President of Kenya, William Ruto on Monday flagged off the first African climate summit in Nairobi where he said the continent had an “unparalleled opportunity” to benefit from action to tackle global warming.
The summit which has in attendance African heads of state seeks to come up with a common plan to present to other world leaders at a the COP 28 United Nations climate summit later this year.
Ruto said Africa should be part of the solution to global warming, rather than a victim.
“For a very long time we have looked at this as a problem. It is time we flipped and looked at it from the other side,” he told delegates at the opening of the 3-day meeting.
“There are opportunities, immense opportunities as well. And that is why we are not here to catalogue grievances and list problems, we are here to scrutinise ideas, assess perspectives, so that we can unlock solutions.”
Delegates at the summit will also consider a new funding model to help governments reduce carbon emissions.
African countries are among the smallest contributors to climate change, but suffer some of its worst effects.
“Delivering prosperity and wellbeing for Africa’s growing population without pushing the world deeper into climate disaster is not an abstract proposition, or mere wishful thinking. It is a real possibility, proven by science,” President William Ruto said in his opening remarks.
“The overarching theme… is the unparalleled opportunity that climate action represents for Africa,” he said.
“We must see in green growth not just a climate imperative but also a fountain of multi-billion-dollar economic opportunities that Africa and the world is primed to capitalise.”
He said Africa has the potential to be entirely energy self-sufficient through renewable resources, noting that Kenya itself aimed to be “100 percent renewable” by 2030.
Ruto has said that the international community must help unblock financing for the continent of 1.4 billion people and ease the mounting debt burden on African countries.
