European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also spoke of the 27-nation bloc’s commitment to help Africa tackle climate change, offering what she said presents win-win opportunities for both continents.
"We're not only interested in extracting resources. We want to partner with you to create local value chains, to create good jobs here in Africa. We want to share European technology with you," she said.
The EU’s top official also told the gathering of some African Heads of States, including climate change activists at the Kenyatta International Convention Center, that the EU is looking to invest in developing skills of the continent’s youths.
"We want to invest in skills for local workers. This is crucial for the young people, because the stronger you are as suppliers, the more Europe will diversify supply chains towards Africa and the more we both will de-risk our economies. It's a clear win-win."
Von der Leyen also insisted on the importance of financial investment in Africa to promote green energy, stating that it would provide "massive expansion" to its clean energy sector.
"By speeding up the transition to solar and wind power, energy sector jobs in Africa could double in a few years. And Africa could produce enough clean energy not only to power up your continent, but also to export abroad," she said.
"Climate action can be one of the main drivers of Africa's growth. But for this, Africa needs massive investment. And Europe wants to be your partner, wants to be a partner in closing this investment gap."
President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio, center, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo, left and Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye, right, attend the Africa Climate Summit at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023.
The first African Climate Summit opened Monday with Heads of States and others asserting a stronger voice on a worldwide issue that affects their continent the most even though its 1.3 billion people contribute to global warming the least.
While Africa is suffering from some of the most severe impacts of climate change, the continent only receives about 12% of the financing it needs to cope, according to researchers.
Hundreds of millions of dollars of investments in sustainable development projects were announced on Monday. On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates pledged $4.5 billion dollars to develop 15 GW of clean power in Africa by 2030.
Africa currently has about 60 GW of installed renewables capacity.
Its officials say the investments are welcome but that meeting the continent's financing needs will require a transformation of the global climate financing architecture.
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EU to Africa: 'We're not Only Interested in Extracting Resources'
Some information in this report was sourced from Reuters.