Africa unites in Accra to forge unified climate strategy ahead of COP31

The African Group of Negotiators (AGN) on Climate Change has officially opened its 2^nd Strategy Meeting of the year, gathering the continent's top negotiators and leadership to sharpen Africa's collective position ahead of the upcoming COP31 summit in Antalya, Türkiye.

 

The three-day meeting, held from August 12–14, 2026, aims to move beyond a mere review of previous technical talks in Bonn (SB64) and instead establish a high-level political and technical strategy.

 

Addressing the assembly, AGN Chair Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah emphasized the urgency of the moment, noting that the continent must be fully prepared before arriving in Antalya this November.

 

"With less than four months to COP31, we cannot afford to approach Antalya without clarity on what Africa seeks to achieve," Dr. Amoah stated during his welcome address. He urged delegates to move beyond "business as usual" and be more strategic in both substance and process.

 

The discussions in Accra cover a vast array of critical issues, including adaptation, climate finance, just transition, agriculture, and the Global Stocktake. However, Dr. Amoah reminded the negotiators that the stakes extend far beyond the meeting rooms.

 

"For our countries, the negotiations are therefore not merely about text, paragraphs or procedural decisions," the Chair remarked. "They are about our people, our economies and our development prospects".

 

He highlighted the lived realities of African citizens, from farmers facing unpredictable rainfall to communities suffering from drought, flooding, and coastal erosion.

 

A Call for Continental Unity

 

A central theme of the Accra meeting is the necessity of a unified African front in an increasingly complex international landscape where climate talks now intersect with trade, energy, and peace and security.

 

"Our greatest strength has always been our ability to come together as one African Group," Dr. Amoah said. "We represent different countries, circumstances and perspectives, but when we enter the negotiations, we carry a collective responsibility to defend and advance the interests of our continent".

 

The primary output of the meeting will be a practical roadmap and a "COP31 Action Matrix," which will define specific responsibilities, timelines, and expected deliverables for the months leading up to the summit.

 

Dr. Amoah was clear that the meeting must yield tangible results: "We are not only in Accra to engage in another talking exercise... We must leave Accra with concrete outcomes and clear directions on next steps".

 

Beyond COP31, the strategy is also intended to lay the foundation for COP32, which is set to be hosted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This provides an opportunity to strengthen African leadership within the global climate process for 2027 and beyond.

 

The meeting is supported by various partners, including the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), the African Union Commission, and Power Shift Africa.

 

As deliberations continue, the AGN leadership remains focused on ensuring that international climate decisions do not constrain the "legitimate development aspirations" of the African continent.

 

African climate negotiators convene in Accra to shape future of Global Just Transition Mechanism

Leading climate experts and diplomats from across Africa have gathered in Accra for a critical two-day technical workshop aimed at consolidating Africa's position on the newly established Global Just Transition Mechanism (JTM).

 

The workshop, holding from August 10–11, 2026, serves as a high-stakes preparatory session ahead of COP31, where the international community will decide on the operational framework of this landmark climate tool.

 

In his opening address, Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) on Climate Change, emphasized that the global conversation has shifted from theory to action following COP30 in Belém.

 

He noted that the establishment of the JTM moved the process beyond a mere "deliberative space towards the establishment of a mechanism intended to support implementation, including access to finance, technical assistance, capacity-building, knowledge and international cooperation".

 

However, despite the momentum from COP30, Dr. Amoah cautioned that recent negotiations at SB64 in Bonn revealed significant hurdles regarding the mechanism's ambition and institutional independence.

 

He stressed that Africa can no longer rely on broad statements of intent.

 

"Ambition alone is no longer enough," Dr. Amoah told delegates. "We now need to translate our broad political positions into concrete and technically sound proposals that can find their way into negotiating text".

 

Centering Africa’s Development Realities

 

A central theme of the workshop is ensuring that the JTM reflects the unique socio-economic challenges of the African continent.

 

The AGN Chair made it clear that for Africa, a "just transition" cannot be a narrow conversation about energy sources alone.

