CLEAN AND AFFORDABLE ENERGY

By NICHOLAS MWALE

GREEN Economy and Environment Minister Mike Mposha has called for a shift in societal mind-sets to accelerate the transition to clean and affordable energy.

In a speech read by Green Economy and Environment Permanent Secretary Dr Douty Chibamba during the Postgraduate Scholarship Award Ceremony under the Facility For Action For Climate Empowerment To Achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (FACE-NDC) Project in Lusaka, Mr Mposha observed that shifting societal mind-sets and accelerating the transition to clean and affordable energy are critical to the national goals.

Mr Mposha explained that this must be done through education, evidence-based policies, and inclusive participation, especially by the youths, adding that the universities are key to the transformation as they are not only knowledge hubs but engines of innovation.

15 exceptional postgraduate students have been awarded scholarships under the Facility for Action for Climate Empowerment to Achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (FACE-NDC) Project, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (FAO) with funding from Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI).

Other implementing partners include: The University of Zambia (UNZA), The Copperbelt University CBU), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Ten of the awardees are PHD candidates, out of whom five will specialise in behavioural science and five in renewable energy. At the same time, the other five are master’s students in climate change education, climate action, and renewable energy.

Mr Mposha explained that the partnership between UNZA, CBU, and the international community in the project is an example of how academia can directly shape national policy and climate action.

“By building capacity across education, research, and practice, the project aligns perfectly well with Zambia’s aspirations under the nationally determined contributions and broader green growth strategy,” he said.

Mr Mposha reaffirmed the government’s full support for the FACE-NDC project and its objectives and that it will continue to collaborate with the local and international partners to ensure that Zambia meets and exceeds its climate commitments.

He further urged the scholarship recipients to seize this opportunity with dedication and purpose as they were not just beneficiaries of this programme but its future, adding that their studies should not end in theory, but in solutions that transform lives, protect the environment, and drive the nation forward.

And FAO Zambia Country Representative Suze Percy Fillipini commended the Government for the unwavering leadership and vision in advancing the climate agenda through the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment.

Ms Fillipini explained that The FACE-NDC project is one of the joint United Nations programmes in Zambia that bring together local and international expertise to strengthen climate action across multiple fronts education, research and behavioural change in three key sectors, namely; Energy, Agriculture, and Forestry.

“The FACE-NDC project is a flagship initiative managed by FAO’s broader climate empowerment portfolio,” she said.

Running from 2023 to 2030, Ms Fillipini explained that the project aims to build national capacity to respond to climate change in a way that is practical, inclusive and transformative.

“Climate action is not just about technologies, but also about choices, behaviours and the systems that influence them.

Meanwhile, The UNZA Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Professor Trywell Kalusopa, said the higher learning institution was proud to be a core partner in the transformative initiative, which aligns closely with its mission to contribute to national development through research, innovation, and the nurturing of talent.

Prof. Kalusopa observed that the FACE-NDC Project represents a bold and forward-looking approach to tackling climate change.

“It places education, research, and behaviour change at the heart of climate action. For us in academia, this is more than a project, it is a call to responsibility,” Prof. Kalusopa said.

He reiterated UNZA’s commitment to championing research and innovation that responds to Zambia’s climate challenges and contributes to global climate solutions. -NAIS