African Climate Summit Hosted by Kenyan President Amidst Concerns.
Kenyan President William Ruto’s upcoming African climate change summit has been under scrutiny, with allegations that it has been “hijacked by foreign interests”. The African Climate Summit is scheduled to take place in Nairobi from September 4-6 and features speakers from Kenya’s government, the African Union, and the United Nations. Partners for the summit include the French government, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the African Development Bank.
An open letter signed by over 300 African organizations expresses concern that the summit is being influenced by Western governments and organizations, prioritizing a pro-West agenda over African interests. Some of the signatories include ActionAid Ghana, the African Union’s Youth Wing, and South Sudan’s University of Juba.
In response, Ali Mohamed, Mr. Ruto’s special adviser for climate change, stated that the summit is an “African endorsed event hosted by an African bank that is going to discuss the challenge to the global community”. He emphasized that the summit would be representative of ordinary African people through the leadership and experts in attendance.
The open letter specifically criticizes the summit’s agenda for allegedly prioritizing Western interests, such as carbon markets. Carbon market schemes, which allow wealthy nations to offset their emissions by supporting climate projects in developing countries, have faced criticism for their effectiveness and potential negative impacts. The role of the US consultancy firm McKinsey has also been questioned, with allegations that the firm unduly influenced the summit. While McKinsey was initially listed as a partner on the summit’s website, it was later removed from the index.
Kenya’s environment minister, Soipan Tuya, defended the summit’s partnerships, highlighting its global nature and the involvement of various stakeholders. She emphasized that the African position is being projected in the summit’s proceedings. The summit aims to address climate challenges faced by the global community.
