From Coal to Clean: How Chibeze Ezekiel Stopped Ghana’s Coal Plant — Tangelic Talks S03E13 - video Dailymotion

Tangelic Life

🌍 What does it take to stop a coal plant and transform a nation’s energy future?  In this inspiring episode of Tangelic Talks, co-hosts Victoria Cornelio and Andres Tamez sit down with Chibeze Ezekiel — Executive Coordinator of the Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) and Goldman Environmental Prize Winner for Africa (2020) — to uncover how one man’s quiet but powerful advocacy stopped Ghana’s first coal plant and set the stage for a new era of clean energy.  Chibeze shares how youth leadership, research-driven activism, and policy engagement can drive lasting change — proving that real transformation begins when communities lead.  🎙️ Episode Highlights ⚡ From business student to climate activist 🌍 Inside the campaign that stopped Ghana’s coal plant 💡 The “Submarine Approach” to effective, quiet advocacy 🧩 Engaging governments through evidence and trust 🏘️ Why communities must lead the climate conversation 🚀 The rise of youth-led green entrepreneurship in Africa 💰 Why renewable energy is smarter business for Africa’s future ⚖️ Building a just and inclusive energy transition  🔹 About Our Guest: Chibeze Ezekiel is a renowned Ghanaian environmental advocate, Executive Coordinator of SYND, 350.org Board Member, and BreatheLife Voice Champion. His leadership was instrumental in halting Ghana’s first coal project — a historic win for renewable energy and climate justice across Africa.  📌 Timestamps 00:00 – Empowering African Solutions 04:00 – The journey from business to climate activism 09:00 – Youth movements & building credibility 13:00 – Stopping the coal plant: Ghana’s clean energy victory 17:00 – The Submarine Approach explained 22:00 – Community leadership & indigenous knowledge 26:00 – Green entrepreneurship and youth empowerment 31:00 – Climate finance & investment readiness 35:00 – Final reflections  💬 Join the Conversation: What can global youth movements learn from Ghana’s climate victory? Share your thoughts in the comments 👇  ✅ Like, Comment, Share & Subscribe — help us amplify stories of energy, equity, and empowerment.  🌱 Support our mission: TangelicLife.org  🔖 #TangelicTalks #ClimateJustice #YouthClimateAction #CleanEnergyAfrica #JustEnergyTransition #StopCoal #RenewableRevolution #ChibezeEzekiel #SustainableAfrica #EnergyAccess #YouthEmpowerment #ClimateLeadership #AfricaRising #EnvironmentalJustice #CommunityDrivenChange #GreenEntrepreneurship #ClimateActivism #GlobalSouthVoices #EnergyForAll #FutureIsClean

Transcript

00:00One of the things that we also want to trigger for us is solutions that are developed or created

00:10from the continent because we, you know, our context is different. We live in a different

00:15environment and therefore our context might be different. I realized that young people were,

00:21you know, were marginalized, you know, in all these conversations.

00:24The narrative says that if you talk about vulnerable groups, well, it talks about the elderly, the men,

00:33the older men and women. It talks about children. It talks about persons with disabilities. It talks

00:39about young people. But I believe that even though young people are classified as vulnerable groups,

00:46they can also become change agents, depending on how we engage them or how we empower them.

00:50A number of times people ask me, have you ever been threatened? You know, has there been a threat

00:56in your life? Because it was a very, it was a big deal, you know, at that time. When, at that time,

01:02we were having serious power crisis in Ghana, companies were collapsing, people were losing

01:08their jobs. So government felt that the only way to solve the problem was to build a core plan because

01:13our energy generation was not sustainable enough.

01:29Welcome to Tangelic Talks, your go-to podcast from Tangelic, where we dive into the vibrant world of clean

01:35energy development, sustainability and climate change in Africa. We bring you inspiring stories,

01:41insightful discussions and groundbreaking innovations from the continent making waves in the global

01:46community. Tune in and join the conversation toward a brighter, greener future. Let's get started.

