One of the most persistent and contentious debates in global climate
diplomacy has centered around climate finance, particularly for Africa. This
debate is not new, but it has become increasingly urgent as the world confronts
the accelerating impacts of climate change.
At the heart of the matter lies a deeply rooted principle of climate justice: the "polluter pays." Africa, which has historically contributed the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, bears the brunt of climate impacts while lacking the financial means to adapt to climate shocks or transition to cleaner energy.
Additionally, Africa finds itself diverting its meagre financial resources to responding to climate-induced crises in the form of droughts, floods, and cyclones, leaving nothing or very few pennies for development.
This, coupled with the financial constraints that the continent faces- an external debt reaching $685.5 billion in 2023—its highest in over a decade, driven by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, climate shocks, and inflation. Today, more than 20 low-income African nations face severe debt distress, worsened by unfair loan terms and escalating climate disasters.
Who is taking up the tab?
In December 2024, world leaders, negotiators, and climate experts gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, at what was dubbed the ‘finance COP’, to tackle this issue, focusing on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance. Africa had put forward a bold and realistic proposal, based on a needs assessment, that rich/ developed nations mobilise no less than $1.3 trillion (with $600 million as provision) annually for developing countries. A proposal that was backed by all countries from the Global South. Despite putting up a spirited fight, Baku failed to deliver a consensus.
Frustrations were rife as the COP29 President gavelled through a decision that not only put our communities at a greater risk of climate inaction but also took away the responsibility of providing climate finance from those responsible for the crisis - historical polluters. Kenya's special envoy and then-chair of the African Group of Negotiators, Ambassador Ali Mohamed, did not mince his reaction, branding the failure "totally unacceptable."
Climate pennies is not about aid or developed countries’ benevolence; it’s about justice. It is the foundation of the Paris Agreement. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC) about embedding justice and equity in addressing the threat of our lifetime, climate change. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres powerfully stated, "Climate finance is not a handout. It's an investment against the devastation that unchecked climate chaos will inflict on us all. It's a down payment on a safer, more prosperous future for every nation on Earth."
Around the globe, countries are accelerating efforts to transition to cleaner, more resilient futures, not out of charity but out of necessity. For Africa, a continent already confronting the harshest impacts of the climate crisis, inaction is not an option. No matter how loudly some choose to gamble Africa’s shared future for the short-term gains, the continent should continue to rise, adapt, and demand climate justice. As many experts have rightly put it, the world cannot afford to be held hostage by denialism when the stakes are nothing less than survival.
Not Just Victims: Africa’s Climate Diplomacy Reset
However, even as this shift disrupts the momentum to save the planet, it also presents an opportunity for Africa to reinvent its role in the fight for a climate-resilient continent, its role in climate diplomacy and multilateralism and build its own agency to move forward with the urgency required to adapt and mitigate the climate crisis for communities across the continent.
In September 2023, Africa hosted its inaugural Africa Climate Summit, which was held in Nairobi and was themed around opportunities for green growth and sustainable development. This closed with a Nairobi Declaration, which called for new global taxes to fund climate change action, an increase in Africa’s renewable generation capacity to at least 300GW by 2030, and a new global financial architecture that guarantees fair financial rules for Africa. Focus must now shift to actualising this ambition.
Africa holds massive potential to contribute to global action with its abundant sources of renewable energy, critical minerals ( i.e over 40% of global reserves of cobalt, manganese, and platinum), agricultural capacity, and natural capital. As we celebrate the richness of the continent’s minerals, leverage opportunities in this new climate order, and have a resounding voice at the diplomatic table, we need to recognise the external powers that arm-twist our governments.
Africa must speak with one voice. The continent must rise as a unified bloc if it is to survive the current geoeconomics. The time for being the pawn in the game should come to an end. Africa must recognise the value of its resources – both below and above the surface, and be the queen in the current chess game of geopolitics.
With 54 nations rich in resources, human capital, and potential, Africa can choose solidarity over siloed interests and finally shape its own climate destiny. But unity isn’t built on declarations—it demands action. Time is not on our side, and while we may not know how soon we’ll get there, one thing is clear: we must. Too many communities are already living the consequences of a crisis they did not cause.
The author is a Climate Communications Consultant
