Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga plans to leverage his position as Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission to advocate for sustainable solutions to the climate crisis if he is elected.
Raila emphasizes the interconnectedness of climate change and Africa’s development, stressing the importance of reminding developed nations of their climate action commitments. He believes that African countries must work together to address the problem of climate change.
“Climate change is an issue that Africa must confront head on if Africa hopes to develop,” said Raila during the Pan-African Green Financing Conference in Nairobi on Thursday
Raila argues that Africa should be well-prepared to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities presented by climate change for the benefit of its citizens. However, he believes that for this to happen, Africa must present a united front. He suggests the establishment of a common market pool for climate change mitigation financing to strengthen Africa’s negotiating power with the developed world.
He emphasized the need to break away from the business-as-usual approach to address the devastating impacts of climate change.
“It’s time Africa took its destiny into its own hands and work as one unit. Africa has one of the biggest carbon sinks, the second largest after Amazon, the Congo Forest. If we are going to negotiate for compensation, which is our right, we need to go together as the African Union. If we go as individual countries, nobody will listen to us,” he said
“I have been to these international conferences, like COP. The resolutions are being passed. You can talk until your voice is gone, but after that, people pack up and go and wait for another conference. Nothing concrete comes out of them. We must make sure something concrete comes out of those conferences,” added Raila
The Former PM believes that the African Union can lead this agenda, and as Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission, he is optimistic about his ability to guide the continent in this mission.
“The African Union can be the champion of climate change issues. AU should be able to speak more effectively on behalf of Africa if the African governments give it power and mandate to do so. That is why I have offered myself to run for the position of African union chairmanship. I hope that I will be able to use that position effectively to represent Africa to make sure that Africa claims this century,” said Raila, the leader of ODM party
He further acknowledged the crucial role of the Africa Green Climate Finance Designated Authorities Network (AfDAN) in supporting the Africa Union Commission’s commitment to climate action. He expects AfDAN to actively mobilize climate finance and improve access for all 55 African countries.