 

"For the African Group, just transition must be understood within the context of Africa's development realities," Dr. Amoah stated. "It cannot simply be about moving away from one source of energy to another. It must speak to our aspirations for industrialisation, economic diversification, decent jobs, energy access, adaptation and resilience, value addition to our natural resources, and the wider transformation of our economies and societies".

 

The workshop is also addressing the "nexus issues" that complicate the transition, specifically trade and finance.

 

Dr. Amoah highlighted the risk of Africa remaining a "supplier of raw materials" while green technology and jobs are created elsewhere.

 

He called for a transition that enables Africa to participate equitably in the emerging green economy, noting that "a mechanism without a credible pathway to adequate resources risks becoming an institution with good intentions but limited ability to deliver".

 

A Bridge-Building Role

 

The AGN is positioning itself as a vital interlocutor in the global climate arena. According to the workshop’s concept note, the African Group occupies a central position, neither seeking to constrain the JTM's ambition like some developed nations nor approaching it with the same suspicions as other developing blocs.

 

Dr. Amoah challenged the participants to leave the workshop with a clear, unified voice. "As we begin, let us keep one fundamental question before us: What kind of Just Transition Mechanism will genuinely deliver for Africa? Our task over these two days is to provide a clear African answer to that question".

 

The outcomes of this workshop will be adopted by the broader AGN plenary and will form the basis of Africa's formal submissions to the UNFCCC.

 

With COP32 in Ethiopia slated as the likely venue for the formal launch of the JTM, the work currently underway in Accra is expected to be a cornerstone of the continent's climate strategy for years to come.

 

The workshop is organized in partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change of Kenya, with support from Power Shift Africa and the Global Wind Energy Council.

by Kofi Adu Domfeh

COP31: African trade unions and climate negotiators unite in Nairobi to demand a worker-centered Just Transition

African trade union leaders and climate negotiators have converged in Nairobi, Kenya for a three-day summit to forge a unified continental stance on energy sovereignty and green industrialization ahead of the COP31 climate negotiations.

 

The Second New Energy for Africa Convening meeting marks a critical step in ensuring that the voices of African workers are integrated into the continent’s climate agenda.

 

Opening the event, Rose Omamo, Deputy President of ITUC-Africa, emphasized that the transition to a low-carbon economy must be rooted in social equity.

 

She asserted that the labor movement is championing the "Reclaim and Restore" campaign, which views energy not as a market commodity but as a fundamental right.

 

“Energy is a public good,” Omamo stated during her opening address. “It should not be treated only as a commodity for those who can afford it. We call for public and democratic control of Africa’s energy systems so that they can provide reliable and affordable energy to our people”.

 

Omamo also raised concerns regarding the global race for Africa’s critical minerals, such as lithium and cobalt, which are essential for renewable technologies.

 

She warned that “Africa must not repeat the experience of exporting raw materials and later importing expensive finished products” and insisted that these resources must support local manufacturing and decent employment.

 

Echoing these sentiments, Dr. George Manful, delivering remarks on behalf of AGN Chair, Dr. Nana Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, highlighted the stark disparity in global climate finance.

 

Despite possessing vast renewable energy potential, Africa receives a disproportionately small share of clean-energy investment.

 

“This imbalance must be corrected if the transition is to support Africa’s development rather than reproduce existing patterns of dependence, extraction and inequality,” the AGN Chair’s statement read.

 

He further argued that the success of a just transition should be measured by human impact rather than technical metrics alone.

 

“A just transition cannot be measured solely by installed megawatts, emissions reductions or new electricity connections,” the Chair noted. “It must also be measured by the quality of jobs created, affordability of energy, protection of workers... and the capacity of African countries to retain value from their natural resources”.

 

A primary objective of the Nairobi gathering is to institutionalize cooperation between organized labor and the African Group of Negotiators (AGN). This collaboration aims to ensure that workers’ rights, job security, and social protection are embedded in the African negotiating text for COP31 in Antalya.

 

With over 600 million Africans still lacking access to electricity, both leaders agreed that initiatives like "Mission 300" must go beyond mere connection numbers to foster local industrialization and skills development.

 

“Workers must be at the centre of the energy transition,” Omamo concluded. “They cannot be treated as observers or invited only after policies and investment decisions have been finalised”.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh