African Climate Summit convenes for clean energy: Local sources

The summit on "Promoting green growth and climate finance solutions for Africa and the world", organized jointly by the African Union (AU) and the Kenyan government, kicked off at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, according to Africa News.

The summit is considered a negotiation and preliminary preparation before the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) of the United Nations (UN)Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in December.

Kenyan President William Ruto said before the conference that he expected positive results from the summit.

"I hope that positive solutions for Africa will emerge from this conference on the climate crisis, which has become a global problem," Ruto said.

Ruto said that in order to combat the climate crisis, Africa should also switch to the green energy era as soon as possible and that the continent needs serious financing to achieve this.

Mavis Owusu Gyamfi from the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET) stated that African leaders should no longer see Africa as a victim.

Explaining that Africa is a critical player in the climate crisis facing the world, Gyamfi pointed out that one of the most important priorities to be discussed at the summit is the debt relief of African countries.

Noting that issues such as financing African countries, carbon footprint, economic growth, innovative strategies, and sustainable development will be discussed at the summit, Gyamfi emphasized that innovative approaches to mitigate the effects of climate change will also be discussed during the summit.

INTENSIVE SECURITY MEASURES

The summit is attended by African heads of state, COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, as well as many international organizations.

At the end of the summit, the Nairobi Declaration, which includes a plan for Africa's transition to green energy, is planned to be published.

The Kenyan government has taken intensive security measures for the three-day summit, which will be attended by 20 heads of state and approximately 30 thousand visitors.

Source: Al Jazeera