That’s the unified message of lawmakers from 21 African parliaments who convened at the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

At the Parliamentary Dialogue themed “Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development: Parliamentary Pathways”, the lawmakers issued a joint communiqué pledging to champion Climate Prosperity Plans (CPPs), leverage green economic zones, pass stronger climate legislation, and introduce new accountability tools to unlock billions in green investment for the continent.

President of the Pan-African Parliament, Chief Fortune Charumbira, urged fellow lawmakers to “change the gear” and take a proactive role in Africa’s green transition.

He also urged them to seize opportunities to engage in both global and local climate conversations, ensuring that the voices of the people are represented.

“When you have something that’s a crisis involving people, they should be part of the solution. Don’t isolate them. You have to go to the grassroots, go to the people themselves, so that they also make an input into what we are trying to do,” he said.

The Promise of CPPs

The Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20), a coalition of 74 countries most vulnerable to climate change, has been championing CPPs as national blueprints focused on growth-guided investments, technology transfer, and job creation, all while lowering climate-related financial risk.

“What we have in these plans are scenario analysis, socioeconomic outcomes, a green industrial policy to take advantage of supply chain and value chain expansion, and a detailed composition of the financing needs, projects and programs, and delivery mechanisms so that we hit the ground running, and it doesn’t remain as a plan sitting on a shelf,” said Sara Jane Ahmed, Managing Director of the CVF-V20 Secretariat.

Hon. Yaya Gassama of The Gambia emphasized the parliament’s role in driving the implementation of CPPs. “Investors need confidence, and this is where parliamentarians play a decisive role. As lawmakers, we assist with passing enabling legislative frameworks, from tax incentives for renewables to frameworks for public-private partnerships. By turning plans into laws and conducting oversight on legislative implementation, we can ensure that climate finance delivers real results for the people,” he said.

“CPPs align development with climate goals—and it is very important that we consider this framework and adopt it,” Hon. Dr. Gladness Salema of Tanzania added.

Concrete Commitments for a Green Future

To create an enabling environment for CPPs, lawmakers at the dialogue committed to accelerate climate legislation by leveraging the Model Climate Change Law for Africa. They will also institutionalize oversight tools such as the Climate Finance Monitoring and Accountability Tool, champion climate-smart budgeting with dedicated funds for clean energy and adaptation initiatives and strengthen collaboration through networks like the Africa Network of Parliamentarians on Climate Change (ANPCC) and CVF Global Parliamentary Group (GPG) to amplify Africa’s unified voice on climate.

Hon. Émile Kohou Guirieoulou of Côte d’Ivoire and Chairperson of the ANPCC emphasized that these are “not abstract concepts, but practical parliamentary pathways to address climate change by securing and enhancing climate investment, creating green jobs, and building clean, climate-resilient economies.”

A Call for Global Action and Innovative Solutions

According to the Climate Policy Initiative, Africa needs up to $2.8 trillion between 2020 and 2030, but only 12% of this funding has been committed. Exacerbating this challenge, African nations face prohibitively high borrowing costs, making essential climate finance expensive.

Closing this gap will require both global financial reform and innovative solutions. As Hon. Moses Kajwang of Kenya stated, “The debt-for-climate swap is a conversation Members of Parliament should have.” He also pointed to new market opportunities, adding, “I want to encourage the [development] partners that are here that members are extremely interested in carbon markets and carbon trading, because we think that those could provide certain opportunities for local communities to benefit.”

The dialogue concluded with a call for a new kind of partnership. Hon. Mohamed Nasheed, Secretary-General of the CVF-V20 Secretariat and former
President of the Maldives, reframed the case for global support: “Africa is a powerful and colossally diverse continent, a willing partner in the global pursuit of climate justice and sustainable prosperity. The question is not what the world can do for Africa but what the world can do with Africa. Because investing in Africa is investing in a better tomorrow for the rest of the world.”

The Parliamentary Dialogue was convened by the CVF GPG, the World Future Council’s Global Renewables Congress, in collaboration with AGNES, ANPCC, the Climate Parliament, the Kenyan Parliament, the Ethiopian Parliament and the UN Environmental Programme.

Under its Jan Binder Awards, three schools in the Nsawam municipality of the region were awarded cash prizes for promoting healthy living.

The initiative aims at a collective effort to attaining the sustainable development goal 6 by instilling good sanitary practices in young people and children across the country.

The awards are held in memory of Jan Binder, a young German man dedicated to ensuring environmentally friendly schools in deprived communities.

After his demise, his mother, Martha Binder, began an annual cycling tour in Germany to raise funds for rewarding environmentally – conscious schools in his honor.

The 2024 Jan Binder Awards took place in Eastern Region’s Nsawam municipality, under the organization of Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans and Opportunity International Germany.

Ignis School emerged as the winner, earning the title of the “Most Clean and Green School.”

Great Foundation Academy and Enokwakyewaa Preparatory School took the second and third places, respectively for their efforts in prioritizing environmental cleanliness and the health of their students.

Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipal Director of Education, Samuel Otopah Ntow, emphasized the importance of maintaining clean and green environments in schools.

He noted that such practices help children develop a deeper appreciation for environmental conservation and better practices.

Schools are assessed on maintaining clean classrooms with regularly emptied waste bins, decent toilet facilities, clean compounds with handwashing stations, and green surroundings.

Chief Programs Officer at Sinapi Aba, Joyce Owusu-Dabo, encouraged schools to sustain their efforts, highlighting the urgent need to address climate change through sustainable practices.

She urged the winners to use their prize money for further improvements in green and clean infrastructure.

The three schools were awarded cash prizes with certificates and plaques in recognition of their efforts.

The winners, Ignis School received GHS 32,175, second placed winner, Great Foundation Academy took home GHS 21,450 while Enokwakyewaa Preparatory School jubilated with GHS 10,725.

Co-Director of Ignis School, Patience Amoa Agyei, expressed gratitude to Sinapi Aba.

She emphasized that the awards reinforced the message that “clean and green pays,” which is a core principle taught to their students.

Samsung, after Apple’s announcement, decided to troll Apple and posted on their facebook:

“Your #Galaxy does give you what you are looking for. From the most basic as a charger, to the best camera, battery, performance, memory and even 120Hz screen on a smartphone,”

But it may seem that Samsung has gone back to eat their words. The facebook post, screenshot above, has since been removed on all Sasmung’s facebook pages.

It’s no surprise that Samsung would do this as there have been rumours that the Korean company will not be including a charger nor earphones in the upcoming S21 series of phones.

Inasmuch as we can choose to believe the claims that this move is good for the environment, we can’t ignore the savings these companies will be making, since excluding these accessories and reducing the size of the packaging reduces manufacturing cost.

Brazil and France, however, have ruled that Apple must provide the new iPhone units with a charger to the buyers from these countries, marking the second instance against Apple’s new ‘initiative’, which goes to suggest that Samsung may be forced to do the same in said countries.

It may also interest you to know that Apple and Samsung aren’t the only companies considering this. Xiaomi, who also mocked Apple for the same decision, revealed last week, when the company launched the Mi 11 flagship that the phone would come without a charger in the box.

However, it sprung a quick surprise by announcing that this will only be the first of the two Mi 11 bundles launched at the event.

The other Mi 11 bundle would come with a 55W charger in the box. Xiaomi also announced that both bundles will be available to buyers at the exact same price, thereby essentially giving them the opportunity to decide if they needed a charging adapter with their new phone or not.

Do you agree with smartphone companies’ idea of excluding chargers?
Let us know in the comments section below.