Denmark has one of the most aggressive climate plans of any country, aiming to reduce emissions to 70 per cent of its 1990 carbon levels within 10 years.
In this regard, it will require removing an estimated 20 million tonnes of carbon from its economy. How does it plan to do this?
According to the embassy of Denmark, the Scandinavian country has invested almost Sh9 billion in green transition to build back better post-Covid-19. The investment seeks to create more than 14,000 new jobs in 2021 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Denmark and Investment Fund for Developing Countries have also given $20 million funding to the African Guarantee Fund towards green job creation in Africa.
So when Denmark Ambassador Ole Thonke arrived in Kenya in September last year, he knew his country’s priorities.
Thonke was first in Kenya in January 1997 for a six-month internship at the Danish embassy amidst agitation for the expansion of the democratic space, respect for rights and a new constitution.
After school, his first posting was in West Africa, where he worked in funding and governance.
Thonke would later be posted to Nairobi as deputy ambassador in 2009, the period just after the 2008 post-election violence.
“We were involved in the making of the new Constitution of Kenya. In supporting both constitutional experts and a lot of education on what is actually in the new constitution,” Thonke said in an interview with the Star at his residence in Nairobi.
One of his highlights was witnessing the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution at Uhuru Park, having experienced the agitation.
He left after a four-year tour of duty to serve as ambassador to Bolivia (2013-16).
“We had a huge development programme, working on natural resources, governance, climate change, which was a huge issue at that time. We also worked in the green transition, green economy and job creation. So there was quite a broad portfolio. And then from there, I moved to Pakistan (2016-17), then back to Copenhagen,” he said.
“At the headquarters, I worked on the nexus between development assistance, private sector and the SDGs because at that time, climate change, sustainable development, the SDGs became global topics,” Thonke said.
For three years, Thonke worked on getting the private sector and young entrepreneurs included in new solutions through innovations and private financing into SDGs.
Returning to Kenya in 2020, he was speaking the language of climate change, which he says will remain a priority agenda even after Covid-19.
“We have a new government in Denmark, which came in on a vote on climate change. So, they are now very ambitious on climate change,” he says.
“There has been a huge shift in the private sector across Europe and Western countries in embracing the SDGs to an extent I had never imagined possible to compare to the MDGs, which was purely a government and development partners thing. The private sector never really engaged in that.”
“Now companies are engaging as they want to make a difference in the lives of everybody. It ranges from water companies, like Grundfos, a huge Danish water company, saying listen, we are there to provide safe water to the world. So that's their strategy. That's their vision.
“You have Vestas, the world's largest producer of wind turbines, who want to make sure the world goes from a fossil fuel-based to renewable energy-based economy, and all private companies in Denmark now have that DNA of the SDGs.”
He adds that graduates from schools in Denmark don't want to take a job in a company not based on SDGs.
“They don't know why no one would want to work just to make money; they also want to make a difference. So, for the companies to source the best talents, they have to provide that vision. And the same for the huge pension funds. The amount of funding from private sector is more than from public coffers,” the envoy says.
To achieve its ambitious climate targets, Thonke says it means governments need strong collaboration with the private sector, “because that's where you get all the emissions are basically from”.
Globally, he says, there was a strong push that Denmark does much more on climate change.
“So, it was decided to set up a new department in Copenhagen that I headed called climate diplomacy. We started a strategy to implement those political ambitions from the government,” Thonke says.
He did that for two and a half months, and then Covid-19 hit.
He says Nairobi is a dream post for him and he is very excited and happy to return.
How has your tour of duty been?
It has been affected a lot by Covid because many of the things we would normally do as an embassy, and as an ambassador to create relations between Denmark and the government and decision-makers, have been affected.
If we take that aside, it has been great. I came in at a time when our government had just done a new five-year strategic framework for the collaboration between Denmark and Kenya. For me, it was basically getting into implementation mode, and starting to operationalise the ideas in the strategy. We have just approved a five-year funding for the cooperation of around Sh16 billion.
It has also been amazing to reconnect with some of the contacts I had before. For instance, I knew Trade and Industrialisation CS Betty Maina because she was the Kenya Association of Manufacturers CEO, and Carol Karuga of Kepsa when I was here last time. We had a lot of collaboration with them.
How has Covid-19 affected the Denmark-Kenya Strategic Partnership Framework 2021-25?
I was actually involved in its planning from back home. We were fortunate with the priorities we had in the framework because health is one of our biggest priorities, and has the biggest envelope in terms of funding.
Now in the midst of a global health crisis, the Covid response is, of course, super important. It's equally important to make sure that primary healthcare is still functioning, despite Covid, and the main thrust of the Danish funding goes to level 2 or 3 hospitals, dispensaries and health centres. That is, indeed, needed these days. So that fits perfectly with how the world has turned, obviously.
