المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative

[M125-02] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:02:16 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

It's a great day to be with you, simply because I know for a fact that the very person who approved this initiative, as well as I myself and the team that worked on it have a much profound passion about this program, because it only says a lot or help us to say a lot that we're not devoid of our humanity. And we do walk the talk and we wanted to shed lights to this daunting issue, which has to do with energy poverty and the consequences of energy poverty, and the concept of clean cooking and how much of a problem not only for the fact that people are denied, in my judgment a principled human right, which is access to energy. I believe strongly that access to energy enable people to be accessing other more important relevant issues, be it as it may. And instead of continue like others talking about it, we elected to create a program for that purpose which will be targeting communities that are devoid of this right, or that luxury, or that I would call it fundamental requirement to have a civil type of living.

[M125-03] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:04:18 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And I owe it to the young team that had even put more, they have a speak for me, I honestly you don't like written speeches, so bear with me, I owe it to the team that put together this whole program, because actually when they underwent visits to sites, to places, to communities. and I will never forget that the time they went to Madagascar, two things had happened or three things had happened. First, they saw this thing in reality, and it's quite different from seeing it from a far and being there physically, feeling it, touching it, and communicating with the very people and the very community that are suffering from this whole thing. And I would have to say their reporting. It is actually how brave these people are, to continue struggling to live an honorable life without the enablers that we all of us take it as a given. They will burn trees to convert it to charcoal, they will then chop the charcoal and sell it, or use it for their own uses. But then, they will take it to their huts or whatever they're living in and sell the rest to others. What happens is then they stand a high chance of being sick or dead, or both, as a consequence of sickness.

[M125-04] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:06:24 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Their choices are limited, because the alternative is they will take animal leftovers, or whatever we call it. and their ability to progress is almost nil, it's hands to mouth situation, and even what comes to your mouth is not clean. I'm trying just to make it as gruesome, as but it is reality, it's a reality check. Now, I will never forget the team. And I'm sorry for taking much of that time from you, but it's a moral issue, first and foremost it's a moral issue, it's an ethical issue, it's a humanitarian issue. And I honestly will speak for hours and hours, because this is much more fundamental than the even entire energy policy of Saudi Arabia, because it's also one good way to feel we are cleansing ourselves, and to have that sense of feeling good, and you're retrenching and maintaining your humanity in every possible way there is. So, the young ladies and young men that went there and by the way they almost lost their lives, because the government there were kind enough to furnish a helicopter, but for some reason there was a problem in that helicopter. Luckily, they were able to land in a football pitch.

[M125-05] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:08:17 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

But that was not the thing that made them emotional, what made them more emotional is the sense of helplessness, that if they could not get this program up and running, they will continue with that image that they saw, and the people that they talk to, it will be lingering in their minds, and it would be difficult for them to continue without being attentive, at least to do the right thing, and to take it up the ladder and ensure that people get the same, if not the same picture, if not the same emotional attachment to it, at least the mammoth, if I may call it tragedy that is happening in a day-to-day basis, and nobody's really directing attention to it as much as what people should, especially if you know the number I think it's by now which is a guesstimate 2.2 billion people. And there is another toted number of six seven hundred that has to do with even energy poverty altogether. 2.2 is, I don't know, a third of those who are living in planet earth.

[M125-06] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:09:55 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And it becomes even more of a calling, when you with the team that we have and they will spend some time with you if you know what it takes to get this huge number, be it at cost or training, or whatever to move them from this status that they are into to a better status up in the so-called economic ladder, and the kind of enablement that with this program, if we can enlarge it and make it bigger, and if everybody can congregate that this is probably the best and most fundamental problem. And there is a payback for it, also which is avoiding emissions and which is also protecting things. So, you get to be rewarded twice, more than twice, actually. You remedy the lacking of a 2.2 billion people, you save forestry, and therefore things and you ensure that these people will not have to go through the severe medical situation that they go through or the loss of their beloved, simply because they don't have the mean for energy access. Now, we want to take this even further. And this is the beauty of what we do as Saudi government, approaching each other, working with each other, not working in silo as a government, enabled us as three ministers to talk over this issue.

[M125-07] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:11:53 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And then I had the Minister of Telecommunication. I asked him, I said: "Can we work out, because what we want to do it now, here in Saudi Arabia, that is we connect electricity with telecommunication. This is something we will do through STC and Dawiyat which is a company that SEC owns. And then the discussion went; can we go for e-learning or e-education, and then the idea moved in the medical care, and then also we can do e-medicine, as a mean to also reach out to some type of medical care, some type of medical care advises that would help people. If you can put for this community solar paneling where they will be connected to the world, where they can get some education, or some training where they can get some kind of a medical advice, can you imagine what that may do to these people? Not all of them, but a good chunk of them. There is a possibility that people would move, and you will probably, will all succeed to move an entire community from where they are now to a much better living environment and much better or more prosperous future.

