By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The first edition of African Climate Summit (ACS) in Nairobi, Kenya ended on Wednesday with political and business leaders adopting the Nairobi Declaration to raise the sum of 23 billion dollars for green growth, mitigation and adaptation to address climate challenges in the continent.
“We march on with the Nairobi declaration,” said the host President, William Ruto, as the three-day conference came to a close.
He had pushed for a narrative shift in the talks, focusing on Africa’s switch to clean energy even as the continent reels from climate-related disasters.
“This declaration will serve as a basis for Africa’s common position in the global climate change process,” the final version of the document sighted by AFP said.
“During this action-focused summit, various stakeholders, including governments, the private sector, multilateral banks and philanthropists, have made substantial commitments totalling a remarkable $23 billion for green growth, mitigation and adaptation efforts across Africa,” Mr Ruto said.
The Nairobi declaration target was announced among several other commitments from world leaders to appreciate that decarbonising the global economy is also an opportunity to contribute to equality and shared prosperity.
“Increasing Africa’s renewable generation capacity from 56 GW in 2022 to at least 300 GW by 2030, both to address energy poverty and to bolster the global supply of cost-effective clean energy for industry,” the declaration document stated further.
The ACS 2023 focuses on delivering climate-positive growth and finance solutions for Africa and the world.
Ruto said that during the summit, a transformative partnership investing $60 million over two years in expanding grid access in rural Burundi was reached.
Also, he said the summit declaration had a $4.5 billion commitment from the UAE to boost renewable energy.
“Substantial contributions from European nations and significant investments from private sector entities like Masdar, PowerGen, Leapfrog, Cross-Boundary and Husk Power, emphasising renewable energy initiatives,” Mr Ruto said.
He spoke about the signing of Kenya’s Green Hydrogen Strategy, adding that the European Union is expected to drive and accelerate green manufacturing and create thousands of new, high-value jobs in addition to attracting large private investment.
“Additionally, there has been a notable increase in adaptation financing, reflecting a deep commitment to Africa’s sustainable future and energy systems, aligning with the ambitious Nairobi Declaration,” he said.