01:55Welcome to Tangelic Talks, a podcast at the intersection of energy, equity and empowerment

02:00with your co-host Victoria Cornelio and Andres Thomas. In today's episode, we have Shibese Ezekiel,

02:06a powerhouse in youth climate activism. As executive coordinator of the Strategic

02:10Youth Network for Development, he champions young people's voices in environmental governance.

02:16He's a Goldman Environmental Prize winner for Africa 2020, a board member of 350.org and a Breathe

02:22Life voice champion. From shaping Ghana's climate agenda and just energy transition to guiding

02:28global civil society on engaging the World Bank and AFDB, Shibese's work sits at the intersection

02:34of climate justice, biodiversity and youth empowerment. He's also known as a man who stopped

02:40the coal plants in Ghana. So we've got a lot to talk to you about, but welcome to the show.

02:48Thank you very much and happy to be on the show.

02:50So how does one find themselves in this space that you're in? How have you accomplished so much?

02:56What's your motivation? How did you start this journey?

02:59It was, well, let me say a very good afternoon from Ghana to the Cherish,

03:06Cherish Guinness viewers and listeners. So it was in 2009 when I got a chance to be,

03:14you know, selected by the World Bank and British Council at that time on a program entitled

03:21Youth Master Trainers on Climate Change. And that was the first time I got introduced to the concept of

03:28climate change. We were, I think we were several young people from a couple of African countries

03:34that were taken to Abuja for that training. And we're giving that kind of, you know, knowledge,

03:40concept, climate change, and why it's important to fight climate change. And a good thing about that

03:45program was that after the training, we were given small grants, you know, to identify any place of

03:51our choice and go and also disseminate the information we got from the training. So that was the first time

03:57I got introduced to climate change. That was in 2009. And since then, I'm involved in a climate action to,

04:04of course, contribute and promote the, you know, the need to reduce our emissions as I was able to

04:09fight climate change. Of course. And so you've been in this space since 2009. What would you say was one

04:16of those first experiences you had that solidified for you? This is what I want to dedicate my life to.

04:24Do you have an early memory? I originally, you know, my, my dad had plans for me, you know,

04:29like most Africans, you know, he wanted me to be a businessman, take over his business. So when I went to

04:36school, I was reading marketing and business management in preparation to take over my mother's

04:40business, until I started volunteering with some friends, you know, with the UN and other international,

04:46you know, other NGOs. So when I got this opportunity by the World Bank, that was a big, you know, eye

04:55opening for me, looking at the devastating impact of climate change, you know, in communities, and that

05:01actually awakened and driving me. And so when I came back, and I began to appreciate, you know,

05:07how people have been impacted by climate change, that actually changed my whole concept. That seems

05:10so I had to shift significantly from being like a business person into, you know, climate or environmental

05:17activism. Of course, it didn't come easy, I had to convince my dad that the ocean administration, you know,

05:24was also important, you know, for my course. But that was, that was the rationale behind that. So the lessons,

05:31the knowledge, the experience of the impact of climate change, you know, in common. So that was

05:36what triggered me. And since then, I've been having a conversation. That's incredible. And it's been a

05:42long ride over 15 years now. Yes, yes, absolutely. Incredible. How do you stay motivated? Because the

05:50climate space can be quite draining. And so where are you getting your energy from?

05:56One is, is trying to secure our future. I mean, that is very important. Because I mean,

06:01what's the point in trying to see that, I mean, the next 10 or 20 years, you are likely to die

06:06because of an environmental, you know, catastrophe. So of course, it was important to, you know,

06:12work in that space. And then I also work a lot, or primarily for young people, you know, so when I see

06:18the energy, the enthusiasm, you know, from young people, that also motivates me, that it's like

06:23guys who are willing to learn, who are willing to bring to bear their expertise, their skills,

06:28their energy to ensure that collectively, we all co-create that kind of feature we need. So all this,

06:33you know, gives me energy and gives me motivation, you know, and in fact, that's what has driven me

06:37to the very age. So the key thing is that we as young people seem to be contributing to solutions

06:45in this world. For me, it's enough motivation.

