The Earth, Economic Growth and War: sustainability and security risks in Sub-Saharan Africa

Organised by students of the War Studies BA module in War and International Politics in Africa, and hosted by the Africa Research Group, this panel brings together experts from the private, public, academic and non-governmental sectors to explore the relationship between sustainable development, economic growth and threats to the security and stability of Sub-Saharan states.

How can economic growth be reconciled with sustainability, while mitigating the risk of conflict? What role can sustainable finance play in mitigating these security problems? How should different actors, such as governments, NGOs and international organisations, address these security concerns?

Discussing these questions in relation to the practical experience of our speakers will enable us to develop a better understanding of the complex relationship between Sub-Saharan states and environmental issues, and will allow us to launch lines of thought for better international climate governance policies.

Organisers:

• Introduction: Anna Hudson
• Discussants: Francesca Serena Truono and Iris Salemi
• Closing reflections: Tolu Agusto

Panellists:

Zenzo Sibanda is a PhD student in the Department of Geography at King's. His main area of interest focuses on mixing life stories in a historicised landscape approach with quantitative surveys to investigate limits to adaptation to climate change among drought-experienced dryland communities resettled in the vicinity of Ramsar Convention wetlands in Zimbabwe. With this as a main area of interest, Zenzo is currently conducting a PhD on the limits to adaptation to climate risk in Zimbabwe, and what happens next. He has experience in research and technical delivery across livelihoods and economic growth and governance projects across Uganda, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Isa Tafida-Isa is a physical climate risk expert, a chartered environmentalist and certified expert in sustainable finance with over thirteen years’ experience working in the environmental consulting, agribusiness, technology, media, and telecommunication sectors. Isa has a PhD in Environmental Science, specialising in environmental impact assessment follow-up. He has a strong track record of helping FTSE 250 and Fortune 500 companies conduct sustainability landscape mappings, identify, and manage their climate-related risks and opportunities, develop robust and insightful climate scenarios, and implement the right strategies to mitigate and capture them.