How the “Make Big Polluters Pay” Platform Will Amplify Africa’s Climate Justice Efforts
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
A coalition, Africa Make Big Polluters Pay (MBPP) has launched a new digital storytelling platform aimed at empowering African communities on the frontlines of climate change to share their experiences.
This platform, located at Tales of Africa’s Climate, sheds light on the damaging impacts of corporate exploitation and climate injustice, highlighting real solutions over superficial fixes.
Styled as a “virtual fireplace,” this innovative website provides a monthly digital space for African communities affected by climate change to share their stories of resilience and resistance, to inspire collective action across the continent.
This platform is expected to assist bridge the gap by giving visibility to the struggles and hopes of these communities, who are often left out of the global climate narrative.
Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, emphasised that while Africa bears the brunt of the global climate crisis, the stories of its frontline communities often go untold. “If we don’t tell our stories, no one will,” Oluwafemi urged, highlighting the importance of African voices in shaping climate discussions.
The Africa MBPP Coordinator, Hellen Neima, said the platform is an intersection of tradition and innovation, providing a unique space for Africans to unite and amplify their voices in the fight for climate justice.
She noted that the coalition, which includes 14 Regional Partners, supports communities in holding transnational corporations accountable and demanding reparations for environmental and socio-economic damages.
By elevating these stories and fostering unity, the MBPP platform aims to change how climate justice is discussed—moving it beyond charity to a global imperative for accountability.
It is hoped that through this platform, African communities, will have a powerful tool to push for reparations and demand a future where the environment, and its people, are respected and restored.