UN’s Africa Climate Week: The Way Forward In Tackling Pressing Problems

It is still clear that, as late Chinua Achebe said that problem in Nigeria is simply leadership, but in wider sense the problem across Africa is also simply leadership, once the leadership is guaranteed other things that are ancillary to it will fall in place. UN’s Africa climate week will shine light on the slow developments across all sectors which the principle aim is to tackle climate, there have been massive drought in the horn of Africa, flood, extreme weather events, and civil unrest all these will be dominant topics as Africa see to grow in those aspects.

UN’s Africa climate week begins this week in Libreville, Gabon. More than a thousand people are expected to participate to find solutions towards achieving climate goals, the five-day meeting will be the focused point, according to United Nations “Climate week will explore resilience to climate risks,  the transition to a low-emission economy, and environmental protection”. While the focus is largely on climate, climate might be least pressing issues in Africa, where people struggle to earn a living, life is live at barely minimum level, where hunger, terrorism, civil unrest and internally displaced persons constantly are the dominant topics.

Absent voices that should be taking the lead in Africa

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Drought has been the major concerns in horn of Africa- Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, it has continued to get worsen as little or nothing is done to savage the problems. Hunger crisis and food insecurity has put Somalia in the state of brink, a decade ago hundreds of thousands of people died as the results. Between 2010 to 2012 about 250,000 died of hunger which half of them are children. The territorial disputes between the secessionist Tigray and Ethiopia, recently reported that food can no longer reach to war thorn zones in the country, Kenya is facing an unprecedented drought will be more damaging to the country.

Flooding has claimed lives in Africa, South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province in April, witnessed flooding that killed 450 people in worst of its kind, homed were levelled and people were displaced. It is worst ever flooding and landslides in the province, people were left stranded, especially the affected suffered immensely, they go without drinking water for nearly two weeks, due to the heavy costs inflicted by the flooding. According to the Premier of the province at that time said “ the loss of life, destruction of homes, the damage to physical infrastructure… make this natural disaster one of the ever in recorded history of our province”.

The problem in Africa is still leadership, globally Africa is largely isolated on international level especially in providing what it takes to reach to a well respected and organised continent. Africa not in Security Council of United Nations, is a huge blow, it shows that they are not inclusive in terms of development, they need grassroots grinding to build momentum, if Western powers can massively intervene in Ukraine, what happens in Somalia, Ethiopia and Tigray, a war that has been going for nearly two years, little presence or nothing have exercised by United Nations and Western powers.

While the main focus is on climate, there are gigantic problems that are turning Africa into ashes and has posed a great threats to its existentiality. Terrorism, issues of secession and economic and political woes, if these are fixed ordinary citizens are going to be greatest benefactors of it, but over the years African leaders have been chasing shadows leaving the continent turning apart, without addressing the root cause,  it is about time African leaders take ownership without prioritizing Western power and influence, it is understood that what’s happening in Ukraine is inhumane, but if Africa is allocated half of concerns Western countries show to Ukraine, Africa would have been on a different lane as they were now, it is a big thoughts for African leaders looking ahead for UN’s Africa climate week.