Tanzania names key areas of cooperation that African nations must embrace

ADDIS ABABA: TANZANIA has identified investment, concessional financing, innovation, environmentally friendly technologies, and infrastructure as major areas of cooperation that African nations should take seriously to achieve their desired development goals.

Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Cosato Chumi, revealed them when opening the Second African Heads of State and Government Summit on Climate Change in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The summit that brought together leaders and stakeholders of clean cooking energy from across Africa, including Tanzania, met to discuss strategies and needs to increase the use of clean cooking energy on the continent.

Mr Chumi said all: investment, concessional financing, innovation, modern and environmentally friendly technologies, knowledge exchange, and infrastructure are crucial areas for corporations in order to achieve both national and global goals.

Emphasizing, the minister noted that challenges arising from the use of unsafe or harmful energy have prompted joint efforts by African governments, financial institutions, private organizations, and donors to seek more than 2bn US dollars annually to help provide solutions.

Elaborating, Mr Chumi said it is important for developed countries to fulfill their responsibility to provide funding to support Africa in its fight against climate change, noting that it is their duty to safeguard the global environment.

“We will not wait any longer. We are taking action by demanding our rightful place in global efforts to address climate change. Our continent needs adequate and reliable financing to achieve sustainable solutions in combating climate change and mitigating its impacts on Africa’s development, and the funds should not be considered as charity,” he said.

He noted thatthe  lack of financing remains one of the major challenges hindering significant progress in the fight against climate change.

Emphasizing his point, he said that Africa contributes only four percent of global emissions, the continent requires 61bn US dollars annually for climate change mitigation and adaptation programs, but currently receives less than 36 percent of that amount.

Additionally, he said that Sub-Saharan African countries receive less than five percent of those funds, despite being hit the most by the effects of climate change compared to their minimal contribution to the crisis.

The summit also brought to Addis Ababa various African leaders including, Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment), Eng Cyprian Luhemeja, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Environment, Climate, and Wildlife, Evelyn Ndlovu, Uganda’s Minister of State for Energy and Minerals, Phiona Nyamutoro, representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives from CRDB, as well as clean energy stakeholders from within and outside Africa.