UK Minister for Energy & Climate Change (DECC) is visiting Kenya
During the visit he will see examples of green energy business partnerships between Kenyan and British companies and visits to solar farms
British Minister of State at the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC)
British Minister of State at the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) is visiting Kenya for the next two days.
During the visit he will see examples of green energy business partnerships between Kenyan and British companies, and will consider further opportunities to increase mutual cooperation in this area. This will include visits to solar farms and seeing pioneering technology that produces energy from plant waste.
He will also meet members of the Kenyan government, with whom he will discuss both green energy technology and knowledge transfer, and preparations for next year’s UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) negotiation on a global agreement on low carbon growth. He will also invite Kenya to a Clean Energy Finance Summit taking place in London in June.
This visit will be Mr Barker’s second to Kenya as DECC Minister and his first since Kenya’s 2013 General Election. Company projects that he will see on this trip include examples of direct agreements and outcomes from his previous visit in November 2012, when he brought with him a UK low carbon trade mission.
Ahead of the visit Mr Barker said,
“Kenya is highly susceptible to the negative impacts of climate change, presenting a serious threat to achievement of Vision 2030.
“The UK is a huge contributor of funds to help Kenya mitigate from and adapt to the consequences of climate change. Over a four year period we will spend over KSh5Bn (£35Mn) in Kenya from the UK’s International Climate Fund, on a range of activities including supporting the Government of Kenya to implement its National Climate Change Action Plan, leveraging private sector investment in low carbon technologies, helping communities to adapt to the effects of climate change, and improving livelihoods in affected areas. “We will also work closely with Kenya on the international climate negotiations, towards a new ambitious global deal in 2015. This is critical to ensuring that temperatures do not go more than 2 degree higher than pre-industrial levels.”