Zambia calls on African community to invest in climate-resilient technologies
Z
ambian Vice President Mutale Nalumango called for concerted investment into climate-resilient technologies and interventions to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change, as the 45th meeting of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Council of Ministers opened here Thursday.
COMESA is a regional economic community in Africa comprising 21 member states. "Climate change preparedness, diversification, innovation, and developing climate-resilient value chains are some of the options we should adopt to protect the region and member states from the adverse effects of climate change," said the Zambian vice president. The meeting was being held under the theme "Accelerating regional integration through the development of regional value chains in climate-resilient agriculture, mining, and tourism."
According to Nalumango, agriculture, mining, and tourism have remained the pillars of the region's economies and a source of livelihood for millions of citizens, even though the sectors have become vulnerable to climate change, Xinhua news agency reported. She emphasized the need for enhanced value addition to improve the sectors' contributions to economies, adding that it was imperative to seize the countries' collective responsibility to embrace innovative and sustainable solutions to address challenges posed by climate change.
Nalumango encouraged COMESA members to share technologies, pool resources, invest in shared infrastructure, and ensure connectivity of transport, energy, and digital systems. COMESA Secretary-General Chileshe Kapwepwe called for collaboration in strengthening economic and social integration. She noted that the adverse impact of climate change, including prolonged drought conditions and floods, has resulted in devastating effects in the region.
Kapwepwe stressed the significance of increased investments in sustainable agri-food system transformation, as food and nutrition insecurity has remained a major challenge due to climate-induced shocks.
✔️ Zambia calls on African community to invest in climate-resilient technologies
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