This footage was filmed and produced 4 September 2023.

The first African Climate Summit opens its doors as heads of state, among others, raise their voices on a global problem that affects the continent of 1.3 billion people the most, even as they contribute the least.

The government of Kenyan President William Ruto and the African Union kicked off the ministerial session on Monday as more than a dozen heads of state begin to arrive, determined to exert greater global influence and attract more funding and support. Among the first speakers were young people demanding a greater voice in the process.

"For too long we have seen this as a problem. There are also immense opportunities," Ruto said of the climate crisis, speaking of multi-billion dollar economic possibilities, new financial structures, Africa's enormous mineral wealth and the ideal of shared prosperity. "We are not here to catalogue grievances."