Wanjira Mathai, an environmental campaigner, said that the current Africa climate summit in Nairobi is a very important moment for Africa to stand together and take big steps towards a better future.
Ms Mathai, the daughter of Prof Wangari Mathai who won the Nobel Peace Prize, is saying that Africa is showing leadership by finding solutions to its problems. Africa has lots of renewable energy, important minerals, and a young workforce that is growing quickly.
But she said on the BBC’s Newsday show that we cannot adjust to extreme poverty. This needs to be about economic growth that is focused on reducing carbon emissions, being environmentally sustainable, and including everyone in the process.
She said that she wants to see a strong effort for fair and equal access to global markets for products made with clean energy in Africa.
Furthermore, she mentioned that African countries need to have “fair and equal opportunities to obtain financial resources”.
This is one of the most important things that people want. The global financial system is unfair to Africa, as Africa has to pay eight times more for financial services compared to the rest of the world. “I think that finance is very important, just like technology and knowledge,” she said.
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Growth ‘with dignity’ the focus of Africa Climate Summit
