[PHOTOS] Ruto attends unveiling of Climate Club in Dubai

President William Ruto and his delegation on Friday attended the unveiling of the Climate Club on the sidelines of the ongoing COP28 summit in UAE.

During the event, the President met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and several world leaders.

The club is spearheaded by the government of Germany.

Kenya welcomed the launch of the Climate Club, an international initiative aimed at assisting developing nations to invest in decarbonising hard-to-abate industries such as steel, aluminium and cement by providing appropriate technologies and financing opportunities.

Ruto was accompanied by Cabinet Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Soipan Tuya, PS Festus Ng'eno, Attorney General Justin Muturi, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Chief of Strategy and Execution Adan Mohamed.

Earlier in the day, the President attended the opening plenary of the summit at which he gave 

COP28 President Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and representatives from more than 200 countries were present.

Ruto called on world leaders to install clear and actionable roadmaps that will turn Africa into a green powerhouse.

"This is not just essential but also an important ingredient for industrial decarbonisation. A unified global effort will ensure that we mobilise capital for both our development and necessary climate action," he said.

The President also called for a new Climate Financing Pact that would incorporate climate action and infrastructure development so that countries won't be forced to prioritise one of the two competing necessities at the expense of the other.

"The current climate financing ecosystem must be changed and restructured. It must be made to be more responsive and innovative to effectively address the challenges posed by high debt service pressure — especially in developing countries," he told the conference.

Ruto also participated in a panel discussion on 'A New Framework on Climate Finance’, with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva, President of France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom RishiSunak, President of Ghana Nana Akufo Addo and the Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley.