Kenyan climate envoy, Ali Mohammed said that despite Africa having the intention and capacity to fight climate change, the main limitation has always been finance.
He said that climate change which at the moment has been the main narrative has had very serious impacts on lives, livelihoods and the economy.
Mohammed said finance has been the main limitation.
“Africa has the potential and opportunity to fight the main narrative that has been climate change. The main limitation towards this fight has been finance,” he said.
He was speaking on Monday during the Africa Editors Climate Forum at Prideinn Azure Hotel in Nairobi.
The climate envoy further noted that a few months ago, the country was experiencing one of the worst droughts.
“We went through a season where we experienced one of the worst drought situations and many communities lost their livestock during that period. At the moment Nairobi is green unlike what we were experiencing in the beginning,” Mohammed said.
He added that the communities who lost their livestock considered that their way of life and at the moment they are impoverished.
Mohammed, however, noted that financial reform is a big agenda and the climate change summit to be held in Nairobi, Kenya this year is aimed at pushing the issue as one of the discussions.
The climate summit which will also look at the specific concerns that our continent has will be the first-ever African climate summit.
He said climate change at the moment is an existential challenge to the entire world.
“The summit is aimed at seeing what extent we can improve the narrative that Africa has which is climate change. At the moment, climate change is an existential challenge that the entire world is facing,” he said.
More importantly, they will also look at what contribution our country is able to make towards the global challenge.