In terms of Covid response, Denmark decided to make it a multilateral response because if we were to support this or that country and buy vaccine for this and that country, how can we decide which countries to support and which not to?
Multilateral response was thus better, to pool forces with Team Europe and global actors. The government has actually just doubled the Danish funding through the Covax facility. And really hoping that soon they will solve the challenge of sourcing for vaccines.
While that was outside the strategy, we adjusted somewhat and had seven different projects funded by a special Covid fund that the government set up, key among them the cash transfers in Kibera and Bangladesh in Mombasa with Kenya Red Cross and Oxfam.
What is your take on vaccine nationalism?
There's this saying that the world is not safe until everybody is vaccinated. I do believe in that. But it's also worth noting that in many European countries, we have actually been far harder hit in terms of number of people dying than many African countries.
For instance, if you compare Denmark to Kenya, there are only five million people in Denmark, but the number of people who have died from Covid there is more or less similar to the number of people who have died in Kenya, proportionally.
Proportionately, we have actually been 10 times worse hit. You can see that for many European countries, it is due to our older population, due to the fact we cannot stay outside during winter. A lot of different factors played into that. But I hope vaccines can be spread globally quite soon.
Covid has disrupted trade globally. How are you adapting so Danish companies that want to invest in Kenya are able to?
That’s a huge priority. Since Denmark is a small open economy, and we thrive on free trade and trading with other countries, including Kenya, the government has initiated a global strategy of how to get exports back on track.
There are a lot of initiatives and huge government funding to make sure that as soon as we are on the other side of Covid, the Danish export and import companies are ready to take advantage of the reopening of the world.
For instance, the embassy normally advises Danish companies at a fee. That fee has been halved or even down to 25 per cent for different companies.
There are plans to roll out different export promotion campaigns [and send] delegations globally.
Digitalisation is also part of the strategy as Denmark is one of the most digitalised countries in the world. We have a lot of expertise on that, which we would like to roll out to Kenya.
There is also the maritime sector, in which Denmark is one of the leading maritime nations globally. Kenya is equally a maritime economy and there's a lot of upsurge on the blue economy now. We have a lot of common interest and areas where we can benefit from through further collaboration.
Which are the areas Denmark investors are interested in?
We already have a few investors in the renewable energy sector, who are bringing Danish expertise and increasing productivity of the renewable sector in Kenya.
There is the Lake Turkana wind project and other new wind turbine projects, where Danish companies invest in solar plants. We also have companies investing in geothermal and in smaller hydro energy grids. A huge solar project being built in Eldoret, which is close to finalisation.
Denmark has been one of the key donors to Kenya's Covid response. But you have seen reports of misuse of these funds. What’s your reaction?
Of course, like for all Kenyans, that's a worry when you hear these stories of misuse of funds. This is especially when you are talking about Covid-19 response, where people really need a strong response from governments.
Of course, that doesn't make me feel good. I know the government has taken it very seriously and investigations are underway.
As partners, we follow that and are assured appropriate measures will be taken on that. And that's also part of other areas that are very important to Denmark, the governance sector, democracy, civil engagement, human rights and women's rights, especially.
Talking about women's rights, since Covid started, there has been an increase in gender violence. Women are the more affected. How can this be dealt with?
It is something we are engaged in. It is worrying that gender-based violence and teenage pregnancies are going in a very wrong direction right now. We try to collaborate with the government and civil society to mitigate those effects and make sure that when we are on the other side of Covid, Kenya bounces back to a relatively positive trajectory on women's rights.
I believe in some of the policies you have adopted and some of the promises, also done by the President.
Kenya hosted the International Conference on Population and Development in 2019, where, for instance, the ending of FGM by 2030 was a promise given by the President. So, there's a lot of political will to move this agenda forward, and I see Kenya as a regional leader in this.
Governance also comes with accountability. Don’t you feel you are able to use the carrot and stick and say, okay, until we get to the bottom of this, we will hold our funding?
That’s part of the regular dialogue we as international partners have with the government. So, that is raised in relevant meetings with the government, and we discuss the relevant response.
Denmark has not been directly involved in the Kemsa issue, but I know some development partners who are directly involved and have had close dialogue with the government on how to get to the bottom of these issues.
It is also a huge worry from our partners not only in terms of development but also in terms of investment.
We have seen and heard from many of the Danish private investors that they are increasingly seeing what they termed unfair competition. That's a huge challenge because if that’s the image that is also being protracted of Kenya globally, then international investors will shy away.
Kenya will, consequently, lose out on better solutions and the newest technology, and that's a lose-lose situation. It is a very important topic, a worry for everybody, and it needs to be dealt with.
