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Electric buses and taxis are reshaping transport in Addis Ababa. Plus: In South Africa, how invasive biomass is transformed into low‑carbon bricks and new jobs.
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00:16If you're curious about what amazing progress people are making towards sustainable living
00:22in Africa and beyond, you've come to the right place.
00:25Welcome to EcoAfrica. I am Krista Lems in Lagos, Nigeria, and here to tell you more about
00:31what we have for you today is my co-host in Zambia.
00:39Yes, and it's greetings from me too. It's Malama Mukonde in Lusaka, Zambia. We're covering
00:45a lot of ground today, so let me give you a quick taste of what's coming up in today's show.
00:53Aesopia's EV revolution is gathering pace, so we checked out what's behind the boom.
01:00South African architects are building houses out of plants and trash to challenge the concrete
01:06conundum. And a very special plant in Uganda is making a huge difference on the shores of Lake Victoria.
01:17By now, I am sure you have heard about the advantages of electric vehicles. No fumes, less noise,
01:25no queuing for fuel. But what if your battery runs out and there's no electricity to charge it? It is
01:33a
01:34problem in many African countries, but in some, like Ethiopia, are pushing on regardless. Now, our
01:41correspondent went there to see who is on board with electric mobility.
01:48Full speed ahead. Ethiopia aims to have half a million electric vehicles on the roads by 2030.
01:55Over 100 electric buses now operate in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.
02:00Bus driver Shashe Asmara says they're a huge step forward.
02:07These electric buses are very different from the gasoline ones. They don't emit exhaust fumes
02:12or make that annoying noise. It's possible thanks to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam,
02:20Africa's largest dam. It began operation in 2025 with a capacity of 5,150 megawatts,
02:28doubling Ethiopia's electricity production. Over 97% of the country's electricity comes from hydropower,
02:35a clean energy source. Climate smart technology, electric vehicles,
02:41can minimize the issue of climate change on the earth. And it is particularly true for Ethiopia.
02:47When it says electric vehicles in other countries where there is no water or there is no any renewable
02:52energy resources. Indirectly, they are also just burning hydrocarbons to recharge their cars.
02:59Unlike these electric buses that have been operating in Addis Ababa for a year now,
03:03they transport over 90,000 passengers a day and have virtually no impact on the climate.
03:09In Africa's fastest growing city, the new quiet buses are an oasis of calm.
03:17They are very comfortable to travel in. They're also better because they don't pollute the air.
03:22This is a step forward in our country.
03:28Ethiopia plans to continue increasing the number of climate-friendly vehicles
03:32on its roads, also because it can no longer cover the cost of fuel for conventional vehicles.
03:38The country spends nearly 4 billion euros a year on oil imports, money it can't afford. So in 2024,
03:45the government opted to ban the import of gasoline and diesel cars.
03:50Soaring oil prices triggered by the Iran war confirmed the wisdom of that decision.
03:54Now the future is electric. Two years ago, there were around 30,000 electric vehicles
03:59on Ethiopia's roads. Today, there are nearly four times as many.
04:06And that's in a country where more than 63 million people, 46 percent of the population,
04:11still live without electricity. Prices for a small electric car start at around 17,000 euros,
04:20a lot of money, especially as many here earn less than a thousand euros a year.
04:26But for taxi driver Abdurrahman Ali, switching to electric has paid off. Hydropower remains affordable,
04:32while fuel prices have more than tripled since 2022.
04:36To start with, the EV is just more comfortable.
04:39Before switching, I used to drive a Toyota Vitz. Every month, I would spend 40,000 to 50,000
04:45beer on fuel. Since switching to electric and charging at home,
04:49my monthly costs have dropped to about 5,000 beer at most. That's a huge difference.
04:56But with more electric vehicles on the roads, the growing problem is where to charge them.
05:02Ethiopia has around 500 charging stations, nearly all of them in the capital.
05:09The government should work hard on this sector, because right now the charging service is only
05:15available in Addis Ababa. And even here in the capital, the number of charging stations is not
05:24sufficient. Private operators like Ezekias Dufara are stepping into the breach. In early 2026,
05:35he opened a 24-hour charging station that includes an app which he says provides customers with full
05:41transparency on the prices they pay. But things aren't easy for him either.
05:47There are challenges in terms of electricity outage sometimes. It has improved a lot,
05:53but we have some power outages. So there are some nuances, some challenges,
05:57but overall it's been really a great opportunity.
