Unpacking climate impacts and energy transition at the Africa Climate Academy

Africa faces knowledge gaps that hinder engagements in the global energy transition, even as countries set ambitious net-zero targets and major oil companies shift toward cleaner energy.

The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), a policy think tank, believes the continent needs fresh perspectives on the risks of oil dependence and the opportunities of the energy transition for inclusive growth and development.

“It is time for us to think how we can be part of the economic transformation from renewable energy, inspite of the challenges with climate change,” said Benjamin Boakye, ACEP Executive Director.

He was addressing the inaugural cohort of the Africa Climate Academy, an educational platform designed to reshape perceptions, build knowledge, foster collaboration, and empower advocacy for a sustainable future.

The Academy brought together policymakers, media professionals, civil society leaders, and academics to acquire the knowledge and tools to address Africa’s climate and energy challenges and drive sustainable action.

The primary goal of the energy transition is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, but a just transition will need Africa to be at the forefront of implementation.

Voices for Africa to go for nuclear energy have been strong, emphasizing that it’s cheaper and the option for industrialization.

Benjamin Boakye, however, believes “the argument that we cannot industrialize with renewable energy is being challenged due to improving technology to ease access to solar, among others”.

Failure of the Paris Agreement

Climate change is affecting every inhabited region across the globe, with human influence contributing to many observed changes in weather and climate extremes.

Human-induced climate change has contributed to increases in agricultural and ecological droughts in some regions due to evapotranspiration increases.

Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, Head of the Department of Physics at the University of Ghana and Vice Chair of IPCC Working Group I, during a session, unpacked the evidence from the IPCC about the reality of climate change.

“The impact of climate change is affecting our environment and has the potential to destroy our very existence. It is affecting our habitat, the air we breathe, water we drink, the food we eat,” she said.

Global temperatures have already risen 1.36°C as at 2023 and will probably rise a further 3°, or even up to 4.5-5° by 2100.

Regional temperatures are rising; cold days, nights and frost have become rarer; hot days, nights and heat-waves are more frequent; extreme rainfall and flooding events are more frequent; extreme droughts and massive wildfires are more common; and in rural communities, forests and farmland are impacted, making crops and food scarce and expensive for all.

According to Prof, Klutse, there is a failure of the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change and international commitments to emission reductions.

Assessments of current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) suggest that these reductions, even if fully implemented, are unlikely to limit global temperature increases to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

“We’re slowly being boiled in a pot, but we’re not being ambitious in solutions to climate change,” observed the scientist. “We should not go beyond the tipping point. We need to ambitiously remove fossil fuels to control carbon dioxide emissions”.

Collection Action

Some extreme weather events observed over the past decade would have been extremely unlikely to occur without human influence on the climate system.

Dr. Daniel Tutu Benefoh, Acting Director of the Climate Change Unit at Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency, noted that the resource rich part of Africa have the most climate vulnerable people, hence it is important that climate change is carried to the belly of development and keep the conversation there.

He facilitated a session on Integrating Climate Change into Planning Frameworks, covering strategies for mainstreaming climate considerations, fostering inclusivity, monitoring progress, and overcoming implementation challenges.

The Africa Climate Academy is designed to transform the continent’s approach to climate action and shape the future of energy in Africa.

Dr Charles Gyamfi Ofori, Policy Lead, Climate Change and Energy Transition at ACEP, emphasized that the energy transition is real and presents several opportunities.

But he says “we have to be intentional in assessing the benefits,” adding that “continued investment, R&D and policy support is relevant for Africa”.

by Kofi Adu Domfeh

COP29: New text for a new climate finance goal released ahead of conference

Ahead of the major UN climate change conference, COP29 in Baku, the latest draft version of the wording for the new climate finance goal, known as the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), has been released. 

 

This draft text could form the basis for the final negotiations at COP29 if Parties agree to build on it.

 

If accepted, this text will be critical in the negotiations as it guides Parties in their decision-making about adopting a robust and equitable finance deal at COP29. 

 

The Climate Action Network, along with other civil society organisations, says the Global North must start meeting the historical climate debt it owes to the Global South in the region of US$5 trillion per year, while bearing in mind that no amount of money can ever fully replace the lives lost to climate impacts.

 

The Global North can only begin clearing their debt with a COP29 agreement on finance that is made up of public money via grants, aimed at supporting the Global South in mitigating, adapting to, and recovering from the devastating impacts of escalating climate change, addressing loss and damage.

 

The new text presents both clarity and challenges, underscoring the urgent need to ensure that qualitative climate finance is delivered and grounded in equity, transparency, and accountability.

