BEYOND COP27:

Building A Resilient Climate Change Agenda For Africa

"The fight to defeat climate disasters and have a liveable planet must be won this decade". UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.

The year 2022 has been a year of new weather extremes, food shortages, a hike in the price of fossil fuel, and rising costs of living in virtually all countries, with increased geopolitical tensions further stoking the crises. With each passing day, the impact of climate change shifts from predictions to reality

Although climate change is a global phenomenon, it is manifested differently in Africa. Never before have African countries felt such a sense of urgency to act, adapt and build resilience. But with recent disasters ranging from hunger and famine in Madagascar to the flood that swept Nigeria off its feet, Africa is unprepared.

A recent publication by the World Meteorological Organisation explained that East Africa has suffered a below average rainfall in four consecutive wet seasons, the longest in 40 years, with indications that the current season could also be dry. As a result of the persistent drought and other factors, an estimated 19 million people faced food crises or worse levels of acute food insecurity before June 2022. Humanitarian agencies are warning that another below-average season will likely result in crop failure and further exacerbate the food insecurity situations in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia.

Set against a backdrop of crises relating to climate, food, energy, health and debt across Africa, COP27 was thus, an opportunity to spotlight the African continent's special needs and circumstances. These crises indicate that for Africa, and developing countries around the world, it is no longer enough to mitigate the climate crisis. It presents a need and opportunity like never before to galvanise immediate, on-the-ground action in the countries that most need it. They need to adapt and build resilience, to survive and thrive. Africa, therefore, needs a sustainable approach to building a resilient climate change agenda for Africa.

While Africa has done the least to cause climate change, the continent's people, especially the youth, are suffering the worst impacts. The climate crisis is undermining hard-won development gains and deepening cycles of poverty, fragility and vulnerability across the continent. Thus, the most valuable contribution that developed countries can make is to reduce their emissions faster while investing in Africa to build a sustainable, green climate.

According to the African Development Bank, the continent already has an infrastructure financing gap of more than $100 billion per year. Against a background of increasing climate change impacts that are already costing the continent an average of 5% of GDP per year, Africa must invest in infrastructure resilient to climate change. Closing the infrastructure gap means investing up to US$170 billion per year in sectors such as energy, transport, water, sanitation, and ecosystems. These sectors are sensitive to the adverse impacts of climate change, including more frequent and intense floods, droughts, and heat waves.

To avoid future disasters, more climate ambition is needed globally In Africa, this need is more acute than anywhere else.

Africa has made great efforts in driving the global climate agenda. This is demonstrated by the very high levels of ratification of the Paris Agreement. Many African nations have committed to transitioning to green energy. Africa's Agenda 2063, which was concluded in 2013, recognizes climate change as a major challenge for the continent's development. COP27 was a reminder of the commitments made to address the climate menace.

But beyond COP27, Africa needs a well-orchestrated and coordinated African agenda on climate change for a stronger climate change response. This requires visionary leadership and partnerships that enable Africa to speak with one voice, build resilience and secure sustainable food and energy systems. This will strengthen its international presence, its negotiating power and the attainment of its climate change goals.

While the African region has been consistent in its call for developed countries to support developing regions in addressing the financing, there is also a need for enhanced domestic resource mobilization and capacity development in support of Africanled and African-owned climate responses. African countries need to invest in climate adaptation and shift to a low-carbon growth path to support sustainable development. Strong climate action and increased climate financing will help countries realize their full potential.

One promising approach throughout the continent to reducing climate-related risks and extreme event impacts has been to reduce poverty by promoting socioeconomic growth, in particular in the agricultural sector. In this sector, which employs 60% of Africa's population, value-addition techniques using efficient and clean energy sources are reported to be capable of reducing poverty two to four times faster than growth in any other sector

Around 70 per cent of the population in Africa are smallholder farmers with limited capacity to cope with climate shocks. Keenly aware that the risks posed by climate change could undo years of development gains, a significant majority of countries in Africa have increased the existing sectoral scope or added sectors for adaptation action in their Nationally Determined Contributions. Agriculture and land use are prioritized by many countries for adaptation action, as the dependency of livelihoods on agroecosystems remains high in the region.

Also, ensuring an inclusive and equitable shift towards low-carbon economies is paramount in Africa. Taking advantage of green growth to also create a just transition through decent job opportunities is vital for the future of Africa's youth, who make up 70 per cent of the continent's population. In the past few years, interesting developments have occurred on this front. Nigeria and Zimbabwe have paved the way for just transition mainstreaming by undertaking green jobs-related activities to inform their revised Nationally Determined Contributions.

Timely and accurate information is vital in building climate resilience across Africa. Digitalization within the context of the climate change agenda should be projected as a process that enables access to upto-date climate data for informed decision-making and service provision and ensures that the continent is ever-ready and able to rapidly adapt when required. To achieve this, a process of changing data from analogue to digital form is needed. With the foundation of digitization, actors such as individuals, businesses and governments will be able to leverage digital innovations and business processes to transform climate responses and green economy development.

African countries can turn their natural capital into wealth. In central Africa, the Congo Basin is home to 70% of Africa's forests, which act as the world's largest carbon sink. Its forests are estimated to contain between 25 to 30 billion tonnes of carbon. It is one of the most important hotspots on the planet for valuable biodiversity, which is rapidly depleting, as well as a major source of livelihood for the poor, through food, forest produce, and fishing. The Congo Basin represents the first line of defence against climate change. However, with the support of the global community, the region will need to translate this asset into revenue streams locally, nationally, and globally

Countries in the region such as Gabon and the Republic of the Congo are proactively addressing land degradation. They experience first-hand the benefits of carbon sequestration for job creation and enhanced climate resilience. Ensuring African countries' participation in carbon markets will be the next priority to leverage additional climate finance.

Recognizing that the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of action is a major point. For all Africans living the reality of climate change, it is imperative to reinforce collective efforts and turn the climate crisis into an opportunity Africa must ensure that beyond COP27, their voices are heard and a resilient climate agenda is set for the continent.