05:59The next goal is to electrify Addis Ababa's shared minibus taxis, the backbone of the city's public
06:06transport. Ethiopia has 17 plants for building electric vehicles. This one assembles electric
06:13minibuses employing Ethiopian workers and using parts from China. But the plant can't purchase enough
06:19parts. Ironically, the problem is a shortage of foreign currency, the same bottleneck that led Ethiopia to
06:26ban the import of gasoline and diesel vehicles. We are facing input fluctuations between 100 percent
06:35of the vehicle parts are imported from abroad. So we're facing a shortage of foreign currency
06:41and limited working capital. Because of this, we are only producing 500 vehicles per year so far.
06:51Still, the trend towards electric is undeniable. And because Ethiopia still has relatively few vehicles
06:57on the road compared to other African countries, it now has an opportunity to move faster, leaving
07:03polluting fossil fuel vehicles behind. I observed that the transition from fuel to electric vehicles seems
07:13promising here in Ethiopia. Three years ago, electric vehicles were novelty and now thousands of EV
07:21inside on the street of Addis. The country has become one of an EV front runner in Africa, in spite
07:30of the
07:30fact that needs more supportive policy and improving infrastructure. Across Africa, the push for sustainability
07:39is sparking bold new ideas and the construction is no exception. From unexpected natural materials to
07:46cutting edge recycling, innovators are rethinking what our buildings can be and the impact reaches far
07:54beyond carbon footprints. Let's go to South Africa now to see how greener design is reshaping communities
08:01and possibly the future of our cities. This villa near Cape Town looks like a dream home. Hard to believe
08:10that hidden within the walls and floors are tons of trash from plastic, old textiles and glass, replacing
08:16some of the carbon intensive cement. But first to a natural material, biomass. Invasive trees in South Africa
08:27are also being turned into cement substitutes. Species like black wattle and eucalyptus consume far more
08:34water than native species. So it solves two problems at once. The shredded wood is used to make bricks that
08:41consist of about 70% biomass and so require a much smaller amount of cement. With conventional bricks,
08:48you're using sand and stone as a matrix. Here we're using the biomass which contains carbon,
08:56which then gets locked away in the structure. And that carbon in the biomass is enough to offset the
09:06amount of carbon produced in the manufacture of the cement that we use. Elundskloef, a small village
09:12mostly made up of low-income housing, is the site of a non-Crete pilot project.
09:20For single mother Lisanne Ranssen, making eco-bricks is more than just a job.
09:30What I think is really, really good is the fact that I made it with my own hands,
09:34and I could do it again. I would be so proud to be able to build my own house with
09:44this material
09:44that I've now learned to make. The bricks are structurally almost identical to normal bricks
09:51in their usage and load capacity. And despite being made primarily of locally sourced plant material,
09:58they have passed major industry fire tests.
10:02I came from the community whereby most of us, we are living on a shake like this one,
10:08of which I've been seeing lots of fires, more especially on informal settlement where I came from.
10:14People, they lose houses, they lose their loved ones, they lose everything. I would like to see
10:20most of the people, or most of the community in Cape Town, having houses like this one,
10:28using the same material that we have been using here because this material is fireproof,
10:34unlike the shake that we are leaving on it.
10:37Hundreds of the climate-friendly bricks have been made here on site to build a childcare center in
10:42Elundskloef. It's a small project but a promising example of how to build an affordable green home.
10:50Change is overdue in the construction industry. Nearly 8% of global CO2 emissions come from cement
10:56production, the main component of concrete. South Africa's construction industry is struggling
11:03to adapt a more climate-friendly approach as it relies heavily on concrete. Organizations like the
11:09Green Building Council of South Africa are advocating more sustainable solutions.
11:14It's really important to consider what materials we use when we design and construct our buildings,
11:20because in effect we're baking in the carbon that we're going to be living with for the next 20,
11:2730, 40, 50 years. We do have the examples, we can do it, let's try and scale this up so
11:33that we have
11:34better buildings for us and the future. This company's product takes a different approach to
11:40locking away carbon by taking away plastic waste and shredding it to produce an aggregate for
11:46their alternate building material. From misprinted food containers to old bank cards, textiles and
11:55marine trash destined for landfills, in 2025 zero-crete transformed over 700 tons of plastics.
12:03The result? An alternative concrete with a fraction of the usual emissions.
12:12It's shaped into high-end building materials, like bricks, tiles, modules and decorative products.
12:21The company's founder says the biggest challenge is changing mindsets.
12:27We try to aim for the high-end market. The reason being, some people have got the idea when you
12:34recycle
12:34something, they ask why must I use something that has been manufactured out of waste. And we said,
12:41if we can do that and take the trash to treasure, to something higher, to add value to that,
12:48and that is what we try to do.
