Climate Action Africa Launches CMA Labs to Support Tech Startups

Bennett Oghifo

A group, Climate Action Africa has launched CMA Labs, an innovative hub dedicated to supporting the development of the climate-tech startup ecosystem in Africa.

They took the initiative in the face of harsh realities caused by climate change, including severe droughts, flooding, and escalating agricultural challenges.

Climate change poses significant threats to Africa’s environment and economy, needing urgent and sustainable solutions. Through CMA Labs, we aim to pioneer a thriving climate-tech sector that harnesses the latest scientific and technological advancements to combat greenhouse gas emissions, protect the environment and ensure Africa can feed itself and power itself sustainably. “Our mission is to pave the way for a more sustainable future for all Nigerians and other countries on the African continent.

With a strong focus on data-driven decision-making, CMA Labs is developing an innovative data aggregation platform. This tool will pull in diverse data sources, enhance predictive modeling, and enable effective data analysis to aid organizations in understanding the impact of natural disasters across the country and empower stakeholders to make informed choices about climate-related issues.”

One of the most pressing challenges we address is the lack of environmental data for organisations. CMA Labs strives to bring transparency to such entities with vested interests in Nigeria, helping them understand their carbon emissions, environmental impact, and the effects of their operations on the environment. Our efforts include fostering collaboration with startups to develop innovative technologies that mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

The scourge of plastic pollution affecting Nigeria’s farming industry has driven us to run successful campaigns. We are working with organisations capable of extracting polymers from discarded materials, such as lobster shells, potato starches, and corn husks, to create biodegradable food packaging. Adding value to the circular economy we would mainstream innovative tools and processes that perfect our waste management processes and bring about increased use of biodegradable materials which have positive impacts on our environment.

The climate-tech sector has come to stay. It is one of the hottest categories for European and US startups and scaleups, with more than $111bn (£97bn) raised globally last year. The Partech State of Tech in Africa 2022 report showed that the climate-tech sector raised $863 million in equity funding. Last year November, Chief Executives of 55 African businesses with a combined revenue of $150 billion (about $460 per person in the US) (about $460 per person in the US) (about $460 per person in the US) released a statement committing to climate action. The UN (United Nations) Global Compact helped rally these companies to issue a joint statement which charged global actors to fulfill commitments to secure Africa’s climate sustainability.

“Today, we are determined to join the ranks of the hundreds of companies in Africa that are developing innovative solutions to cut emissions and remove carbon from the atmosphere, thus accelerating rich nations toward achieving net zero emissions.

“The challenge faced by both the government and the private sector is to effectively respond to the demands of a rapidly changing climate while ensuring sustainable economic development. We are launching CMA Labs today to support the development of a climate-tech startup ecosystem with the goal to collaborate with government, researchers, scientists, and experts to generate valuable insights to address climate change challenges specific to Africa. OAs our collective work will lead to more evidence-based policy decisions on the continent.

“Moreover, CMA Labs will rigorously test and confirm climate change solutions through experiments, field trials, and pilot projects. Identifying the most promising solutions, we will accelerate their adoption to combat the urgent challenges faced by the continent. We are set towards continuous improvement and optimization, ensuring long-term sustainability and impact.

“Most importantly, we would actively support the translation of research discoveries into market-ready products, technologies, and services. This support includes guidance on intellectual property, business models, market analysis, funding opportunities, and go-to-market strategies, enabling the successful commercialization of climate change innovations

“As we launch CMA Labs, we call on the Nigerian government to co-create with industry stakeholders an enabling environment that supports climate-tech organisations and startups in developing sustainable solutions. With the world transitioning to cleaner energy, renewable energy and waste management are poised to attract significant budgetary and investment allocations in the coming years.”

Collaboration among governments, businesses, and individuals is paramount to implementing innovative solutions that effectively tackle the multifaceted challenges of climate change. Together, let us seize the opportunity to lead Africa in sustainable technologies and secure a brighter, more resilient future for our nation.