By Jeff Kapembwa
The voices from the Baku-hosted COP 29 may have died down, arguably from unsatisfied interest groups over the low financing provided to insulate affected countries, but Africa’s lobby groups propose grants not loans for climate action.
Kenya-based and continent’s leading anti-climate change-campaigner-Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) does not justify polluters of the earth advancing loans in place of grants to affected countries in Africa, island nations, among others for climate action.
It argues that it was unfair for affected countries to be loaned money to insulate against the climate change and instead, they deserve grants because the ‘pollution injustice’ caused by minority rich countries-US, China, India, among others was not their fault, but mere victims.
Arguably, it calls on polluters to consider climate financing to be based on grants unlike loans. Grants were and remain appropriate to the needs of our communities in Africa, one of the victims which despite contributing a partly 4 percent of GreenHouse Gases (GHGs), was a ‘pony’ exposed to injustices.
“We are victims of a climate crisis for which we are not responsible (…) We refuse to ask for loans for problems we have not caused,” stated Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) in a statement. He calls for mindset change.
“It is essential that climate finance is based on grants and that they are appropriate to the needs of our communities in Africa.”
Dr. Mwenda, a prominent advocate for climate justice, was recently honored with a place on The Independent’s inaugural Climate 100 List for 2024. He was celebrated as the most influential figure in the fight against climate change.
Dr. Mwenda, co-founder and executive director of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), has been a relentless force in championing climate justice across Africa.
His inclusion in The Independent Climate 100 List underscores his unwavering dedication to addressing the climate crisis and advocating for the rights of those most affected by it.
Under Dr. Mwenda’s leadership, PACJA has evolved into a formidable coalition of over 1000 organizations committed to climate justice. The alliance works tirelessly to amplify the voices of vulnerable communities in global climate discussions.
Dr. Mwenda’s efforts have not only heightened awareness but have also driven significant policy changes aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change on the African continent.
And Benedict Oramah, the Afreximbank President, stressed the urgency of the situation. Africa, it is estimated loses an average of 5 percent of its GDP due to climate challenges, arguing:
“Climate change in Africa is an existential question that needs immediate action,” he said. The inaction risked causing even greater loss and damage and calling for accountability:
“Waiting for climate deniers to pay voluntarily for the damage they have caused is a little like Nero fiddling while Rome burned.”
Oramah called for immediate action on mobilizing the $700 million committed to the Loss and Damage Fund and innovative financing mechanisms such as climate insurance financed by developed countries.
Other voices in separate statements issued during the Baku-held-COP 29 which ended on 22 November echo the urgency of revisiting the responses towards climate change.
African Development Bank estimates would attract a staggering $277 billion annually until 2030 to tackle the climate crisis effectively on the African continent, unlike the paltry $30 billion it receives per year.
UNECA Executive Secretary Claver Gatete estimates that climate devastation costs Africa 5 percent of its GDP annually. He outlined five priorities: harnessing critical minerals to move towards a resilient future.
There is dire need to increase carbon capture in the Congo Basin; securing an estimated $1.3 billion annual funding for the Sustainable Development Goals; accelerating clean energy transition with Africa as a potential hub; and taking collective action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions”.
Musalia Mudavadi, Prime Cabinet Secretary, representing Kenyan President William Ruto, challenged world leaders to fulfill their promise of $100 billion a year, announced in 2009. “It is essential that this time, words are translated into concrete actions.”
He frowned at the declining financing which is planned to be doubled next year, describing it a set-back to the fight against climate change, which has caused devastation in many countries.
“This shortfall is compromising the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, undermining the investments already made in resilience and threatening the aspirations set out in the African Union’s Agenda 2063,” he warned.
Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, the Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment at the African Union Commission, emphasized the urgency of climate finance accessibility.
She stressed Africa’s need for better access to adaptation funding by the COP’s end, highlighting adaptation as a key priority.
Many speakers emphasized that early warning systems are crucial for Africa’s climate adaptation, helping to prevent both immediate destruction and long-term vulnerabilities.
The African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology has recognized these systems as key to shifting from crisis management to risk prevention across agricultural and urban areas.
Anthony Nyong, Director of Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank, highlighted the Bank’s climate finance growth from 9 percent of its total investments in 2016 to 45 percent in 2023.
While Africa’s investments are often labeled “high risk,” this largely stems from risk perception rather than reality. The Bank addresses this through guarantees and initiatives like the African Financial Alliance on Climate Change.