12:50This house near Cape Town is the company's flagship project, built entirely from zero-crete materials,
12:57from the foundation and walls, to the stairs and pool.
13:02The manufacturer claims through the process over 85 tons of waste were diverted from landfill.
13:08While promising, investigation is needed into possible long-term impacts, such as leaching of microplastics.
13:17One thing the pilot project shows, it's worth trying out unconventional ideas to reduce the industry's carbon footprint.
13:26Sometimes, the strongest solutions grow quietly beneath our feet.
13:31Vediva is a tough, fragment plant with roots that reach meters down. It is originally from India.
13:39But its natural abilities are helping Ugandan farmers defend their soil, boost harvest, and even create new green businesses.
13:50Let's get to know the small grass with an outsized impact.
13:55Once planted, these roots can't grow meters long. That's what makes Vediva so resilient.
14:03The fragrant grass originally comes from tropical Asia.
14:06Environmentalist Ali Tevandeke regularly visits farmers on Lake Victoria to hear how they are getting on growing vetiva.
14:15It's a very special plant.
14:191.5 meters is a viable root system that could enable the thriving of other plants, meaning it can retain
14:30water for a long period of time.
14:32Even if you are facing wildfires, this grass cannot easily be burnt down.
14:41Along the shores of Lake Victoria, farmers have planted vetiva to protect the land and prevent rainwater from washing pollutants
14:49into Africa's largest lake.
14:52Hamidu Mosika fishes in these waters and is also a farmer.
15:00Before we planted the vetiva, every time it rained, the lake would turn brown.
15:05All the runoff, including plastic bags and bottles, ended up in the water.
15:11But lately, things have changed. Even after a heavy downpour, the lake now retains its color, showing that much less
15:18runoff is entering it.
15:21Thanks to its long roots, vetiva can help secure the ground. That's what it's doing on Hamidu Mosika's slopes.
15:28When I look at where he planted the vetiva, there is not a lot of erosion running down the hill.
15:36The vetiva project at Lake Victoria began in 2016, led by a local researcher with support from Japanese partners.
15:44Over 4,000 farmers from more than 50 villages have been trained.
15:50One of the main trainers is Alite Wandeke. For five years, he's been in the field showing farmers how to
15:57plant vetiva.
15:58The project slowed down during the global pandemic, but Hamidu Mosika kept on planting, mixing vetiva with bananas and tomatoes.
16:07The plant is also good for making mulch. It controls weed during the rainy season and safeguards the soil during
16:14dry periods.
16:18We are currently experiencing a dry spell. The land is hot and plants can thrive well.
16:24To help, I cut some of the vetiva grass and used it as a mulch in my garden. As you
16:29can see, it really helped protect my plants.
16:36Deforestation is another major problem. Many trees have been cut down for farmland and firewood.
16:41Alite Wandeke grew up seeing this happen in central Uganda.
16:46He has realized that vetiva can also serve as an alternative energy source for cooking.
16:52He is showing the villagers how to turn the grass into cooking briquettes.
16:58The grass stalks are first charred and then mixed with cow dung.
17:02The women here now grow vetiva themselves, like Zulaine and Achisozi.
17:07She has been involved in the project for about two years and is now a big fan of vetiva.
17:15We can now make briquettes from this grass for cooking.
17:20And it has other uses too. That is why I really treasure it.
17:28The grass has another useful quality. A fragrant oil can be extracted from its stems and roots.
17:35This is mainly used in perfume production.
17:38This company in Kampala specializes in producing vetiva oil for export.
17:44After extraction, the leftover plant matter is used to generate clean energy that powers the factory.
17:52And the remaining ash, rich in potassium and calcium, is sent back to farmers as organic fertilizer.
18:01Instead of applying chemicals to the soil for purpose of improving soil pH, so you just have to apply the
18:07ash
18:08from this product that you have already supplied you as a farmer. But in the wrong run,
18:12you are going to get it back as your product good for the soil and the environment.
18:18Even though it is not native to Uganda, vetiva is for now not considered invasive.
18:24It does not produce seeds and only propagates through root division.
18:30Farmers have had good experiences with the plants so far, both on Lake Victoria and in central Uganda.
18:38With his peer-to-peer approach, Aliche Bandeke hopes to reach a million people
18:43in Uganda over the next 10 years.