06:48Yeah, no, I see that. And since you've touched on working with the young people,

06:52you've helped mobilize young people through the Strategic Youth Network, you've been doing a lot

06:59of work on the ground. So what lessons do you think, have you learned that could be useful for

07:05youth movements globally? I mean, they are, depending on the context or the country where one lives,

07:12the issues may differ. In our case, one of the things I had to deal with from the onset was,

07:18how to ensure or create a space for youths to be heard. Because it was that limited participation,

07:26you know, when it comes to decision-making process in our country. So if, as young people,

07:30we are asking for space, we are asking for that opportunity, then we need to be able to bring

07:35something on board, something relevant, something tangible. Because young people, from what I

07:44experienced in the past, were known to be very rowdy, very aggressive. When it comes to demonstration,

07:50you can find young people really, you know, doing that. And secondly, also, young people were seen

07:55not to have the capacity or the experience or the technical skills to come to the table. I mean,

08:01how do you expect that when you're talking about climate experts, you know, professors and doctors,

08:06how do you expect young people to come to the space? You know, so that was very,

08:09very intimidating. So I have to find a way to address that particular challenge by creating that

08:17new narrative that if we give young people the space or the enabling environment, they can actually

08:23become the change makers or change agents that we're spreading from them. So one of the key things I did

08:29from the onset was, for me, I had to build my capacity to be able to speak the language of policy makers

08:35and decision makers. So what do I mean? I had to learn how to develop position papers,

08:41policy briefs, because those were the language that were, you know, that our policy makers understood.

08:47So to be able to have a voice or to have a space or to influence decision making process, we develop

08:52position papers to articulate our views or our perspectives from a youth perspective to enrich the

08:57conversation. So that gets created that kind of environment that's okay, these are young guys

09:01who also have some ideas that we they are also proposing. And secondly, the other approach I adopted

09:07was not to be seen to be antagonistic, not to be seen to be against government all the time. And that's

09:13one of the mistakes a lot of young people make because of activism. In the same mood, then be prepared

09:19to offer an alternative. Don't say no and leave it hanging. We don't assume that government has all the

09:25solution. So when we say no, an alternative because we think there's a better alternative

09:31or there's a better offer we can consider. So those kind of constructive arguments, you know,

09:35give us that room. So for me, those are the steps I took or I led my team to take so that we can also

09:42be seen, you know, as relevant actors. So that's how, you know, I work or support young people to

09:47also become relevant in the space. Of course. And sometimes it's really hard to know what the lingo is

09:52or how people speak until you get to that room and you start reading the room. Right. And that's

09:59the whole thing. So when we say young people, what ages are we talking about?

10:03Well, I mean, depending on the, on the country or the continent, um, I know globally, when we say young

10:10people, we are talking about those between 15 to 24 years by the UN's definition. Uh, but we

10:16Ghaners national youth policy, you know, a young person is a, someone who is between 15

10:23to 35 years, which is also consistent with the African youth charter.

10:27Right. And also, you know, I guess I would imagine it also depends on like country to country,

10:33right? Because there are countries where there's a lot of emphasis on experience and age in positions

10:39of power. Right. Uh, I would guess, uh, it would, it would really depend on where you're from

10:46because there are some countries where young people just don't get a voice.

10:48Oh yeah. Yeah. That's true. That's true. In fact, we've been a president who are 60 years

10:52and say they are youth, you know, so it's, we, we, we, we, we are not just, but per the policy,

10:59we are just between 15 and 35 years. Yeah. Okay. And from that work that you've done,

11:06do you, when you start working with young people, well, first, why is your focus on young people?

11:13I kind of want to understand that first. I realized that young people were, you know,

11:17were marginalized, you know, in all this conversation, um, narrative says that if you

11:23talk about vulnerable groups, well, it talks about the elderly, the men, the older men and women,

11:30it talks about children. It talks about persons with disability. It talks about young people.

11:36But I believe that even though young people are classified as vulnerable groups,

11:42they can also become change agents, depending on how we engage them or how we empower them.

11:46So I decided to focus on young people to nurture the power they have and the skills

11:51they have to become the change agent we, we want them to be. Yeah.

