Nairobi, 5 September 2023 (TDI): Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission delivered a powerful speech at the Africa Climate Summit on September 5 in Nairobi.
During the speech, she highlighted that Africa and the European Union (EU) have joined hands to combat climate change through a sustainable energy transition.
She admired President William Ruto of Kenya both for his crucial role in hosting the Africa Climate Summit and for his leadership in climate action after he took charge of the presidency.
The President of the European Commission also reaffirmed her support for the 2023 Climate Change Act that was revealed during the Summit, with its emphasis on carbon markets.
Also Read: AfDB to participate in Africa Climate Summit 2023
Furthermore, she emphasized the Summit’s pivotal role in making preparations for the upcoming COP28 summit and it will ensure the African perspectives globally.
Additionally, she expressed that her position at the Summit was not just to listen but also to extend European friendship at COP28 and foster collaboration on all agenda points.
In this vein, Ursula von der Leyen stressed that there are different continents but when it comes to climate issues the world shares a common goal.
Furthermore, in her speech, she acknowledged the Kenyan President’s priority of uplifting Africa’s economy and addressing poverty is crucial. She underscored that climate action is an integral part of this solution.
In her speech, she also said that Africa can do important things to improve the world because they have a lot of clean energy, clean hydrogen, important materials, beautiful nature, biodiversity, and huge young workers.
These above-mentioned capabilities can help to make the world’s energy and supply chains clean and create lots of jobs for their people, she highlighted.
It is worth mentioning that President von der Leyen thinks this is good for Africa and the world because it gives job opportunities to African people and makes the world cleaner.
