Euroviews. Africa needs a unified voice on climate change

Last month’s COP 28, and the preceding inaugural Africa Climate Summit, which delivered the Nairobi Declaration, signalled Africa’s growing importance and influence on the international stage. 

In the new year, more needs to be done to promote an equitable energy transition, underpinned by green technologies and prioritising both rural and urban communities.

These are important issues for Africa and more widely for the Global South. 

At COP 28, I was enthused by the commitment shown by heads of state and business leaders to help the Global South and its increasingly central role in discussions. 

However, the time has come for a more unified voice from the continent which demands developed nations to not only fulfil their current commitments, and address past deficiencies, but also significantly enhance their financial contributions to Africa’s climate action efforts.

I commend African leaders for their role in securing greater commitments to climate financing and delivering the loss and damage fund. But the weight of Africa’s voice is greater than the sum of its parts. 

And the continent’s views and needs have focused on specific, albeit important, overarching issues such as phasing out vs phasing down fossil fuels.

The EU, G77 plus China, and the Alliance of Small Island States were some of the unified negotiating blocs representing the views and priorities of its countries. Beyond nation states, global industries have also come together to protect their interests.

Africans understand the continent’s challenges better than anyone else. We know that a one-size-fits-all approach will leave behind our rural communities and urban poor if the right partnerships and infrastructure are not in place. 

Across the Global South, this is a