"...since we as a continent are not the primary contributor, then we should not be taking up extra commitment on ourselves that might stifle or hinder our development aspirations."
Egypt's ambassador to Nigeria, Ihab Awab, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said Africa will prioritise its development and growth aspirations at the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, otherwise known as COP27.
COP27 is scheduled to take place in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt from 6 to 18 November. It will usher in Egypt's presidency of COP, taking over from the UK.
According to Mr Awab, Africa is a developing continent which contributes the least (three per cent) to global carbon emission and should not be made to bear the same burden as continents that contribute the most.
"... since we as a continent are not the primary contributor, then we should not be taking up extra commitment on ourselves that might stifle or hinder our development aspirations," he said.
Africa is among the worst hit by the effects of climate change in the world today, exacerbated by existing infrastructural deficits.
A report by Mo Ibrahim Foundation, a public governance think-tank in Africa, revealed that about 40 million additional people in sub-Saharan Africa could be pushed into extreme poverty by 2030 due to climate change.
The report highlights that between 2010 and 2022, the number of people affected by drought amounted to at least 172.3 million and that the ones affected by floods amounted to at least 43.0 million.
It said the ten most climate-vulnerable countries globally are in Africa.
Mr Awab noted that the conference would create an avenue to bring Africa's voice to the forefront of the discussions on what can be done to combat the impact of climate change, especially because "the whole narrative around climate change has been developed outside Africa."
"Africa's voice needs to be very clear that we are all in the same boat and it is essential for there to be joint effort to combat climate change. But at the same time, we have our development aspirations and this is something I believe the Egyptian presidency during its Pre-COP consultations within Africa and with the rest of the world has been very clear about," the ambassador added.
Egypt sees the COP27 as the implementation conference, he said. Many of the pledges made in previous conferences regarding support to developing countries, especially in Africa, are yet to materialise.
"The aspect of financing some of the projects is a key priority for the incoming Egyptian presidency of COP27 and it is something that all African countries agree that COP27 should and must actually come out with practical actions... There are competing priorities for finance all over the world.
"If we are serious about combating climate change and also equally serious about achieving the SDGs then this is the conference and this is the kind of discussion that needs to take place in Sharm El Sheikh."
Experts from the African Development Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have said that African countries need to mobilise $1.6 trillion within seven years to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) pledges to resist climate change effects.
So far, the continent has only received $18.3 billion annually, leaving a financing gap of $108 billion. With this, experts say, the continent may never achieve its NDCs.
Speaking about the role of the media, especially media in Africa, Mr Awab said the media plays a major role in putting forward the accountability dimension of what can be achieved whether in Sharm El Sheikh or in the following conferences.
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"I think this is where the media can be able to highlight the ending poverty, combating climate change and how they should not be in conflict and what that really means for human commitments."
He added that Egypt is working with big economies in Africa to mobilise and synergise efforts.
"It is very important that countries such as Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, Morocco, Algeria and many of the big economies in Africa are able to really mobilise within their respective subregions but also to be able to speak with one and to be very vocal about the priorities of Arica," Mr Awab said.
Chiamaka Okafor is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.
