African countries have called on developed countries to play a leading role in taming climate change effects, saying such effects are hindering sustainable development of the continent.
The call was made on Wednesday during the 13th Africa International Day Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Representing Malawi, Minister of Information Moses Kunkuyu said the link between peace and environmental sustainability is widely recognised, such that there is a growing awareness of the crucial role of green energy in Africa and beyond.
“Green transitioning is impossible if we leave Africa behind. If you have fully mechanised your agriculture in Europe and you still supply hoes, not farming machinery, to Malawian farmers, then you are going green alone.
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“If you produce electric vehicles but you cannot make them affordable to Africans, then you are going green alone. If you produce smart phones, yet you cannot make them affordable to Africa, then you are going green alone. Unfortunately, green transitioning will never be possible if Malawi and Africa are left out,” he said.
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Kunkuyu further commended President Lazarus Chakwera for his passion towards issues pertaining to climate change, arguing that Malawi has on several occasions fallen prey to disasters emanating from climate change.
“I request you to hold hands with my President, Dr Lazarus Chakwera, the President of Malawi, and our neighbours Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and even Zimbabwe—who are losing lives and property every year due to manmade causes that we did not contribute to.
“Let us begin to have an honest conversation that will not only lead to relief items but productive partnerships that result in permanent solutions….We need climate resilient infrastructure like roads, bridges, rail networks and even houses. We need relief items, yes, but the actual life sustaining needs and our resilience cannot be realised with mere relief food items,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs for the Republic Slovenia, Urška Klakočar Zupančič, sympathised with Malawians and other African countries that have experienced loss from natural disasters.
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“I would like to commend you madam deputy prime minister and madam president of Parliament for your sincerity in acknowledging that some countries are mere victims while others are major contributors to the damage,” she said.
The topic for this year was ‘Green Transition: Focusing on The Critical Interplay between The Green Transition, Development, Peace and Security in Line with The First Aspiration of Agenda 2063’.
