- 11 hours ago
Tackling plastic pollution in urban Nigeria, staying cool in Cairo, making city tourism more sustainable and using dance to inspire climate action.
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00:12Almost half of the world's population now lives in urban areas.
00:16Here in Africa alone, we have three megacities, Cairo, Lagos and Kinshasa.
00:24Each home to around 20 million people with the corresponding environmental challenges.
00:30But there is no shortage of creative minds and solutions among the residents.
00:36Join us as we explore some ideas that make big cities more livable.
00:41Welcome to Echo Africa. I'm Malama Mukonde in Lusaka, Zambia and here's my co-host Chris Elens.
00:50Hello everyone and greetings from Lagos, Nigeria.
00:53Thanks for joining us today. Here is what we have coming up.
00:59How citizens in Egypt find simple fixes to cool down their neighborhoods.
01:06How tourism in Berlin is getting greener.
01:11How an entrepreneur from Nigeria turns waste into opportunity.
01:17We all know those TV talent shows. Always entertaining, right?
01:22They can launch new careers. But how about competition that helps to boost the environment.
01:29In Uganda, we sent our reporter to get the lowdown or the dance-off with a difference where it's not
01:36just about the moves but also a mission.
01:41The jury is ready. Let the competition begin.
01:48Hello friends.
01:49Good.
01:50Yes.
01:50Good.
01:51Good.
02:11Each entry must convey a message about the environment.
02:15The Karangara Wildlife Conservation Group is hoping to qualify for the next round.
02:19Their goal, to become the best performance group in Uganda's southwestern Kanungu district.
02:26The Dancing for Nature competition was launched in 2017 by climate activist Herbert Panovi.
02:33The sweetest dance you can talk about is the dance of nature.
02:39When a tree is being swung by the wind, it is a natural rhythmic movement responding
02:49to the force of the wind, and I find myself almost moving with the wind, moving with a
02:58tree, sharing as if we are in a Rio Rio dance.
03:04He heads up an environmental NGO and uses performance art to highlight the need to protect the environment
03:10in places where traditional media have little impact.
03:14So our other method which we think is community friendly and community powerful is to use the
03:23music, dance and drama, and then by that we are finding the reasoning capacities of the community
03:33to enter into thinking about how the environment is, was and will be in future.
03:43In the hills of Kanungu, the changing climate means heavy rainstorms are becoming more common,
03:49that resulting landslides destroy riverbanks, fields and houses.
03:54Farmers are partly to blame as they clear forests and drain wetlands for farming.
04:00Away from the competition, participants learn important lessons.
04:04These planted walls of earth, known as contour bands, stop rainwater gushing down the slope.
04:10Herbert Banovi, a biologist by profession, explains how they work.
04:16So we dig trenches and we make a mound kind of where we put the soil down and when the
04:25water comes it lands in the trench and when it stays there for a day it now sinks within
04:33the soil.
04:35Back to the competition, the Nyakitandara Vision Club is also hoping to reach the
04:40next round.
04:41After their dance, they perform a song.
04:45After their dance, they perform a song.
05:08Engaging with these environmental issues has inspired the contestants to take action.
05:16In our village we formed a group of ten people.
05:19We began by collecting polythene bags and plastic bottles after learning that they harm our soil.
05:26Once we understood their impact, we started gathering them.
05:30We also visited various homes and planted the trees that we had been performing about.
05:39The trees are needed.
05:41The bank of the Nyarwande River has collapsed.
05:45Herbert Banovi's NGO has provided seedlings that they grew themselves.
05:49Once established, the adult trees will prevent further landslides.
05:54The species was chosen especially for its deep roots.
05:58So this is known as coriander tree.
06:01It has various powerful roots and they go fast.
06:06So we expect them to go and bind and bind the whole soil so that there is no more erosion
06:13taking away this soil.
06:15Wetlands, wetlands, wetlands, how wonderful you are, how useful you are.
06:21Oh, wetlands, people are proud of you because you are the mother of life.
06:27In the competition, there is a surprise.
06:29Suddenly, a third group appears unannounced, reciting a poem on the importance of wetlands.
06:36It turns out that it's actually the first team of contestants in a different outfit.
06:41The poem should have come earlier.
06:44That loses them points.
06:45The jury then reaches a decision.
06:48And the winner is the second team that sang the song.
06:52So the best one is that one who has done much more research.
06:56So that is how the grading takes place.
07:00They told us how we can protect the environment through the song.
07:05And they told us what causes climate change.
