Africa Marks a Special Day at COP27 with a Determination to Relentlessly Tackle Climate Change | African Development Bank

African countries marked a special day on the sidelines of the 27 on Tuesday^e United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt, with a common decision to mobilize internal and external resources to tackle climate change.

Dubbed ‘Africa Day’, the event provided an opportunity for countries and development partners, including the African Development Bank, to highlight measures to tap the continent’s unique economic potential.

The event was organized by the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the New Economic Partnership for Africa (NEPAD) Planning and Coordination Office. Hundreds of young people from across the continent jumped at the chance to urge the world’s industrialized nations to honor their climate finance and other commitments to Africa without further delay.

In his opening address, African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said that the challenges facing Africa in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war between Russia and Ukraine have become enormous and have taken their toll of government budgets.

“Work is being done across the continent – ​​many governments have launched initiatives to address climate impacts and build resilience,” Mahamat said. “But the challenges are huge and time is not on our side,” he told the audience.

Mahamat called on member states to remain steadfast in their fight for climate justice.

Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, said that with Africa’s vast and unique farmland, what the continent does with agriculture can influence global production. “But we can only unlock our agricultural potential if we adapt to climate change,” he warned.

Adesina pointed to the fact that the African Development Bank Group led many climate action initiatives to drive mitigation and adaptation. They include scaling up adaptation finance, providing climate-resilient technologies to farmers, supporting youth to adapt to climate change and launching the desert-to-power solar project to transform the Sahel region into a powerhouse of renewable energy.

Kenya’s state minister for the environment and forestry, Soipan Tuya, said Africa remains a strong force in the climate negotiations.

“To maintain this unity of purpose, it remains important that the negotiators and the AU are in constant dialogue and engagement,” Tuya said. She called on developed countries to scale up mitigation actions and support.

Young people at the event called on the African Union to ensure that the conference implements the decisions reached at the meetings without further delay. “We are making a request as young people that adaptation matters to the African people. We want action now,” said youth leader Lucky Abeng.

Antonio Pedro, acting executive director of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said the future remains bright despite the challenges.

“We need to change the African narratives from a country of challenges to a continent of opportunities,” he said.

For example, Pedro said the Democratic Republic of Congo had the world’s largest cobalt reserve to produce batteries for electric vehicles.

“We need to invest in the green recovery, ensure a just energy transition to universal access to electricity. We need to build agricultural and food systems,” he said, adding that accelerating food systems is essential to achieving the AU’s 2063 Agenda.

The African Union Commission and the Global Center for Adaption have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to mobilize at least $25 billion over five years for the African Adaptation Acceleration Program established by the Center and the African Development Bank. This is to prepare the continent faster and on a larger scale for the consequences of climate change.

COP27, commonly referred to as “the African COP,” enables Africa to highlight its special needs, circumstances and opportunities.

COP27 is expected to take action on a range of issues critical to tackling the climate crisis – from urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building resilience and adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change, to deliver on commitments to finance climate action in developing countries.