Climate Activists CSOs and NGOs from over 15 African countries gathered in Nairobi Kenya between 11 to 15 February to discuss how to upscale climate action on the continent. The event was hosted by 350Africa, a continental organization dedicated to fighting climate change by advocating for the end to fossil fuels.

During this gathering a new platform was called AfrikaVuka was created to accelerate the African Fossil Free movement by connecting climate activists and campaigns from across the continent.

AfrikaVuka is replacing the old DeCOALonise platform which focused primary on ending the mining and use of coal. AfrikaVuka is a broader platform which will unite all anti fossil campaigns as well as other climate action projects

Vuka is a Swahili word which mean Cross over and therefore the platform is a reminder to Africans to cross over from dirty fossil fuels to clean renewable energy. Vuka could also mean Rise Up, Awaken and Jump in other African dialects and as such the platform is a call to action for Africans to rise up to climate change.

During the gathering activists and organizations shared their campaigns in a bid to share experiences and learn from each other

AfrikaVuka will be officially launched during Africa Day on 25 May. On this day activists from across the continent will also hold different actions. AfrikaVuka will run under the website AfrikaVuka.com and the harshtag #AfrikaVuka.