[M125-08] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:13:48 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And I honestly from what my colleagues visits in so many countries which is one thing I would like to bring about in terms of what type of sanity we should maintain. You know, to be deprived from education, training and what we call it a given things, that doesn't mean that your IQ is low. What that mean is that the opportunity for you to harness that IQ, to exhaust that IQ is not there. And then it be makes this issue even more painful, because I'm quite sure that within the 2.2 billion people, there are quite a lot of people from that kind set of number, which if you don't permit me, I'll talk about myself. But I'm sure there are at least 70% of them that would probably have a higher IQ than myself. So, I'm starting with myself, I leave it for myself, but if you be kind enough you could repeat with me the same that these people are denied the opportunity to be living, to be congregating in this place, had had the education had had the health care, and had had the family to care for them because they didn't leave, lose their loved ones.

[M125-09] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:15:42 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And this is what we want to do today, which is to create that exemplary program which is goanna be, you know, we have at ARAMCO, if they advance a proposal usually when they do the presentation, at the end of it they would say it's a win-win situation. This one for me it's quadruple, you name it, it's six-win situation, it's seven-win situation, because wherever you go about it. you would see it that it's a winning thing, even if you are as mercantilist as you may become or you are, even if you bring these communities back into better health, better education and therefore better chances for prosperity.

[M125-10] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:16:44 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Well, you're creating economic growth, and as economic growth get to be improved, with time people will start consuming, and along with that you're creating a pillar for the world global economy that the 2.2 million people contribution to the world global economy will be way much higher than what it is today. So, I will take it both extremes; being a humanist, or being mercantilist or a totalitarian it just work. I'm sorry for taking much of your time. We will do it our way, and we shall prove it to the world, and we will make sure that the hypocrisy that people are living need to be checked. Thank you.

[M125-12] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:17:52 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And I had to disappoint you with the speeches too

[M125-14] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:22:19 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I thought I did my pitch.

[M125-16] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:22:26 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I almost became a you know Martin Luther in this.

[M125-18] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:22:38 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I've had I've got a dream, you know which is a dream but the dream do become the reality you know, with the will of the people dream do come as a reality one way or another.

[M125-20] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:23:14 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Well, because of all of the above. That's why His Royal Highness, The Crown Prince had this Middle East initiative, you know. And that's why fundamentally our philosophy of how to attend to climate change and this is hopefully, while we are still progressing with this week, we want to continue demonstrating that our philosophy is a philosophy of all of the above, congregating around the circular carbon economy again, Circular Carbon Economy is not a fantasy, it's a tool that make you focus and ask yourself how am I going to deliver with the Four Rs in mind, and certainly think was the guiding or remove was the guiding are for us. So, when you dwell into these issues, you begin to see the integrity and anomalies of these things, and by discovery you go and figure out how can you remove. That challenge of removing got us into this issue of energy poverty, got us into clean cooking, because again you're saving, you're doing, as I said earlier, you're doing all of the above. You're saving things, you're saving communities, and you're providing people with the potential for growth and prosperity which as I said the mercantilist would say it would bring out equally economic growth and that's principally what it is.

[M125-21] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:25:14 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

But then when you go into the details of it, then it becomes a humanistic issue in the first place. And that's why we are talking about these 10 billion trees in the Kingdom because we want to create things. So, this is what the message that I would like to keep it with everybody: judge us, measure us on how much we will deliver in the four Rs, which in the final analysis would lead us to reduce our own emissions to a level that would make us go. And again, we have been honest about it, why did we say 2060? Because we're not sure that we could deliver be before that time. Is it our ambition, do we want to delay our achievement of Net Zero by 2060? No, my personal preference we could do if we could do it in 2040, we would do it 2045, we would love to do it 2050. But again, this is the kind of people that you're dealing with, you know, we don't want to make a commitment that we cannot deliver. I would refer people to what I said in Calgary, when I said for all officials every single morning, they have to look to their faces in the mirror and ask themselves the question: Are we honest or not? We are trying to be and when. We believe that we are honest when saying we can achieve it when 2060 or earlier, and that's why in Paris Agreement we've agreed with everybody that we have a baseline, and that baseline will determine depending on how we can progress with our economic diversity, how much impact oil would be impacted with so many of the things in the future.

[M125-22] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:27:30 · المؤتمر الصحفي لإطلاق مبادرة تمكين أفريقيا | Empowering Africa Initiative · 2023-10-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And primarily if we can succeed in diversifying our economy, and attend to these issues in methodological way, consistent way and determined way, we stand to achieve even this whole thing and create the technologies and move people to clean, oil and clean products and which is and succeed in carbon sequestration and air capture and all of the above. Methane reduction is our game, I want to put it as a challenge, check our numbers vis a vis the preachers that preach us every day and night on importance of reducing methane. They preach fantastic,, but they should look onward and see what they're doing versus, you know, if you preach as a priest, if you breach something, you ought to make sure that you're doing the same thing. But to breach something, and you don't do it, and you ask people to do it is a kind of funny thing. Okay, thank you!