Gov’t Pushes $100bn Climate Finance Drive

The John Mahama administration has intensified calls for a continent-wide push to mobilise $100 billion annually in climate finance, warning that Africa cannot continue to shoulder the growing costs of climate change alone.

The appeal was made at the African Leaders’ Meeting on Climate Adaptation held in Nairobi, Kenya, and chaired by President William Ruto.

The message was delivered by the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, Alhaji Baba Seidu Issifu, on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama.

Although the President was unable to attend in person, the minister conveyed his firm support for the meeting’s objectives, stating that President Mahama “fully aligns with the aims and aspirations of this important meeting.”

Addressing African leaders and development partners, Alhaji Issifu painted a stark picture of the climate realities confronting the continent. He said Africa is experiencing severe climate shocks, including prolonged droughts, devastating floods and rising temperatures that continue to endanger lives, undermine livelihoods and erode hard-won development gains.

According to him, these challenges have transformed climate adaptation from a policy option into an urgent development necessity. He stressed that African countries are being forced to divert scarce resources from social services and infrastructure into climate response, a trend that threatens long-term economic stability.

The minister noted that recent global climate negotiations have reinforced the urgency of Africa’s financing appeal. He pointed to deliberations and outcomes from COP30 in Belém, Brazil, as evidence that decisive action is needed.

“The urgency of this call became even clearer at the recently concluded COP30 in Belém, where adaptation talks faced significant challenges,” he said.

Alhaji Issifu criticized the revised Global Goal on Adaptation framework, which reduced the number of indicators from 100 to 59. He described the revision as “widely regarded as a regression,” adding that several parties raised concerns about the technical credibility of the indicators and the lack of transparency in the process. He warned that these issues had deepened trust gaps at a critical stage of negotiations.

Despite consensus eventually being reached at COP30, the minister expressed disappointment with the final agreement. He observed that the outcome contained weak provisions on Loss and Damage, with no clear reference to the scale of needs or corresponding financing.

He further noted that discussions on climate finance remain fragmented, with the proposed Article 9 work programme still failing to establish a dedicated platform for developing countries to engage meaningfully on the delivery of public finance under the new climate finance goal. Overall, he said the broader financing package fell short of bridging the widening gap between Africa’s climate needs and actual funding flows.

Against this backdrop, Alhaji Issifu described the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme Phase Two, known as AAAP2.0, as “a source of optimism.”

He said the programme provides a clear pathway for building climate resilience across the continent but warned that its success depends on predictable and adequate funding.

“AAAP2.0 presents an opportunity for Africa to leap ahead into a resilient future. We must raise $100 billion each year for adaptation and mitigation and position climate action as a driver of Africa’s industrial transformation.”

He urged African leaders to act collectively to secure concrete commitments and to send a strong, unified signal that Africa’s climate resilience is non-negotiable.

On the domestic front, the minister highlighted Ghana’s efforts to mainstream climate resilience into national development planning. He said the country is promoting green employment and implementing its 24-hour economy agenda, with sustainability at its core.

According to him, Ghana’s 24-hour economy strategy is anchored on green growth, renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure development. “We are channeling investments into solar and hydro power, as well as climate-smart agriculture, to secure our long-term energy and food systems,” he said.

However, he acknowledged persistent challenges, including high financing costs, limited access to technology and unfair trade regimes, which continue to constrain progress.

Alhaji Issifu stressed that these obstacles mean Ghana, like many African countries, cannot confront the climate crisis in isolation. “We require solidarity at both the continental and global levels, equitable financing arrangements and effective technology transfer,” he said.

He underscored Africa’s unequal exposure to climate risks, noting that the continent accounts for less than 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions yet bears a disproportionate share of climate-related losses. He described this imbalance as unjust and called for climate finance built on partnership rather than debt or aid.

Addressing young people, the minister urged Africa’s future leaders to step forward, innovate and champion climate action within their communities. He said Ghana and Africa are ready to collaborate, co-design solutions and advance sustainable development.