African countries have long been demanding that wealthy nations turn billions of dollars promised for climate action into actual funding.This is to enable developing countries to cope with floods, droughts, extreme heat and other effects of climate change, as they contribute less than four percent to global greenhouse gas emissions.
The continent wants clear commitments at the ongoing COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, on how the promised money would be raised, delivered and made accessible to developing countries.
Nana Dr. Antwi Boasiako Amoah, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), speaking at the first African pre-ministerial meeting said many African governments were struggling to finance climate-related challenges because of limited national resources, making international support critical to protecting lives, livelihoods and development.
Under an agreement reached at previous climate negotiations, developed countries committed to providing US$300 billion annually by 2035 to support climate action in developing countries, while a broader effort involving public and private sources was expected to raise US$1.3 trillion annually up to 2036.
Dr. Amoah said there was still uncertainty about where the money would come from, how it would be raised and when developing countries would receive it.
He said African negotiators were therefore pushing for clear agreements at COP31 to ensure that the promises did not remain on paper without reaching the countries that needed the support.
Dr Amoah noted that the continent was also demanding that funding to help countries prepare for climate change impacts, including flooding, droughts and rising temperatures, be tripled.
He recalled that African countries had insisted that climate finance discussions be included in the conference agenda, making it difficult for negotiations to proceed without addressing the issue.
He said the next major opportunity to demonstrate commitment would be in 2027, when the Green Climate Fund, one of the main sources of international climate support, would undergo a fundraising exercise.
Dr Amoah urged developed countries to make substantial contributions to ensure that African countries could access the resources needed to protect their communities and economies.
On funding for countries already suffering severe climate damage, he expressed concern that the Loss and Damage Fund was not receiving enough money to meet the needs of affected countries.
Dr Amoah said the financial commitments made when the fund was established had not resulted in significant additional resources, leaving it unable to adequately respond to the growing requests for assistance.
He called for COP31 to secure commitments towards replenishing the Loss and Damage fund in 2027, alongside the Green Climate Fund.
Dr. Amoah said adequate funding was particularly important for Africa, where governments were already spending scarce resources responding to climate-related disasters instead of investing in other development priorities.
He noted that success at COP31 would mean securing clear commitments from developed countries to provide the money needed to help developing countries respond to climate change.
Looking ahead to COP32, scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he said the Antalya conference must establish a strong foundation on climate funding, adaptation and Africa’s energy transition.
Mr Aliou Gori Diouf, Minister of environment and ecological transition of Senegal reiterated concerns of all African Countries regarding finance to implement projects to ameliorate impacts of climate change.
“We have developed our National Adaptation Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions but there limited funding to put them in action”, he said.
By Albert Oppong-Ansah, GNA