Let’s “walk the talk” on innovative solutions to fight climate change -African leaders urged

The 17th African Economic Conference which ended in Balaclava at Mauritius this Sunday charged the development communities and governments to take decisive actions to address climate change in the African Continent.

The 3-day conference hosted by African Development Bank (ADB) in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Mauritius government on the theme: ‘Supporting Climate-smart Development in Africa’ called on participants to ‘walk the talk’ by producing concrete solutions for climate-smart development on the continent.

“Africa is the region that is most vulnerable in the face of climate change. The scourge of climate change poses a threat to lives”, Mauritius’ Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Renganaden Padayache cautioned.

He again noted that, lives will effect a change, if, there’s a limit to climate change in the environment across the African region.

The Ag. Chief Economist of ADB and Vice President for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management, Prof. Kevin Urama, stressed the need for African youth to be innovative as the future lies their hands.Urama said:

“Your innovation, your knowledge, your power, use that so that we can do climate-smart development on the continent”.

He further outlined some challenges, solutions and rich lessons that the conference would produce which the private sector and government can leverage on to enhance available skills and technology.

In a speech on behalf of UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa also called for accelerated action.

“We must be particularly mindful of the economic, societal, environmental, political, and security costs of green transitions.

We must fully understand the trade-offs and opportunity costs on communities and families and avoid pathways that undermine development prospects and deepen inequalities,” Miss Eziakonwa said.

She further explained the importance and urgency of climate finance and urged African governments to resolve the uncertainty surrounding it. “Reaching net zero emissions must also mean reaching zero poverty,” Eziakonwa reiterated.

Also, the Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Dr. Hanan Morsy, charged the participants to address climate change menace, adding that, such positive action should not be a choice but an imperative for Africa to achieve climate-smart development.

“As such, what we have discussed here regarding climate-smart development is not just an event. This is a process. Therefore, African countries pay heed to the analyses and recommendations presented at the conference”, she added.

Participants asserted that achieving net zero emissions can be accomplished if all stakeholders are robustly engaged, including providing the right environment for public-private partnerships.

The conference brought together policymakers, climate experts, representatives of the private sector, academics, and youth to develop an action plan to guide Africa as it navigates the threat of climate change.

it had an in-person attendance of over 350 delegates with over thousands more participating online. It also provided a timely forum to discuss innovative solutions to support climate-smart development in Africa.

Source: Eric Nii Sackey