By Big3Africa News Desk
Africa has delivered its clearest and most united message at COP 30 in Belem making it clear that climate finance must finally work for Africa.
Leaders at Africa Day in Belém forum under the banner “At the Forefront of Climate Action: Sustainable Financing for Inclusive and Resilient Green Growth,” demanded fair carbon pricing, direct access to climate funds, and a just energy transition that protects livelihoods and ensures no African community is left behind.
They reaffirmed that Africa is not seeking charity but partnership built on respect, justice, and shared responsibility.
The gathering brought together ministers, development partners, youth representatives, civil society and leaders African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), and Afreximbank.
AUC Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Moses Vilakati set the tone with a declaration that felt more like a warning than a plea.
“Africa speaks with one voice that is bold, united, and leading on climate justice… We are not passive recipients of the global transition but active architects of fair, inclusive, African-led climate solutions.”
Much of the day discussions focused on one transformative truth that the continent is rich in what the world needs for a green transition, yet poor in what it receives for providing it.
Africa is home to cobalt, manganese, rare earths minerals that power batteries, electric vehicles, and new energy systems. Yet African countries earn only a sliver of the final value.
Leaders argued that with sustainable and innovative financing, Africa could shift from exporting raw ores to manufacturing batteries and green technologies that power the future.
AfDB’s Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, Dr Kevin Kariuki, underscored this ambition: “We are taking decisive steps to close Africa’s sustainable financing gap, strengthen adaptive capacity, and accelerate climate action through innovation, partnerships, and financial leadership.”
He pointed to the Bank’s renewed agenda of the Four Cardinal Points that focus on unlocking the continent’s financial sovereignty, turning demographics into dividends, and building resilient, value-adding infrastructure.
Africa’s carbon markets also emerged as a rallying point. Despite holding tremendous carbon sink potential, the continent captures less than 1 percent of global carbon credit revenues. With African-led governance, fair pricing, and transparency, leaders estimate the market could generate up to $100 billion annually and create five million green jobs by 2030.
But unlocking such potential requires a global financial system that doesn’t trap African countries in cycles of debt.
The discussants took direct aim at the failures of COP29 in Baku, where African leaders called for a global climate finance goal of $1.3 trillion per year by 2030, including $300 billion for Africa. Instead, the final agreement leaned heavily on loans and external intermediaries, leaving nearly 60 percent of climate funds as debt obligations.
Speaking for ECA’s Executive Secretary, Cosmas Milton Ochieng captured the urgency: “Reshaping the global financial architecture is not just a matter of fairness. It is a prerequisite for survival.”
He stressed the need for predictable, transparent, equitable financing that reaches African governments and communities directly and not through costly, bureaucratic channels.