11:55Yeah. And then I can imagine a lot of these young people through this activism are also

12:00sort of building their own self and their identity as young adults and all these things. And activism

12:07often involves long hours, emotional strain, setbacks. So how have you personally managed

12:14to take care of your wellbeing and your teams while staying active in these movements?

12:18Yeah. It has been easy for me. Um, particularly when I began this, this campaign on advocacy work,

12:27especially when you are behind and you want to catch up, you know, that means you must run extra,

12:32you must put in extra energy, extra effort, you know? Um, so it's how to spend more time reading,

12:40studying, you know, didn't have time for leisure or recreation, just to, you know,

12:41refresh myself or, you know, just to wind down a bit because I was really prepared to empower myself.

12:51But of course I learned that my, my wellbeing, you know, is equally important, you know,

12:56because what's the point in trying to work so hard and not also take care of myself. Um, so when I go to

13:03a point where I had been able to establish myself in a space or to demonstrate what I can offer,

13:08how much, what I can offer, I felt that to be able to sustain the gains I'm making,

13:13that is equally important that I also make that for myself and be able to take care of my wellbeing.

13:16So I spent time resting, um, exercising, um, even when I travel sometimes for work, I,

13:23I dedicate time to go out and, you know, have a look at nature, you know, just to go to the beach,

13:28to the, or to the seaside, you know, just fresh air, you know, just to chat, to sing, to dance,

13:33you know, and all that. So those are ways of me trying to refresh, you know, myself from all the stress

13:38that comes with advocacy. So that's a conscious effort. And that's something I, I also do encourage

13:43my team members to do. Yeah. And do you think that helps with preventing burnout while still

13:49being committed to the cause and sort of taking that step back to enjoy life? Because I think a

13:55lot of activists kind of get wrapped up in, if I'm fighting for this, this is my full time forever

14:02thing. How, how are you able to disconnect? Yeah, I think it's very much important. You know,

14:07um, years ago, I didn't understand when people go and leave, you know, when they are working,

14:13they said they're going to leave. I didn't, I didn't understand why, why should you go and leave

14:16when you're working? Um, there were others actually who even had to try to, you know, negotiate,

14:23not to go and leave, but to keep working, you know, just so that they can get paid for that. But I felt

14:28that, um, your health, I mean, you can't, you can't exchange good health for anything, you know? Um,

14:34Um, so it has to be a very deliberate effort. Um, so I felt that it is another way of trying to

14:41energize myself to get new strengths, new ideas. In fact, it is through my relaxed moment or when I'm,

14:48I'm a recreational time. That's when I get new ideas, you know, fresh ideas, you know,

14:52to even enhance my advocacy work. And I think that every human being should adopt that strategy,

14:56that approach where you allow your body to refresh, you allow your body to, you know, revamp itself so you

15:01can get new ideas and better ways of doing things, you know, and to allow the body to also,

15:06you know, recuperate from all the stress that you go through from the book as well. So for me,

15:10it has helped me. And I, it's something I will, I will always tell every advocate or every activist

15:15to also, you know, create that particular time, you know, for themselves and for their wellbeing.

15:20Definitely. Yeah. Cause you need to reground to get that clear headspace and sort of move on.

15:25Right. Okay. So is this part of what made you the man who stopped the coal plants in Ghana? What is

15:32this title? Please tell us, why does Wikipedia say you are the man who stopped the coal plants in Ghana?

15:42Well, you know, it was, it was, it was, I would say coincidental. We, if I say we, I'm talking about

15:51some, um, other colleagues of my younger names where in 2013, we, we got a chance to travel to

15:59Istanbul, Turkey, to participate in a global conference known as the global power shift conference.

16:05Um, that was led by .org and based in the US. So the conference actually brought about 500 young

16:12people from different parts of the world to have a conversation around climate change and all that.

