OUR PORTFOLIOS

  Marina Kouakou

A digital journalist and founder of Influencemag.ci, a media outlet launched in 2022 to promote the empowerment of African girls and women through education. She also addresses societal issues, including environmental challenges. Her commitment aims to raise awareness of the interconnection between these issues and inspire sustainable solutions.

Lahou-Kpanda: Stories of resilience in the heart of an environmental crisis

The village of Lahou-Kpanda, located 150 km west of Abidjan, is trapped between the sea and the lagoon. Since the 1970s, it has suffered an environmental crisis marked by coastal erosion, rising waters and silting, which endanger homes and livelihoods, mainly fishing. On October 17, 2024, light raindrops flood the village, filling the houses with water. Erosion continues to eat away at the land, directly threatening the 2,127 inhabitants of Lahou-Kpanda, as well as 7,000 other people in the Grand-Laho region.

 

Fishermen in difficulty

In addition, erosion affects the economic activity of the inhabitants. Fishermen, who earn a good living, see their income drop drastically. “Before, I could earn up to 200,000 FCFA per day. Now, with ten nets, I bring back almost nothing,” complains Minsun Assé. According to a World Bank report, coastal degradation, including erosion, costs West Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire, about $3.8 billion (2,356 billion FCFA) per year.

 

 

Local initiatives

To combat erosion, local actions are being implemented. The Mangrove association, made up of young people from the village and supported by the West African Coastal Management Program (WACA), planted 12,500 young mangroves in March 2024. According to Jean-Baptiste Kassi, Coordinator of the said program, "compensation will be paid to fishermen and affected people before starting coastal stabilization work." ».

 

 

Coastal erosion, a serious problem

Coastal erosion has gradually swallowed up the village. “The oldest part has already disappeared under water. Several fishermen have died because of the silting up,” confides Notable Dagui Attawa. The cemetery has also given way, exposing the remains of the deceased to the sea. “All my grandparents were buried there, but there is nothing left,” laments Lavry Ivan.

Women are retraining

Faced with this crisis, local women are taking initiatives. They are diversifying their activities, in particular by processing cassava to produce attiéké (cassava semolina). “We have to feed our families,” explains Edwige Leba, a former fishmonger who became a trader.

  Bahira Ouji

A Tunisian journalist and radio news presenter. Graduated from the Institute of Journalism and Media Sciences and holds a professional master's degree in audiovisual media.

Creeping salt threatens farmland on Kerkennah Island: a worsening climate crisis

"Wedad", a small-scale farmer from Kerkennah Island (located in eastern Tunisia and 32 kilometers off the coast of Sfax), has seen her farmland, which provides her livelihood, deteriorate. She used to grow barley, wheat and fruit trees. Her land became barren, causing her to lose her source of income and abandon farming. "Wedad's" land was damaged by rising sea levels, which led to an increase in soil salinity beyond normal and acceptable levels, reaching salinity values ​​ranging from 6.5 decisiemens and endangering the damaged local farmland on Kerkennah Island. With her land no longer suitable for farming, she lost her livelihood and could no longer carry out the farming activity she had been doing for 10 years.

 

Average annual sea level in the Kerkennah archipelago

The average annual sea level in the Kerkennah archipelago has been rising at a rapid pace in recent years due to the climate changes that the world is subject to, approaching 3 mm, which clearly shows its impact on agricultural land, as it has submerged many agricultural areas. This has led to the destruction of agricultural land on 45 percent of the total area of ​​the island of Kerkennah, estimated at 465 thousand hectares according to what Issa Arous, an expert in agricultural sciences and climate change, said.

 

 

 

  Issifou Yato Souleyman

A journalist, reporter and presenter at Radio and Television Gaskia in Zinder.

Historic Floods in Zinder, the Urgency to Act Against Climate Change

Niger experienced this year one of its most exceptional rainy seasons in its history, triggering significant material and human damage. As of October 10, 2024, official figures report more than 1.4 million people affected by the floods, 390 deaths, 150,158 houses collapsed and 25,674 livestock lost, not to mention significant hectares of crops destroyed by this phenomenon linked to climate change.

