TICHAKUNDA KUDZAI MAPOSA
I was honored to be part of the World Circular Economy Forum 2022, held in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda from December 5 to 8, which was also the first to be held on African soil.
It was also the first World Circular event which has been held physically since the Covid-19 period.
What was clear was that we urgently need to move to a circular economy, which refers to new and innovative approaches which are important in addressing the current and future challenges being faced by communities and countries.
Whilst providing new skills training, employment and entrepreneurship for the youths in Zimbabwe both in the rural and urban setups. It is a complimentary approach to the linear economy which was the basis of development for Zimbabwe from the 1950s onwards where vital and world class development was done in regards to the construction of the Kariba Dam between 1956 and 1959 which provides water for power generation for Zimbabwe and Zambia, the development of the country’s largest coal fired Hwange Thermal Power Station between 1983 and 1986 which has a capacity to generate 920 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
This was a futuristic and best commendable focus on energy for industries, domestic households, recreation, farming and mining operations for Zimbabwe. These two systems which I have highlighted are brilliant examples of the linear economy where resources are kept in use for as long as possible for the maximum value as long as there is still value from them.
The Change in Dynamics
In the past 15 years, there has been a severe climate change within the sub-sub-Saharan African region and globally, resulting in more heatwaves that usual, much cooler winters and excessive rain.
Regrettably, the eastern part of Zimbabwe , mainly the Chimanimani and parts of Chipinge districts, also experienced Cyclone Idai in 2019, one of the worst tropical cyclones, which left many people dead and many more missing.
The rainfall patterns have also been much more less consistent than experienced before.
So many unusual factors within our reach which are taking a toll on us.
However, it seems we keep remaining conventional in an increasingly demanding and unconventional world. We have to come with a solution.
The Global Perspective
Recently, we have had the the COP 26 and COP 27 series of international forums which seek to address and develop plans, scoping and timelines for the targets and strategies which seek to reduce negative effects on climate change on a macro scale.
In terms of nature and biodiversity conservation, there was the Biodiversity Conference which was also held early this month in Montreal, Canada.
Africa has been taking a lead in the global issues of climate change with the COP27 been held in Egypt in December 2022.
Practical Perspectives on the Zimbabwean setup.
One of the observations I have made is that as Zimbabweans, we are a society which is always looking to strive, mediocrity and being idle has never been our topic of the day.
Coincidentally, there has been an increase in antisocial behaviors and immoral activities, this is largely because we have been forced to deviate from the norm. The normal setup where everything is available and applicable as per your will and plans. The world in itself is going through drastic changes.
The Paradigm Shift
We need to realize that time is moving. Challenges may only get worse.
My main focus this week is on the youth as we are the key and the beacon of hope for our country. No one is going to change your personal situation only until you change your mindset, think outside the box, become discipline and make it happen. Below are some of the Circular Economy concepts which can be practiced for us to stay relevant, create our own jobs, make money and reduce the chance of any shock to individual economy in the event of any external factor.
*Food and lighting
Develop a biogas system at home or at the farm or warehouse and utilize your food leftovers as a resource to feed your bio digester. For those who have large amounts of biomass and are privileged to have space; you may construct a bio digester to serve for the purpose of heating and cooking. The bio digesters produce organic liquid fertilizer which is good for watering your vegetables and flowers. For those who do not have much space or have small families, you may procure mobile bio digesters which are almost the size of a household bin and produce enough gas for cooking.
These can be purchased from China or South Africa and some local suppliers in Zimbabwe; all options are very affordable and effective.
Reduce your daily LP gas bill by procuring the gas bags for biogas. This is the storage element of the biogas, which is similar to the image of a pillow and it deflates or inflates according to the gas content inside.
These are measured in litres as gas is not compressed. To understand the equivalent value in kilograms, you divide by 2000. That means; a 4,000 liters gas bag will be equivalent to 2 kilograms of biogas.
*How do I maintain my backyard chicken poultry project
The absence of electricity can be very stressful as I know most Zimbabwean families have a small backyard chicken project. The smart way is to use the biogas system to install heaters to provide warmth for the chicks and the chickens during the winter and cold periods.
For the fridges and cooling preservative systems for our poultry projects. There are generators which can run entirely on biomass and do not require any petrol or diesel, sounds surprising I believe, but this is very practical and is being implemented. It reduces an ounce of stress for your project and the monies required for school fees!
How do I get money to support my family, how do I practice my innovation?
Lets practice the circular economy. There is a case study and more practical events I have witnessed for plastic to bricks and pavers production. A few weeks ago, I teamed up with my nephew to mobilize the resource (plastics) from the dumpsites, shopping centers and random places where we are now producing our own good quality road pavers, we have designed them in different shapes and colors. Sooner, we are looking to complete our experiment on floor tiles.
All from recycled plastic and sand.
Surely with all the people building homes in Zimbabwe, there is enough market for us and other willing entrepreneurs to live a decent life. The youth of Zimbabwe, lets get dirty, work the dumpsites, the trash bins and create the gold for the future we want!
How do I support my brother in Mount Belingwe who needs money to buy groceries monthly?
Things are very tough, the cost of living is very high and in most cases, the money is not coming in like it used to. So we need think outside the box and make a plan. We have vocational centers in all districts and provinces in Zimbabwe. We should look to help train and equip all social classes within Zimbabwe, particularly those in the rural areas and developing town so that they also become productive and practice entrepreneurship, so that they may also develop self confidence and also support the relatives or siblings who are at school in the towns. For example, if my brother Sinfree can produce 10,000 bricks a day from recycled waste which he collects with his cart and can make US$500 dollars a day, for the same amount he can buy 10 goats or 2 cows.
What a game changer!
The Circular Economy In Waste Incineration
My close colleague , Terrence Mathe, who is the managing director of Southern Incineration Services Company, a waste management company based in Zimbabwe, a genius in his kind is my age-mate.
His organization specializes in the incineration of medical waste nationwide. He developed and implemented a modern circular economy system where he completely alleviated the use of diesel for their burners during the incineration process. They developed a system of recycling used oil through pyrolysis where they completely dissolved the cost of diesel and utilize used oil. Fantastic, anyone who has tried to do a carwash business understands the complications of setting up and maintaining an oil separator system and also complying with the standards and regulations of EMA.
The forecast
My analysis and objective is to seek to concientise the populace to refocus and try out the new global models so as to keep going, make money from waste, make gas from waste, manage your home projects from waste. We need to strive, focus and develop the appropriate mindset and make money.
Tichakunda Kudzai Maposa, is an emerging focused Environmental, Circular Economy and Projects Specialist.
He has worked in the African region including South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Rwanda. An Africa University Graduate], he is also a member of the World Circular Economy Network, a Blue Member of the European Business Chamber of Rwanda, Associate member of the International Society for Development and Sustainability (ISDS).
He can be contacted on 0775 589 199 or on email; genmaphosa@gmail.com
