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Climate Change: Allow Africa Use Fossil Fuels for Development, Lai Mohammed Urges Developed Nations
Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has called on developed nations to allow African countries greater flexibility in the use of fossil fuels to drive economic growth and infrastructure development.
Mohammed made the call on Thursday while speaking at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, where he addressed students as part of a series of international engagements.
Responding to a question on how developed nations can assist Africa in mitigating the effects of climate change, the former minister criticised what he described as “hypocrisy” in the global climate discourse.
“I’m afraid my position on this will shock you. I think there is a lot of hypocrisy around this climate change issue, especially regarding what developed nations expect from developing countries,” he said.
According to him, countries in Europe and North America relied heavily on fossil fuels to build their economies, infrastructure, and transportation systems, and should not deny Africa the same opportunity.
“The developed world used fossil fuels to build their infrastructure, transportation systems, roads and the like. The only asset we have is fossil fuel. We must be allowed to use it to build our infrastructure and economy,” Mohammed stated.
While acknowledging the importance of protecting the environment, he stressed the need for differentiated responsibilities.
“We agree that we must not endanger nature, but different rules will have to apply. We must be given a lot of leeway and concessions. We must be allowed to use our fossil fuels to develop our economy and infrastructure,” he added.
Mohammed also highlighted Nigeria’s development challenges, particularly in the tourism and events sector. He noted that despite hosting an estimated 20,000 events monthly in Lagos, the country lacks adequate infrastructure such as purpose-built conference and event centres.
“At a recent Commonwealth Trade and Investment Forum, the issue of over-tourism was raised. I pointed out that our problem in Nigeria is under-tourism. We need more investment in tourism infrastructure,” he said.
He concluded by reaffirming Africa’s commitment to global climate efforts, while insisting that the continent must be granted concessions to meet its development needs.
“We will join the world in saving the planet, but we must be given concessions,” Mohammed said.
