Yemisi Izuora
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is doubling-down on its commitment to facilitating a just energy transition for Africa that supports the continent’s critical development needs and unlocks its economic potential.
The Bank is committed to providing a sustainable development platform for Africa, and has made this position clear while participating at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Bank’s participation will align with the African Union’s Nairobi Declaration from the 2023 Africa Climate Summit and build on COP28’s actions around climate finance, loss and damage compensation, utilizing gas as a transitional fuel, and mobilizing high-quality climate finance.
Afreximbank’s efforts will integrate climate change with development goals, emphasizing the role of the African Continental Free Trade Area (“AfCFTA”) in fostering sustainable growth and regional integration. Importantly, the foregoing considerations will also be anchored on the core principles of the AU Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.
A primary objective of the Bank will be to advocate for the swift operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, which provides financial support to countries suffering from climate-related losses and push for the timely disbursement of the funds to African countries to ensure that they have the resources needed to address both immediate and long-term climate impacts. It will also emphasise the importance of transparent and accessible finance mechanisms to ensure that local communities directly affected by climate change can receive the support they need.
Speaking during the African Day at African Union’s Pavilion at COP29, Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Afreximbank stated:
“Africa is disproportionately affected by the impacts of global climate change despite being responsible for less than 4 per cent of global emissions. Losses in economic growth, migrations and regional instability represent significant negative impacts of climate change on the continent that will probably intensify in the next decade. We are at the point where taking action does not only suggest good environmental stewardship but must also be seen as a sound economic policy considering that the cost of immediate and decisive action is far less than the cost of inaction and delayed efforts. The issue of financing climate adaptation in Africa and the Island States of the Caribbean has become an emergency and as such our participation at COP29 is an opportunity to advocate for Africa and the Caribbean’s climate priorities, amplify their voice in global discussions, and push for urgent climate finance.”
Prof. Oramah added that financial resources and sound investments are critical to addressing climate change, lowering emissions, encouraging adaptation as well as building resilience. Africa for instance, he explained, needs between US$1.3 trillion and US$1.6 trillion in total climate financing every year till 2030 to meet its pressing needs. Understanding its mandate as a trade and development partner for Africa and the Caribbean community, Afreximbank will advocate for policies and investments to accelerate Africa’s energy transition, responsibly developing the content’s abundant natural resources, ensuring adequate infrastructure to reduce energy poverty, facilitate trade, and position the continent for an accelerated and appropriate energy transition.
In addition, Afreximbank will advocate for a scaling up of the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), to replace the previous $100 billion pledge which has seen insufficient disbursement, and push for financial mechanisms like green bonds, concessional loans, and carbon markets to fund Africa’s climate projects.
Afreximbank will also engage in side-events and panels at COP29, focusing on solutions for Africa. These panels will include a session on ‘Financing a Green Transition in Solidarity’being held on 14th November and featuring high-level panellists, including Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of Afreximbank; Ambassador Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE), African Union; Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa; H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat; Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, Executive Director of Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD); and Mariane Søndergaard-Jensen Senior Director EIFO, E3F Chair, and Chair OECD Arrangement Participants. The session will be moderated by Prof. Andreas Klassen, Research Associate at the University of Oxford.
Additionally, the Bank will participate in the ‘Sustainable Trade Africa’ event scheduled to hold on 15th November, in collaboration with United Arab Emirates Trade (UAE) and DCG” will feature speakers such as Yoofi Grant, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC); Oluranti Doherty, Managing Director, Export Development Bank, Afreximbank; Hon. Susan Auma Mang’eni, Kenya, Champion of MSME development; Mr. Hao Ren, NWTN, Leader in sustainable technology; and Dr. Nassim Oulmane, UNECA, Expert in climate change & green economy.
Afreximbank will commit to progress discussions that build upon amplifying the African climate narrative, supporting just energy transition for Africa, mobilizing climate finance, calling for the operationalisation of the the Loss and Damage Fund as well as aligning trade with climate goals.