16:16So if I, that was the first time I got exposed to so many young people like all the world, you know,

16:21doing something on climate change. And that was one event that also strengthened my conviction,

16:27you know, in the work that I, I found myself in. Um, so when we came back to Ghana in that year,

16:33um, we, we decided to keep the, the, the group who were serving from Ghana. Um, so we said,

16:40let's keep that particular group so we can sustain our advocacy work in Ghana. So that led to a

16:44formation of what we call GROC, G-R-O-C, meaning Ghana reducing our carbon. Uh, for us, the whole idea

16:52was that fighting climate change is all about carbon reduction. Um, so that was a group we formed in

16:582013 and came back to Ghana. And then it was within that same period that we, we heard in the news that

17:04China was considering being a co-plant in Ghana. Um, it was just a news headline. And then that was,

17:11that was it. And then on to 2015, when there was an official scooping report, you know,

17:18on plans to build a co-plant in Ghana, um, that was what the campaign, um, I led young people,

17:25you know, to push back, you know, on that plan on why government wants to build a co-plant,

17:30especially when a number of factors, you know, favor us as a country, you know, in going away of code.

17:35So we had to put in place the necessary campaign approach or strategy, uh, to, to fight government,

17:41you know, against co-plant. So that was, that was how, you know, the whole idea started.

17:46Wow. I can imagine that was a rollercoaster of emotions. What strategies helped you make it

17:54possible? Cause I can only imagine how many challenges you faced in the road there.

17:58Well, yeah, yeah. I mean, if I, I, I, a number of times people ask me, have you ever be threatened,

18:05you know, has, has there been a threat in your life? Because it was a very, it was a big deal,

18:10you know, at that time when, at that time we were having serious power crisis in Ghana,

18:16companies were collapsing, people were losing their jobs. So government felt that the only way

18:22to solve the problem was to build a co-plant because our energy generation was not sustainable enough

18:28to meet the demand, you know, of the population. And, and government said that we were then

18:34need to be the co-plant was built on two reasons. One is that it was cheaper or cheap to generate power

18:42through coal. And secondly, also, it's also going to lead to job creation for the youth.

18:48So with this position by government, then it means we have to come out to superior

18:52argument, why we think those two arguments, you know, cannot hold water. So one of the things we

18:58did was to do a lot of research on the co-plants and the pros and the cons, the negatives and the

19:06positives. I even got a chance to travel to South Africa to have a first-hand experience on the effect

19:12of co-plant, you know, in, um, in, in communities. Um, so when we came out publicly, and one of the things

19:19I did also was to do what I call to, um, implement what I call the, the submarine approach. Um,

19:26Okay. You know, you know, you know, what some of the submarine is, you know, it doesn't, it's always

19:31a issue. It comes up when, when, you know, when a need arises. Um, so that was the approach we adopted

19:38or the approach I adopted in a sense that normally NGOs, activists are very quick to react when government

19:45comes up to a policy. Um, so if government, for example, announced we are going to bid, you know, this,

19:51and then in the next two hours, NGOs just try to do a press conference to campaign against that.

19:57But we were not in a rush. We didn't react immediately. Um, so one of the things we did

20:03was to visit the community where the co-plant was to be sited. So we spent about three to four days

20:11with the people in our community, you know, asking questions, whether they understand the co-plant,

20:16were they properly approved, were they involved, did they participate in making a decision,

20:20what are their consents, are they having issues, you know, so we, we took them to bid our case,

20:26you know, so that's what I call the submarine approach. We're very quiet, um, talking to the

20:30people, gathering information. After talking to the community people, we then also engage other

20:36NGOs or CSOs in the climate and environmental space to also get their buy-in. Because one of the things

20:43to note is that sometimes winning campaign is also about the numbers you have supporting your, your,

20:49your, your work. So we have to build confidence or get the community to be behind us. And number two,

20:56we also have to get all the NGOs in the climate and environmental space to also support our idea.

21:01So by the time we came out publicly to do press conference and also engage public engagement, we have

21:07all these numbers backing us. We also have our, we had our facts and figures. So we're not speaking

21:13based on emotions or feelings because we've done our homework very well from the community,

21:17so that we are able to express ourselves, you know, with fact and evidence. And then we're also able to

21:21argue constructively, you know, against the, the co-plant based on the two arguments by government.

