Frank Rijsberman (1st L), Director General of inter-governmental organization Global Green Growth Institute, speaks at the Africa Green Growth Forum in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, on Nov. 26, 2018. African countries should take green growth and climate resilient development as a priority for the continent, experts and policymakers said Monday at the inaugural Africa Green Growth Forum in Kigali. (Xinhua/Cyril Ndegeya)
KIGALI, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- African countries should take green growth and climate resilient development as a priority for the continent, experts and policymakers said Monday at the inaugural Africa Green Growth Forum in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda.
To mitigate effects of climate change, countries need to set targets of reaching 100 percent use of renewable energy to avoid emission of hazardous gases, adopt environmentally friendly processes in green building, and practice climate resilient agriculture, said Frank Rijsberman, Director General of inter-governmental organization Global Green Growth Institute, at the opening of the forum that runs from Nov. 26 to Nov. 30.
Renewable energy will help reduce pollution and increase availability of cleaner energy, and make green growth and climate resilience strategy achievable, said Rijsberman.
Each and everyone has a role to play in advancing green growth and climate resilience strategy in development, while educating the wider public about natural resource management, said Fode Ndiaye, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Rwanda.
With increasingly rapid changes in the earth's climate, and its severe impact on Africa's development, there is an urgent need to expand the sharing of sustainable development tools and best practices, according to experts.
The forum attracts more than 1,000 participants, including government officials, climate change experts, environmentalists, investors, representatives from the private sector, development partners and civil society organizations, to share experiences in green growth and climate resilient development.
