On September 4, 2023, the first African climate summit opened in Nairobi. For three days, leaders from Africa and elsewhere are brought together to discuss with civil society actors as well as public and private companies, and international organizations. In opening, Kenyan President William Ruto invited to ” see green growth not only as a climate imperative but also as a source of billions of dollars of opportunity “.
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The first African climate summit opened and for three days in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, this Monday, September 4, 2023, under the aegis of the African Union and the government of Kenya. About twenty African Heads of State are making the trip and most of them will speak this Tuesday, September 5th.
In the meantime, during the first morning, the plenary raised the challenges of this African summit, 100 days from COP28 in Dubai: namely the immense potential of Africa to green the planet.
Read alsoAfrica Climate Summit 2023: the first African climate summit opens in Nairobi
This is also not insignificant: this first African climate summit is organized in Kenya, where more than 90% of the electricity today comes from renewable energies. Africa is certainly a victim of the global climate crisis, but it must become the solution, insisted President Ruto, host of the event, thanks to its youth, its carbon sinks and its minerals useful for green industries. An achievement in which Africa and the world have, according to him, everything to gain.
” You have entered the future »
” You haven’t just set foot in a conference center, you’ve stepped into the futurehe launched. A future with potential, driven by international partnerships, that will be geared towards Africa’s prosperity, inclusive growth and a livable planet for all. We must see in green growth not only a climate imperative but also a source of billions of dollars of opportunity, which Africa and the world are ready to capitalize “.
To carry out this project, however, funding is slow to materialize or is inaccessible, regrets the Kenyan leader, whether for adaptation to climate change or for green investments. As for indigenous peoples, they receive less than 1% of climate funds, deplores their representative in Kenya, while they are considered the best guarantors of the conservation of natural environments.
The summit should lead on September 6 to the development of a common text on Africa’s climate objectives, the Nairobi declaration.