Zambia, a centrally situated and landlocked country, is no exception. Many areas have been affected by food insecurity due to record drought levels over the past 20 years. Some 2.5 million Zambians have experienced severe food insecurity over the past two decades.
However, Zambia has some natural advantages that can be used. It holds 60% of the freshwater resources in south-central Africa. Hydroelectric power generation has allowed local authorities to make remarkable clean energy gains. Hydroelectric dams account for 85% of Zambia’s electricity. Only one coal-fired power plant is in operation.
It is significant that Zambia signed the Paris Climate Accords, which calls for the global elimination of all coal plants by 2040. Global analysts have noted that Zambia’s private sector has taken a proactive approach to climate change mitigation.
SAVENDA Group is a Pan-African logistics and supply management company founded in 1997 by Clever Moha. Mpoha anticipates significant challenges in shaping business practices to meet the mandates of official mitigation policies.
He also sees this as an opportunity. Mpoha believes that converting an economy dominated by fossil fuels to one based on clean-green energy systems can lead to economic growth, money, and jobs.
Mpoha stated that instead of producing energy, he started to concentrate on how to save it. “We are working hard to create innovative avenues for our nation to become more efficient in energy.”
SAVENDA Group, under the leadership of Mpoha has made substantial investments in green technologies. SAVENDA Electric was just one result of this policy. It was the first company to start manufacturing and selling energy-efficient LED lights bulbs in Zambia. They are made by Zambian workers for Zambians. These bulbs have already seen significant market penetration and are selling well across the country. This product range includes tube lights, streetlights, and ceiling lights.
Clever Mpoha stated that another area in which SAVENDA could make a difference is in ICT — Information and Communications Technology. It was actually trading cell phones that launched the company twenty years ago. Mpoha has always remained steadfast and pursued new opportunities within the ICT sector ever since.
The SAVENDA vision of ICT has changed a lot over the past 20 years.
The company has worked with international partners, including Israel, to build fiber optics infrastructure platforms and cable systems that will be located in Lusaka (the location of SAVENDA headquarters).
Mpoha stated that Zambia is well-positioned to serve as a logistics hub, but that the nation is also well-suited to lead Africa in ICT and telecom. This is because ICT networks that connect the region must pass through Zambia. Lusaka is the best choice to create an African cyber centre.
How can ICT help address climate change? Clever Mpoha provides three examples
The introduction of more efficient equipment, networks and other energy efficiency can reduce emissions within the ICT sector. One example is substituting travel for telephone conference. Another example is the substitution of travel for teleconferencing, which is called “dematerialization.” This is when physical objects are replaced with electronic ones. For instance, moving away from the cutting of trees to make newspapers and moving to digital formats to read materials.
ICT-based systems have superior capabilities to monitor and analyze weather conditions and other environmental conditions both nationally and internationally. Real-time data and AI-assisted databases analysis of environmental information can lead to faster management and response times to natural phenomena that impact everything, from agriculture to logistics.
Clever Mpoha has given the ICT sector a special place within his strategic vision for SAVENDA. It offers incredible opportunities for innovation. It fosters innovation and encourages forward-looking companies to move beyond the “old way of doing it”.
Mpoha has always maintained that innovation and “fresh thought” are the key to SAVENDA’s success.
Digital is the future. Mpoha stated that the rapid development of IoT (the Internet of Things), 5G networks, cloud computing and other technologies will lead to “a tsunami of information.” SAVENDA is committed to staying ahead of these trends and building the ability to work efficiently in a data-centric environment.
Experts also believe that the data centers that power the digital revolution will be a source of increasing carbon pollution. It takes a lot of power to keep the servers that store all this information running.
Clever Mpoha stated that SAVENDA Group will continue to be aware of these types of issues as it embraces ICT/digital technology. He stated that the inevitable growth in this area cannot be counterbalanced by the energy conservation gains made by Zambian companies.
