The Indoctrination of Environmental Stewardship: A Framework for Sustainable Development in Africa
Abstract
The concept of environmental stewardship has gained considerable traction globally as societies confront the consequences of climate change and ecological degradation. In the African context, a continent renowned for its rich biodiversity yet facing complex environmental challenges, the instillation of environmental stewardship has become increasingly imperative. The paper examines the challenges and opportunities for promoting environmental stewardship in the rapid urbanisation of the capital city of Enugu State, with a particular focus on housing estate developments. Africa’s environmental landscape presents a wide array of challenges, including deforestation, land degradation, and water scarcity, as well as the impacts of rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. However, alongside these challenges lie significant opportunities for fostering environmental stewardship. Culturally embedded practices, traditional ecological knowledge, and indigenous conservation methods provide a strong foundation upon which contemporary environmental education strategies can be developed. This study employed a qualitative research approach, drawing on scholarly articles, research studies, policy documents, and relevant literature sources. The findings highlighted a general absence of sustainable practices and environmental considerations in the planning and construction phases of numerous housing estates, leading to environmental degradation. Furthermore, there was a widespread lack of environmental awareness and consciousness among residents. Despite these challenges, promising opportunities and best practices were identified, including the implementation of innovative sustainability strategies, the utilisation of traditional ecological knowledge, and the promotion of stakeholder collaboration. The paper emphasises the need for tailored strategies that consider diverse socio-cultural contexts and economic realities. It advocated for inclusive, participatory approaches that empower local communities, amplify their voices, and ensure their active involvement in environmental initiatives.
Downloads
References
Abrahams, D., & Carr, E. R. (2017). Understanding the connections between climate change and conflict: contributions from geography and political ecology. Current Climate Change Reports, 3, 233-242.
Adebayo, A. K., & Iweka, A. C. (2014). Optimizing the Sustainability of Tourism Infrastructure in Nigeria through Design for Deconstruction Framework. American Journal of Tourism Management, 3, 13-19.
Adeyanju, S., O'Connor, A., Addoah, T., Bayala, E., Djoudi, H., Moombe, K., & Sunderland, T. (2021). Learning from community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in Ghana and Zambia: lessons for integrated landscape approaches. International Forestry Review, 23(3), 273-297.
Ajayi, S. O., Oyedele, L. O., Bilal et al. (2015). Waste effectiveness of the construction industry: Understanding the impediments and requisites for improvements. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 102, 101-112.
Akond, A. U. R., & Lynam, J. G. (2020). Deep eutectic solvent extracted lignin from waste biomass: Effects as a plasticizer in cement paste. Case Studies in Construction Materials, 13, e00460.
Akinola, A.O., & Liaga, E.A. (Eds.). (2022). Development and Regional Stability in Africa. Springer.
Ameli, N., & Brandt, N. (2015). Determinants of households’ investment in energy efficiency and renewable: Evidence from the OECD survey on household environmental behaviour and attitudes. Environmental Research Letters, 10(4), 044015.
Baptista, D. M. S., Farid, M. M., Fayad, D., Kemoe, L., Lanci, L. S., Mitra, M. P., ... & Unsal, M. F. D. (2022). Climate change and chronic food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa. International Monetary Fund.
Buhaug, H., & Urdal, H. (2013). An urbanization bomb? Population growth and social disorder in cities. Global Environmental Change, 23(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2012.10.016.
Carrilho, J., & Trindade, J. (2022). Sustainability in peri-urban informal settlements: A review. Sustainability, 14(13), 7591.
Chimakonam, J. O. (Ed.). (2018). African philosophy and environmental conservation. London: Routledge.
Coad, L., Watson, J. E., Geldmann, J. et al. (2019). Widespread shortfalls in protected area resourcing undermine efforts to conserve biodiversity. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 17(5), 259-264.
Cobbinah, P. B., Erdiaw-Kwasie, M. O., & Amoateng, P. (2012). Africa’s urbanisation: Implications for sustainable development. Cities, 47, 62-72.
