G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit gives Africa an opportunity to grow: Suleiman Abu Bakr Ghumi

African Union is participating at the G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit for the first time. In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat's Chandrakala Choudhury, Suleiman Abu Bakr Ghumi said the summit has given an opportunity to grow and learn from India about contributing to reducing carbon emissions.

New Delhi: Suleiman Abu Bakr Ghumi from Nigeria, who attended the G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit in the national capital today lauded India for the African Union's inclusion in the G20 group and said that it has a lot to bring to the table. The opportunity will give Africa the scope to learn from India on contributing positively to reduce carbon emissions, he said.

"India has pushed for permanent membership of the African Union and our participation is a step towards the world becoming a global village. It is a good thing for us to get the opportunity to take part in such a summit. We have a lot to bring on the table," he told ETV Bharat on the sidelines of the summit.

According to Ghumi India is the oldest democracy in the world and so it is not at all surprising for it to reach out to Africa. "A democracy like India knows that everyone is important. It is good that India is recognising the role of everyone," he added.

Speaking on the current geo-political scenario due to the Israel-Palestine crisis, Ghumi said that it is more than a mere conflict as it reveals double standards. "In my opinion, there is so much of double-standard everywhere. The situation that is happening in Ukraine-Russia is the same as that of the Middle East. Palestine is in the same boat as Ukraine but it is not getting the support that the latter gets. We need to sit and evaluate the situation. What's good for Ukraine is good for Palestine. I believe India will support justice," he said.

Deliberating on the issues taken up at summits like this, Ghumi said climate change is an important topic. Africa is worse hit in terms of climate change and so participating here gives an opportunity to grow. "This is a simple step for climate mitigation. We should adopt and learn from India as to how to contribute positively to reduce carbon emission," he added.