Wangari Maathai

Nobel Laureate, Wangari Maathai, has underscored the importance of good governance in the effective and sustainable management of the continent’s natural resources. Speaking in Tunis, Tunisia, on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, within the framework of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group’s Eminent Speakers Program, Prof. Maathai noted that poverty and environmental degradation on the continent were results of poor governance. She warned of dire consequences for Africa if the continent failed to create and maintain good governance structures that enhance natural resource development and environmental protection.

Prof. Wangari Maathai combines scientific knowledge, education, social commitment and active politics. More than simply protecting the existing environment, her strategy is to secure and strengthen the very basis for ecologically sustainable development. She founded the Green Belt Movement where, for nearly thirty years, she has mobilized Kenyans, particularly poor women to plant over 30 million trees. Her methods have been adopted by other countries as well. We are all witness to how bad agricultural practices, deforestation and erosion have led to desertification in Africa and lead to a threat of many countries in the world. Protecting the landscape against desertification is a vital factor in the struggle to contain environmental degradation and climate protection.

Through education, community development, human rights protection, family planning, nutrition and the fight against corruption, the Green Belt Movement has paved the way for development at the grassroots level. Professor Maathai is a strong African voice speaking for the poor and the underprivileged, particularly women to ensure that their potential is realized and harnessed for the continent’s development. She is the first African woman to be honored with the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. She is a role model and a source of inspiration for many across the globe who are involved in efforts at attaining sustainable development, alleviating poverty as well as fostering gender equity, democracy and peace.