21:27So the first argument about the cost was that economically, it is true that it is cheap to generate

21:36power using coal, but that's if we don't add other externalities. One, if we talk about emissions,

21:43it's going to lead to costs, you know, cost implication. There'll be air pollution, there'll be,

21:49you know, um, respiratory disease, lung cancer and all that. So that's a health cost that must be factored.

21:56Number two, the waste from coal plants are often deposited in, in, in water bodies. And what that

22:02means is that we are going to pull it water bodies. There's a sanitation costs. In our part of the world

22:08could depend on the water for cooking, for buffing, for washing, and even animals drink from this,

22:14you know, water bottle. So that is a cost element that might also factor. So if you add the health costs

22:21and the sanitation costs, it doesn't make coal cheap, you know, so that idea about coal being cheap,

22:27it's not fact, it's not accurate. And secondly, if it's about job creation,

22:32coal plants will only create temporary jobs for them for about two or three years when they are

22:36constructing a coal plant. While the coal plant is built, they are going to be laid off, you know,

22:42because they don't have the skills to manage the coal plant. So if it's about job creation,

22:48then the coal plant can, cannot guarantee jobs for the young people. If it's about jobs, then we think

22:54that clean energy or renewable energy can create more jobs for young people as against coal plant.

23:00Because with solar alone, there's a, there's a job element when it comes to building the system.

23:05There's a job element in terms of installation. There's also a job aspect in terms of maintenance.

23:10So if you look at the value chain, renewable energy creates more jobs as against coal. So therefore,

23:15those arguments, again, is not accurate. So those are some of the clear arguments we have to make,

23:20you know, for government to back down on the coal plant.

23:23Yeah, you sound like a businessman. I think your data was onto something.

23:30Because that's exactly how you speak in business. You're like, you're not, it's actually not cheap.

23:35It's more expensive than you think. And no, you're wrong. The thing you want to do isn't going to work.

23:42It's in there. The businessman is in there.

23:44That rate, that way you were raised is a big, is a big plus, right? It was a big boon. It allowed you

23:50to negotiate in ways that, like you mentioned earlier, young people are too, too passionate

23:56sometimes. And we'll make ourselves look bad and our causes look bad by, by being reactionary. And

24:01the way you approach this is very systematic. You, you were like, see, these are your arguments.

24:07And then this is why they don't make sense, because they only make sense if you're not

24:11thinking about the future. They only make sense if you don't, if you don't care. Right? Yeah.

24:15So that, that's, that's really cool.

24:16Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

24:19And I really like what you mentioned about local communities, because of course you're right. If

24:24you're running to put out a press release, who did you talk to besides the person who wrote the

24:30press release and that's about it. So when you think about building momentum around climate campaigns,

24:36what role do local communities play compared to national, international actors like NGOs and

24:42these kinds of entities?

24:44For local communities, we, even for us as NGOs, I realized that more often than not, we usually don't

24:50involve them. We, we tend to speak on their behalf, you know, without allowing them to even speak,

24:58you know, you know, um, by themselves, but they have a very important role to play in all this

25:02conversation because as host communities, they should be seen to be at the forefront, you know,

25:07of all this conversation because they, they, they live in that environment. They understand the issues

25:11better. They can better articulate themselves as against we, our religious support and help them

25:17to go to, you know, um, uh, express the abuse. So in terms of importance, I think that local communities

25:22are very, you know, they are very critical, uh, in this conversation. And therefore for us, we do not

25:28downplay, you know, on that, on that. And we, we always involve local communities because we also need

25:35their buy-in to be able to push, you know, our cause. We cannot speak on that behalf without their consent.

