Engage Private Sector In Climate Change Discussions …African Leaders Told

By Kofi Attenkah
Mr. Said Mouline – Morocco's head of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) has advised African leaders to get their local private sectors actively involved in their plans and programmes to win the fight against climate change.

According to him, for every country to succeed in the adaptation or mitigation of climate change, there is the need for her to involve all players within all departments of the private sector.

Mr. Mouline said African countries also need all institutions, in addition to the private sector to help realized their dreams in the process of adaptation and mitigation of climate change on the continent.

He explained that the kind of private sector he was referring to must first and foremost be well organized to carry out its mandate of helping the country to fight against the menace of climate change.

Speaking at a programme organized by the Moroccan government for some African journalists dubbed “COP Academy” at Rabat, Morocco, head of the PPP noted; “We need to have organized southern private sector, we need to also have institutions to implement all our projects; both mid-term and long term.”

He however posited that for the private sector to succeed, leaders of African countries need to give them visibility to encourage them to come and invest in the sector.

Mr. Mouline said; “For example, when you want to develop a renewable energy project for the next 20 years, and you want the private sector to invest in that project, you need to give them visibility, you need to give confidence and you need to know who is going to pay, because the private sector would do the investment, but it has to pay.

“If you want to pay for electricity, for example, say for 20 years, you need the government to set a standard and to give the assurance to the private sector that you are committed like we have done in Morocco.

“Today, we have private sector investing in renewable, in water treatment and in irrigation, so when you give visibility and you show commitment to the project, the private sector would also show seriousness and invest in the sector”, Mr. Mouline expatiated.

Continuing, he noted the second point is that the business organization body in the country should also ensure that there is regular supply of energy, which will go a long way to get the private sector to play its role completely.

When asked how West African countries could get the private sector to actively participate in the fight against climate change, he had this to say “You need some time for capacity building to allow the institutions to be connected to the project”.

Using the Moroccan example to buttress his point, the PPP head said as a result of proper planning there are 19 groups from all over the world trooping in to Morocco to invest in the country's wind programme.

He further explained that there are 19 groups from China and many more from Europe and other places looking forward to partner local companies in Morocco in the various energy related sub-sectors, adding that's how we managed to have this result today.

Explaining further, he noted that wind power is one of the cheapest energy sources in Morocco today, saying it is as a result of the government's partnership with the private sector.

Mr. Mouline hinted that in the past, Morocco was 95% energy dependent, importing from other countries, stressing that today, the North African state has achieved 52 percent of its energy needs locally, hoping to reduce it further.

He averred that Morocco was getting its energy source from coal, natural gas, wind and solar, explaining that his country was constructing a multi-million solar plant, known as the NOOR Solar Station to increase its energy needs.