The African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), brought together key stakeholders in Abidjan to align Africa’s climate action priorities ahead of the COP29 conference.
The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as COP29, will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11 – 22.
“Africa emits less than 4 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is the most affected by the harmful consequences of climate change,” Cote d’Ivoire’s Minister for Environment, Sustainable Development, and Ecological Transition, Jean-Luc Assi, noted at the 12th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa, which opened on August 30 on the sidelines of the Tenth Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN).
In his opening remarks, he stressed the disproportionate impact of climate change on Africa despite its minimal contribution to global emissions.
Similarly, in her remarks, the AUC Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, Ambassador Josefa Sacko, said, “Without urgent adaptation and mitigation efforts, climate change will lead to an equivalent of 5 percent annual loss in GDP on the continent by 2040, with the poor, women, and the most vulnerable and marginalised populations, predominantly in Africa, bearing the brunt of the impacts.”
Urging participants to join forces ahead of COP29, with an emphasis on mobilising climate finance at scale for the continent, she noted that, “We must anchor our negotiations, deliberations, and common position on securing grants rather than debt or loans, scaling finance for projects, and enhancing carbon markets.”
Also speaking at the event, AfDB Director for Climate Change and Green Growth, Prof. Anthony Nyong, said that Africa faces a significant climate financing gap.
“We need to continuously increase our support and financing for Africa to address the growing impacts of climate change on national economies, societies, and ecosystems. The current global climate finance falls far short of African countries’ needs and expectations, with less than 3 percent reaching sub-Saharan Africa annually.”
Nyong restated the AfDB’s commitment to doubling climate finance to reach $25 billion by next year and increasing Africa’s share of global climate finance from 3 percent to 10 percent.
He also urged participants to develop concrete outcomes during the conference, which should serve as a platform for actionable recommendations to strengthen Africa’s participation in upcoming international negotiations including COP29.
