African Development Bank planning to promote clean energy
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta (centre), Rwanda's President Paul Kagame (right) and African Development Bank president Akinwumi Adesina at a panel discussion on universal access to energy in Africa at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka, Zambia. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Meeting in Lusaka attended by leaders of Kenya, Chad, Rwanda and Zambia.
LUSAKA, Friday
Whenever influential people from the continent meet these days, the “Africa rising” narrative takes centre stage.
This has also been the case at the ongoing Africa Development Bank annual meeting in the Zambian capital.
“From this meeting, Africa will jump with jubilation. Africa’s time has come,” the bank’s president Akinwumi Adesina said in his opening remarks.
Peace agreements have been signed in the Zambian capital and it is also the headquarters of the Common Markets for Eastern and Southern Africa, an economic bloc that is expanding fast.
Africa has lately suffered from the effects of climate change. El Niño weather phenomenon has been accompanied by drought, affecting harvests in many parts of the continent.
Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Rwanda have been ravaged by floods.
In Malawi, more than 8.4 million people face hunger as a result of drought.
The situation is worse in Ethiopia where more than 15 million people are in a similar situation.
Large parts of Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe also face similar challenges.
The focus of the bank’s 51st annual meeting on energy and climate change was for a good reason. Africa contributes less than three per cent to global greenhouse emissions.
The bank announced a $549 million scheme to support countries deal with drought and other effects of climate change.
Mr Adesina said climate change was real and needed to be addressed so as to improve the lives of the people.
Among the hundreds of delegates were the presidents of Zambia, Rwanda, Chad and Kenya.
More than 645 million Africans cannot access electricity and 700 million do not have clean energy for cooking, according to the bank.
Zambia's President Edgar Lungu said the meeting must chart Africa’s future and that African experts should restore the continent’s rightful place in global trade.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta said Africa’s best chances of development could be boosted by regional integration and exploiting comparative advantages.
“For instance, if Zambia has a power deficit, why can’t East African nations extend surplus to this part?” he said.
Chad's President Idriss Deby said Africa was beset with hunger, effects of global warming terrorism and general insecurity. He said the problems hindered the continent’s economic progress.
He said the dream of lighting the continent could be achieved if Africa invested massively in the energy, especially harnessing renewable energy.
