By Fatima Saka
Nigerian Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and his counterpart in Tanzanian, Philip Mpango, held bilateral talks to deliberate on issues ranging from climate change and technology to deterring unconstitutional changes of government in Africa.
Osinbajo who was in Tanzania to speak at the inaugural session of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights for the year 2022 scheduled for February 28, held talks with the Tanzanian vice president on Sunday after his arrival.
They further discussed issues of interest to both Nigeria and Tanzania, including infrastructure development, trade and investment, technology, climate change and democracy.
On climate change and the attendant goal of net-zero emissions, Osinbajo said the major challenge was that the wealthier countries were abandoning fossil fuels and gas and some of them were already defunding gas projects.
He also said it was important to keep focus on the transition to net-zero emissions, but also important for the world to know that Africa had two challenges – Climate Change and development.
“We in Africa will run into trouble because gas projects are important even for the transition.
“It is important for us to come together to oppose any situation where the wealthier countries insist that on account of going towards net-zero emissions in 2050, we should then abandon gas which is one of the major sources of energy for industry and clean cooking.
”We think that the wealthier countries are asking us to do what they didn’t do – use renewable energy for industry.
“While we are interested in ensuring that we meet net-zero emissions target, we are also interested in ensuring that we develop.” Osinbajo said.
On the place of technology in economic growth, Osinbajo expressed that growth would be technology-led, adding that from 2016, six Nigerian companies had become UNICORNS – companies worth over a billion dollars.
On his part, Mpango commended West African leaders for their efforts to halt the menace of coups d’etat in the sub-region and also agreed that Africa can achieve more working in unison.
He said that climate change was an example of one area leaders on the continent needed to work together to address.
“The apparent wish by developed countries to abandon fossil fuel is worrisome because we are still struggling to provide the basics.
”Our forests are disappearing because our people are still forced to use firewood for cooking, if we abandon gas energy, where do we go to?”