COP30 was held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21, 2025. On the occasion of Africa Day at COP 30, the NGO Climate Change Africa Opportunities (CCAO), an NGO accredited by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), highlighted the continent's interests with the theme "Africa at the Forefront of Climate Action: Sustainable Finance for Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Growth," reaffirming its commitment to climate finance that serves the people, the planet, and African prosperity.

Mr Trésor Badisungu, Climate Negotiator, Climate Resilience Expert and Africa Coordinator of Climate Change Africa Opportunities (CCAO) marked his active and qualitative participation in several panels bringing together ministers, development partners, as well as representatives of the African Union Commission, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank Group and Afreximbank, alongside members of civil society and youth.

Ten years after the signing of the Paris Agreement, climate commitments are still struggling to meet the scale of the challenges facing the world. Global warming targets are slipping further away, funding remains insufficient, and the gap between promises and actions continues to widen. For Africa, which is home to 20% of the world’s carbon sinks, emits less than 4% of greenhouse gases, and receives less than 10% of adaptation funding and only 3% of global climate finance, the stakes are nothing short of vital.

Building on the conclusions of the Second African Climate Summit, the Addis Ababa Declaration, and the Call to Action, Mr. Trésor Badisungu forcefully reaffirmed at COP30 that climate finance must be commensurate with the priorities and needs of the African continent.

“Africa must continue to speak with one strong, united, and determined voice for climate justice.” From Africa to Belém, we reaffirm our unity of action and our leadership role, guided by the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities,” he declared, adding: “We are not simply beneficiaries of the global transition, but fully engaged actors, driving fair, inclusive, and African climate solutions to build a more equitable and sustainable global future.”

The work of various COP30 panels, in which CCAO participated, emphasized the mobilization of sustainable, equitable, and innovative financing to accelerate the continent’s green industrialization. Leaders stressed that Africa’s future depends on harnessing its natural resources, whether through the processing of critical minerals or the development of renewable energy at the local level.

The Vice President of the African Development Bank Group in charge of Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, Kevin Kariuki, noted: “Africa is already at the forefront of global climate action, developing solutions firmly rooted in local realities and with international impact.” He also emphasized the actions of the African Development Bank Group: “We are moving forward today with a renewed vision, led by our President, Mr. Sidi Ould Tah, and structured around four strategic priorities known as the ‘four cardinal points’: unleashing the power of African capital, strengthening the continent’s financial sovereignty, transforming demographics into an asset, and building resilient infrastructure, while creating real added value,” he added before concluding: “The fight against climate change is at the heart of this ambition.” We are acting decisively to close the sustainable finance gap, increase the continent’s adaptive capacity, and accelerate climate action through innovation, partnerships, and financial leadership.

Africa is among the world’s leading producers of essential minerals, such as cobalt and manganese, but still captures only a small share of the added value generated by their extraction. By focusing on local processing, battery production, and the development of regional value chains, the continent aims to move from being an exporter of raw materials to a driver of innovation and green industrial production.

Africa also has immense potential in the carbon market, but currently captures less than 1% of global revenue. Through reforms and African-led governance, this market could generate up to US$100 billion annually and create five million green jobs by 2030. Participants stressed the urgent need to rethink the global financial system by establishing direct, transparent, and debt-free mechanisms designed and led by Africa itself. Despite commitments made at COP29, only a small share of global climate finance actually reaches African communities. Africa Day strongly reaffirmed the continent's call for a new, collective, and quantified climate finance target commensurate with the urgency and concrete needs.

On behalf of the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Mr. Cosmas Milton Ochieng, Director of the Climate Change, Food Security and Natural Resources Division, stated: “Restructuring the global financial architecture is not just a matter of fairness, it is a matter of survival.” He added that “Africa needs a predictable, transparent, and equitable climate finance system that directs resources where they matter most: into the hands of African countries and communities leading transformative climate action.” The call for sustainable domestic financing was also emphasized. The continent has over US$350 billion in sovereign wealth funds and pension funds that could be mobilized to support green infrastructure, build resilience, and stimulate innovation. Leveraging these domestic resources, combined with strong external partnerships, will be crucial to achieving Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Leaders advocated for fair carbon pricing, direct access to climate finance, and a just transition, ensuring that no one in Africa is left behind. African countries called for the full implementation of the commitments made in Baku, including the mobilization of $300 billion in US climate finance specifically for the continent.

COP29 in Baku failed to secure the resources needed to address Africa’s climate crisis. Despite calls for a global target of $1.3 trillion annually from the United States by 2030, with $300 billion earmarked for Africa, structural barriers remain. African leaders had championed debt-free grants and direct access to funds through African institutions, such as the African Development Bank Group. However, the final agreement favored a model based on debt and dependence on external intermediaries, transforming nearly 60% of climate finance into new debt for African economies.

As the world now turns its attention to Belém, Africa's message is clear: the continent is not asking for charity, but for a genuine partnership, a new global climate pact that recognizes its leadership, values its contribution to preserving the planet, and invests in its people.

CCAO Communications Officer