🇪🇺 The EU calls it a “win-win.” But what does Europe’s Green Deal really mean for Africa?

In this episode, we unpack the hidden costs of Europe’s climate transition. From the critical mineral rush in the Democratic Republic of Congo to new green hydrogen corridors across the continent, we look at how Africa is being asked to pay the cost of the transition without having a say

In this episode, we hear from:

🔋 Emmanuel Umpula, Executive Director of AFREWATCH who exposes how cobalt mining in the DRC is fuelling a silent health crisis—and propping up a deadly conflict.

🌍 Samia Dumbuya, climate justice activist and researcher, on why Europe’s green transition risks repeating colonial patterns of debt, extraction and exclusion.

💼 Paul Okumu, political economist, on the EU’s Global Gateway, the debt trap behind it, and how Africa is being boxed in by geopolitics disguised as green development policy.

🎙️ With critical minerals in high demand, energy corridors mapped in secret, and lofty climate goals resting on uneven partnerships—this episode asks: is the EU’s Green Deal just another kind of green colonialism?

Recorded in December 2024, this season finale of The Frontline Speaks brings sharp analysis and grounded perspectives to one of the most pressing questions in climate justice today.

🔔 Subscribe now and join us every week as we bring you the stories that need to be heard—because when the media goes dark, Frontline Speaks.

🎧 A podcast by 1.2 Diaries, supported by the Africa-Europe Foundation’s Youth Awards. The show is executive produced by Jennifer Kwao and co-hosted with Krystel Sil Sikana. Our producer is Seden Anlar. Lydia Ayame Hiraide is our consulting writer and researcher. Our proofreader is Serag Heiba.

Resources

https://www.somo.nl/the-eus-critical-minerals-crusade/

https://www.brusselstimes.com/1460409/eu-defends-the-mou-with-rwanda-on-raw-materials-despite-the-conflict-in-drc  

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/unreported-world/on-demand/72426-004

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/29/world/congo-cobalt-albert-yuma-mulimbi.html 

https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/transition-minerals/a-rush-for-lithium-in-africa-risks-fuelling-corruption-and-failing-citizens/ 

https://africasacountry.com/2024/08/resisting-the-new-green-colonialism 

https://counter-balance.org/publications/who-profits-from-the-global-gateway-the-eus-new-strategy-for-development-cooperation

🔋 The African continent is rich in energy resources—oil, gas, sun and wind—yet hundreds of millions still live with little to no electricity. Why?

In this episode, we explore the roots of Africa’s energy crisis and the historical and ongoing power dynamics that keep the lights off for many. 

From Ghana’s return to dumsor (power cuts) to violent fossil fuel megaprojects in Uganda and Mozambique, we take a deep dive into energy injustice, corporate extraction, and the politics that keep power out of reach.

At the heart of it all is one big question: Who holds the energy cards—and how can Africa reclaim power for its people?

We hear from:

🔌 Dr. Rhodalyn Odoi, a doctor in Accra, Ghana, on how erratic power supply is threatening lives and crippling healthcare.

⚡ Jacobina Oduro, a young graduate in Ghana, on how daily power cuts shape education and civic life.

🌍 Dr. Olamide Samuel, energy and security expert unpacks the colonial roots of Africa’s energy challenges, the different forces at play, and how to respond.

🌊 Amina Adebisi Odofin, a researcher and activist who exposes the destructive energy models in Africa, the silent environmental and human rights crisis in the oil-rich Niger Delta and where responsibility for fixing energy injustice lies.

🛢️ Patience Nabukalu, Ugandan climate activist, on resisting oil fever and mega projects such as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline to secure a just and greener future 

🌱 Cynthia Moyo-Sibindi from Greenpeace Africa explores the potential—and pitfalls—of renewable energy projects on the continent.

We also spotlight local innovators leading energy transitions in their own communities, from kinetic energy solutions in Sierra Leone to rural electrification in Lesotho.

🔔 Subscribe now and join us every week as we bring you the stories that need to be heard—because when the media goes dark, Frontline Speaks.

🎧 A podcast by 1.2 Diaries, supported by the Africa-Europe Foundation’s Youth Awards. The show is executive produced by Jennifer Kwao and co-hosted with Krystel Sil Sikana. Our producer is Seden Anlar. Lydia Ayame Hiraide is our consulting writer and researcher. Our copy-editor is Serag Heiba.

Resources:

• https://www.banktrack.org/download/locked_out_of_a_just_transition_fossil_fuel_financing_in_africa/07_md_banktrack_fossil_fuels_africa_rpt_hr_1.pdf 

• https://apnews.com/article/electricity-africa-just-energy-transition-d20d1ba86e90c3b9c81f0fc76979acfc 

• https://www.stopeacop.net/ 

• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13041554-to-cook-a-continent  

• https://www.politico.eu/article/totalenergies-mozambique-patrick-pouyanne-atrocites-afungi-palma-cabo-delgado-al-shabab-isis/ 

• https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-2024/executive-summary 

  https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/2/1074 

• • https://www.irena.org/News/pressreleases/2023/Jan/Renewables-Can-Provide-Nearly-60-Per-Cent-of-Nigerias-Energy-Demand-by-2050
  
  
  
  

🤝 After nearly three decades of COP climate summits, is real progress being made—or has it all become political theater?

Every year, world leaders gather under the banner of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to negotiate climate action. But as the global temperature rises and emissions continue unchecked, many are asking: Is this process actually working, or is it high time to COP-out?

While politicians take the stage, frontline communities—those hit hardest by the climate crisis—continue to be sidelined, silenced, or outright excluded from the conversation. Meanwhile, fossil fuel lobbyists walk in freely, shaping policies that prioritise profit over people.

In this episode of Frontline Speaks, we take a hard look at COP’s legacy, its failures, and what comes next.

🎙️ Featuring: 💬 Serag Heiba on the widening gap between what happens at COP and what’s actually needed for climate justice 💬 Aïssatou Keita on why COP is both necessary and deeply flawed—and why communities are building their own alternatives 💬 Dr. Portia Adade Williams on the political power imbalances silence countries on the frontlines of the climate crisis and water down global commitments.

As we approach COP30, is it time to rethink climate diplomacy? If COP is failing, what alternative spaces can drive real change? And how can we ensure that the people most affected by the crisis have a true voice in shaping climate solutions?

🔔 Subscribe now and join us every week as we bring you the stories that need to be heard—because when the media goes dark, Frontline Speaks.

🎧 A podcast by 1.2 Diaries, supported by the Africa-Europe Foundation’s Youth Awards. The show is executive produced by Jennifer Kwao and co-hosted with Krystel Sil Sikana. Our producer is Seden Anlar. Lydia Ayame Hiraide is our consulting writer and researcher. Our proofreader is Serag Heiba.

🌍 "When the land becomes uninhabitable, where do you go?"

Climate disasters don’t just destroy homes—they uproot lives. Across Africa, rising seas, droughts, and extreme weather are pushing people out of their homelands. But when we talk about climate migration, the focus is often misplaced.

Too often, media narratives and political forces frame it as a "threat" to the Global North, ignoring the real question: What happens to the people forced to move?

Despite the scale of climate displacement, those affected often have no legal status, no protections, and no support. While the Global North builds walls and policies based on fear, millions are already on the move—without recognition or resources.

In this episode of Frontline Speaks, we center the realities of those living through loss and displacement

Featuring:

🎙️ Ndeye Yacine Dieng on how coastal erosion is forcing entire communities in Senegal to leave behind generations of history

🎙️ Maura Ajak on worsening droughts and floods and the link with growing conflict in South Sudan—and the impossible choices families must make

🎙️ Dr. Stephen Adaawen on why our language fails to capture the climate migration trends in Africa, and what meaningful policy action and protection should look like.