 

There are still unresolved issues, with many critical elements in brackets, which means they are still up for debate. At the same time, important components are missing.

 

Now more than ever, it is crucial to keep pressure on developed nations to meet their commitments, focusing on grants, not loans, and centering the voices of vulnerable communities.

What Must Happen Before COP29

 

Developed countries need to stop undermining the negotiations with delaying tactics and evading their historical responsibilities.

 

The structure of the new climate finance goal (NCQG) should remain straightforward, anchored in Article 9 of the Paris Agreement, and focused on the obligations of developed countries to mobilise and provide funding for developing nations.

 

For developing countries, it is crucial to remain vocal and clear about the scope and quality of the new finance goal.

 

Global financial architecture slow in addressing Africa’s climate finance needs – Report

A new assessment of Africa's position on reforms of the global financial infrastructure reveals slow progress in addressing the continent's need for climate financing, debt concerns, and lack of transparency.

 

The African Future Policies Hub has released a report highlighting the key challenges and opportunities facing African nations in the global financial system and climate finance landscape.

 

“The assessment shows little to no progress is being made on addressing the continent’s debt concerns, high cost of borrowing, and actual disbursements against financial commitments and pledges−putting into question transparency and accountability frameworks in the financing ecosystem,” said Maria Nkhonjera, Senior Policy Lead (Public Finance), African Future Policies Hub.

 

The report, titled "Assessing Progress Towards Reforming the Global Financial Architecture: An African Perspective,” outlines the urgent need for reforms to address imbalances in the IMF quota system, increase climate finance flows to Africa, and enhance the effectiveness of multilateral development banks.

 

“As we head to COP29 where financing decisions will be taken, it is important to also take stock of progress on the reforms that are said to help us generate the trillions of funding needed to finance climate action in developing countries,” noted Faten Aggad at the African Future Policies Hub. “Despite positive developments, there is clearly significant work that is still needed especially reforms requested by African countries based on their realities.”  

 

Here are key findings of the report:

 

Enhanced African Influence: The African Union's admission to the G20 and the appointment of a third sub-Saharan African representative to the IMF executive board has strengthened African representation in global financial infrastructure reforms.

 

Unresolved Quota imbalances: The IMF's quota system remains heavily skewed in favour of developed economies, with African nations holding a disproportionately small share.

 

Mixed Progress on Climate Finance: While advancements have been made in loss and damage mechanisms, commitments to adaptation finance and the delivery of climate finance commitments remain insufficient.

 

Multilateral Development Bank Reforms: MDB’s have initiated comprehensive reforms, but implementation has been uneven. A number of Africa’s priorities are yet to be operationalised, including the re-channeling of SDRs through the African Development Bank.

 

Capital Efficiency and Country Engagement: Progress in enhancing capital efficiency and transforming country engagement has been limited.

 

IDA Replenishment: African heads of state have called for a US$120 billion replenishment of the International Development Association, but major donors and World Bank management are only considering a US$105 billion benchmark.

 

G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatment: The G20 Common Framework remains unreformed, with limited progress in addressing high borrowing costs and lengthy debt resolution.

 

UN Tax Convention: Significant progress has been made towards establishing a legally binding UN tax convention, which could help address tax avoidance and evasion.

 

Global Climate Tax Standards and Trade Measures: There has been progress in advancing global climate taxes, but no progress on addressing unilateral climate-related trade measures.

 

Transparency in Climate Finance: Concerns remain over the transparency of "new and additional" climate finance, hindering effective climate action and resource allocation.

 

Debt-for-Climate and Nature Swaps: The use of debt-for-climate and nature swaps holds promise but has been limited in Africa.

 

New Collective Quantified Goal: African negotiators have called for the NCQG to be based on a needs-driven approach to address countries' significant financial needs for climate adaptation and mitigation.

 

Official Development Assistance: The UN has set a target for developed countries to allocate 0.7% of their Gross National Income to ODA, but funding levels have been declining.

 

The report calls for continuous political pressure on global financial leaders and targeted advocacy efforts to drive progress in the reform of the international financial system.

 

"Reforming the global financial architecture means many things, but from an African perspective, especially responding to the UNFCCC process, it appears clear that progress remains critically insufficient until and unless we see significant new and additional international provision of grant-equivalent finance to developing countries, on the scale of the hundreds of billions required, respectively, to equitably address mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage needs," stated Iskander Erzini Vernoit, Imal Initiative for Climate and Development.

 

Upcoming negotiations offer a crucial opportunity for Africa to articulate its position and advocate for a system that truly supports its transformation and development goals.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh