Young reporters bring the voices of COP27 to Africa's radios

• Young African radio reporters received training for COP
• Radio is a key source of information in areas without internet
• Africa wracked by climate impacts, produces only 4% of emissions

JOHANNESBURG - Before getting on a plane to the COP27 climate summit, Siyabonga Mokoena has been recording the stories of people whose lives have been impacted by the open-cast coal mines and power plants in his backyard in eMalahleni, in northeastern South Africa.

He is one of half a dozen young African reporters attending the global conference to produce a climate change podcast series that will be broadcast on 15 radio stations around the continent.

"We want to bring our own stories to COP and then circulate what we learn from COP back to our own communities," the 21-year-old radio host working with the Children's Radio Foundation (CRF) charity said in a video call.

There are some 2,000 local radio stations in sub-Saharan Africa, providing a vital source of information for millions of listeners in rural areas and informal settlements with little to no internet access, according to South Africa's Wits Journalism school.

With COP27 taking place in Egypt, climate groups are pushing for a greater focus on financial support for African countries already suffering the impacts of climate change, and the CRF reporters say they hope to document this push.

"We have a lot of conferences, but what are the results?" asked Rebecca Mbaama, a Zambian youth reporter with CRF.

"At the end of the day, we are the ones suffering, (but) through radio we can listen and understand how to find solutions," she said.

'Stay connected'

Internet penetration in sub-Saharan Africa has jumped from less than 1% in 2000 to 30% today – the world's highest internet growth rate – but there are still more than 840 million Africans not connected, according to the Internet Society, a U.S.-based digital rights nonprofit.

Data costs in sub-Saharan Africa are some of the highest in the world, so even for those with internet-accessible devices getting online is still seen as a luxury and less than half of the region has access to electricity, according to World Bank data.

"In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) we have electricity problems every day," said Joyce Tshivuadi, a 19-year-old reporter from Kinshasa.

The young reporters say radio being played on public transport, such as South African minibus taxis that can carry about 15 passengers at a time, is a common way for large groups of people to gather their news.

"Radio is how we stay connected, how we keep learning about the world," said Tshivuadi, who will also be at COP27.

Since 2006, CRF has trained over 5,000 youth reporters in 10 African countries and reached an estimated 9 million listeners through shows covering a range of topics including public health, education and employment.

The organisation is sending young reporters from Zambia, DRC and South Africa armed with recorders to attend COP27 sessions and interview advocates and experts, to eventually create a three-episode podcast in both English and French.

"Young people not only deserve a seat at the table, they have also earned the right to be heard," said Dhashen Moodley, a producer at CRF accompanying the reporters to Egypt.

"Our youth reporters are telling us they want to be involved in the decisions, to hold leaders accountable and to report back to their audiences at home," he said.

Focus on just transition

Mokoena, the reporter from South Africa, is excited that "just transition" - the protection of workers' rights and livelihoods as economies shift to sustainable production - is on the COP agenda, because the issue directly impacts his family.

"My dad has been a coal miner for the past 21 years, as long as I have been alive, and now I am interviewing him about the sustainability of his work as the breadwinner of our family," said Mokoena.

South Africa has been labelled a test case for other coal-dependent emerging economies in the global fight against climate change.

At the COP26 climate summit last year, wealthy nations committed $8.5 billion to help Africa's most industrialised nation cut its emissions and accelerate a shift away from coal, which it relies on for the bulk of its electricity generation.

Mokoena has been interviewing miners whose jobs may be on the line as the country moves towards cleaner energy.

"My dad is really worried," he said. But, he added, his mother and many of his community members are suffering the health impacts of living so close to coal plants, including asthma, eczema and sinus problems.

A South African high court declared in March 2022 that poor air quality caused by coal-fired power stations is responsible for more than 10,000 premature deaths in the country every year, and violates rights to health and wellbeing.

"I'm looking forward to telling our stories at COP and to finding solutions that other governments are moving towards in their own just transitions," said Mokoena.

Young African voices

Africa is home to about a fifth of the world's population, but produces less than 4% of global carbon dioxide emissions, the major driver of climate change.

Despite this, the continent is disproportionately affected by climate impacts such as droughts and floods.

Young climate change activists are pushing to be heard at this year's COP, where 60 newly trained youth from 27 countries are acting as fully fledged climate negotiators.

"I am very happy there will be young African voices at COP," said Congolese reporter Tshivuadi.

"We are directly impacted by climate change and have our whole lives ahead of us – we are the voice of this continent," she said.

In late September, young activists launched the African Climate Caravans project, which travelled to 28 African countries mobilising 170 local organisations and thousands of supporters to demand climate justice before and during COP27.

"Way back, climate change wasn't really an issue we spoke about," said Mbaama, the Zambian reporter.

"But now, we have seen the droughts, floods, deforestation and felt the high temperatures. Now we know the only way to save humanity is to talk about it, so that action can be taken," she said.

(Reporting by Kim Harrisberg; Editing by Jumana Farouky)