African leaders assembled at Nairobi for the Africa Climate Summit, 2023, and called for action on the singular theme of climate change. Climate events have hit African countries as badly as other continents, but being the poorest continent, Africa is poorly equipped to deal with the costs of such damages. Also, historically lower investments in development and climate sustainable actions were highlighted by the leaders at the Summit. Thus, the Nairobi Climate Summit presented an important marker of the seriousness attributed to Climate change and sustainability.
Stephen Jackson, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya, in an interview highlighted that Africa is the place for solutions and added, “Africa has the largest endowment of arable agricultural land that can feed the world.” He endorsed the maxim that the North needs to do more to enable the Global South, especially Africa in green investments. Besides elaborating the concerns that Nairobi Declaration later elaborated, Jackson pointed out that cheap Capital availability needs to be made available for making sustainable action real in Africa. He added, “real inhibitor to bringing the kinds of solutions that Africa has on sustainable energy, sustainable agriculture, CO2 absorption and CO2 mitigation, is the cost of capital and the inequities built into the present international financing architecture.”
The African Leaders Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action commended Egypt for the successful COP27, emphasizing its historic outcomes regarding loss and damage, just transition, and energy, while urging full COP27 decision implementation. It acknowledged the alarming findings from the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report, underscoring that the world is off-track from the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target and that Africa is warming faster. The declaration recognized Africa’s disproportionate vulnerability to climate change impacts, despite its limited historical contribution to global warming. It expressed concern over the lack of electricity and clean cooking access for millions in Africa, despite its vast renewable energy resources and minimal investment. Lastly, it highlighted the vital role of oceans in addressing climate change and environmental preservation.
The declaration emphasized the need for collective action on various fronts. It called upon the global community to urgently reduce emissions, fulfill previous commitments, and uphold promises made in the past. Specifically, it stressed the importance of honoring the commitment to provide $100 billion annually in climate finance, a pledge made 14 years ago at the Copenhagen conference. The declaration also called for the operationalization of the Loss & Damage fund, as agreed upon during COP27, and advocates for the establishment of a measurable Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) with clear indicators and targets. This GGA aims to facilitate the assessment of progress in addressing the adverse impacts of climate change.
The declaration has committed to a comprehensive set of actions, including the development of policies to attract green investments, expansion of renewable energy generation, and support for inclusive economies. It underscores the importance of operationalizing the AfCFTA Agreement, implementing biodiversity strategies, and raising renewable energy financing to 20% by 2030. Smallholder farmers, indigenous communities, and local partnerships will receive support, while efforts to enhance drought resilience and accelerate climate change strategies will be prioritized. The ultimate goal is to achieve a sustainable, harmonious coexistence with nature in line with the 2050 vision.
The declaration specifically called upon the international community to contribute to several key objectives. These include increasing Africa’s renewable energy generation capacity from 56 GW in 2022 to a minimum of 300 GW by 2030, addressing energy poverty and bolstering global clean energy supplies. It also emphasized the need to shift energy-intensive primary processing of Africa’s raw material exports to the continent, serving as a demand anchor for renewable energy and reducing global emissions. The declaration highlighted the importance of facilitating access to and the transfer of environmentally sound technologies to enable fair competition for African products.
It advocates multilateral discussions and agreements on trade-related environmental tariffs and barriers. Additionally, it promotes the decarbonization of transport, industrial, and electricity sectors through innovative technologies like green hydrogen, synthetic fuels, and battery storage. The declaration encourages global investment in locations that offer substantial climate benefits and aims to increase Africa’s share of carbon markets.
