By Eddah Waithaka
Tax justice stakeholders gathered for the Sustainable Climate Finance and Taxation in Africa Civil Society Learning Event in Nairobi, Kenya, October 30 – November 1, 2024. This learning event brought together civil society actors from across Africa focused on tax justice, climate justice, and natural resource justice, with the aim of breaking down silos and fostering collective advocacy for sustainable climate finance reform in the region.
The event also aimed to identify key principles for sustainable natural resource governance while promoting climate and tax justice, particularly through national tax policies related to climate change in Africa.
Participants engaged in discussions on how to improve sustainable natural resource governance through tax justice, explored international tax concepts, and worked towards the finalization of an outcome statement.
“Today’s theme at the Test Justice Network for Africa convening fundamentally to the core is to set the context. The context being the climate injustices that are currently ongoing across the African continent.
We see a climate collapse that is being operationalized through climatic shocks. By climatic shocks we see that there’s higher temperatures, droughts, cyclones, floodings. So basically we are in a state of emergency essentially and one of the key sessions was to really fundamentally to highlight that,” said Dean Bebe, Senior Just Transitions and Campaigns Advisor at PowerShift Africa.
The Senior Just Transitions and Campaigns Advisor also highlighted that Africa has potential. “The second aspect is to also fundamentally position Africa and also explain the potential that Africa has as a continent. Such potential that could lead to help Africa as a continent realize how it can emerge as a global superpower. Particularly in the discussion around renewable energy given the background context that over 600 million Africans lack energy access and a billion do not have alternative clean cooking.”
“And this is off the basis that if we continue on this trajectory we are not tapping into renewable energy. If we continue on this trajectory that is fossil fuels by oil, coal and gas activities we are looking at over 720 million people without energy access by 2030. So essentially the other aspect of the session is to try and paint that light and how Africa can leverage its abundant natural resources in order to operationalize and meet its current developmental needs,” added Bebe.
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Key conversations focused on the core principles of climate and tax justice, the role of environmental taxes, and the efficacy of carbon taxes across Africa.
Participants explored the appropriate responses for the continent to international climate tax initiatives and identified significant stakeholders in global climate policy.
In addition, participants outlined advocacy approaches to support progressive national fiscal policies that prioritize environmental sustainability. They also explored carbon pricing frameworks across Africa and worked to address illicit financial flows within the natural resource sector to facilitate a just transition.
These efforts are in line with TJNA’s mission to promote policies that harness resources for the benefit of people.
The event is a continuation of TJNA’s commitment to promoting a just, prosperous and self-sufficient Africa. It aims to promote policies that enable the continent to sustainably use its resources for the benefit of its citizens.
