Hundreds of people from several African countries have been protesting against the inaugural Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, which they say has been hijacked by “multinationals and Western governments”.
Organisers called the march an “alternative summit” to the main three-day conference at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
They say the agenda of the summit has been hijacked by pro-Western corporations, consultancy companies and philanthropic organisations that are pushing a selfish agenda.
“We are here to demonstrate the power of people. What is happening at KICC is advancing the interests of the big polluters,” said Hardi Yakubu, from the African Rising Movement.
In a public letter addressed to Kenya’s President William Ruto, over 100 civil society organisations and climate change movements across Africa and the diaspora urged African leaders to avoid “false solutions such as carbon markets, which encourage wealthy countries to continue polluting”.
“What has been created in the formal summit is a space for the corporations to present themselves as the solutions while marginalising the people affected by climate change,” said Teresa Anderson, the global lead on climate justice at the charity ActionAid.
Their demands include establishing an African-led expert group to reshape the summit’s agenda, focus on renewable energy, promote transparent dialogue between citizens and policymakers and secure sufficient climate funding.