Ray Mwareya

A new carbon-credit scheme in the southern arc of Africa wants to work ethically where others have been beset with accusations of land colonialism, corrupt deals, and ‘green washing’.

What makes copper so crucial to the global energy transition is that the metal is used in solar panels, wind turbines, power cables, and electrical wiring, writes Shaik Ejamani Peer Mohamed, Senior Consultant for Power Cables at Det Norske Veritas, the Norwegian energy insurance practice. Additionally, electricity demand for household and industrial use is expected to rise annually from 25 Mt currently to 36.6 Mt by 2031. With a supply forecast of 30.1 Mt, the global copper shortage looms.

Shoza and a dozen women in her drivers' club work from Kagera Centre in Kagera, which is one of Tanzania's poorest rural administrative regions. They drive around, operating Chinese-made but locally improvised EV three-wheelers that transport everything from packets of noodles to pregnant mothers and medicines across rural Tanzania.