Justicia Shipena
Africa’s climate negotiators say that high debt, costly finances and new trade barriers are making it harder for the continent to meet its climate commitments.
The message was delivered by Richard Muyungi, chair of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), during a meeting on Wednesday with United Nations (UN) secretary general António Guterres at the 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) climate conference in Belém, Brazil.
Many African countries, according to Muyungi, are grappling with high borrowing costs, limited access to long-term finance, and increasing debt vulnerabilities.
He also warned that new unilateral climate-related trade measures threaten African industries and risk slowing the continent’s climate transition.
Africa is calling for an annual global dialogue on these trade measures, co-led by developed and developing countries, to ensure fairness and transparency.
The AGN told Guterres that Africa appreciates the positive atmosphere at COP30, but it emphasised that climate impacts on the continent are already severe and cannot be undone.
Muyungi asserted that clear financial commitments, not symbolic pledges, must underpin the unfulfilled key climate promises.
Africa supports the COP30 presidency’s call for a Global Mutirão, a worldwide climate mobilisation, but only if it rests on three key pillars: real support for national climate plans, tripling adaptation finance between 2026 and 2029, and removing barriers such as high capital costs and restrictive trade measures.
Without these conditions, the AGN warned the Mutirão could become symbolic instead of transformative.
Africa also expressed concerns about the ongoing negotiations regarding the global goal of adaptation.
The AGN said the proposed indicators put too much pressure on developing countries by focusing on national budgets and domestic reforms without ensuring support for finance, technology, and capacity building.
Muyungi warned that this could shift the climate burden onto countries least responsible for emissions.
“Ambition without support is an empty promise,” he said.
The group urged COP30 to finalise the stalled assessment of national adaptation plans.
The assessment shows major gaps in funding and technical support that prevent countries from implementing their priorities. Africa said the COP30 outcome must reaffirm the obligations of developed countries to provide financing, technology, and capacity-building.
COP30 will conclude on 21 November and is centred on driving a fair and inclusive transition, boosting climate finance, and protecting vulnerable communities from rising climate threats.
The conference will adopt 100 global indicators to track progress on climate adaptation, giving countries a common way to measure and compare their efforts.
Currently, 172 countries have at least one adaptation policy or plan, although 36 of these are outdated.
On just transition, the AGN said it should be central to climate action. Africa supports creating a Just Transition Mechanism but insists it must be people-focused and reflect national priorities.
Africa also called for reliable funding for the Technology Implementation Programme and for easing intellectual property rules that make climate technologies unaffordable for developing countries.
Africa stressed that predictable and adequate finance remains the foundation for any fair agreement.
The AGN insisted that article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, which requires developed countries to provide financial support, must be fully implemented through a new three-year programme starting at COP31.