07:09And they even told us the importance of the environment when it was still beautiful in the past.
07:14But no one lives empty-handed.
07:17Beehives are given out free of charge, allowing everyone to earn some extra money without harming the environment.
07:24Waste in crowded cities is one problem.
07:27But intense heat is another.
07:30Take Cairo.
07:31By 2050, the Egyptian capital could be seeing summers with more than 40 days in excess of 45 degrees Celsius.
07:41Hot.
07:41An international team of architects and urban planners is joining forces with residents to create simple, eco-friendly solutions for
07:51reducing heat stress that can be implemented locally.
07:55And the results are as practical as they are innovative.
08:03A densely packed neighbourhood.
08:06A team of architects, researchers, and a local craftsman.
08:13Plus simple everyday building materials from the streets around them.
08:18What brings them together?
08:19They are in Ardaliwa, one of Cairo's most crowded informal housing developments, and home to an estimated half a million
08:28people.
08:29The various experts have joined forces to find low-tech ways of beating the summer heat.
08:35Temperatures in Egypt's capital have been rising due to climate change.
08:40Heat waves last longer, and often peak at above 40 degrees Celsius.
08:44And in places like Ardaliwa, it can feel even hotter.
08:50The way streets and buildings are designed really affects how you feel the heat.
08:55And with a population the size of Greater Cairo, and the associated conditions, you can actually feel temperatures that are
09:01five to six degrees higher than what's officially recorded.
09:07Ahmed Mukhtar has been living and working here for years.
09:10Some time ago, the local craftsman and visual artist found his own way of staying cool in his rooftop premises.
09:21I started taking apart the conventionally built wooden ceiling.
09:25Then I began adding openings like ventilation gaps, placed in the direction of the wind.
09:30And it worked great.
09:32The temperature dropped considerably, and the atmosphere completely changed.
09:38But as buildings around him rose taller, the air stopped flowing, and the space became stifling again.
09:46Fortunately, Mukhtar is part of the cluster team, the group of architects and urban planners from Egypt and further afield.
09:53With financial support from partners and a Netherlands-based cultural program, they develop green and affordable solutions for combating heat
10:02stress.
10:03With one example being Mukhtar's studio.
10:08Mukhtar's studio.
10:09Electricity keeps getting more expensive, and most people simply can't afford to install an air conditioner.
10:16So there's definitely an important economic side to it, but there's also an environmental aspect.
10:24Mechanical solutions might give you better indoor comfort, but they also push more heat, pollution and CO2 outside.
10:32So instead of eco-unfriendly technology, how about making the most of existing options?
10:40The marshabiye, for example, is a wooden lattice screen that blocks direct sunlight while slowing the airflow.
10:47Traditionally, people will place clay jugs full of water next to it in order to cool the incoming breeze.
10:53The idea now is to update the concept with modern materials.
10:58We're designing screens that can be placed in front of balconies and windows.
11:04And through incorporating also ceramics, which can be watered.
11:09And then through evaporative cooling can help cool the units on the inside.
11:17As for the heat management in Ahmed Mukhtar's rooftop studio.
11:21The cluster team ended up choosing a design based on the solar chimney principle.
11:27A technique used in ancient times by Persian and Roman architects to create passive cooling.
11:36It works like a greenhouse.
11:39The sun heats the metal, the air inside warms up and stays trapped.
11:43Then it starts to rise and escape through the opening we made for it.
11:52This is where the experimental part of the undertaking begins.
11:55The team starts scouting local stores and workshops for materials that are low-cost and low-key, such as wood.
12:03Old corrugated metal sheeting and plastic, all for a prototype.
12:14By the end, it's taken almost eight months from the initial idea to completion of the solar chimney.
12:21Until the moment arrives when the structure is hoisted up and installed in the artist's studio.
12:26It might not look perfect, but the point here is not form but function.
12:31And an affordable solution.
12:35Projects like this can be extremely effective.
12:37They offer real, lasting solutions.
12:41And the cultural mindset here is, don't waste time overthinking an idea that works.
12:46So the model could easily spread to other buildings or neighborhoods.
12:52One rooftop.
12:54One artist.
12:56One prototype.
12:57Built for a specific space.
13:00But probably transferable to many others like it.
13:04From the narrow alleyways of Cairo to the big, broad boulevards of the German capital.
13:10For example, Berlin's rich history, culture, creative energy and nightlife have made it one of Europe's most visited destinations.
13:19But that popularity means an extra burden on the environment.
