The East African Community (EAC) will go to the 28th edition of the UN Climate Change Conference - also referred to as COP28 - as a bloc with one voice as it seeks to find a solution to climate change-induced disasters that cause loss of lives and livelihoods, The New Times understands.
In a communiqué that the EAC Heads of State issued on November 24, they said they committed to approaching this as a region at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC or COP28 to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
COP28 will convene from November 30 until December 12, 2023.
As per the communiqué, the 23rd Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State, which took place in Arusha, Tanzania, on November 24, took note of the resolutions of the high-level forum on climate change, and food security in the region. EAC High-Level Forum on Climate Change and Food Security was held in Arusha, Tanzania, on November 23, to precede the EAC Heads of State's meeting.
The summit reaffirmed its commitment to addressing climate change and food security including the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices, investment in climate-resilient technologies, and the development of regional policies to foster adaptation and strengthen post-harvest handling, water harvesting, value addition, and irrigation.
The Heads of State further agreed that there was a need to improve rainwater harvesting to ensure increased availability of water for irrigation agriculture, and agreed to reduce post-harvest losses of food through the adoption of modern technologies that will ensure better storage and distribution of agricultural products.
Speaking at the abovementioned high-level forum, Heads of State underscored the importance of establishing a platform to share experiences on environmental sustainability, disaster management, and cross-border management of natural resources.
On his part, Rwandan Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente who represented President Paul Kagame at the forum, said that the country established the Ireme Invest - Rwanda's green investment facility - to increase investment in climate-smart agriculture and climate change mitigation. He disclosed that €300 million Euros had been mobilised for the fund.
On supporting agriculture sector growth, Ngirente said that the government was investing in initiatives including affordable financing at single-digit interest rates to promote investment in the sector that was being considered risky by financial institutions - because of factors including climate change effects.
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Also, Ngirente said that Rwanda was investing in cold rooms and storage facilities to manage post-harvest losses that he said were as high as 40 per cent in Africa.
Speaking at the same forum, Kenya's President William Samoei Ruto said that climate financing is an important subject of the day due to current shocks, including the depletion of livelihoods caused by climate change, adding that the region will go to COP28 with a common proposition to have investments that harness natural resources and ensure climate adaptation.
"We will be going to COP28 with what we are calling Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative where we want to leverage on global resources to be able to industrialise our continent using the minerals we have, the agricultural potential we have, the human resource we have, and of course, green energy resources that we have. This is the proposition we will be going with to COP28," he said.
Justifying the dire effects of climate change, Ruto said that many of the regional countries were suffering because of climate change, and spending more on mitigating its effects - whether it is drought, floods, or mudslides - than on health, or food security.
"For example, because of drought last year [2022], our pastoralists lost close to 2.5 million heads of livestock. And so we have to spend money this year restocking, and we have to spend more money in making sure the children of these people who have lost their livelihoods go to school," he said.
"So this year, we have resorted to putting together resources to feed an extra four million kids in school, victims of climate change," he said, adding that was never anticipated.
