Climate Transition Must Drive Authentic Development, Says OSC Head
Climate Transition Must Drive Authentic Development, Says OSC Head
“We as countries of the South have contributed the least to global carbon emissions … and yet we bear the brunt of climate change,” said Manssour Bin Mussallam, Secretary-General of the Organization of Southern Cooperation, on the sidelines of the Second Africa Climate Summit.
For him, South-South cooperation is more than solidarity—it is a path to emancipation. From transforming the “international financial architecture” to demanding accountability from the North, he stressed unity as leverage. But equally, he pointed to Africa’s minerals as a strategic advantage:
“Our countries find themselves exporting raw cobalt and importing electric vehicles. By working together … we can articulate a collective strategy of green industrialization.”
True sovereignty, he argued, is built on instruments—banks, research councils, and a renewed dialogue between academia and indigenous knowledge.
Without this, Africa risks falling into what he calls “the danger of green colonialism”: a climate transition where sustainability is global but prosperity still flows away from the South.
His vision: treat climate action not just as survival, but as a driver of authentic development—producing solar panels, batteries, and solutions at home, turning Africa into an active architect of the green future rather than a passive consumer.
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