Use climate summit to push for better financing, President Ruto urges participants

The ride from State House to the Kenyatta International Convention Centre by President William Ruto is perhaps an indicator of the seriousness with which the country and the continent regard the maiden African climate summit.

In an electric car, the president made his way to the venue that has also for the last two days been host to the continent's youth for their climate assembly.

The assembly in its declarations, calling for amongst other things, inclusion of the youth in decision-making on matters to do with climate change as well as better financing of the climate agenda on the continent.

That question of climate financing also featuring prominently in subsequent discussions, with increased calls for fair access to the funds from the international community to help African, which although contributes less to the global warming, bears the inordinate burden of the vagaries of climate change.

“We are not just talking about loans and especially if we are getting loans five times more expensively than others...that's why i am happy about the conversation about a green bank,” said President Ruto.

Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina the President of the African Development Bank Group said; “Already we are shortchanged by climate change, why are we going to be shortchanged again by paying more expensively loans to ready developed economies for something that we did not create, so i wanna make a case for concessional financing.”

The summit which begins on Monday is expected to also look into ways of helping African countries vulnerable to adverse effects of climate change cope with the same.

“We must as humanity realise that climate change is not our making as Africa we must make it much easier for people to find safe heave when they are victims of climate change,” President Ruto noted.

At the same time, the president was firm on the need for the continent's carbon assets to be valued and compensated accurately and at the same level as global pricing standards.

He also urged the continent's youth to explore opportunities in agriculture to combat climate change, create jobs and expand industries.

But while the attention was largely on matters climate change, the president who is set to welcome other heads of state for the summit on Monday, cautioned against the rise in military coups across the continent, urging for the respect of democracy.

“We must allow the people to make decisions. Elections must account for something. We must stop the manipulation of elections and democracy,” Ruto said.

The climate summit kicks off on Monday and will run for three days.