Devkota, K. P., Pasuquin, E., Elmido-Mabilangan, A. et al. (2019). Economic and environmental indicators of sustainable rice cultivation: A comparison across intensive irrigated rice cropping systems in six Asian countries. Ecological Indicators, 105, 199-214.
Daramola, J. O., Abioja, M. O., Iyasere, O. S., Oke, O. E. et al. (2021). The resilience of Dwarf goats to environmental stress: A review. Small Ruminant Research, 205, 106534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2021.106534.
Dube, O., & Sivakumar, M. (2015). Global environmental change and vulnerability of Least Developed Countries to extreme events: Editorial on the special issue. Weather and Climate Extremes, 7, 2-7.
Durant, S. M., Marino, A., Linnell, J. D., Oriol-Cotterill, A., Dloniak, S., Dolrenry, S., ... & Yirga, G. (2022). Fostering coexistence between people and large carnivores in Africa: Using a theory of change to identify pathways to impact and their underlying assumptions. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 2, 698631.
Edelenbos, J., Klok, P. J., & Van Tatenhove, J. (2009). The institutional embedding of interactive policy making: insights from a comparative research based on eight interactive projects in the Netherlands. The American Review of Public Administration, 39(2), 125-148.
Field, C. B., & Barros, V. R. (Eds.). (2014). Climate change 2014–Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability: Regional aspects. Cambridge University Press.
Golding, S. A., & Winkler, R. L. (2020). Tracking urbanization and exurbs: Migration across the rural-urban continuum, 1990–2016. Population research and policy review, 39(5), 835-859.
Kareem, B., Lwasa, S., Tugume, D., Mukwaya, P., Walubwa, J., Owuor, S., ... & Byarugaba, D. (2020). Pathways for resilience to climate change in African cities. Environmental Research Letters, 15(7), 073002.
Khanum, A. (2019). Environmentally conscious global citizens: an evolution from environmental education to education for sustainable development in Pakistan (Doctoral dissertation, University of Glasgow).
Kohsaka, R., & Rogel, M. (2021). Traditional and local knowledge for sustainable development: Empowering the indigenous and local communities of the world. In Partnerships for the Goals (pp. 1261-1273). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Laininen, E. (2019). Transforming our worldview towards a sustainable future. Sustainability, human well-being, and the future of education, 161-200.
Lall, S. V., Henderson, J. V., & Venables, A. J. (2017). Africa's cities: Opening doors to the world. World Bank Publications.
Lehtonen, A., Salonen, A. O., & Cantell, H. (2019). Climate change education: A new approach for a world of wicked problems. Sustainability, human well-being, and the future of education, 339-374.
Liao M, Attali Y, Lockwood, J. R. and von Davier, A. A. (2022). Maintaining and monitoring quality of a continuously administered digital assessment. Doi: 10.3389/feduc.2022.857496.
Maloy, S. A., Natesan, K., Holcomb, D. E., Fazio, C., & Yvon, P. (2019). Overview of reactor systems and operational environments for structural materials in Gen-IV fission reactors. In Structural Alloys for Nuclear Energy Applications (pp. 23-49). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-397046-6.00002-2.
Mazi, A. N., Jaafar, M. B., & Choy, L. K. (2021). The Relationship Between Green Space, Cultural and Economic Aspects and Urban Planning in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. Review of International Geographical Education Online, 11(9).
Mensah, J. (2019). Sustainable development: Meaning, history, principles, pillars, and implications for human action: Literature review. Cogent Social Sciences, 5(1), 1653531.
Meyer, N., & Auriacombe, C. (2019). Good urban governance and city resilience: An afrocentric approach to sustainable development. Sustainability, 11(19), 5514.
Muchapireyi, G. (2018). An investigation into the challenges encountered by the community during the Tokwe-Mukosi rapid onset flood disaster in Zimbabwe (Doctoral dissertation, North-West University).
Murombedzi, J. (2003). Pre-colonial and colonial conservation practices in southern Africa and their legacy today. Unpublished IUCN manuscript.
