Two weeks before the African Climate Summit, which will take place in Kenya from September 4 to 6, NGOs are trying to galvanize public opinion around the importance of supporting sustainable development in Africa, without resorting to fossil fuels. This is what emerged from an online conference on Thursday August 17 bringing together experts in the fields of renewable energies and energy transition. The objective: to prepare the ground ahead of COP28 in Dubai.
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No way to get to the COP28 in the position of a beggar. Africans, like Nnimmo Bassey, known for his commitment to the populations of the Niger Delta in southern Nigeria, want to obtain reparations.
For sixty years, Nnimmo Bassey has seen entire communities affected by oil pollution in the Niger Delta. For him, the African Climate Summit will be an opportunity to challenge leaders on the consequences of oil exploitation, at a time when some are tempted to follow the trajectory of Western countries.
Some countries like Senegal and the DRC do not intend to give up to their oil and gas, and believe that Africa has the right to use its resources. This may be true, but Ibrahima Thiam, from the German NGO Fondation Rosa Luxembourg, also underlines the negative impact on populations. He works with communities affected by oil exploitation in Senegal.
Interview with Ibrahima Thiam
The exploitation of hydrocarbons is not the right direction to take, still believes Wangari Muchiri, director of Africa of the World Council of wind energy. She argues that we must release renewable energies, which are still under-exploited on the continent. Africa only uses 7.3 gigawatts of wind power capacity while it has a potential of 1,800 gigawatts. An aberrant situation, according to her, given that half of the African population still does not have access to electricity.
Reconciling access to energy and the fight against climate change will therefore be at the heart of the summit in Nairobi, with the hope that Africa will speak with one voice by COP 28.
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