13:23Behind the bars, the city is quietly working to minimize the impact of tourism.
13:32It's a highlight for many visitors to Berlin, exploring the city by boat.
13:38But the solar suncat is a little special.
13:41With zero emissions, it glides silently along the river Spree, powered only by the sun.
13:48Boat owner, Louisa Ahrens, first had the idea in 2010, when looking for an alternative to the large, diesel-powered
13:56vessels.
13:57She says they consume up to 40 litres of fuel per hour.
14:03Solar-powered boats don't damage the shoreline, they don't smell, they're silent, so I didn't get why they weren't being
14:08used.
14:10Features like these make Berlin one of the most sustainable tourist destinations worldwide.
14:17More on that later.
14:19First, a group of US students from Massachusetts is exploring the trendy district of Kreuzberg.
14:26The Kveshtat Ein Association offers city tours featuring personal stories on themes like homelessness or migration driven by climate change.
14:36City guide Mohamed Lamin Jadama was born in Gambia.
14:40He's lived in Berlin for over 10 years.
14:43In his homeland, he saw fishermen returning home with ever smaller catches and farmers harvesting less and less due to
14:51droughts.
14:52Now in Berlin, he's observed a very different way of life.
14:55I was kind of surprised in a sense of over-consumption.
15:01And all these waste mostly end up in my country, where I came from.
15:08And to get rid of those waste materials, people just bone them or throw them into the river.
15:15The German capital is home to just under four million people.
15:20In 2025, nearly 30 million overnight stays were booked in guest accommodation across the city.
15:29So that's quite an influx of people.
15:32Despite the crowds, Berlin has moved up to fourth place in the Global Destination Sustainability Index for metropolises and megacities.
15:46GDSI is a ranking system created by an association of international travel destinations.
15:53The association has set a goal to make its locations sustainable in terms of tourism and event management.
16:00So it basically measures the sustainability performance of a destination.
16:07By measuring how sustainable the hotels are, for example, this one scores well.
16:13The Vienna House in East Berlin offers charging stations for electric vehicles and has its own repair workshop.
16:21Admin is largely digital, which saves paper.
16:27There's a beekeeper who keeps bees in the inner courtyard.
16:30They supply the honey for the hotel's breakfast buffet.
16:35Leftover buffet food is sold at a low price via an app to avoid food waste.
16:41Visitors looking for a place to stay in Berlin can search specifically for eco-hotels or other sustainable accommodations.
16:50Ten kilometres south of the hotel lies Tempelhofer Feld, a former inner city airport.
16:56The last plane took off from here in 2008.
17:00The 300-hectar complex was then opened for Berliners and tourists.
17:04Some new residents have also moved in.
17:08Planes have given way to sheep.
17:11Around 100 animals grazed the area to protect the skylark, a rare bird that only breeds on the ground.
17:22Lawn mowers would destroy their nests.
17:25Sheep now graze in several of Berlin's parks.
17:28They've become a tourist attraction in their own right.
17:37But it's not all idyllic.
17:39Litter is a problem throughout the city.
17:41Every year, 45,000 tonnes of waste end up on the streets of Berlin.
17:48Discarded coffee cups are especially plentiful.
17:53A long-term study by Berlin's Humboldt University found that people feel that litter from single-use products is the
18:00biggest blot on the landscape in major German cities.
18:04Even more than dog poop.
18:06And 40% of the garbage in public trash cans is single-use packaging.
18:12Pilot projects are addressing the coffee cup issue with deposit machines.
18:16If users return the cups, they get money back.
18:19However, the machines are still few and far between.
18:24The US students are also getting the message that more needs to be done.
18:29The tour has got many of them thinking.
18:31In their conversations with tour guide Mohamed, many are starting to see the bigger picture.
18:38It makes you almost feel a little guilty.
18:40And I think it makes you feel more conscious of your lifestyle.
18:45And I, you know, before you buy something, before you throw something away,
18:49to always be more careful to understand that it does have effects on people around the world.
18:55Not something passengers on board the boat appear to have thought of.
19:00Most of them told us that their choice of a solar powered boat was just a coincidence.
19:05It seems sustainability is becoming something many people take for granted.
19:10The fleet now has three solar boats.
19:14All of them are fully booked during the summer season.
19:19Now, we'll meet an amazing woman from here in Nigeria.
19:23Rita Idehai is a dual scientist and social entrepreneur based in Abuja.
19:30And her work spans so many areas, I don't really know where to start.
19:35She's invented West Africa's first recycling vending machine.
