grantees » Fatimata Kaba

Fatimata is a passionate geographer and environmentalist concerned with sustainable energy usage, and dedicated to increasing the knowledge base of all those in Senegal. Her ultimate goal is to “fight against poverty throuhg sustainable use of natural resources”. As a Research Assistant for the Environmental and Developmental Action (ENDA Tiers Monde) in Senegal, she is also provides trainings on greenhouse gases, international guidelines and the carbon sequestration of forests throughout Western and Central Africa. She continues to strive to be a more efficacious force in international policies on climate change.

Fatimata completed an internship at Energy Research Centre (ERC) at the University of Cape Town using the JWH initiative grant, specializing in the REDD+ mechanism. She believes that because REDD+ financially rewards sustainable resource use, it is highly applicable in her native Senegal as it capitalizes on the indigenous experience of communal resource management while promoting development.  She also greatly enhanced her knowledge of the Energy sector and one of its common tools, the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP). Fatimata also gained considerable skills in the English language, and feels more confident to overcome linguistic barriers that previously blocked her from international research and from fully contributing to project development.  Overall, Fatimata says “I have become more dynamic, enterprising and focused […] Now, I know the areas where I plan to excel”. Using the knowledge gained from her internship, she is currently involved in numerous research projects, both in energy usage and about mangrove habitats, though there is the continual challenge of procuring sufficient funding. She also manages the Drynet network in Senegal. In future she hopes to complete a thesis evaluating the relationship between climate change and African development, and to continue to implant REDD+ in Senegal.