08 Nov 2022

Botswana and fellow African states can offer the world a model of sustainable development solutions that mitigate worsening climate change challenges, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has said.

Speaking during a high-level event hosted by Botswana on the margins of the UN climate change conference (COP27) themed: Empowering a Climate Resilient Africa For The 21st Century, Dr Masisi said Africa could offer a resilient and environmentally friendly development alternative.

President Masisi attributed Africa’s vulnerability to insufficient climate technologies, limited data and relevant adaptation information as well as dependence on agro-ecosystems.

He said the state of affairs presented immense  opportunities for private enterprises and multilateral institutions to partner with African governments to invest in innovative methods of development.

“It is clear that Africa needs to be central to global efforts to mitigate climate change and build resilience against its adverse impacts,” Dr Masisi said.

He called on the captains of industry to consider investing in Botswana and the broader continent since prospects for industrial growth and the creation of sustainable development were great. “Africa will have many opportunities for returns on investment for those who help realise our potential. We are a smaller market now in many respects, but that will change radically over the coming decades. For this reason, international collaboration is vitally important,” said the President. In addition to Africa being endowed with an abundant natural biodiversity, the continent also had the advantage of a demographic dividend.

“Because Africa has a big share of the people coming into the working age range, it follows that Africans will be doing a lot of the work of creating a more sustainable world.  More and more Africans will be innovators, software developers, researchers, engineers, economists, financiers, policy makers and administrators,” he said.

Dr Masisi said as Africa developed and a larger population was provided with more services, there would be a spectrum of options for clean approaches to building infrastructure and providing services. 

Zimbabwean president Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa said although Africa contributed far less to global carbon emissions, African countries maintained  commitment to being part of the solution.

He stressed the need for all countries as well as private industry to invest in measures such as water conservation that could assist to mitigate climate change. Estonia president Mr Alar Karis said the African continent could use improved modern technologies, environmental data and research to achieve climate resilience.

He said adaptation to the changing environment was critical and expressed support for President Masisi’s vision to guide Botswana and inspire Africa on the use of information communication technology and research methods towards climate change mitigation and sustainable development.

UN under secretary and UNEP  executive director, Ms Inger Andersen, stated that Africa faced floods, cyclones, droughts and other effects of climate change despite having contributed very minimally to global greenhouse emissions. 

In order to address the injustice of the developed world that had contributed the most to carbon emissions that had created adverse weather patterns affecting Africa, industrialised countries had to contribute more to the global fund to address climate change, she said. Ends