African Negotiators Seek Public Climate Finance at COP31

The African Group of Negotiators is entering the COP31 summit, hosted by Türkiye and led by Australia, with a primary objective of establishing a dedicated agenda item to discuss public climate financing under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement. Nana Dr Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, chair of the group, argues that Africa has won the moral argument regarding climate responsibility but continues to face a decline in official development assistance.

To secure these funds, African representatives plan to use the continent's reserves of critical minerals, including cobalt and lithium, as leverage. The goal is to transition from being raw material exporters to becoming industrial partners in the global energy transition. However, some analysts warn that Western governments may undermine this collective strategy by pursuing individual resource deals with specific countries.

The summit, scheduled for November 9 to 20, will also feature a proposal from the Government of Türkiye to increase the global electricity supply to 35% by 2035. African advocates have expressed concern that this transition must not replace fossil fuel dependence with a new cycle of debt dependence.