Nairobi: The Tax Justice Network Africa convened a conference to deliberate on Sustainable Climate Finance in Africa with the goal of fostering collaboration and dialogue on how to address the interconnected challenges of illicit financial flows, tax injustices, and climate change in Africa.
According to Kenya News Agency, the three-day gathering brought together civil society actors across three critical movements, namely, resource justice, tax justice, and climate justice, who will engage in meaningful discussions until Friday. Speaking at the event, Ruth Nyambura, an African eco-feminist, noted that about 60 per cent of foods produced in Africa are by small-scale farmers. She stressed the need for the government to direct more resources to small-scale farmers rather than focusing primarily on the private sector, which is agro-based.
Nyambura highlighted that agriculture is responsible for about 37-45 per cent of global emissions, necessitating more attention to this sector. She explained that financial f
laws and injustices often result from government actions, such as receiving donations, loans, and grants for climate-based projects that later show little progress. Nyambura questioned whether these funds are being directed toward their actual purpose.
At the same time, Dean Bhebhe, an African Campaigner on Renewable Energy, pointed out the issue with Africa’s adoption of export-oriented market models. He emphasized the need for African nations to direct funds and investments internally. Instead of exporting agricultural and raw products only to import them back as final products, African countries should aim to refine these products locally, generate their own products, and export them to maximize economic output.
Bhebhe advocated for embracing the Pan-African way of reasoning, which is authentic and supports the formation of green industrialization frameworks. He stressed that Africa’s problem with extractives stems from not having control over its own natural resources, which limits the ability to levera
ge them effectively. Breaking this cycle is crucial for the continent’s development.