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Ethical Business, Tubman Road, Kigali (2025)

26/09/2025

Startups Are Turning Climate Risk into Opportunity

Climate volatility is increasing across East Africa. Droughts, floods, and unpredictable weather threaten millions of livelihoods, but local startups are providing solutions that turn data into action.

delivers SMS and voice-based weather advisories to farmers, helping increase yields by 30%. CEO Kahumbu leads this tech-driven approach to climate-smart farming.
Kenya by provides real-time flood warnings to cities, protecting businesses, infrastructure, and residents.
-**a, led by Goslinga, offers satellite-based crop insurance, reaching 4.2 million farmers in 18 African countries and processing Ksh 3.2 billion (US\$25M) in claims since 2014.

💡 Climate-tech is no longer experimental; it is essential infrastructure for resilience. Corporates, investors, and development organizations now have the opportunity to scale solutions that deliver measurable impact.

👍 **Like this post and follow our page to stay updated on Africa’s innovation economy and climate resilience breakthroughs.**

\ **a

25/09/2025

Kenya’s Energy Act reforms are reshaping the investment landscape—impacting over Ksh 100 billion (US$ 680 million) in energy projects.

The new legal framework introduces stricter licensing, revised feed-in tariffs, and clearer compliance timelines. For investors and operators in both renewable and fossil sectors, the implications are immediate and far-reaching.

At Olkaria, KenGen’s modular geothermal plants, built by Green Energy Group, now deliver 27.8 MW to the national grid. Meanwhile, Lake Turkana Wind Power continues to serve as a benchmark for public-private energy infrastructure, despite regulatory friction.

These reforms signal a shift towards greater accountability and strategic alignment with Kenya’s climate and energy goals.

Learn more at Ethical Business Africa (https://ethicalbusiness.africa/)

Share your organisation’s experience navigating energy reforms in the comments.

25/09/2025

Quiet Work, Quiet Risk: Why Greenhushing Harms Climate Progress

Something is shifting in African boardrooms. Companies are not abandoning climate commitments. Instead, many are choosing to say less, even as projects and budgets continue. That silence matters. It determines who learns from success, and who bears the cost of failure.

Why this matters for Kenya and the region
Africa faces a significant climate finance gap. Every credible, transparent project helps attract capital. When a Nairobi waste-to-energy pilot or a smallholder agroforestry trial in Murang’a stays private, peers cannot replicate the model and investors cannot price risk with confidence. The result: slower scale, higher costs, and missed opportunities.

Three risks of silence
- Slower diffusion: Practical solutions remain local instead of spreading across regions that urgently need them.
- Higher cost of capital: Evidence from African ESG and green bond markets shows certified issues trade at tighter spreads and with lower volatility than self-labelled bonds. Silence raises borrowing costs and limits who can scale.
- Eroded trust: Communities and consumers notice both overclaiming and underreporting. Silence breeds scepticism and weakens licence to operate.

A framework leaders can use now
- Publish one narrow, verifiable metric each quarter—operational and audit-ready. Examples: kilograms of organic waste diverted, litres of process water recycled. Always state the method and verifier.
- Use regional verifiers or recognised standards. Independent checks build investor confidence and reduce the risk of being dismissed as marketing.
- Share lessons as well as wins. Operational failure, framed as shared learning, accelerates adoption more than guarded success stories.

Budgeting note
For public disclosures, use the Central Bank of Kenya’s indicative rate on the date of publication. For example, US$1 million equals roughly KSh129.24 million at recent CBK figures. Always cite the official daily rate.

Final thought
Silence may feel safe. It is rarely strategic. The leaders who win trust and capital will pair disciplined, verifiable action with careful, selective disclosure.

Call to action
If you lead sustainability at a company or fund in Kenya, or elsewhere in Africa, share one concrete metric your team could publish within 90 days, along with the method you would use to measure it.

👉 Follow Ethical Business Africa and like this post for more practical briefings.

24/09/2025

Africa’s Carbon Market: A Billion-Dollar Opportunity, Undermined by a Knowledge Gap

In Nairobi, the world’s largest voluntary carbon credit auction recently cleared 2.2 million tonnes of offsets, purchased largely by Saudi firms including [Aramco](https://bit.ly/3QYkN9R) and [Saudi Electricity Company](https://bit.ly/3QYkN9R). The sale highlights Africa’s potential to become a central player in global carbon markets. But a critical weakness threatens that promise: a profound gap in climate and carbon literacy.

