France to give Africa 2 billion euros for green energy

French President Francois Hollande said that 2 billion of the 6 billion euros (S$9 billion) given to Africa would be for renewable energy. PHOTO: REUTERS

LE BOURGET, France (AFP) - France will give African countries two billion euros (S$3 billion) over the next four years to develop renewable energy and replace the fossil fuels that drive global warming, President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday (Dec 1).

"France will devote six billion euros between 2016 and 2020 for electricity provision on the continent," he said at a meeting of African leaders on the sidelines of a UN climate conference. "Two billion euros will be spent on renewable energy."

Hollande spoke the day after more than 150 world leaders gathered for the start of the 12-day meeting, tasked with beating back the threat of global warming and helping poor countries cope with its impacts.

"France wants to show the example," the French president said of his country's commitment to boosting Africa's green energy transition.

Helping the continent develop renewables is also a way of securing its security, he added in his meeting with more than a dozen heads of state and government.

"Though Africa is not responsible for emitting greenhouse gases, it is suffering the consequences of climate change," Holland said.

"The world owes an ecological debt to the African continent."

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