18:47On the African continent, we are seeing ever more high-tech solutions
18:51as computing power allows people to help regrow coral reefs in the Indian Ocean,
18:57to trigger early warnings for white fires in Tunisian forests and scan for plant disease in Burundi.
19:05It is that ability to crunch so much data that is helping some people in Germany
19:10do an inventory of their national park.
19:16What animals live in Germany's national parks?
19:20How are their populations developing? And what impact is climate change having
19:25on these specially protected areas across Germany?
19:28To answer these questions, researchers need a lot of data.
19:33We don't have enough resources to send so many people out.
19:37We would need at least 20 of me just classifying images.
19:42Artificial intelligence can help there. Marco Heurich from Freiburg University is involved in a project
19:49to develop an AI-supported monitoring system.
19:54Some 13 German national parks are amongst those taking part.
19:59From the Wodden Sea in the north, to the Eiffel in the west, the Order Valley in the east,
20:03and the Bavarian forest in the south. Images from over 1,000 cameras are being assessed,
20:10along with hundreds of audio and climate data sources.
20:16Marco Heurich and his colleague Isabel Josic are checking the camera traps in the Bavarian Forest
20:22National Park. We have red deer and row deer mostly here, and we mostly see red deer and also
20:27wild boars. What is rare are lynx and wolves, but we also see a lot of birds that are landing
20:35in front
20:35of the camera and can trigger the camera. Animal populations here are largely undisturbed.
20:42This park was set up over 50 years ago to protect the natural environment.
20:47Human activities like logging, intensive farming or row construction are not permitted.
20:55The idea besides this inventory is also to have a long-term monitoring. Then we can see trends,
21:01like for example if the temperature is changing, like global change, hotter summer, less snow in winter,
21:11how does this affect the ecosystems and the species within the ecosystem.
21:17Climate change is impacting the national parks. With the data, the researchers want to identify
21:23which animals and plants are best adapting to the changes. That means they need to set up a lot of
21:29field traps. Back at the office, AI steps in. Various algorithms are deployed. Firstly, all the photos,
21:40including people, have to be blurred for the sake of data protection. Then a program identifies animal
21:47species. Others determine age and sex. It's up to the humans to check the work of AI. It's far from
21:57perfect.
21:58Sometimes the AI does not see animals in the pictures, which then have to be found by humans.
22:04But also there are certain species, especially rare species, where we don't have a lot of pictures to
22:08train the AI that the AI then cannot classify in turn. Of course the AI can only classify what it
22:15was trained on.
22:17But the technology still does some heavy lifting.
22:22I think my job would be possible, but very different. So instead of managing
22:26and doing a lot of analysis, I would just sit here for hours on end classifying images.
22:32New sound analysis methods are also being tested as part of the AI project.
22:38The acoustic monitoring uses digital microphones to record sounds made by animals.
22:48They can even pick up ultrasound frequencies. This allows the identification of animals purely
22:54from their acoustic signals. In the future, researchers hope the data from the National Park Project
23:01will provide more insights into long-term changes in animal behaviour and the environment.
23:07The new AI tools will play a vital role in the tests. But for global use,
23:13they will have to be adapted to suit regional conditions.
23:22He has a passion for fashion. He's a social media star. And he cares deeply about the environment.
23:29Roberto Zinli, aka President Giangun, is known in Benin for his extravagant upcycled fashion.
23:37For everything, there's always a trigger moment. We live in a world where every day we produce waste.
23:43And at some point, this waste contributes to the degradation of the environment, nature,
23:48and even the ozone layer. So I asked myself, what can I do to help reduce waste production?
23:58His answer? He recycles everything he can find, from plastic and metal, to wood and rubber.
24:05His favourite material is aluminium cans.
24:08After a night out, people throw away cans. So the first thing I do is collect and recycle these cans.
24:16And I cut them up. I put them in a pot to boil. Because they're waste. They're so dirty.
24:25His designs have made it from the streets of Paracou to the runways of the capital.
24:30The recycling artist also shares his expertise, giving seminars at fashion schools. And because
24:37the fashion industry causes massive carbon emissions and pollution, Roberto says his journey is far from over.
24:47Today, we have a lot of clothes that we wear that aren't necessarily biodegradable.
24:52That's bound to destroy nature. So what I propose is this. Instead of producing more materials that
25:01damage nature, we can reuse waste in fashion to give it a new image, a new life. Artists, models,
25:09actors, models, actors, well everyone can help by using recycled fashion.
25:35And I am Chris Elems in Lagos, Nigeria, thanks for watching. If there is anything you want to share, feel
25:42free to write to us.
25:44See you soon.
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