Kenyan President, William Ruto has urged African leaders to stop using isolated and unilateral efforts and instead come together to solve the challenging energy needs of the people.
According to him, adopting unilateralism and isolated strategies in solving the continent’s energy needs are costly especially with the advent of the Pan-African Regional Energy and cooperation and collaboration, arguing that it was of paramount interest to work as a people to maximise their collective potential in their quest to ensure sustainable energy for Africans.
The Kenyan President explained that the continent has to share its resources to enhance its energy infrastructural projects such as regional power grids and energy interconnections which would not only facilitate faster regional integration but also trigger economic growth.
“Energy makes human life safer and human activity more efficient and society better. The different ways in which societies access and utilise energy describe the contours of human productivity and equality and also define our contributions to the worsening climate crisis,” he bemoaned whille delivering a keynote address at the Africa Energy Forum in Nairobi, capital of Kenya.
For these reasons, President Ruto observed that the world now has clarity on the right, as well as the wrong ways of sourcing energy.
He, thus, asked whether Africa needs energy at all costs which would arise because it is a mandatory fact of life.
He was quick to suggest that “our energy needs should not escalate to endanger our existential concerns.”
He further tasked the continent to leverage her resources to swiftly advance her socioeconomic needs through the strengthening of her energy infrastructure connectivity to build a united Africa.
Touching on the essence of the theme for the forum, he observed that it was to share the secret which is hidden in plain sight with a broader global audience powered by African Energy.
“Sustainable energy development lies at the heart of our vision. Investing in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal power are not only a responsible choice but also an equitable Africa,” he stressed.
According to him, by transitioning away from fossil fuels, the continent shall contribute to global efforts to mitigate climate change, protect the environment and secure a sustainable future for generations.
President Ruto, furthermore, argued that sustainable energy development requires a sufficient scale of production to ensure universal energy access as well as affordability.
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Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