The Stark Reality
Across 33 African nations, only 23% to 66% of people understand the basics of climate change ([Afrobarometer](https://bit.ly/3QZ0V9d)). This knowledge gap extends to carbon markets, where technical expertise is essential for negotiating fair contracts.

The cost is already visible. In Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania, rural communities have signed away carbon rights for decades—often at a fraction of their true value—because they lacked access to independent advice ([Guardian](https://bit.ly/3QYy2hY), [Mongabay](https://bit.ly/3QZ1a0p)).

The Disconnect
Africans experience climate change directly: more than two‑thirds report worsening agricultural conditions ([Afrobarometer](https://bit.ly/3QZ0V9d)). Yet this lived reality has not translated into effective participation in the carbon economy. Without targeted education, Africa risks remaining a supplier of low‑cost credits rather than a full beneficiary of their value.

Proven Blueprints
Some countries are showing what works:
- Senegal trains agricultural officers in carbon literacy ([FAO](https://bit.ly/3QZ2r7J)).
- Ghana integrates carbon market fundamentals into economics curricula ([University of Ghana](https://bit.ly/3QZ3v8M)).
- Nigeria translates complex carbon concepts into local languages ([UNDP Nigeria](https://bit.ly/3QZ4p9N)).

The results are tangible: farmers are challenging prices, graduates are securing international roles, and communities are protecting long‑term interests.

The Imperative
The [African Union](https://bit.ly/3QZ5t0X), through [AUDA‑NEPAD](https://www.linkedin.com/company/auda-nepad/), has mandated the creation of an African Carbon Markets Initiative and an **African Gold Standard for carbon offsets. Done right, this could embed transparency, education, and community benefit into the market’s foundation, ensuring Africa captures not just revenues, but strategic value.

International investors are already betting billions. The question is whether Africans will shape these markets, or be shaped by them.

💬 Join the Conversation
What’s the most effective way to close Africa’s carbon literacy gap:
- National school curricula
- Mandatory training for officials
- Community workshops in local languages

👇 Share your thoughts below.

23/09/2025

Kenya’s New Gold Rush: Profits Hidden in Waste

In Nairobi’s Mukuru slums, mountains of discarded phones and plastic bottles mark a crisis for some and an opportunity for others. Safaricom introduces about 1.2 million handsets into Kenya every year. Once obsolete, they become part of the 120 tonnes of electronic waste flowing into the economy annually.

At the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Centre (WEEE), those devices are reborn. Plastic casings become chairs and poles. Circuit boards are stripped for gold, palladium, and zinc that find value in global markets.

The numbers tell a bigger story. Kenya produces more than 22,000 tonnes of plastic waste each month. Only 9 per cent is recycled, leaving KSh 22 billion (\$165 million) in untapped value. In the electronic waste sector, about KSh 760 million (\$5.7 million) in recoverable metals is lost every year.

Several companies are proving the potential. TakaTaka Solutions sorts waste at source and processes both organic and recyclable materials. EcoWorld Recycling turns marine plastics into usable building products. Safaricom, through its partnership with WEEE Centre, now documents every item recycled and diverted from landfills, turning compliance into a measurable business strategy.

The social benefits are also visible. WEEE Centre has trained over 2,600 women and youth in repair and recycling, with 600 currently earning about KSh 25,000 (\$187) per month. Each tonne of e-waste processed prevents 2.5 tonnes of carbon emissions, with carbon credits sold at KSh 7,500 (\$56) per tonne.

Kenya has set a target of 20 per cent waste recycling by 2030. Meeting that goal will require KSh 45 billion (\$337 million) in facility investment and could employ 50,000 people directly.

What was once considered a burden is becoming a resource. In Kenya, waste is now part of a new economy where environmental responsibility and profitability move together.

Call to Action:
What waste streams does your business or household create? Explore partnerships with processors like WEEE Centre or look at the Kenya Association of Manufacturers’ Green Business Programme. Your waste may hold more value than you think.

22/09/2025

Your lamps are now power sources.

Think solar power only works outside? Think again.

New tech is turning every indoor light into a tiny power plant. Researchers have created solar panels that soak up ordinary indoor light from lamps and overhead LEDs to generate electricity.

This isn't just a cool experiment. It’s already happening. These thin, flexible panels are being used to power:
➡️ Wireless sensors
➡️ Smart tags in stores
➡️ Temperature monitors..all without batteries or wires.

