The need to find one powerful unified voice in addressing the challenges of climate change and its potentially devastating impact on the environment and sustainable development in Africa is critical if the necessary regional solutions are to be found.

The question is, can such a unified voice be found and will it be heard in order to make a difference to the lives and economies that stand to be affected by the effects of climate change in Africa?

It is a sad reality that all countries in Africa face similar challenges regarding the impact of climate change on water supplies, agriculture, economic development and overall sustainable development and achievement of key goals.

There is an increasing need to respond to these challenges with a unified voice on such shared concerns as the lack of capacity and ability to access global climate change funding for mitigation purposes, or the difficulty experienced in accessing new adaptation technology that is capable of minimising the devastating disasters triggered by climate change such as floods and droughts. By co-operating to share common problems and experiences, and pooling critical expertise and resources, it enhances the lobbying capability of the continent in a global environment to gain support and find shared solutions.

It is surely in the best interests of Africa and its future development to find effective, innovative and sustainable adaptation and mitigation programmes to combat climate change and its impact on people, business and economies.

So, how practically can this be achieved? Governments have a responsibility to their citizens and to the future sustainability and growth of the region as a whole, to increase their efforts to develop a common position on mitigating against climate change in Africa. Ordinary citizens in each country simply want to see practical solutions to the problems that affect their lives on a daily basis and impact on their ability to be productive and self-sufficient.

A unified African voice is critical in the lobbying sphere if global support in the fight against climate change in Africa is to be achieved. Past experience shows that in the global political arena where many disparate voices all with their own agendas are fighting to be heard, lobbying is only effective if messages are strong, consistent and representative of all peoples in Africa.

Accessing new clean technologies to assist in reducing the continent’s carbon emissions in key industry sectors is critical to Africa’s future sustainable development, yet SADC countries often lack the necessary capacity and expertise to successfully advocate for its introduction.

The same challenge exists when advocating for access to essential global funding lines to support environmental initiatives.

But united at a political advocacy level, some of these key challenges can be more successfully addressed.

Greater efforts to demystify and simplify the subject of climate change must be made if each citizen in each country is going to be empowered with the knowledge and the tools to make the necessary changes in their lives that can help them in their daily existence with combating the effects of climate change.

One of the critical concerns in Africa is the ability to raise awareness of the key threats to Africa as a result of climate change, such as the threat to food security.

Recent droughts and floods have had a major impact on agriculture in the region and subsistence farmers have been particularly hard hit.

Regional interventions need to be introduced in an attempt to stop the situation worsening and the lives of those who are already most affected being further damaged. Addressing the challenge of more frequent and harsh droughts and floods in Africa is a real priority for regional governments as their impact on overall economic development and sustainability, and on the lives of ordinary citizens, is being increasingly felt by each country.

SA has a major role to play as a catalyst for action in this regard by leading by example in Africa in its efforts to harness new clean technologies and expertise to reduce gas emissions and contribute towards the continent’s climate change goals.

Engaging the citizenry of each country in Africa is vital for this initiative to succeed. Citizens in every community, in every country, are impacted by the effects of climate change, and each has a role to play.

Failure to find this unified African voice is not an option if the continent is going to find the necessary solutions to the challenges it faces, with the speed it needs.

l Edna Molewa is Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs.