“We have successfully demonstrated that African solutions are not only appropriate for Africa’s problems, but are necessary for global well-being,” Kenyan President William Ruto said in his closing speech . “A new Africa is here and it is serious,” he said. The first African Climate Summit ended on Wednesday September 6 in Nairobi with a joint declaration from African heads of state. This first summit, already described as historic, aimed to highlight untapped resources for renewable energies in order to enable African countries to develop economically while participating in the fight against global warming, of which they are one of the main victims. . Although there were initially many differences, the discussions over the last three days have made it possible to obtain concrete progress for the coming months, during which several global meetings on climate are expected.
African leaders have – in addition to reminding wealthy polluting countries to honor their pledge to provide $100 billion a year in climate finance to the poorest countries by 2020 – called on the international community to help harness the continent’s potential in the fight against global warming, through investments and reform of the international financial system. “Africa has both the potential and the ambition to be an essential part of the global solution to climate change,” participants say in their joint final declaration, dubbed the “Nairobi Declaration,” an eight-page text . But unlocking its potential “on a scale that can significantly contribute to the decarbonization of the global economy” will require a significant increase in financing, they say. In particular, they call for “a new financing architecture adapted to the needs of Africa, including debt restructuring and relief”, the burden of which weighs heavily on their economies.
This Nairobi declaration, “adopted unanimously” according to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, “will serve as the basis for Africa’s common position in the global process on climate change until at COP28 and beyond,” say the signatories. It is “a clear affirmation of Africa’s resolve and leadership on climate, which aligns with the ambitions and priorities of the COP28 presidency,” the UN conference president said. on Climate (COP28), Sultan Al Jaber, in a press release.
The Nairobi summit opened four months of international meetings addressing climate issues, which continue this weekend with a G20 summit in India and will culminate with the COP28 in Dubai at the end of November, where a heated battle over the end of fossil fuels.
Consensus is not easy on a continent where 1.4 billion people live in 54 politically and economically diverse countries, with some governments pushing for a future focused on renewable energy while others rely on fossil fuel resources. .
With a young population and vast natural resources, Africa argues that it is key to building an alternative to polluting fossil fuels.
In addition to a natural potential to directly generate clean energy (solar, wind, geothermal, etc.), the continent is also home to 40% of the world’s reserves of cobalt, manganese and platinum, essential for batteries and hydrogen fuel cells.
In their joint communiqué, the participants affirmed their desire to increase, with the help of the international community, its renewable energy production capacity from 56 gigawatts in 2022 to at least 300 gigawatts by 2030.
The challenges remain immense in a continent where 500 million people do not have access to electricity. African countries are particularly paralyzed by their growing debt burden. Several leaders of the continent, but also 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 head of the UN – to adapt it to requirements of the fight against global warming.
“We demand fair conditions so that our countries can access the investments necessary to unlock their potential and translate it into opportunities,” declared William Ruto, who led this meeting. A total of $23 billion (€21.3 billion) in international investment was also pledged during the three-day summit, the Kenyan president announced, including $4.5 billion (€4.1 billion). euros) from the United Arab Emirates for clean energy in Africa.
