US Launches Ksh452B Fund at KICC Africa Climate Summit Gathering
John Kerry, the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate of the United States, announced Tuesday funding of Ksh452 billion for climate-related programs in developing countries.
Kerry spoke at the inaugural Africa Climate Summit sponsored at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) by President William Ruto.
He emphasized that US Vice President Joe Biden was committed to confronting the effects of climate change on the majority of African nations.
The diplomat acknowledged that developed nations were responsible for the effects of climate change, thus highlighting the need to protect developing nations such as Kenya.
Kerry disclosed that, as part of the program, the US government would provide Ksh437 billion (USD 3 billion) annually to assist developing nations in addressing the effects of climate change.
“The President has now launched the President Emergency Programme for Adaptation, and we are prepared to help at least 500 million people in developing countries, especially in Africa, to be able to adapt to the worst impacts of these countries.
Alternatively, he indicated that the Biden administration would provide Ksh4.3 billion ($20 million) for food security programs.
The funds also target enterprises addressing climate change issues on the continent via agricultural programs.
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“Another second 10 million dollars (Ksh14 billion) will go to the climate resilient adaptation finance and technology transfer facility to scale technology so that we can advance technology such as cold chain storage which will maintain the quality and safety of food from farms to homes,” he stated.
The diplomat lauded Ruto’s audacious initiative in championing countermeasures to combat climate change and in hosting the international conference that seeks to propose solutions to climate change.
“As I listened something was happening. This is different. Your leadership is palpable. What you said today sets a clear path for all of us,” he stated.
Africa has an extraordinary opportunity to abandon the unsustainable path of the past and build a new path that aligns economic inclusion and shared prosperity with the Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change adopted in 2015.
“Our low greenhouse gas emission must not relegate us to the fringes of the global climate agenda. Africa must step forward as the cornerstone around which compelling climate solutions are built,” he highlighted on September 5.
Over 12 presidents and 30,000 international delegates are attending the KICC event, scheduled to end on Wednesday, August 6.
US Launches Ksh452B Fund at KICC Africa Climate Summit Gathering