The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) has called for the delivery of existing climate commitments and predictable, scalable grant‑based climate finance for adaptation in Africa at the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31).
AGN’s Chair, Dr Nana Antwi‑Boasiako Amoah, told the AGNES Pre‑COP31 Strategy Meeting in Nairobi that COP31 must be an “implementation COP” for Africa, with outcomes that translate climate commitments into concrete action. He warned that Antalya should be about delivery, not another cycle of promises.
He urged African negotiators to focus on securing access to climate finance, technology, stronger national capacities and support to move adaptation plans from policy documents to investment. “Africa is not asking for charity but for an international financial architecture capable of responding fairly to a global climate problem in which responsibility and vulnerability were unequal,” he said.
Predictable and scalable grant‑based climate finance for adaptation remains a major priority for African countries. Dr Amoah urged negotiators to keep pressure on the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to make it increasingly accessible, adequately resourced and responsive to vulnerable developing countries.
Across Africa, communities are experiencing impacts that can no longer be addressed through adaptation alone, including loss of homes, productive land, livelihoods and cultural heritage. Governments are forced to divert scarce development resources toward repeated recovery and reconstruction following climate‑related impacts.
On a just transition, the Chair recalled that Africa supported the global shift toward low‑emission and climate‑resilient development but stressed that the transition should consider the continent’s energy access needs, poverty eradication, food security, decent jobs, industrialisation and right to development. Millions of Africans still lack access to modern energy and clean cooking, while the continent has significant renewable energy potential that could support green industrialisation, local value addition and employment.
He warned that climate policies should not become a basis for protectionism or inequitable economic relationships, especially as they increasingly intersect with trade, investment, critical minerals, agriculture, technology and industrial policy.
Dr Amoah said COP31 should be viewed as part of a continuum leading from Belém to Antalya and ultimately to Addis Ababa, where COP32 is expected to be held in 2027. “Success in Antalya will not be measured by how often Africa speaks, but by how effectively Africa shapes the outcome,” he added.
On technical support for negotiations, the Chair commended AGNES for its contribution to agriculture and gender issues and for building capacity and generating evidence to support African negotiators. He called for stronger links among African universities, research institutions, policymakers and negotiators to ensure that negotiations are supported by current and credible African data.
