The United Arab Emirates has pledged $4.5bn in clean energy investments in Africa at a landmark climate summit aimed at showcasing the continent’s potential as a green powerhouse.
Kenyan President William Ruto has sought to use the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi to shift the narrative on the continent, presenting the clean energy transition as a unique opportunity for Africa – if it can attract the financing to realise its potential.
On Tuesday, the conference saw its most significant pledge so far, with $4.5bn announced by the UAE, which will also host the COP28 summit in Dubai in November-December.
Africa’s renewable generation capacity was 56GW in 2022, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
The three-day Nairobi summit, which began on Monday, has attracted heads of state, government and industry, as well as United Nations head Antonio Guterres, European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and United States’ climate envoy John Kerry.
It is billed as bringing together African leaders to define a shared vision for green development on the diverse continent of 1.4 billion and set the tone for a flurry of international diplomacy leading up to the COP28 meeting.
Credit: aljazeera.com
