(AfDB) - The African Development Bank, 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 meeting, the Twelfth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa, opened on 30 August on the sidelines of the Tenth Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN).

Cote d’Ivoire’s Minister for Environment, Sustainable Development, and Ecological Transition welcomed participants. In his opening remarks, he stressed the disproportionate impact of climate change on Africa despite its minimal contribution to global emissions.

“Africa emits less than 4 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is the most affected by the harmful consequences of climate change,” the minister noted. He 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.

Ambassador Josefa Sacko, AUC Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment made opening remarks. She 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."

She urged participants to join forces ahead of COP29, with an emphasis on mobilising climate finance at scale for the continent. "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," Sacko added.

Prof. Anthony Nyong, African Development Bank Director for Climate Change and Green Growth, called on meeting participants to do more. “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,” he said.

Nyong said that Africa faces a significant climate financing gap. “The current global climate finance falls far short of African countries' needs and expectations, with less than 3 percent reaching sub-Saharan Africa annually.” He reaffirmed the African Development Bank’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.

The Twelfth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa is expected to build consensus around African countries’ position on climate action and align priorities with the outcomes of the 2023 global stocktake, a key process under the Paris Agreement that assesses global progress on climate goals to guide future actions and policies. Key objectives include developing robust frameworks for nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and identifying financing needs for climate adaptation and resilience-building.

The Tenth Special Session of AMCEN and UNCCD COP 16 Regional Consultation will be held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, from 30 August to 6 September 2024, under the theme “Raising Africa’s Ambition to Reduce Land Degradation, Desertification, and Drought.

Contact: Sonia Borrini, Communication and Knowledge Management Specialist, Climate Change and Green Growth Department, African Development Bank, s.borrini@afdb.org