Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has urged the world to embrace African leaders’ Nairobi Declaration on climate change. The Call to Action, popularly known as the Nairobi Declaration, is the continent’s true north out of the climate catastrophe.
The declaration urges developed nations to honour their commitment to provide $100 billion annually in climate finance and calls for delivery on and beyond the priority areas.
The areas include adaptation and resilience, climate finance commitments, global carbon taxation, green growth and investments, loss and damage, multilateral financial reforms, natural assets and biodiversity, ocean sustainability, phasing out fossil fuels, and urgent action on emissions reduction.
“We call for a comprehensive and systemic response to the incipient debt crisis outside default frameworks, to create the fiscal space that all developing countries need to finance development and climate action,” African leaders said as the curtains came down on the inaugural Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi, last year.
The leaders expressed concern that many African countries face disproportionate burdens and risks from climate change-related, unpredictable weather events and patterns.
This is perhaps why, while addressing delegates at the ongoing world’s biggest climate meeting (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, M. Mudavadi started by looking back.
“We have embarked on a transformative journey to secure Africa’s climate future – an effort that began with the Africa Climate Summit, continued with the Nairobi Declaration, and is now reflected in our shared determination to make these commitments a reality,” he said.
According to Mr Mudavadi, through the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA) and Mission 300, Africa has and continues to catalyse renewable energy investments in over 15 African countries.
These efforts, he says, are bringing energy access to over 300 million Africans, thus powering rural communities, creating jobs, and positioning Africa as a leader in clean energy solutions.
On green industrialisation on the continent, he pointed out that the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII), which is spearheading efforts to promote sustainable industrial growth “Through AGII, we are investing in green manufacturing, renewable energy industries, and sustainable supply chains that align with Africa’s climate goals,” he said.: “Africa bears the brunt of climate impacts, yet adaptation funding is severely lacking.”
