Summit remarks · 6 September 2023
A ‘Thank You’ Note to African Heads of State
Excellencies and dear colleagues, I remain immensely privileged to have the tremendous honour of receiving and hosting you in Kenya for the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi. Your presence has sent an emphatic signal throughout the world that a new Africa is here, and that it means business.
Your participation in the Summit has further demonstrated your individual as well as our collective dedication to represent our peoples and champion their most important aspirations in every critical forum regionally, continentally and globally. The Nairobi Declaration, our common stand and firm resolution, reaffirms our determination and sets the stage for a new phase in the global climate action and sustainable development agenda, giving the future of socio-economic transformation a distinct and affirmative African character.
I take none of these for granted, and I commend, honour and thank you for your tireless effort, steadfast support and willingness to go the extra mile for the sake of a brighter future for Africa and humanity.
As a result of our collective action, there can no longer be any doubt in any part of the world that Africa, humankind’s cradle, is also its destiny. Our potential, made up of incomparably young, resilient and motivated human capital, natural resource wealth and green energy potential, is going to define the future of global opportunity for unprecedented prosperity and a new paradigm of industrialisation that respects the environment and supports our planet’s capacity to sustain biodiversity.
We have successfully demonstrated that African Solutions are not just appropriate for Africa’s Problems: They are necessary for global well-being. Our Agenda 2063 is an agenda for the benefit of all humankind, and The Africa We Want aligns with the Planet We Need. The cradle of humanity is also its destiny, and Africa is the future of the world.
Permit me, Excellencies, to express how proud I am of the quality and scale of what we have been able to accomplish in this inaugural Africa Climate Summit. The boldness, vision, diversity and thoroughness of the contributions made here in terms of debate, exhibitions, collaborations and other activities have been deeply encouraging and inspiring.
During this action-focused summit, various stakeholders, including governments, the private sector, multilateral banks and philanthropists have made substantial commitments ttotaling a remarkable $23 billion for green growth, mitigation and adaptation efforts across Africa. Notable highlights include: a) A transformative partnership investing $60 million over two years in expanding grid access in rural Burundi. b) A $4.5 billion commitment from the UAE to boost renewable energy. c) Substantial contributions from European nations, and significant investments from private sector entities like Masdar, PowerGen, Leapfrog, Cross Boundary and Husk Power, emphasising renewable energy initiatives. d) The signing of Kenya’s Green Hydrogen Strategy with the European Union is expected to drive and accelerate green manufacturing and create thousands of new, high value jobs in addition to attracting large private investment. e) Additionally, there has been a notable increase in adaptation financing, reflecting a deep commitment to Africa's sustainable future and energy systems, aligning with the ambitious Nairobi Declaration.
Our youth, have not been left behind in the robust conversations that have taken place at this summit. They have provided us with excellent models on how we must approach our date with an African future: By being open to possibility, bold in imagination and willing to embrace radically transformative technologies, ready to question the things we take for granted and explore new alternatives and, most of all, always seeking opportunities to collaborate locally as well as globally to achieve positive change. It is wonderfully appropriate that Africa is a young continent; the future does not merely belong to us: We are the future.
Proceeding on the recognition that the reform of multilateral financial architecture and the mobilisation of adequate financial resources is necessary for progress in our journey into the future, we have challenged the international community to exercise a level of imagination in governance and climate action that is commensurate with the imperative to overcome the immense existential challenges of our time.
I am satisfied that we have done very well in our first Africa Climate Summit, delighted that much progress has taken place here, proud that you gave your best and grateful for your steadfast support and commitment to our unity.
With humility, I thank you for kindly accepting our invitation to attend this summit, and for your patience throughout the proceedings. Your devotion to Africa’s contribution to the transformation of global climate action is exemplary and to be admired.
I thank the Committee of African Heads of State on Climate Change for giving me the opportunity to champion this phase of our continent’s journey to global leadership in climate action and green industrialisation.
I also thank the African Union, and the African Union Commission, for their unstinting support for my leadership of CAHOSCC, and for this Summit. Much has gone into the preparations as well as the conduct of the actual Summit. The political and technical support has equally been vital for our successful management of logistical, technological, diplomatic, financial, and other requirements.
The declaration we make to the world today defines and amplifies the African position on the way forward in climate action, and the fundamentals that the international community must attend to in order to ensure that humanity’s economic and ecological imperatives are effectively, coherently and sustainably achieved.
Going forward, we shall use every available opportunity in the busy multilateral calendar, from the G20 meeting, the United Nations General Assembly in a fortnight, the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund soon thereafter, as well as the COP 28 afterwards.
After our Declaration, let us go home satisfied with a job well done, proud of the progress we have made and eager to embark on the next; phase of transformation everywhere on our continent.
Thank you very much. May God bless you, And may God bless Africa.