Africa: COP31's focus on delivery will fail Africa if climate finance and technology continue to be designed externally

What the report says

In a guest column published by Bird Story Agency on AllAfrica, Shorai Murwira argues that COP31 should treat Africa not only as a region vulnerable to climate change, but as a source of practical solutions already being developed by farmers, communities and entrepreneurs across the continent. The piece says African people are often left out of climate decision-making even though they are adapting on the ground through changes in planting patterns, land restoration, flood-risk mapping, wetlands protection and local energy systems.

The article says this imbalance is reinforced by unequal research funding, citing Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change figures showing most Africa-related climate research funding from 1990 to 2020 went to institutions outside Africa. It also points to a major adaptation-finance gap: the United Nations Environment Programme has estimated developing countries will need far more adaptation funding by 2035 than was available in 2023. Murwira warns that finance can be ineffective if it is designed far from the communities meant to use it, or if it depends on technologies that are hard to maintain, govern or afford.

The column highlights examples of locally shaped adaptation, including farmer-led seed systems, community-owned mini-grids, and wetland restoration. It argues that African innovation should be understood broadly, including cooperative and community-based work, not just laboratories or patents. The piece ultimately calls for COP31, scheduled for Antalya, Türkiye, to put local ownership, direct funding and African knowledge at the centre of climate action, while keeping governments and international institutions accountable for support.