Why it matters for the planet: Imagine cutting down on millions of disposable batteries. Or having devices that never need to be unplugged. It’s a quiet revolution in how we think about energy.

The best part? It’s affordable. A single panel can cost around Ksh 800 (US$6) and last for years.

This is the kind of smart, simple innovation that makes a sustainable future possible.

What would you power with endless indoor light? Tell us below!

Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems

CTA: SHARE if you believe smart ideas can power a brighter future!

19/09/2025

Kenya’s electric mobility sector just landed a major boost.
French sustainable investment manager Mirova is putting KSh 1.3 billion (US\$10m) into ARC Ride, the Nairobi start-up rolling out e-motorcycles, three-wheelers, and battery-swapping stations.

Why it matters
Kenya already gets over 80% of its electricity from renewables. That means every e-bike or e-tuk-tuk on the road cuts emissions right away, without shifting the problem back to fossil fuels.

And the market is huge. The African Development Bank sees Africa’s e-mobility industry hitting KSh 5.5 trillion (US\$42bn) by 2030. But growth will depend on:
• Charging and swapping networks
• Financing models that work for small operators
• Policy that rewards clean transport

Nairobi as the test case
Think of the city’s boda boda riders. They keep commuters and businesses moving, but they’re also a big source of urban air pollution.

ARC Ride’s battery-swapping system could flip that script by tackling two major hurdles: cost and downtime. If it succeeds in Nairobi, the model could spread across African cities, creating jobs, reducing oil imports, and cleaning the air.

The bigger picture
This is more than just an investment headline. It’s proof that global capital is backing African solutions to African problems. The challenge now: can policymakers, investors and operators move fast enough to seize the moment?

👉 Your move: Whether you’re in policy, finance, or transport, the chance to shape a cleaner, more efficient system is right here. But it won’t stay open forever.

IMAGES: ARC Ride

18/09/2025

Africa’s renewable energy investment: Leaders and laggards

From 2018 to 2024, more than 70% of renewable-energy investment in Africa went to three countries, according to the International Energy Agency and IRENA. The continent is moving ahead, but at uneven speeds.

Top annual average investments (KSh / US\$):

1. South Africa– KSh 840B (US\$5.5B) | Utility-scale solar and wind cut coal reliance
2. Morocco – KSh 488B (US\$3.2B) | Solar mega-projects, Atlantic wind farms
3. Egypt – KSh 427B (US\$2.8B) | Benban Solar Park, Gulf of Suez wind
4. Kenya – KSh 168B (US\$1.1B) | Geothermal powers more than 40% of capacity
5. Ethiopia – KSh 152B (US\$1.0B) | Hydropower dominates, solar and wind lag

Key takeaways:
-Capital flows mostly to markets with stable policy and reliable infrastructure.
-Kenya has one of the cleanest power mixes globally despite smaller inflows..
-Nigeria attracts less than KSh 76B (US\$500M) a year due to currency swings, policy uncertainty and grid bottlenecks.
-Transmission losses average 15% across Africa, undermining project viability.
-Few nations hold investment-grade ratings, limiting access to affordable capital.

Why it matters:-
Countries with predictable regulation, modern grids and currency stability are securing long-term advantages. Others risk missing the global clean-energy shift and the growth it could deliver.

Priorities:
* Stabilise policy to give investors certainty
* Modernise grids to cut losses and integrate renewables
* Mitigate currency risk to unlock foreign capital

The capital is available... The challenge is creating the conditions to capture it.

For more fact-driven insights on Africa’s energy markets, follow our page and like this post to help reach others who care about the continent’s energy future.

IMAGE: Africa Report

15/09/2025

💧 The Water Reckoning: Why African firms must rethink resource use

Kenya’s water crisis is no longer hypothetical. With taps running dry across cities and villages, attention turns to industrial giants like East African Breweries (EABL), whose Ruaraka plant produces millions of litres of Tusker daily.

The optics jar. The strategy instructs.

📊 The metrics:

-Water use per litre cut from 3.5L to 3.2L since 2020

-KSh190M (£1.1M) allocated for conservation in 2024

-200,000 people reached through water projects since 2018

This is not CSR theatre; rather, it is operational realism. Every litre recycled saves cost. Every borehole secures licence. Every tweak shields margins.

EABL now recycles 18% of its water, up from 12%. The global benchmark is 20–30%. USAID and county co-funding stretch budgets while defusing backlash.

