Nairobi — The Power Up campaign team is calling on African countries to seek greater global funding for affordable green energy which it says is essential for adaptation to the climate crisis.
The campaign will initially focus on five African countries with the potential to be trailblazers in growing energy access. They are Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Tanzania.
Ahead of the crucial COP27 climate talks, the campaign calls for wealthy nations to greatly increase climate adaptation funding, and to ensure a significant share of this funding supports access to green, affordable energy for people facing climate catastrophe.
Power Up is uniting and amplifying African voices in pursuit of climate justice, including organizations powering up communities most affected by energy poverty.
"At COP27, taking place in Africa, world leaders can deliver climate justice and change the course of history with action to invest in affordable, sustainable energy that leaves no one behind," said Sheila Oparaocha, Director of the ENERGIA Network.
"More finance must flow from nations responsible for the climate crisis to those in the greatest danger - and money already promised must be delivered. Crucially, using adaptation funding to widen access to sustainable and affordable energy will ensure African communities are better prepared for the challenges ahead."
Power Up is working to unlock more ambitious pledges from wealthy countries, starting with action at November's COP27 summit and continuing through the ongoing UNFCCC process that guides global climate action.
The campaign members are calling on NGOs, businesses, civil society organizations, faith groups and other organizations across society to join and back the campaign.
Official data shows that more than 600 million African people go without access to electricity, and more than 900 million without safe cooking facilities.
This blocks development and stops communities from adapting to the threats posed by climate change.
According to Power Up, solar water pumps can make Africa's agricultural land more resilient and productive, currently, just 7 per cent is irrigated, while establishing cold chains equivalent to wealthy nations would raise countries' food supplies by 15 per cent.
