Country heads in climate meet underscore need for united front

Approximately 23 heads of state, alongside experts and environmental activists, have convened in Nairobi to participate in the Africa Climate Summit, united in their efforts to find solutions for the global climate change crisis.

Under the theme 'Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World', the summit, which has attracted over 3,000 delegates, officially commenced with a Ministerial Day intended to lay the groundwork for crucial discussions on the global climate agenda, as stated by the event organisers.

President William Ruto underscored the summit's significance and its potential to generate the Nairobi Declaration, a document aimed at guiding Africa towards affirmative action on climate change.

"It is a declaration designed to form the foundation for a global economy that is decarbonised, sustainable, and resilient," Ruto said during his opening speech at the Africa Climate Summit (ACS) yesterday.

As per the programme, the summit will cover various key topics, including green recovery and resilience, climate finance and investment as well as renewable energy and energy efficiency.

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Other topic areas are nature-based solutions, adaptation and loss and damage as well as youth and gender empowerment.

Ruto, who also chairs the African Union's Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), has played a pivotal role in coordinating Africa's unified stance on climate change. This effort was evident during his participation in the 77th United Nations General Assembly (Unga) following his inauguration last year.

In addition to advocating for climate action, Ruto has called upon institutions such as the IMF and other multilateral lenders to provide pandemic-related debt relief to nations most severely affected by the combined challenges of conflict, climate change, and Covid-19. This position aligns with his commendable track record in environmental management on both continental and global platforms.

"Kenya is firmly on track to achieve its 100 per cent clean energy goal by 2030. Additionally, the country has established a national target to attain 100 per cent access to clean cooking by 2028.

"Africa holds the key to global decarbonisation; it is a reservoir of untapped potential," Ruto said at KICC.

He further added, "If harnessed, the continent possesses the potential to generate over 13 million jobs annually."

Among the esteemed attendees is Egypt's Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly, who, in his home country, launched the National Climate Change Strategy (NCCS) 2050 midway through last year.

Madbouly underscored Egypt's vulnerability to climate change and its direct impact on national security, urging all stakeholders to engage in tree planting and environmental preservation efforts.

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"Climate change is considered one of the most important issues that concern us and the whole world due to the threats to sustainable development, which will affect development plans, food security, and water availability.

"Consequently, it will have an impact on national security as the world will suffer from an increase in poverty rates," Madbouly said.

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo was also among the heads of state who arrived for the three-day summit at the KICC, scheduled to end tomorrow.

He joined the presidents of Burundi (Évariste Ndayishimiye), Comoros (Azali Assoumani), the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Brahim Ghali), and Sierra Leone (Julius Maada Wonie Bio) in Nairobi, where they were welcomed by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Dr. Alfred Mutua.

Days prior to his arrival in Nairobi, President Akufo-Addo unveiled a second phase of tree planting on the national tree planting day in Ghana. During the event, he announced the government's commitment to reduce carbon emissions by about 64 million metric tons by 2030.

Akufo-Addo highlighted the need to address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation such as agriculture, illegal mining, illegal logging, and wildfires, to achieve the country's emission reduction targets.