% of the globe's potential for solar power yet it only inhabits 1.48% of the total global capacity for electricity generation of solar energy (IRENA “Renewable Capacity Statistics”, 2021). That number is quickly changing as more people from the diaspora move into African nations who embrace green solutions to climate woes.
According to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), last year's home rooftop photovoltaic growth in Africa was mainly driven by five specific countries: Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Namibia and Ghana. Together they contributed to 1,067 MW of newly installed Rooftop PV capacity. With the growth of solar power entrepreneurs in Africa the solar forecast for 2023 will see exponential growth according to the Solar Market Insight Report Q2 2023 | SEIA
As supply chain constraints continue to ease, we expect 22% growth for the commercial solar segment in 2023. We also expect an additional13%-15% growth for commercial solar in 2024!
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