BY JAMES MUTUA
Nairobi, August 9, 2023 — Leaders representing Catholic and other Christian denominations, Muslim, and Indigenous religions convened at the Elysian Resort in Nairobi Kenya to deliberate and propose solutions to navigate Africa’s web of interconnected challenges. The crises they mentioned include the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic, food scarcity, climate change, biodiversity loss, water shortage, vulnerable health systems, conflicts, and mounting debt.
According to the clerics, the origins of the crises can be traced in global governance issues, including tax inequities in globalization and disparities in managing public finances at the national level. As a consequence, they said Africa finds itself grappling with intensified poverty, inequality, and governance obstacles, delaying the continent’s progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030.
Diverse in faith but united in purpose, the leaders recognized their unique role as a moral voice that resonate deeply with the values of humanity. They emphasized that interfaith cooperation is a powerful tool to champion global and social justice.
Reflecting on their involvement in the Jubilee movement of the late 1990s, they advocated for debt relief in developing countries, highlighting the persistent burden of unsustainable debt on African nations.
On the upcoming international events such as the African Climate Summit and the G20 New Delhi Summit, the faith leaders urged top political decision-makers to advocate for urgent actions to address Africa’s challenges.
Quoting their respective holy scriptures, the faith leaders emphasized the pursuit of justice as a guiding principle for their actions and decisions. They proposed several critical steps to alleviate Africa’s debt crisis, including the establishment of a debt reduction process, increased responsibility of private creditors, addressing corruption, promoting responsible lending and borrowing practices, balanced risk-sharing in debt contracts, improved access to concessional finance, and enhanced money transfer practices.
In a world grappling with complex challenges, the faith leaders said that they stand united, poised to play a pivotal role in steering Africa towards a brighter and more equitable future.