Use clean energy in development, urges UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Transport Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau and UN Nairobi office Director-General Sahle-Work Zewde at the UN headquarters in Nairobi on October 30, 2014. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL |
What you need to know:
- Mr Ban said Africa required better roads and railways because people “depend on mobility and transport in a million ways”.
- He however warned that their benefits could be outweighed by health hazards associated with increased number of vehicles using fossil fuels.
African countries have been warned of the risk of worse environmental pollution unless they adopt new technologies to improve transport systems.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday told a gathering in Nairobi that the pace of development on the continent must be supported with clean energy sources to keep the environment safe.
“As economies of Africa continue to grow, we have an opportunity to avoid the negative environmental, social and economic impacts of unsustainable transport,” he said at the Unep headquarters in Gigiri, Nairobi.
The UN chief was addressing African ministers in charge of transport and environmental issues, currently in Nairobi to draft a transport action plan.
The meeting was opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta, who stated that Africa could only trade with itself if it had good roads.
“The transport action plan must take into account that our people are keen to integrate and trade; investment needs of landlocked countries and the need for regional security.
“To achieve this, however, our plans must be synchronised. It is essential for our regional blocs on the continent to work closely to prioritise the transport corridors in an effort to provide trade and investment,” President Kenyatta said.
Mr Ban said Africa required better roads and railways because people “depend on mobility and transport in a million ways”.
HEALTH HAZARDS
While the continent continued to build new paved roads, Mr Ban warned that their benefits could be outweighed by health hazards associated with increased number of vehicles using fossil fuels.
“According to the World Health Organisation, seven million people die prematurely annually as a result of air pollution. The use of fossil fuels is also driving emissions of greenhouse gases to new heights,” the UN boss said.
In Nairobi, the number of vehicles on the road doubles every six years, according to the World Bank.
President Kenyatta talked of plans in East Africa to improve the northern transport corridor, which is supposed to serve more than six countries.
The corridor, as planned, comprises roads, pipelines and railways to link ports on the Kenyan coast with landlocked countries of South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and Uganda.
