Opinion: ‘Africa’s COP’ made some big promises. Here’s how to deliver
President of the Republic Cyril Ramaphosa was to meet African heads of state, civil society and business leaders at a summit in Ethiopia over the weekend to discuss the “Africa’s COP” summit at the weekend, his office announced.
The so-called “Africa’s COP” took place on 21-22 December 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The summit was billed as a way of bringing the region closer together to face “the challenges that have emerged as an integral part of its identity”.
Its message, for instance, was that the continent must “mobilise the efforts of civil society, trade unions and women’s groups in a collective effort to bring together Africa’s political, economic and social forces to tackle regional and global challenges and, in that process, enhance intra- African relations and support for the democratic process”.
The summit was attended by presidents of the continent’s 13 sub-regions. The heads of state from the region were:
Africa’s COP summit held in Addis Ababa in December 2018
The “Africa’s COP” summit was held on 21-22 December 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
This so-called “Africa’s COP” summit was billed as a way of bringing the region closer together to face the challenges that have emerged as an integral part of its identity. Pictured are civil society activists in Addis Ababa in December 2018.
Cyril Ramaphosa told journalists on Monday that the summit was a success.
“We have managed to unite the region…and we have set up an alliance across many sectors that have been affected by the climate crisis. If we can do that, it can serve as a model for Africa and for the rest of the world. That is the aim and the objective.”
He added that the summit was held against a backdrop of several challenges, including rising energy prices, the