🌍 The context:
With 40% of Kenyans lacking reliable access, scrutiny is rising. EABL’s 2030 water neutrality target, replenishing more than it consumes, is both reputational insurance and a hedge against disruption.

🔍 Lessons for African boardrooms:

1. Efficiency is profit – KSh180M saved in 2023 from water and energy gains

2. Community investment is strategic – 70% of projects in sourcing regions

3. Transparency is currency – Audits and granular reporting convert critics

4. Sustainability is no longer a moral accessory. It is a competitive imperative.

💬 Question:
Is your organisation treating resource limits as a threat, or as a strategic lever? The firms that master this calculus will shape Africa’s business future.

Read more:

15/09/2025

The Power Bill Blues: How East Africa’s Smartest Factories Are Fighting Back

If you run a factory in East Africa, you’ve probably felt it- that sting when the power bill lands. In Kenya, manufacturers pay around KES 25 (US$0.19) per kWh. That’s double what some Tanzanian plants pay. For a mid‑sized textile plant, that’s KES 3.2M (US$25,000) a month gone to energy.

But here’s the good news: The Kenya Association of Manufacturers says most factories can cut energy use by 10–30% without slowing production — and recover the cost in under two years.

Real examples:
✅ Bidco Africa (Kenya) – Fixed motors, sealed steam leaks, captured waste heat. Saved KES 30M (US$230K) a year.
✅ Uganda Breweries – Switched to biomass from coffee husks. Saved KES 66M (US$500K) and cut 7,000 tonnes of CO₂.
✅ Cimerwa Cement (Rwanda) – Kiln upgrades cut coal use by 6%, saving KES 44M (US$335K).

Quick wins you can copy:
🔹 Fix compressed air leaks → Save 20–30% of system energy.
🔹 Add variable speed drives to motors → Cut use by up to 50%. 🔹 Retrofit LEDs → 60–80% lighting savings.

💬 Why it matters: Lower bills, lower emissions, and a stronger competitive edge in export markets.

📢 Your move: Stop letting profits leak into the grid. Book a certified energy audit and uncover the savings hiding in your factory.

Read more:

14/09/2025

🌿 From Lake Menace to Market Gold in Kisumu

For years, water hyacinth on Lake Victoria meant stranded boats, lost fishing days and suffocated waters.

Today, in Kisumu, that same w**d is being turned into:
✅ Paper and packaging
✅ Fertiliser
✅ Clean cooking fuel

Michael Otieno of Takawiri Enterprise crafts stationery and bags from the plant. Dominic Kahumbu of Biogas International converts it into biogas. County and national projects are scaling up with harvesters and processing facilities.

The w**d will not vanish, its seeds can survive for 15 years, but its story is changing. What was once an environmental burden is becoming a source of jobs, income and innovation.

💡 The lesson: With the right mix of local ingenuity, policy support and market access, waste can become wealth.

📢 Your move: Support the innovators. Fund the tools. Build the markets. The next big opportunity might already be floating in plain sight.

14/09/2025

Africa’s Electric Vehicle Dilemma: Subsidy or Self-Reliance? ⚡🚙

As the world accelerates towards electric mobility, Africa faces a defining choice. Europe and Asia are pouring billions into EV subsidies. Should African governments do the same—or chart a different path?

👉 The case for:

-Cleaner air in congested cities

-Lower fuel import bills

-Local players like Kenya’s Roam Motorcycles assembling e-bikes already

-A subsidy could bring an electric boda boda (≈ Ksh 380,000 / $2,900) closer to the petrol price (≈ Ksh 240,000).

👉 The case against:

-Subsidies are costly—diverting funds from health, education, or public transport

-Risk of mainly benefitting the urban elite

-power grids make large-scale charging unrealistic without heavy investment

Africa must decide: use its mineral wealth (cobalt, lithium, copper) to build an EV value chain, or stay a passive market for imports.

💬 We want your take.
Should African governments subsidise EVs? Cast your vote below and tell us why.

📊 Poll Options:
1️⃣ Yes, crucial to kickstart the market
2️⃣ No, funds are better spent elsewhere
3️⃣ Only for public transport & commercial fleets
4️⃣ Too early—focus on energy first

—
🔎 Sources: International Energy Agency (Africa Energy Outlook 2022), BloombergNEF (EV Outlook 2023), Roam Kenya

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