By Bisola Adeyemo
African leaders have been encouraged at the ongoing COP26 conference to take leadership roles in combating climate chaos rather than seeking help from International bodies.
The advice came after some African countries’ representatives at the climate change conference highlighted the need to fight climate change in their countries, Africa news reports.
Senior research fellow at the center for climate change and sustainability studies at the University of Ghana, Dr. Bob Manteaw, blamed African leaders for their lack of commitment to tackling the environmental crisis which has massively contributed to the current situation.
He said, ”A lot of climate change leadership in African countries are led by donor partners in terms of finance. We want the situation whereby our leaders will take leadership roles and seek collaboration. Frankly speaking, a lot of the adaption actions, a lot of climate actions in our part of the world are led by donor partners and that is not right that should tell you we haven’t accepted the urgency and the seriousness of the problem that we are facing, first as Africans and the of course as a global community.
“Climate change has been happening for so long there are people here in the continent who do not know what is happening and do not even understand, they see things happening but they don’t realize what is happening, so we should start using our situations to create the requisite awareness and provide people the education, skills and the capacity to be able to take actions.”