25:42You know, they must also give us their, their consent and also even help them to come out with

25:48their own solutions. And that is one of the new things we are doing now where sometimes we underestimate

25:54the, the knowledge of these local communities because some of them or not some, but all of them

25:59have their own indigenous knowledge, which we need to tap, which we need to nurture. We need to find a way

26:04to even modernize. If we want to modernize, that's fine. But we can't just throw away their knowledge

26:08and assume that they are uneducated or illiterate. So the whole idea is that how do we also allow

26:13them to create their own local solutions to be able to manage, you know, um, the, the issues that,

26:19that they are confronted with. After all, they have lived in that state for hundreds of years without

26:24any problem. And it is, it's, it's a full claim we've gone to school, creating their problems now, you know.

26:29So ideally, uh, it makes sense to also tap into this, this knowledge, how to be able to sustain

26:34the environment for millions, for thousands of years, you know, you know, uh, until we came

26:39in the name of modernization or industrialization, you know, to start polluting, uh, the environment.

26:44So for us, that is the relevance and important to place on local communities.

26:48Yeah. And then do you guys kind of serve as a middleman, so to speak, when it comes to engaging

26:55with policymakers and institutions, but sometimes it can feel very distant to people when they have

27:02expressed this concern and then it takes however many steps before anything is done and they don't

27:08even know who the person to speak to is. So would you guys be kind of that bridge between local

27:14communities and the institutions that actually can change things?

27:17Yes. That is, that is the current norm at the moment, but moving forward, we think that we need

27:25to create a system where there can be equal representation of, of community people. Um, so one

27:32of the things that, that, uh, at least we, we've done a bit of that, um, in terms of the, how we are

27:38managing our, our revenues. Um, there's a system or committee in place, which is, which is, um,

27:46we do know the government is an independent body, known as the public interest accountability

27:51committee. So that committee is responsible for tracking how governments spend our revenues.

27:58So members of that committee include, you know, traditional leaders, you know, so they can also

28:03have a place to also, you know, meet their views heard. And that's, uh, a concept or a model we're also

28:10trying to replicate when it comes to youth participation from communities, that there must be a model where

28:15if we are forming a committee or there's a group being formed or working group, there must be

28:19representation from the communities so they can have firsthand information to also, you know,

28:24contribute and make their voices heard. Of course. Yeah. And I can imagine in these communities,

28:31well, when you speak about community and we say local community, is it specifically the people that

28:37are affected by the issue that you're campaigning against? Is it a wider societal thing? How do you

28:43decide what community and to what extent, like how far into the community you speak to people?

28:50Well, depending on the, on the issue or the purpose of whatever we are doing, if it's about

28:59campaign or public awareness, of course it's generic. So you want to reach out to people,

29:04you know, who may not be directly affected or impacted by just creating awareness about an issue

29:08you want them to know. But if it's, so for example, the coal plant, we had to go into that community

29:14specifically, you know, because that was where the coal plant was to be sited because it's going to

29:19affect them directly. If it's about mining, gold mining, now there's this issue of, um, mining lithium

29:27because Ghana discovered lithium as part of energy transmission. So one of the things we intend to do

29:32is to go into that community where some of them are likely to lose their farmlands, their source of

29:37livelihood. So we can also help them to be able to demand what is due to them in terms of their

29:42compensation. You know, so those are direct people who are directly impacted by state policies or

29:48government interventions. So for those kinds of interventions, we have to engage the people

29:53directly beyond just, you know, embarking on generic public awareness. So depending on the issue,

29:59we, we decide, you know, who to engage or who to target. Yeah, that's fair. And within this space,

30:05have you seen, um, any examples of activism across Africa or beyond that you think sort of demonstrates

30:13the power of organized activism to create change? Is there a blueprint we can follow?

30:19Um, in Africa, I've seen a couple of, um, campaigns, um, within a continent, but usually

30:29you know, they are, I would say, I would not say fallout, but they draw inspiration from global

30:37campaigns. Um, I'm sure you are familiar with Fridays for Future campaign, uh, which was triggered by,

30:43you know, you know, so the other colleagues, the African continent who are also pursuing that similar

30:48campaigns in their respective countries. Um, I know other youth platforms, you know, within a continent

30:53that are working towards that, uh, but it is one of the things that we also want to trigger, um, for us is,

31:02um, solutions that are developed or created from the continent because we, we, you know,

