President William Ruto is hosting the Africa Climate Summit in partnership with the African Union an event that will see Heads of State receive billions in shillings to mitigate effects of climate change.
The event will be held at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) for two days starting September 4 and will be graced by over 20 Heads of State majority coming from the African continent.
During the event, developed nations will pledge support to fight climate change, boost resilience and help those whose lives are most impacted.
Leading the donations is the United Kingdom which will pledge Ksh8 billion on Monday to back more green projects in Africa.
British Minister for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, acknowledges that the funds are necessary as Africa is bearing the brunt of climate change despite being among those least responsible.
“The UK is working closely with African partners to fight climate change, boost resilience and help those whose lives are most impacted,” Mitchell stated.
The new Ksh8 billion will fund financial projects that support environmental action and help people manage the impact of climate change across the continent.
Ksh5 billion of the sum will be used to start new projects across 15 African countries to help women, at-risk communities and more than 400,000 farmers build resilience against the effects of climate change.
Additionally, Mitchell will reaffirm the Ksh1.8 trillion commitment from the UK to climate finance over five years.
The money will be used for projects in Africa like the Nairobi Railway City, a regeneration of the city centre designed by British architects with the latest green technology and Ksh11.5 billion shillings of UK investment.
The summit hosted by Kenya aims at reframing the continent as a renewable energy powerhouse and calling for international financial help to unlock its potential.
"Climate action is not a Global North issue or a Global South issue. It is our collective challenge, and it affects all of us. We need to come together to find common, global solutions,” the President stated his goal for the summit.
