Activists assert that Western governments and companies have taken control of the event to advance their own agendas and interests.
In a letter to Kenyan President William Ruto, more than 400 civil society organisations begged him to “reset the focus” of the next Africa Climate Summit to take the needs of the continent into account.
The inaugural event, set for September 4-6 in Nairobi, Kenya, has drawn “grave” criticism from the group, which claims it has been taken over by Western governments and organisations “hell-bent on pushing a pro-West agenda and interests at the expense of Africa.”
The activists have requested that McKinsey be taken off the organising committee for the conference by the Committee of African Heads of State and Governments on Climate Change (CAHOSCC). In return, they urged the creation of an expert panel led by Africans to assist in reshaping the conference’s agenda.
“Even more concerning, the US-based consulting company McKinsey & Company has improperly influenced the summit’s agenda. The petition stated that African officials’ and ministers’ leadership had been neglected.
The CAHOSCC’s chairwoman, the president of Kenya, declared on Thursday that the conference would investigate and celebrate the prospects and future of renewable energy on the continent while providing a platform to maximise opportunities for African-led climate solutions.
The head of the forum for citizen participation in government, Odhiambo Oyoko, stated in an interview with RT on Thursday that while the gathering is a “African summit offering African solutions,” local organisations seeking participation and advice have been shut out.
He stated, “We are concerned about some of the organisations like McKinsey and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,” adding that they are “pushing an agenda” of “so-called market approaches to climate change issues, which I think we oppose.”
Oyoko stated that McKinsey wasn’t a responsible organisation.
