By Wallace Mawire
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Africa have petitioned Kenya’s President William Ruto has been petitioned in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) showing concern regarding the upcoming Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi being convened by that country.
According to Hardi Yakubu, Movement Coordinator at Africans Rising the summit is scheduled for the first week of September.
Yakubu said that it could be an opportunity for Africans to define their own priorities regarding the real solutions to the climate crisis.
He however, said that in the development of its form and content, they are concerned about a capture of the summit to advance Global North interests instead of serving African interests.
“We are sending this letter to the convener, President William Ruto of Kenya to address these issues before it is too late,” Yakubu said.
He added that they are calling on African and Africa-led organisations to add their voices by signing the petition.
The organizatiobns have also highlighted that Ruto is being petitioned since he is the fulcrum around which Africa’s interests and position on climate issues revolves as defined by African Ministers (AMCEN) and officials (AGN).
In the letter to President William Ruto, the organizations says that are gravely concerned about the direction the African Climate Summit is taking.
They say that they look up to him as Africa’s most senior leader on climate change.
They add that the summit is a tremendous opportunity to chart a new course for the continent that creates a leadership vision for a cleaner, safer and prosperous future that protects the people, its food systems, water resources and its biodiversity.
They say that this vision must boost their collective efforts to build their renewable energy systems and electrification infrastructure on a scale that benefits millions of Africans while inspiring other countries to make interventions that prevent further global heating.
According to the petition, rather than advancing Africa’s interests and position on critical climate issues, the summit has been seized by Western governments, consultancy companies and philanthropic organisations hellbent on pushing a pro-West agenda and interests at the expense of Africa.
“Even more worryingly, the agenda of the Summit has been unduly influenced by US-based consultancy firm McKinsey & Company. The lead of African officials and ministers has been pushed on the backburner.These developments are seriously unsettling,” says the letter.
The organizations add that the Summit concept note, as proposed by McKinsey & Company, reflects the interests of the US, McKinsey and the western corporations they represent.
They add that meanwhile, Africa’s stated priorities are conspicuously missing, as a result.
The petition says that moreover, the so-called “think tanks committee” set up to drive negotiations at the Summit is chaired by individuals who represent UK and US-based organisations and not African organisations.
It says that the content for the Summit, including major initiatives is being spearheaded by McKinsey, with the World Resources Institute now competing to shape the agenda and its outcomes.
They say that both are headquartered in the United States and do not champion Africa’s interests.
It says that some African organisations that advance Western agenda have also been given a disproportionately huge role in the organisation of the event.
The letter says that the result is a Summit agenda that foregrounds the position and interests of the West, namely, carbon markets, carbon sequestration and “climate positive” approaches.
It says that these concepts and false solutions are led by Western interests while being marketed as African priorities.
It adds that in truth, though, these approaches will embolden wealthy nations and large corporations to continue polluting the world, much to Africa’s detriment.
According to the letter, African professionals and leaders are aware of the capture of the Summit by non-Africans and some are already threatening to not attend.
It says that this trend will grow as word spreads that this is not an African conference. The risk is the collapse of the event in the eleventh hour.
The CSOs say that but all is not lost, Mr President.
“Things can still be remedied. We, therefore, call for an urgent reset of the Summit in a manner that puts Africa’s interests first.As an African Head of State who champions the continent’s interests in the climate discourse, you have gained international recognition for fronting transformative ideas and being firm in this cause. Similarly, there is a wealth of African-led ideas and proposals that the Nairobi summit must consider,” the letter reads.
The CSOs say that to restore the meeting on track and to advance an agenda of, by and for Africans, they call on President Ruto to withdraw the control and influence of Mckinsey in the organisation of this Summit. In exchange, an African-led expert group has to be established to help reshape the Summit’s agenda,ensure the meeting advances Africa’s interests and priorities as promoted by African Governments and civil society in the UNFCCC,adopt an integrated approach to Africa’s climate, energy and development issues.
They say that without such an integrated African-led approach, concepts like “green growth” will simply further “neo-colonialism”.
Other issues include advancing a strong focus on renewable energy to counter efforts by the fossil fuel industry, Western interests, fossil fuel-producing African countries to hijack Africa’s just energy transition,avoiding all false solutions such as carbon markets and geo-engineering which are designed to encourage wealthy countries and people to continue polluting and turning Africa into a dumping ground and field for technological trials,implementing and adopt climate policies that promote a just and equitable phase-out of all new oil, gas and coal projects on the African continent in line with Africa’s development interests and the recommendations of IPCC, IEA and other scientific organisations by cutting public and private financing,seeking transparent and meaningful dialogue between citizens and policymakers across the continent to build a shared African narrative and agenda to tackle the interlinked challenges of climate, energy and development, and promoting avenues that provide sufficient and consensual climate funding to realise this commitment.
The letter has also been copied to other recipients which include African Heads of State and Governments,Chairperson of the African Union and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
Sign on form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ND6QupjdxlhOqb-pHFKF_6pHAWUXn4d82ffKMFnIQ6c/edit?pli=1
