From June 23rd to July 7th, the Director of the World Sustainability Organization/Friend of the Sea & Friend of the Earth will visit South Africa, Zambia, and Nigeria. The visit will highlight outstanding stories of sustainable transformation while unveiling new initiatives in favor of sustainable development, contributing to local, national, and regional efforts.
The African continent has a vital role in the global movement towards achieving a more sustainable development. Indeed, Africa hosts a quarter of the world’s biodiversity, with more than 4700 mammal species and unique landscapes. However, on the path towards sustainability, improvements have been slow.
According to the latest “Africa Sustainable Development Report” elaborated by the United Nations, in the global ranking that measures the improvement in the implementation of the SDG, the average score across all African member States was 53.82 in 2020. That means the region is halfway towards achieving the sustainable goals.
Seizing this crucial momentum, the World Sustainability Organization (WSO), through its programs Friend of the Sea and Friend of the Earth, has decided to focus on Africa. On June 23rd, WSO’s Founder and Director, Dr. Paolo Bray, will kick off a 3-week trip to the region to strengthen the ties and support efforts in favor of sustainability. During stops in South Africa, Zambia, and Nigeria, Mr. Bray will award outstanding companies for their engagement in protecting the environment, announce new partnerships with conservation organizations and launch WSO’s first “Sustainability Hub” on the continent.
South Africa: funds for saving endangered rhinos and sustainability award.
The first stop of the high-level visit is South Africa. WSO’s Director will spend several days at the Rhino Orphanage, a non-profit company based in the Limpopo Province dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating rhinos since 2012. The Rhino Orphanage specializes in saving and giving a new life to baby rhinos whose mothers have been killed by poachers.
The World Sustainability Organization’s program Friend of the Earth is contributing funds to the project to help the rehabilitation process, specifically the relocation of all baby rhinos to their new home, a 4800 hectares farm.
On June 25th, Mr. Bray will deliver the Friend of the Sea 2022 Sustainability Award to Abagold in Hermanus. The company has been selected among over 1000 companies part of the WSO/Friend of the Sea international certification program to receive the special recognition for their outstanding efforts to preserve and sustainably produce abalone. Abagold is one of South Africa’s most important abalone farms. The company exports live, canned, and dried abalone worldwide.
Zambia: first WSO regional Sustainability Hub for Africa.
The second part of this “African Sustainability Tour” will take WSO leadership to Zambia. The country, located at the crossroads of Central, Southern, and East Africa, will become the headquarter of the World Sustainability Organizations’ first Hub on the continent.
With this visit, Mr. Bray will make official the agreement between WSO and the government of Zambia to establish the “Africa Sustainability Hub,” dedicated to providing knowledge transfer on sustainability technical solutions, coordinating networking among African sustainability experts, and promoting a market for Biodiversity Offsets, among others.
Mr. Bray will hold meetings with prominent companies in the country’s capital, Lusaka, on the 26th and 27th of June. On the 28th, there will be a visit to the Lusaka National Park, where the WSO team will unveil a new partnership to protect endangered elephants.
Finally, the World Sustainability Organization will be at the Zambia International Trade Fair in Ndola. This year’s theme is “Promoting Value Addition for Sustainable Growth.” WSO/Friend of the Sea & Friend of the Earth will have a special stand in the Fair, a place to continue developing the sustainability network with the event’s participants.
Nigeria: supporting sustainable industries.
Named the “Giant of Africa” for its solid economic position, Nigeria also faces the challenge of fighting extreme poverty and building a more sustainable economic model. In this context, Mr. Bray will take advantage of this last trip stop to highlight the stories of companies that represent an example of good practices, especially regarding sustainability and social accountability.
On July 5th, at an official ceremony, Friend of the Sea will deliver the “Turtle Safe Certification” to Atlantic Shrimpers, one of the largest fishing companies in West Africa, producing and exporting premium frozen seafood products. This unique eco-label recognizes the company’s efforts to protect endangered sea turtles, reducing the threat of bycatch thanks to responsible fishing techniques.
It’s expected to count on the participation of Doyinsola Ogunye as guest speaker during the event. Mrs. Ogunye runs the “Kids Beach Garden” NGO dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating sea turtles while teaching kids about recycling and sustainability. The ceremony will take place in Lagos.
More Information about the World Sustainability Organization
The World Sustainability Organization manages two international programs: Friend of the Sea and Friend of the Earth. Both represent groups of certification standards for sustainable products and services, as well as conservation projects and campaigns. Over 1500 companies in more than 80 countries have products certified Friend of the Sea or Friend of the Earth. The revenue from the royalties for using the Friend of the Sea and Friend of the Earth logos is dedicated in a significant part to supporting conservation projects and campaigns. Consumers selecting Friend of the Sea or Friend of the Earth certified products or services can be assured that they support conservation projects and campaigns worldwide with their choice.
