Advancing Africa’s Climate Action Agenda at Cop 29: Strategic Priorities

Executive Summary

The paper advances policy discourse and roadmap for the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) under Kenya’s leadership, as Africa prepares for COP 29. The brief highlights key issues that the AGN should prioritize and lobby for in the upcoming negotiations in Baku, Azerbaijan. These include (i) urgent operationalization of the Loss and Damage fund to ensure fair and timely disbursement of climate finance; (ii) the need for Africa to advocate for a just energy transition orientation that balances renewable energy investments with the continent’s development aspirations; (iii) scaling of adaptation finance to support Africa’s National Adaptation Plans and resilience-building efforts; (iv) developing the African Center for Excellence on Climate Action (ACECA) as a central and reputable hub for coordinating afro-centric climate research, policy development, capacity building, and advocacy and accountability interventions and; (v) prioritizing climate-smart agriculture and sustainable food systems. Kenya’s leadership of the continent needs to recognize the Baku summit as an important platform for building on lessons learned and successes achieved in previous COP meetings in order to secure equitable access to climate
finance and advance concessions that are attuned to Africa’s unique vulnerabilities and priorities. Collectively, these actions are essential to ensuring that Africa’s interests are safeguarded and advanced in the design and formulation of the global climate policy framework.