Time for Africa (TFA) Foundation Wins Sustainability Award for Delivering Major Financial Impact Across Africa at the UK Parliament

LONDON, UK – 24/11/2025 – Time for Africa (TFA) Foundation has been awarded the prestigious Global South Sustainability Award at the successfully concluded Global South Maritime Heritage Summit. The distinguished award was presented during a ceremonial event at the historic House of Lords, UK Parliament, by the Honourable Louie French, Member of Parliament, and Lord Roger Evans, recognising the transformative impact of their collaborative work across Africa. The landmark summit convened 115 distinguished guests, including Lord Rami Ranger, AI expert Prof. Ajit Jaokar of the University of Oxford, sustainability and economics expert Prof. Kamiar Mohaddes of the University of Cambridge, the Heads of State of Sri Lanka and Malaysia, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indonesia, and leaders from business and government, creating a powerful platform for international cooperation.

The recognition celebrates a powerful partnership that has successfully integrated cutting-edge technology with community-driven sustainability development initiatives, creating sustainable solutions that address critical challenges facing African communities. The TFA core leadership team; Dr Abiodun Olushola, Dr Kanhu Pattnayak, Rebeca Díaz Romanenko, Ethan Wang, Leo Wang, Dan Chapman, and Pravena Mohan, was honoured for their visionary leadership in implementing comprehensive multi-sector programmes that simultaneously address community development through sustainable financing.

Comprehensive Integrated Service Portfolio:

• Clean Cookstove Programme

TFA's innovative Clean Cookstove Programme addresses one of Africa's most pressing health and environmental challenges. Traditional cooking methods using open fires and inefficient stoves contribute significantly to indoor air pollution, deforestation, and carbon emissions. TFA's solution involves distributing high-efficient cookstoves that reduce fuel consumption by up to 60% and harmful emissions by 70%. The programme has already reached over 50,000 households across rural Nigeria, creating local manufacturing jobs and empowering women through micro-enterprise opportunities in stove distribution and maintenance.

• Advanced Waste-to-Energy Technology

The foundation's pioneering waste-to-energy initiative represents a breakthrough in sustainable energy solutions. By implementing advanced biomass gasification systems, TFA converts agricultural residues and municipal waste into clean energy for cooking and electricity generation. Each installation processes approximately 5 tons of waste daily, generating enough electricity to power 500 households and thermal energy for community kitchens. This innovative approach not only addresses waste management challenges but also provides affordable, reliable energy to off-grid communities, creating a circular economy model that benefits both environment and local economies.

• Climate Resilience & Blue Economy Development

Recognising the vulnerability of coastal communities to climate change, TFA has developed comprehensive climate resilience programmes focusing on ecosystem restoration and sustainable livelihoods. The foundation's Blue Economy initiative includes large-scale mangrove restoration projects that have replanted over 100,000 mangrove saplings, creating natural barriers against coastal erosion while enhancing marine biodiversity. Complementary sustainable aquaculture projects train local fishermen in environmentally friendly fishing practices, increasing yields while preserving marine ecosystems for future generations.

• Food Security and Agricultural Transformation

TFA's food security initiatives employ a holistic approach to address hunger and malnutrition while building climate-resilient agricultural systems. The programme introduces drought-resistant crop varieties, water harvesting techniques, and sustainable farming practices that have increased crop yields by 40% in participating communities. Through the establishment of community seed banks and farmer cooperatives, TFA ensures food sovereignty while creating sustainable agricultural value chains that connect smallholder farmers to broader markets.

• Integrated Healthcare Access Programme

The foundation's healthcare initiative represents a comprehensive approach to improving health outcomes in underserved regions. By deploying mobile health clinics, telemedicine services, and training community health workers, TFA has improved healthcare access for over 200,000 people across remote areas of Nigeria. The programme focuses particularly on maternal and child health, reducing infant mortality rates by 30% in target communities through improved antenatal care and vaccination programmes.

• Blockchain-Enabled Development Framework

TFA is dedicated to delivering cutting‑edge digital payment systems built on state‑of‑the‑art blockchain technology. These systems further strengthen global trade by enhancing the financial and transactional efficiencies between the Global South, Africa, and the rest of the world. Through this initiative, its technical partner, Smartware Innovations, received the Global South Technological Innovation Award at the Global South Maritime Heritage Summit 2025, represented by Eduardo Diaz, Alberto Librero, and David Lafuente, in recognition of its role in developing blockchain projects that enable TFA’s impact at scale. Smartware’s blockchain platform provides unprecedented transparency in resource allocation, real‑time impact monitoring, and secure digital identities for beneficiaries. This technological backbone ensures that every intervention is data‑driven, accountable, and scalable, while safeguarding the privacy and dignity of community members.

A Model of Effective Framework with TFA

The success of this collaboration demonstrates how technological innovation and community-led development can create synergistic impacts. Smartware Innovations' technical expertise has enabled TFA to deploy solutions that are not only effective but also sustainable, scalable and replicable across different contexts. The blockchain platform, in particular, has revolutionised how development outcomes are measured and verified, providing donors and stakeholders with unprecedented visibility into the impact of their investments.

Recognition and Future Directions

The awards ceremony at the House of Lords brought together over 115 dignitaries, policymakers, and thought leaders from across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, highlighting the growing importance of Global South cooperation in addressing global challenges. Time for Africa acknowledges the collaboration of Smartware Innovations which underscores the critical role of technological innovation in achieving sustainable development goals.

"The award validate our approach of combining technological innovation with deep community engagement," said Dr Abiodun Olushola, representing TFA. "Our collaboration with Smartware Innovations has enabled us to create solutions that are not only technologically advanced but also culturally appropriate and sustainable in the long term."

Looking ahead, TFA plans to expand its programmes to additional African nations, with a particular focus on scaling successful initiatives in climate resilience and renewable energy. The Foundation is also developing new partnerships with academic institutions and private sector organisations to enhance the technological capabilities of its programmes.

About Time for Africa Foundation

Time for Africa (TFA) Foundation is a gender-led initiative and a pan-African organisation driving sustainable development through integrated programmes in clean energy, education, food security, healthcare, and climate resilience. By leveraging technology and fostering cross-continental collaborations, TFA empowers communities to build self-reliant and prosperous futures while preserving cultural heritage and environmental resources.