President of Kenya William Ruto launched the green manufacturing initiative in Africa, in the presence of several African leaders, Sultan bin Ahmed Al-Jaber, the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and the president of COP28, and Mahmoud Mohieddin, the UN climate champion for the Egyptian presidency of COP27. The launch took place on the sidelines of the World Climate Action Summit at COP28.
The initiative aims to promote green manufacturing in Africa, using the continent’s rich resources to ensure sustainable economic and social development for all.
Ruto said that the initiative was a vital step towards achieving the Nairobi Declaration, which called for activating the role of green industrial clusters led by the private sector and expanding their scope.
The President of Senegal, Macky Sall, said that African leaders were working to set a development path for the continent, by taking decisive steps to boost economic growth and create sustainable jobs, forging strategic partnerships, and cooperating with project developers in the energy and industrial sectors across the continent.
Sultan Al Jaber praised the initiative as an opportunity to raise the ambition of the COP28 clean energy program, which was launched at the African climate summit. He said that the UAE was keen to support green manufacturing on the continent, to protect the environment and resources, while providing high-quality job opportunities for its people. He said that the challenge facing Africa was not the lack of manpower, but the lack of job opportunities.
The green industrialization initiative in Africa aims to accelerate and scale up green industries and companies across the continent, enhance mitigation and adaptation, and stimulate green economic growth. The initiative is supported by African leaders, as it offers an ideal opportunity to achieve development in their countries.
The leaders discussed their plans to achieve comprehensive economic and social development by accelerating the growth of green industrial clusters and enhancing the role of regional and global export markets for green value-added products and technologies, which are essential for the development of renewable energy projects and technologies. The leaders stressed that the initiative had a crucial role in achieving the global common climate goals.
During the event, the participants also learned about the projects sponsored by the UAE, and the partners of the initiative made several ambitious announcements that would contribute to the production of clean energy and stimulate green growth and economic diversification, which would advance Africa’s journey towards relying on green manufacturing.
