Africa Climate Summit 2023: Leaders root for green growth, enhanced climate financing as talks begin

The first African Climate Summit opened on September 4, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya asserting a stronger voice on the climate crisis which affects their continent the most even though its 1.3 billion people contribute to global warming the least.

The Government of Kenya (host) and the African Union (AU) (organiser) has called for three key climate finance interventions as the need of the hour.

First, they want an increase in financing, second, more targeted funding and, third, cheaper financing from global institutions. To achieve these, ACS23 suggests implementing global taxes, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies and utilising mechanisms like Carbon Border Adjustment.

High-level global leaders, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his predecessor Ban Ki-Moon and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, farmers from across the continent and members of indigenous communities are in attendance.

Under the theme ‘Driving green growth and climate finance solutions for Africa and the World’, the summit will culminate in ‘The Nairobi Declaration’.

The consensus from the speakers at the opening ceremony was that Africa is disproportionately affected by rising extreme weather events, wreaking havoc on world economies.

In his opening speech, Kenya President William Ruto said Africa possesses abundant resources, including renewable energy sources, crucial minerals and agricultural potential, which serve as the foundation for developing the green growth path for the world.

He also called for governments to scale their contributions and commitments, strengthen regional bonds and collaborations, and empower local transformation.

AU commissioner Josefa Sacko said AU continues to put in place a policy framework to support implementation of climate action for sustainable value chains like the African Union Climate Change and Resilient Strategy and Action Plan. The others are; the Continental Green Recovery Action Plan and the Integrated Strategy on Metrology.

Besides giving the Group of African Negotiators a common voice ahead of COP28 in Dubai, the Nairobi Declaration is expected to provide a pathway to a new global financial deal.

The gathering is also expected to culminate in investment commitments, including showcasing possible multi-billion dollar worth of green investment deals on the continent across all thematic sectors of the summit.