Despite its modest contribution to climate change, which is approximately 4%, Africa is now particularly affected by it. The World Meteorological Organization estimates that 17 of the 20 countries most threatened by climate change are in Africa. In a report titled State of the Climate in Africa 2024, the organization notes that the average surface temperature in Africa in 2024 was about 0.86°C higher than the average for the period 1991-2020. The phenomenon that already costs 2% to 9% of national budgets across the continent will be one of the priorities of Sidi Ould Tah, the new president of the African Development Bank.
Africa, whose population is expected to double by 2050, is paying a heavy price for climate change. According to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), North Africa and West Africa are particularly affected, with temperature increases expected between 1.5°C and more than 3°C, depending on the assumptions taken into consideration, affecting the health, productivity, and food security of the populations. A significant impact in a context where 60% of the workforce depends on agriculture, but 20% of the continent’s population lives in food insecurity.
In 25 years, one in four people will be African, and Africa’s active workforce will be larger than China’s. Alain Dreyfus says that « the decisions we make today and the decisions we will make in the years to come will be decisive for the future of Africa, especially in light of its significant demographic evolution.
Sidi Ould Tah, AfDB’s president-elect
One of the challenges facing the new president of the African Development Bank, Sidi Ould Tah, will be climate finance. However, current climate financing needs in Africa are between $1.6 and $1.9 billion. A large portion of the available climate funding is provided as loans rather than grants, leaving the continent in debt. Under the presidency of Akinwumi Adesina, the AfDB recently issued a $750 million hybrid capital on the global climate capital markets.
You have seen that the Horn of Africa is suffering from floods and many atrocities related to climate change. When you look at the Sahel region, the desert, famine are increasing every day. You have seen what happened in Malawi, Mozambique, regarding floods. However, we are not responsible. Our level of vulnerability is high, and yet we do not have sufficient funds to manage the atrocities that occur in Africa. I think we need to start thinking about adaptation as a priority. We need to refine our financing to meet the commitments we made in Paris in 2015.
John Kioli, Chairman, Climate Change Working Group in Kenya
The fight against climate change in Africa relies mainly on cross-border collaborations. The Great Green Wall initiative supported by the African Development Bank is an example. This project aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 by planting a 8,000 km long forest belt across the Sahel, from Senegal to Djibouti. An initiative that aligns with the Nairobi Declaration published in 2023 following the first African climate summit held in Kenya. A statement that calls for a 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from African countries by 2030.
