Kenyan president warns debt clouds Africa climate potential

Washington: Africa s vast potential in the global fight against climate change is at risk due to the heavy burden of debt and lack of international in...

Washington: Africa's vast potential in the global fight against climate change is at risk due to the heavy burden of debt and lack of international investment, Kenyan President William Ruto said on Thursday.

On a state visit to Washington, Ruto highlighted how Kenya already generates some 90 percent of energy from renewables and said the rest of Africa had "massive" potential in the green economy, both through natural resources -- including forest "sinks" that counteract carbon emissions -- and a young workforce.

"Our continent has the fundamentals to be a major player" in several areas "needed to avert the climate catastrophe," Ruto said in a speech.

But he regretted that Africa was only receiving two percent of global investment in renewable energy and that some countries were spending more on servicing their debts than on health care.

"Africa's role in addressing climate change is not guaranteed and nobody should take it for granted," Ruto said at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.