Africa is pushing for stronger and more accessible climate finance and concrete action on food security as countries prepare for the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Türkiye.
The continent’s climate negotiators say worsening droughts, floods, failed rains and extreme heat are increasingly disrupting agriculture, livelihoods and food supply chains, making adaptation a critical priority for African countries.
Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), Nana Dr Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, said Africa must secure meaningful outcomes on climate finance and food systems at COP31 to help communities cope with the growing impacts of climate change.
Dr Amoah made the call in a keynote address at the Continental Convening on Strengthening African Civil Society Climate Action on Food Systems and Agriculture Towards COP31 and COP32 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He said adaptation remained Africa’s “central and non-negotiable priority” as the continent prepared for COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, in November and COP32, scheduled for Addis Ababa in 2027.
He cautioned African countries against assuming that hosting a major climate summit on the continent would automatically translate into benefits for Africa.
“A COP held in Africa does not automatically deliver for Africa. It must be shaped by African priorities, evidence and solutions, and it must improve lives beyond the conference halls,” he said.
According to Dr Amoah, a major challenge confronting developing countries is the widening gap between climate commitments and their implementation, particularly in the areas of adaptation and access to finance.
He said while the Paris Agreement and the first Global Stocktake had provided direction for global climate action, developing countries continued to face inadequate financial support to respond effectively to climate impacts.
Dr Amoah identified food systems as a critical area for climate action, noting that agriculture, fisheries, livestock, water resources, transport, markets, nutrition and health were all interconnected.
He said climate shocks affecting food production were increasingly translating into higher food prices, declining incomes and worsening inequality across communities.
“Food systems must not sit at the margins of climate negotiations. They are where climate change enters the household,” he said.
Using Ghana as an example, Dr Amoah said unpredictable rainfall patterns were creating serious financial risks for farmers, with some losing seeds, investments and borrowed funds when rains failed after planting.
He said adaptation should therefore be measured by practical support available to farmers, including reliable climate information, appropriate seeds, access to water, extension services and timely finance.
Dr Amoah expressed concern about the widening adaptation finance gap, noting that developing countries were projected to require between $310 billion and $365 billion annually for adaptation by 2035, compared with only $26 billion in international public adaptation finance in 2023.
He called for climate finance mechanisms to be simplified to enable smallholder farmers, local governments, women-led groups and youth enterprises to access resources without being overwhelmed by complex application procedures.
He argued that climate finance could not be described as accessible if communities most affected by climate change were unable to navigate the systems required to secure funding.
Dr Amoah also urged policymakers to connect climate adaptation with nutrition, public health and social protection, saying climate shocks could spread beyond rural communities and affect urban households.
He cited women traders in cities such as Accra, Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Lagos, who could experience the effects of climate-related disruptions through reduced food supplies, damaged transport infrastructure and increased spoilage of produce.
“A climate shock on a farm can therefore become a nutrition and cost-of-living problem in a city,” he said.
Ahead of COP31, Dr Amoah outlined seven priorities for African negotiators, including maintaining a balance between adaptation and mitigation under the Paris Agreement, securing meaningful outcomes on agriculture and food security, increasing climate finance and strengthening action on loss and damage.
He also called for fair participation of women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and civil society in climate decision-making.
The AGN Chair further urged developed countries to move beyond commitments and translate the pledge to provide $300 billion annually in international public climate finance for developing countries by 2035 into concrete and accessible financial support.
He said stronger implementation of climate commitments would be essential if international climate negotiations were to produce tangible improvements in the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable African communities.
