Introduction
The current climate impacts across the continent are at unprecedented levels. The Horn of Africa is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts in recent history and Nigeria is experiencing its worst flooding in more than 50 years across multiple sub-regions of the country, while earlier in 2022 devastating floods resulted in the deaths of more than 450 deaths in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province.
African climate negotiators have been clear that adaptation is a priority for the region; in agreement with the general focus of all Nationally Determined Contributions of African countries. With the adoption of the African Union (AU) Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan by AU heads of state and government in February 2022, the regional voice on adaptation has again been strengthened, and the need for support reiterated.
From 6-18 November 2022, the Government of Egypt will host the 27th United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP27). Widely billed as the ‘Africa COP’, this provides a critical opportunity for Africa’s regional climate agenda to be advanced. As a contribution to this process, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), reconvened a community of practice on African climate finance to identify African adaptation finance priorities ahead of COP27. This community of practice has emerged through past collaborations between the partner organizations and contains a diverse set of African climate stakeholders from across the continent’s major regions. Participants came together from 13-14 September 2022 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for deliberations. This report provides an outline of key messages emerging from the meeting.
In submitting this report, we recognize that there are multiple processes underway that contribute to Africa’s positions at the COP process. These include the work of the Africa Group of Negotiators, the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, and key forums such as Africa Climate Week and the Climate Change and Development in Africa conference series, and the International Cooperation Forum and Meeting of African Ministers of Finance, Economy and Environment, convened by the Government of Egypt and the UN Economic Commission for Africa from 7-9 September in Cairo, Egypt. The community of practice on African climate finance wish to contribute their voice to these processes to support effective outcomes and tangible results for the ‘Africa COP’.
