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Governance - COP29 and Africa
A Critical Moment For Climate Finance and Action
By Jessie Taylor
As the world prepares for the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November, the African continent faces significant challenges and opportunities in its efforts to combat climate change. The African Group of Negotiators (AGN) has positioned itself at the forefront of these discussions, focusing on climate finance, adaptation, loss and damage, and carbon market mechanisms, with a clear emphasis on ensuring that Africa’s unique needs and vulnerabilities are addressed.
The African finance agenda For African countries, COP29 is being dubbed the "Finance COP" due to the continent’s urgent requirement for financial resources to implement climate action. The AGN's priority is to push for a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance, which will define how much money developed countries must provide to assist developing nations, particularly in Africa, in mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change. As Kenya’s climate envoy Ali D. Mohamed noted: "Finance will lie at the heart of climate diplomacy at COP29 as a critical enabler of climate action."
The AGN has been advocating for the NCQG to be ambitious, transparent, and consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement, specifically limiting global warming to 1.5°C. A key issue remains the lack of adequate financial support from developed countries for the implementation of Africa’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
Without this support, African countries risk being unable to meet their climate commitments, leaving them vulnerable to the increasing impacts of climate change.
Adaptation is another critical focus area for African countries as they grapple with the direct impacts of climate change. African negotiators are pushing for agreement on key indicators to track progress on adaptation and want to ensure that adaptation finance is included as a central component of these discussions.
In addition, climate-induced health risks, including increased morbidity and mortality from extreme weather events, are a growing concern in Africa. The AGN calls for climate-resilient health services to be mainstreamed into climate policies. The goal is to reduce health-related vulnerabilities caused by climate change and ensure that African countries have the resources to address these issues.
Environmental Minister Dion George said: “Given the scarcity of financial resources on the continent, it is imperative that we speak with one voice as a continent on this matter and others in consonance with the key elements of the Common African Position on Climate Change. With growing financial needs to adequately address the ambitious targets by African countries as reflected in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), we need, as African governments, to increase our budget allocations to address and respond to climate change.”
Addressing Africa’s Climate Realities
For many African countries, the issue of loss and damage is a pressing concern, particularly as they face increasing climate-induced disasters. East Africa has seen severe flooding, Southern Africa is grappling with droughts, and the Sahel has endured fatal heatwaves—all clear indicators of the need for a fully operational Loss and Damage Fund. The AGN is focused on finalising the modalities for this fund to become functional, as it will provide much-needed financial support to countries dealing with irreversible climate losses.
However, there is frustration within the AGN regarding the recent decision to locate the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage, a technical assistance body, in Geneva, Switzerland, rather than in Africa. The AGN contends that Nairobi, Kenya, home to the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) headquarters, would have been a more appropriate and costeffective choice. African negotiators have expressed their intent to challenge this decision at COP29, reflecting their broader concerns about equitable representation and access in global climate forums.
As part of their climate strategy, African countries are also pushing for greater support for mitigation measures, particularly those that can accelerate access to low-carbon energy and clean cooking solutions. The AGN, however, remains firm in its stance that mitigation targets should be self-determined by each country within their NDCs, reflecting the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities" (CBDRRC), which is a core tenet of the Paris Agreement.
The AGN is also working to ensure that Africa’s energy transition is just and equitable. Many African countries are in the process of transitioning to low-carbon energy systems, but they require financial and technical support to make this transition smoothly. This includes expanding access to renewable energy and ensuring that African countries can benefit from carbon market mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
Minister George said: “There is a massive opportunity to accelerate local, regional and global low-emissions and climate resilient development and the development of inclusive economies and strengthen the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals . These efforts must continue to acknowledge the different capabilities and differing responsibilities of individual countries, as reflected in the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in light of national circumstances, which is at the heart of the multilateral climate process. We urge global leaders to seize this unprecedented economic opportunity for inclusive and shared prosperity.”
