By Abdullahi Lukman
With just weeks to COP30 in Belém, Brazil, African leaders and climate advocates are signalling a growing impatience with broken climate finance promises from the developed world, calling instead for a just system that empowers African countries to take charge of their own climate and development agenda.
At the close of a high-level regional workshop organised by the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) on October 31, over 30 African stakeholders issued a seven-point communiqué demanding that developed countries honour their commitments under the Paris Agreement.
The document calls for legal and financial accountability for climate finance pledges that have long fallen short, while urging African nations to treat climate action as a “developmental emergency.”
“While the world debates who is responsible, our people are living the consequences,” said Iskander Vernoit, Executive Director of the IMAL Initiative for Climate and Development.
“Africa is being forced to pay for climate damages it did not cause — because justice has been delayed. Yet, we cannot wait; we must act.”
The communiqué calls for sustained grant and concessional financing, access to technology, and capacity-building support for African states to implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
It also demands that African governments embed climate goals within their broader development plans, turning NDCs into actionable strategies for economic growth, jobs, and social inclusion.
Experts at the workshop warned that despite Africa’s low emissions, its vulnerability to climate change is deepening, while global finance flows remain slow and inadequate.
Participants urged the continent’s negotiators at COP30 to adopt a united front, pressing developed countries to meet their obligations and support Africa’s right to development.
For many, the frustration is not only about finance but also about fairness. Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, who hosted the workshop, said Africa’s demands are rooted in justice, not aid. “We are not begging for charity; we are demanding fairness.
Climate action must work for Africa’s development, not against it,” he said.
Beyond finance, the meeting underscored the need for inclusive and equitable approaches.
Mrs. Gbemisola Akosa, Executive Director of the Centre for 21st Century Issues, stressed that while most African countries have adopted gender language in their NDCs, implementation remains limited. “We must move beyond tokenism,” she said.
“Gender equality must be built into how climate funds are allocated and how projects are executed.”
Youth representatives also challenged governments and donors to see young people as equal partners in climate innovation.
Samuel Okorie, a member of the UNFCCC Santiago Network Advisory Board, said that youth-led businesses can drive solutions if given access to finance and policy inclusion. “It’s time to build long-term partnerships with youth enterprises.
They are not just beneficiaries — they are investors in Africa’s future,” he said.
The timing of the communiqué is significant. According to the UNFCCC’s latest data, only 13 African countries have updated their NDCs since early 2024, revealing both capacity gaps and waning momentum.
SPP’s earlier Scoping Paper on the Road to COP30 had highlighted these weaknesses, calling for better governance, finance access, and whole-of-society participation.
As negotiations approach, Africa’s message is shifting: the continent is no longer content to be a passive recipient of aid or sympathy.
The new stance is one of accountability, unity, and pragmatic ambition — a call to turn promises into progress.
The communiqué ends with a rallying cry for African countries to negotiate as one bloc at COP30, defending multilateralism and ensuring that climate talks reflect the continent’s development realities.
For many observers, this marks a turning point in Africa’s climate diplomacy — one where the continent reclaims both its voice and its vision.