The private sector has a crucial obligation to play at the forefront of the fight against climate change.

These were the remarks made by the President of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) at the Business Breakfast Session themed 'The Road to COP27' in Windhoek.

Bisey |Uirab pointed out that the government cannot address the effects of climate change on its own and that the business community must step in.

Failure to do so, he says, will result in a delay in socioeconomic development and the achievement of the SDGs. He, therefore, called on the business community to include climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in their day-to-day business activities and policies.

On the same occasion, the Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Investment Fund (EIF), Benedict Libanda, said Namibia has the potential to address climate change through renewable energy. However, this will need funding, technology, and smart partnerships, something that is not so sustainable currently.

Libanda stressed that scaling up financing is a challenge as government funds are not enough and, again, they lack the fiscal space to borrow money for this. He, therefore, called on the private sector to come on board and assist the government in the areas of funding, smart partnerships and investing in climate-smart technologies.