31:10our context is different. We, we live in a different, you know, environment and therefore our, our context

31:15must be different. And that is something that we have, we have triggered. We started doing that

31:20in 2022. Um, in a sense that NGOs or CSOs are known to be involved in advocacy, holding government to

31:31keep to their commitments, holding duty bearers responsible or accountable for the use of natural

31:38resources. That has been, that is our role, you know, as watchdogs in society. But we realized that

31:45beyond just becoming watchdogs, we can actually become the solution to the problems we are seeking,

31:51or we are, we are looking for answers to. So what we did was to develop or start a new program known as the

32:00Young Green Entrepreneurs Program. So these are youth-led solutions, you know, so it's not just

32:07beyond advocacy, but we are creating green businesses, um, green solutions as young people.

32:13And this is an idea or model that we have started and is working for us that we intend to replicate,

32:19you know, or upscale, um, across the continent that we can only depend on policy makers,

32:24but young people can also become the solution. We can create business. So one example I can give on

32:29this is we have young people who are now using organic waste or turning organic waste into briquettes

32:37which is a green fuel. So what that means is that it's helping to address waste in society.

32:45Number two, it is also helping to address deforestation because now people are no more

32:49cutting trees. They are now using briquettes to cook. So we are tackling deforestation by one

32:55intervention. And number three also briquettes also does not emit or smoke just like, you know,

33:02the wood fuel. So it's also helping to address indoor pollution so that our mothers and children

33:08don't inhale smoke in the process of cooking. It's helping to address climate change and of course,

33:14creating jobs among young people. So these are interventions being learned by young people which

33:19has multi-benefits or co-benefits across the spectrum, you know, so that at least we are not

33:24only waiting for government to find the answers, but the youth themselves are driving the solutions that

33:29you are talking about. Are you, are you basically grabbing ideas, vetting ideas from young people

33:35and putting them in, in contact with funding or, or how is this working? Are you guys funding them?

33:41How are you guys like, uh, you guys are getting these young people, these young businesses,

33:45they have really good ideas. Um, and what, what, what do you guys do to, to empower them basically?

33:52What, what, what we are doing to empower them is first, these are young people who are, who are fragmented.

33:58They are scattered across the country. So one is to bring them together on a common platform

34:04where we can learn and share. Um, so what we are doing now is to prepare them in readiness for

34:11investment or investor in our support. Uh, because we know that when it comes to investment, they also

34:17have their own expectations or criteria, you know, and some of them have ideas. Yes, they have,

34:23you know, the solution or the, they are, I mean, the idea, which is good, but you know, when it comes

34:29to business, the investor is looking for your financial systems, you know, whether they are intact,

34:36they want to make sure whether you are complying with the state laws when it comes to business

34:39operations. So all those are boxes we need to tick. So what we are doing is to help them to put in

34:44place all those structure. So when an investor comes, they can have the confidence to put money into

34:49their business. So it's about preparing them to attract investment. So that's our next phase now.

34:53And because we've taken them through the process from 2022 to for the past three years, that's what

34:59we've done in preparing them for, for investment and all that. So at least now want to position them

35:06and attract investment to put money into that business. So that is, we can also promote young

35:10people's business in the country. Yeah. That's incredible. I love that. And it sounds very holistic.

35:15And I think that takes us nicely into our more technical questions, which you can find at

35:20tangeliclife.org. We're going to stay here talking about policy, finance, a bit on justice,

35:27but thank you so much for being here. You're a very interesting man. And I think our audience will

35:32really appreciate all your insights. I really appreciate how candidly you speak as well.

35:38So thank you so much for trusting us with your story and we'll catch you all on the next one. Bye.

35:45Let's talk power. Let's talk change for rural lights to brighter days. Equity rising voices strong. We're building

36:00tomorrow where we all belong. Tangela talks energy, equity, pride in power in the world side by side. A spark becomes a fire,

36:12a vision that's true. Together we rise. It starts with you.

From Coal to Clean: How Chibeze Ezekiel Stopped Ghana’s Coal Plant — Tangelic Talks S03E13

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