Four African leaders are participating in this year’s G8 summit at Camp David on 19 May in a discussion session on accelerating progress towards food security in Africa. The statement signed by the White House spokesperson Jay Carney indicated that President John Evans Atta Mills of Ghana, President Yaha Boni of Benin, Tanzania president Jakaya Kikwete and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will be participating in the food security session during the summit.

The summit discussions will centre on around food security and sustainability, and will focus extensively on Africa and how to tackle the looming crisis in the wake of climate change and global warming.

This is not the first time Africa leaders are participating in high level meetings internationally although several such ‘meetings’ were promised to Africa but were never followed through. G8, which comes at a time when world leaders are preparing for Rio+20 Earth Summit, will also need to focus on how to reverse climate change and global warming as evidences of the situation abound.

Climate change is worsening the plights of Africa continent. Despite the evidence of climate change and increasing burdens on the poor people, G8 members continue to remain relatively ‘silent’ over Africa’s food security and sustainable development issues.

The United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) highlights two approaches to respond to the causes and impacts of climate change: mitigation of climate change by reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHGs), particularly carbon dioxide and methane; and adaptation by limiting the negative impacts of climate change on social and ecological systems. Africa, which has just emerged out from the net of colonialism, will need helping hands to survive the brunt of climate change.

The G8 countries which comprises France, Britain, Italy, Germany, Canada, Japan, the US and Russia are the most industrialised nations, whose progresses were admittedly done at the expense of weaker nations. The involvement of African leaders in a food security discussion during the G8 summit must necessarily help prepare the roadmap that will lead the continent out of the foreseeable climate change impacts and reduce the vulnerability of the continent.

Source: climate.diplomacy.edu