Nairobi (AFP) – The first African climate summit ends this Wednesday after three days of discussions aimed at driving green growth and building a common discourse on the continent for climate negotiations.
First change: June 9, 2023 – 12:39 p.m
3 minutes
The meeting in Nairobi will bring together heads of state and government and business people and aims to raise funding for environmental projects so the region can develop while fighting climate change.
Kenyan President William Ruto urged his counterparts to seize “the unprecedented opportunity” presented to African countries to benefit economically from the development of clean energy and join the fight against global warming, of which they are the main victims.
The final declaration, due to be released on Wednesday afternoon, could include a call for the international community to help achieve this goal through investment and debt relief on the continent.
It could also include a reminder to rich, polluting countries of their climate finance promises.
For many experts, success in building a shared vision for Africa’s green development would provide impetus for several upcoming international meetings.
But reaching consensus on a continent of 1.4 billion people and 54 politically and economically diverse countries is not easy. Some governments are in favor of betting on a future powered by renewable energy, while others rely on their fossil fuel resources.
“African Miracle”
William Ruto said on Tuesday that the continent’s leaders envisioned a “future in which Africa would finally emerge as an economic and industrial power, an effective and positive actor on the world stage.”
Participants of the African Climate Summit, September 4, 2023 in Nairobi © Luis Tato / AFP
With a young population and plenty of natural resources, Africa can help create an alternative to polluting fossil fuels.
In addition to a natural potential for direct clean energy production (solar, wind, geothermal, etc.), the continent also hosts 40% of the world’s reserves of cobalt, manganese and platinum, essential for batteries and fuel cells. of hydrogen.
Yet only 3% of global energy investments are made there.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the world to make Africa a “renewable energy superpower”.
“Renewable energy could be the African (economic) miracle,” he estimated.
The United Arab Emirates has pledged $4.5 billion in investments in clean energy in Africa. This country will host the next UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai in November.
In a report released on Wednesday, the International Energy Agency and the African Development Bank called on donors and international institutions to increase their “concessional financing” tenfold, or preferential terms, to encourage private investment in the energy sector.
Reform the system
The challenges remain immense on a continent where 500 million people lack access to electricity.
African countries are also crippled by their growing debt burden and lack of financing.
Several of the continent’s heads of state and government, as well as Antonio Guterres and the Emirati Sultan al Jaber, called on Tuesday for a reform of the international financial system – an “outdated, unfair and dysfunctional” system, according to the UN chief – to present to the world adapt to demands in the fight against global warming.
Rich countries around the world have not yet fulfilled their commitment to provide poorer countries with $100 billion in climate finance annually by 2020.
© 2023 AFP