🔔 Subscribe now and join us every week as we bring you the stories that need to be heard—because when the media goes dark, Frontline Speaks.

🎧 A podcast by 1.2 Diaries, supported by the Africa-Europe Foundation’s Youth Awards. The show is executive produced by Jennifer Kwao and co-hosted with Krystel Sil Sikana. Our producer is Seden Anlar. Lydia Ayame Hiraide is our consulting writer and researcher. Our copy-editor is Serag Heiba.

🌍 What does it mean to live at 1.2 degrees of global warming?

For frontline communities in Africa, the climate crisis isn’t a future threat—it’s unfolding right now. From catastrophic floods in Nigeria to deadly cyclones in Mozambique and relentless droughts across the Sahel, extreme weather is already pushing people, ecosystems, and economies to the brink. Yet, these devastating realities rarely make global headlines.

In this episode of Frontline Speaks, hosts Jennifer Kwao and Krystel Sil Sikana take you to the heart of the crisis, where survival is a daily battle. You’ll hear from those living through it:

🎙️ Abdulkhadir Ahmed on mobilizing rescue efforts after devastating floods in Maiduguri

🎙️ Daniel Ribero on how warming oceans are supercharging storms in Mozambique

🎙️ Mildred Omino on the overlooked impact of climate change on people with disabilities

🎙️ Dr. Portia Adade Williams on Africa’s climate adaptation efforts and the urgent need for sustainable, context-specific solutions

🎙️ Gloria Agyare on the growing threat to food security across the continent

From rising temperatures to mounting losses, we explore the realities of climate breakdown, the failures of governments to prepare, and the urgent need for just and effective adaptation strategies. What will it take for those most responsible for the crisis to finally act? And how are African communities forging their own path to climate resilience?

🔔 Subscribe now and join us every week as we bring you the stories that need to be heard—because when the media goes dark, Frontline Speaks.

🎧 A podcast by 1.2 Diaries, supported by the Africa-Europe Foundation’s Youth Awards. The show is executive produced by Jennifer Kwao and co-hosted with Krystel Sil Sikana. Our producer is Seden Anlar. Lydia Ayame Hiraide is our consulting writer and researcher. Our copy-editor is Serag Heiba.

Resources

https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/africa-faces-disproportionate-burden-from-climate-change-and-adaptation-costs#:~:text=%E2%80%9COver%20the%20past%2060%20years,WMO%20Secretary%2DGeneral%20Celeste%20Saulo. 

https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-africas-extreme-weather-have-killed-at-least-15000-people-in-2023/ 

https://www.politico.eu/article/united-nations-emissions-gap-global-warming-data-climate-change-report/

https://www.uneca.org/stories/17-out-of-the-20-countries-most-threatened-by-climate-change-are-in-africa%2C-but-there-are

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/26/geert-wilders-far-right-pvv-dutch-climate-policy 

Welcome to Frontline Speaks, a podcast that brings you closer to the people and stories at the heart of the climate crisis.

Amid devastating floods in Nairobi to energy struggles in South Africa and disappearing coastlines in Senegal, the communities most affected by climate change rarely get to shape the conversation. That changes here.

In this podcast, hosts Jennifer Kwao and Krystel Sil Sikana centre voices sidelined by mainstream climate conversations. With raw firsthand accounts, deep analysis, and bold discussions, Frontline Speaks uncovers how climate disasters, eurocentric policies, and global inaction impact people—while also spotlighting the power of frontline communities to fight back. This first season will spotlight African perspectives on how Africa’s ties with Europe are impacting realities on the frontlines.

Subscribe now and join us every week to hear the Frontline Speak. 

This podcast was created by 1.2 Diaries – a platform amplifying the ideas, expertise, and lived experiences of those most impacted by a world at 1.2 degrees warming. 

Funding for the podcast is provided by the Africa-Europe Foundation's Youth Awards.