The inaugural Africa Climate Summit kicked off yesterday with Africa demanding for more say and financing.

From leaders to activists to civil society groups, all the groups had one message; the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters need to pay their fair share.

Speaking at the Summit, Mithika Mwenda of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance said that the annual flow of climate assistance to the continent is a tenth or less of what is needed and a “fraction” of the budget of some polluting companies.

“We need to immediately see the delivery of the $100 billion pledged (by rich countries annually to developing ones in climate finance),” said Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

According to the activists, the summit shows no indication of addressing the real and worsening climate crisis since policies being proposed in the summit will continue to exploit African resources while concentrating power and wealth in the hands of the wealthy few.

More financing need

Speaking during the opening session, Kenyan president William Ruto said that though as a continent we need the financing, it is also time for the continent to turn into what it has to tackle the climate change problem. “We are not here to catalogue grievances and list problems. We are here to scrutinise ideas, assess perspectives, and unlock solutions. Over the next three days, be ready to be challenged in this dynamic ecosystem of dialogue and discovery. African and global leaders, innovation trailblazers, experts, investors, and captains of industry are here to explore the opportunities, tackle the barriers, and scale up solutions,” he said.

He said climate action should be the engine for propelling Africa into a realm of stability and prosperity, elevating the continent to middle-income status and beyond. This is why the continent needs to embrace all the opportunities presented by renewable energy. “As a continent, we have ample renewable energy potential, and the natural assets and resources to green our own consumption, and meaningfully contribute to decarbonisation of the global economy,” he said.

The renewable energy sector according to him presents opportunities for economic growth and environmental sustainability. But the continent must-see green growth not just as a climate imperative but also as a fountain of multi-billion-dollar economic opportunities that the continent and the World are primed to capitalise on.

According to him, Africa’s carbon footprint remains small, but the human toll of climate change is disproportionately high. This is why there is a need for urgency to address loss and damage, and to configure appropriate financial mechanisms for resilience to grow with each extreme weather event and each bout of climate-induced insecurity.

UK government financing

The call for more financing has started yielding fruits with the UK announcing new climate finance and resilience projects worth £49 million that will be delivered across Africa. The funding was announced by the UK Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell who is in Nairobi to attend the inaugural Africa Climate Summit.

Mitchell also reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to providing £11.6 billion in international climate finance over 5 years while calling for rapid reform of the international financial system to unlock trillions of dollars to combat climate change.

 “The UK is committed to the fight against climate change in Africa, delivering on its promise of mutually beneficial and reliable investment. This funding will help to create jobs, grow economies, and improve the lives of women, farmers, and at-risk communities,” said Mitchell.

Participants from outside Africa include the US government’s climate envoy, John Kerry, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres,

 The summit is happening under the theme: “Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World,” It underscores the urgency and commitment to address climate change challenges in Africa and beyond.

While most of the calls by various speakers was on the need to reduce emission and adopting renewable energy, majority of the VIP delegates arrived in entourage of high end vehicles which are considered to be guzzlers. Most of the officials, including Kenyan MPs, ministers and their delegation as well as high ranking officials from across Africa arrived in vehicles that not only consume high levels of fuel, but highly contribute to greenhouse emissions.

– Additional reporting by Malemba Mkongo