19:39Is a champion of women's empowerment and sees waste, not as a problem, but as an opportunity.
19:46But let's hear the full story from her.
19:58Every plastic bottle that you trash can either pollute our streets or create value.
20:12My name is Rita Idehai. I'm the founding CEO of EcoBata, where we are turning waste into opportunities.
20:20So what happens to waste, especially household waste in Nigeria is terrible.
20:24You know, right now, 90%, according to the World Bank statistics, of the waste that we generate in our homes,
20:30end up burned on open dumps or disposed along drainage ways.
20:33How we manage our waste currently contributes the third largest to our greenhouse gas emission in Nigeria.
20:46Where we are is a rented property. And so we've divided the area, you know, to handle different materials.
20:52So here you have the PET plastics. Over there you have the, we call them art plastics.
20:58So PP, HDPE, different types of plastic. As you can see, the broken chairs, just art plastics generally.
21:04So this is our sort of processing area. We have the baling machine that we use in compressing the plastic
21:11bottles into bales.
21:13So these are called bales. So the compressing, it makes the cost of logistics better.
21:18So that we can then send them over to Lagos to the off-takers and manufacturers that use them.
21:30So the women that we work with here, you know, are mostly local community women, housewives, just some of them
21:39are widows.
21:39Just again, typically underserved women in Kuje community.
21:45So what the women do here is that they sort out the plastic bags that we collect.
21:51So pure autosaturated, single-use plastic bags. Process it and weave it on traditional floor looms into fabric that we've
21:59called plabric.
22:01And then these plabrics, we make them into finished products like bags, like shoes, mats and even more recently, clothing.
22:13I don't know, where are the men that are sewing? They say we don't have any man.
22:20Because they don't have the requisite skills, the opportunities are way limited for them.
22:25Societal norms also keep them within certain limits.
22:29So these are women that either have children, you know, are from a certain region or a certain belief,
22:34and naturally or societally they can't even go, you know, past their community to find work.
22:40They have to be around. And our program enables them to be able to live their lives the way the
22:47society has, you know, created for them,
22:49but also then go the extra length of making income.
23:04The biggest challenge that I faced starting EcoBata was actually knowledge.
23:09When I decided that I wanted to do this, I didn't even know who to sell the material to.
23:13I didn't know anything. I didn't understand the sales circle.
23:16There was so much information that I didn't know and I couldn't get online.
23:19When I did my research on the technologies that, you know, were important in recycling, there was vending machine.
23:25I remember calling my tech friends to say, can we build this? That was the question, right?
23:29Can we build this? And him in his stupidities, he said, of course we can build it.
23:33We've not built it before, but if it's something that is anywhere in the world, we can replicate it.
23:38And so that was how the journey started.
23:44This is a reverse vending machine, the first locally manufactured one in Nigeria and in fact in Africa.
23:52So when you come to this machine with your plastic or beverage can, you press on start.
23:56When you press start, then you put in your bottles one after the other, as many as you've come to
24:02the machine with.
24:03You scan the QR code, it takes you to our mobile application where you can then transfer the money that
24:08you've earned into your bank account,
24:10buy airtime, electricity or data.
24:13Currently in Abuja, we have 26 of this machine and in Lagos, we have two of these machines.
24:22People would think recycling was only for the poor.
24:25But with this machine now, first it's neat, it's clean, it's technology, right?
24:29So everybody's interested. Prior to now, we had I think about 3,000 people on our platform.
24:34Now we have close to 13,000 people within one year.
24:38Honestly, I would say that just changing the narrative of who should recycle and what recycling is about
24:43is the biggest impact that this machine has made.
24:47So my hope and vision for the next generation, you know, when it comes to environmental protection and recycling
24:53is that they see that it's everybody's responsibility and you can start from anywhere.
24:58So knowing that from scratch, from zero narrow, from squatting in a place,
25:03I've built something that, you know, is a sort of livelihood to this number of people is something I'm most
25:09proud of.
25:09Knowing that this smuggier built something that's amazing is a thing of pride for me.
25:18And with those good vibes, it's goodbye from me, Chris Olemps in Lagos, Nigeria.
25:24See you next week.
25:26Well, and it's a goodbye from me, Malama Mukonde in Lusaka, Zambia.
25:31You can find plenty more Echo Africa stories online.
25:35And please write to us and share your thoughts at echo.dw.com.
25:41See you next week.
26:01I'm out.
26:02I'm out.
26:02I'm out.
26:03I'm out.
26:04I'm out.
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