Musvoto, C., Nahman, A., Nortje, K., & de Wet, B. (2015). Agriculture and the green economy in South Africa: A CSIR perspective. South African Journal of Science, 111(1-2), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2015/20140050.
Naidoo, R., Gerkey, D., Hole, D., Pfaff, A., Ellis, A. M., Golden, C. D., ... & Fisher, B. (2019). Evaluating the impacts of protected areas on human well-being across the developing world. Science Advances, 5(4), eaav3006.
Niang, A., Amrani, F., Salhi, M., Grelu, P., & Sanchez, F. (2014). Rains of solitons in a figure-of-eight passively mode-locked fiber laser. Applied Physics B, 116, 771-775.
Njiru, L. G., Yegon, J. R., Mwithiga, G., Micheni, A., Gitari, N. J., & Mairura, F. S. (2021). Restoring soil nutrient stocks using local inputs, tillage and sorghum-green gram intercropping strategies for drylands in Eastern Kenya. Heliyon, 9(10).
Ogu, V. I. (2019). Urbanization and Environmental Challenges in Nigeria: The Nexus and the Implications for Sustainable Development. Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, 21(3), 45-62.
Olowokere, M.T., & Akinola, O.O. (2022). Characterization and Industrial Potential of Zeolites in Ghanaian Bauxite. Journal of Mining and Metallurgy, Section B: Metallurgy, 58, 233-240.
Olukanni, O.D., Famuyiwa, T., Oyenuga, S. et al. (2022). Enhanced Biodegradation of Phenanthrene by Comamonas testosteroni Strain T in the Presence of Limiting Concentration of Triton X-100. Environmental Processes, 9, 57.
Otieno, M. O., Mareri, L. A., & Khaemba, J. M. (2019). The Role of Newspaper Editors in the Prioritization of Environmental News Stories in the Kenyan Media.
Oyekunle, A. A. (2021). An Exploration of an Indigenous African Epistemic Order: In Search of a Contemporary African Environmental Philosophy. University of South Africa.
Popoola, A. M., Ogunbode, C. A., & Oladokun, O. (2021). Environmental Stewardship Practices in Housing Estates in Enugu, Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects. Journal of Environmental Management, 280, 111661.
Primack, R., & Wilson, J. W. (2019). Conservation biology in sub-Saharan Africa. Open Book Publishers.
Reed, M. S. (2008). Stakeholder participation for environmental management: a literature review. Biological Conservation, 141(10), 2417-2431.
Rodgers, K. M., Udesky, J. O., Rudel, R. A., & Brody, J. G. (2018). Environmental chemicals and breast cancer: An updated review of epidemiological literature informed by biological mechanisms. Environmental Research, 160, 152-182.
Roy, D.P., Wulder, M.A., Loveland, T.R., Woodcock, C.E. et al. (2014). Landsat-8: Science and product vision for terrestrial global change research. Remote Sensing of Environment, 145, 154-172.
Stevenson, B., & Wolfers, J. (2013). Subjective well-being and income: Is there any evidence of satiation? American Economic Review, 103(3), 598-604.
Teise, K. L. G. (2013). Education for sustainable development: Exposing social sustainable policy imperatives for South African education (Doctoral dissertation, University of the
UN-Habitat. (2019). The strategic plan 2020-2023.
Yigitcanlar, T., & Teriman, S. (2015). Rethinking sustainable urban development: towards an integrated planning and development process. International journal of environmental science and technology, 12, 341-352.
Zhong, X., Hu, M., Deetman, S., Steubing, B., Lin, H. X., Hernandez, G. A., ... & Behrens, P. (2021). Global greenhouse gas emissions from residential and commercial building materials and mitigation strategies to 2060. Nature Communications, 12(1), 6126.
Zuo, J., Xia, B., Barker, J., et al. (2017). Green building evaluation from a life-cycle perspective in Australia: A critical review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 70, 358-368.
Copyright (c) 2025 Samuel Kiplangat Ngetich

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.