The Zinder region, ranked third among the most affected regions in the country, has faced the collapse of houses and historic monuments, such as the historic mosque of the Damagaram Sultanate built around 1850 by Sultan Tanimoun. The torrential rains in the city of Zinder have made thousands of households vulnerable, forcing some to find themselves without shelter and without means of subsistence. In the village of Kagna Malam Gaja, a village located about thirty kilometers from the city, there was a "massive destruction" of houses after the torrential rains recorded on the night of September 2 to 3, 2024, forcing residents to desperately abandon the debris of their collapsed houses and find refuge in schools or in the homes of their relatives

I only took out my life and that of my children following the floods, I lost everything; our clothes, our food... And now neither I nor my husband have the means to rebuild the house, we are just doing our best to feed our children. We received the gift of life from the State, we thank it very much but the gift of life is not enough... laments Awa. See photo below

 

 

 

 

 

Kagna, symbol of the ineffectiveness of political response

After the torrential rains of the night of September 2 to 3, 2024, the populations of the Kagna district of the city of Zinder, a district built almost in the extent of the Kagna pond, found themselves in what some called "climatic hell" with the unprecedented collapses of homes. Worse, more than a month of the invasion of stagnant water caused by the overflowing of the pond, the populations no longer knew which saint to turn to. Although salutary and intentionally good.

 

  Aude Myriame SALANON

A specialist in environmental communication, she creates impactful visuals and videos on various ecological issues. Through her collaborations with NGOs and international projects.

Recycling at the Price of Air: The Dilemma of Bohicon Artisans Faced with Pollution

In Bohicon, Benin, artisans collect used tires to extract metal wires, which they then use to make artisanal shoes or fish traps. However, this extraction is often done by burning the tires, a practice that releases toxic substances into the air, contributing to air pollution and health risks for residents. This method presents a dilemma between the need to valorize these materials to generate income and the need to preserve the environment and public health.

 

 

The exploitation of “Fargo” wood in the Massi forest: Between energy needs and environmental preservation

Fargo wood from the Massi forest is highly prized by local populations, particularly for cooking and producing charcoal. This wood is valued for its combustion quality, but intensive exploitation to meet domestic and commercial needs is leading to rapid deforestation. This threatens the survival of the forest and contributes to the depletion of natural resources.

 

 

 

 

 

Floods in Agonve

Deforestation, due to the need for people to feed themselves, increases river bank erosion and affects aquatic ecosystems. The municipality faces a dual challenge: the impact of prolonged flooding and environmental degradation, exacerbated by deforestation. This threatens both the habitat and vital resources of local populations, calling for urgent intervention to reconcile sustainable development and subsistence. Agonvè Island, in the Zangnanado municipality of Benin, is regularly affected by floods. This requires residents to adapt to their environment, in particular by strengthening their resilience to climate hazards. Access to resources and infrastructure becomes more difficult during periods of flooding, but residents show great ingenuity in adapting to these challenges.

 

 

Deforestation

Deforestation, due to the need for people to feed themselves, increases river bank erosion and affects aquatic ecosystems. The municipality faces a dual challenge: the impact of prolonged flooding and environmental degradation, exacerbated by deforestation. This threatens both the habitat and vital resources of local populations, calling for urgent intervention to reconcile sustainable development and subsistence. Agonvè Island, in the Zangnanado municipality of Benin, is regularly affected by floods. This requires residents to adapt to their environment, in particular by strengthening their resilience to climate hazards. Access to resources and infrastructure becomes more difficult during periods of flooding, but residents show great ingenuity in adapting to these challenges .

The pirogue, an essential tool for travel and fishing, represents the way in which the community adapts to its environment. The scene takes place in a green and natural setting, highlighting the constant interaction between the inhabitants and their ecosystem. Although the island is marked by climatic challenges, the inhabitants remain resilient in the face of these conditions

 

Electrical waste management

The management of electrical waste in Benin, and in many other regions, poses significant challenges. Obsolete or damaged equipment is often dumped in open spaces or unregulated landfills due to the lack of effective collection and recycling systems. This waste often contains toxic components (lead, mercury, cadmium, etc.) which, as they decompose, contaminate the soil, groundwater and air, posing a danger to the environment and public health. Heavy metals and chemicals contained in this equipment can cause serious illnesses in exposed residents.

The pirogue, an essential tool for travel and fishing, represents the way in which the community adapts to its environment. The scene takes place in a green and natural setting, highlighting the constant interaction between the inhabitants and their ecosystem. Although the island is marked by climatic challenges, the inhabitants remain resilient in the face of these conditions.