Africa Climate Summit Chief Executive Officer Joseph Ng'ang'a has said shifting to renewable energy is not only good for the environment but also the economy.
Speaking on Thursday during an interview on Spice FM, Ng'ang'a said the amount of money used on the importation of fossil fuels is high.
He said the money which goes out to the importation never comes back.
"Kenya imports fossil fuels like diesel, petroleum and kerosene at around 600 million dollars every month. If we move to electric vehicles and use our geothermal power, we save ourselves a substantial amount of importation," he said.
Ng'ang'a said the foreign exchange rate alone has a huge impact on our economy.
He added that the cost of electricity is high in the country because we don't utilize the installed assets optimally.
The African climate change CEO said it is because of such issues that during the summit they will be addressing climate and development.
Ng'ang'a however said people should embrace the move of shifting to renewable energy as it will create a positive impact.
"If our country takes such moves we will be able to unlock some of the challenges we encounter. Not only is it good for the environment but the entire country's economy," he said.
As of August 22, at least 20 heads of state had so far confirmed their attendance at the Africa Climate Change Summit in early September.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya also disclosed that 18,500 participants from across the globe had been registered and accredited by Monday.
Tuya said they are expecting the number of guests to increase ahead of the event which starts September 4.
“The summit is co-convened by Kenya and the AU and this being an African summit it is global. We have invitations from across the World because the main thing that we are proposing is global climate action solutions,” Tuya said.
