- Speaking on Wednesday in Washington DC during his state visit to the US, the President said the time when Africa used to play the victim is long gone.
- He said this was decided during the Africa Climate Summit of 2023, where the African Union discussed the challenges the continent has been facing owing to climate change.
President William Ruto now says Africa has woken up and is ready to be part of the solutions relating to climate change. Subscribe for more videos: https://bit.ly/2mPyDy3
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President William Ruto now says Africa has woken up and is ready to be part of the solutions relating to climate change.
Speaking on Wednesday in Washington DC during his state visit to the US, the President said the time when Africa used to play the victim is long gone.
He said this was decided during the Africa Climate Summit of 2023, where the African Union discussed the challenges the continent has been facing due to climate change.
"We came up with a roadmap that Africa is no longer going to play victim again. We are going to be part of the solution," he said.
The President noted that since Africa is a rich continent, it has the most renewable energy resources, the largest uncultivated arable land for food security, the youngest population and is an asset altogether.
"We have the youngest young people. Our median age is 19. In fact, 40 per cent of the world's workforce by 2050 will live in the African Continent. A quarter of the world's population by 2050 will also be living in Africa," he said.
"So with these assets, we have made a determined push that we want to work with America."
President Ruto has been at the forefront of advocating for ways to combat climate change, including the plan to achieve the target of 15 billion trees, in Kenya, by 2032.
The Kenya Kwanza government is keen on increasing the country's forest cover from 12 per cent to 30 per cent.
Kenyans have recently been hit hard by floods and drought which have been attributed to climate change.
The recent floods claimed at least 291 lives, with more than 70 people still missing.
A total of at least 55,631 households have been displaced and this has directly affected approximately 278,155 people.
The Ministry of Interior in an update said that the heavy rains have so far impacted over 412,763 people.
In a forecast released on Wednesday, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre showed that the Western and Coast regions will receive heavy rainfall.
The June-September seasonal forecast also showed other areas expected to receive above-normal rain including Djibouti, Eritrea, central and northern Ethiopia, much of Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan.
On the other hand, parts of northern Somalia, isolated areas over western Ethiopia, and north-western South Sudan are expected to experience drier-than-normal conditions.
An early to normal onset is expected in several parts of the region, including central and northern Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and South Sudan.
However, a delayed onset is likely in Djibouti, parts of eastern and western Ethiopia, central and western Sudan, and southern South Sudan.
The temperature forecast shows a probability of warmer-than-normal conditions across the region, particularly over northern Sudan, central and western Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania.
The June-September seasonal forecast shows above-normal rainfall and higher-than-normal temperatures over the greater Horn of Africa.