Imagine trying to grow but being held back by forces you didn’t create. While wealthy, industrialised countries are the primary contributors to climate change, Africa is still struggling to take its first steps toward development.
Despite contributing almost nothing to the problem, Africa is set to face the worst of its consequences.
Africa, with just 4 percent of global carbon emissions, stands vulnerable to the effects of climate change—effects that it had no hand in creating. According to the United Nations, African nations, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, will bear some of the worst impacts.
“In Nigeria, while the country is committed to climate action, it needs more time to balance development with environmental protection.”
Adapting to these changes will cost between $30 billion and $50 billion every year, a sum that most African nations simply cannot afford.
Even countries with the potential to adapt face numerous challenges: low productivity, high debt, a rapidly growing youthful population without corresponding economic transformation, poverty, underdeveloped technology, and insecurity.
As Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of Nigeria and the leader of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said in a 2024 United Nations programme, reaching net-zero emissions by 2030 is a monumental challenge.
In Nigeria, while the country is committed to climate action, it needs more time to balance development with environmental protection.
Africa’s rapidly growing population—currently 1.5 billion and projected to double by 2070—exacerbates the continent’s struggle. Yet, Africa only attracts $53 billion in foreign investment, which is just 4 percent of the global total, according to The Economist.
It’s a bitter irony: The continent with some of the world’s richest natural resources is bearing the brunt of climate change.
In contrast to the past, where industrialised nations grew without much regard for the environmental consequences—an idea rooted in Simon Kuznets’ Environmental Curve, which suggests that environmental degradation worsens during early stages of industrialisation but improves with wealth—
Africa now finds itself paying the price for the benefits others gained without considering the long-term environmental costs.
Africa is already feeling the impacts of climate change. Droughts, floods, extreme heat, and food insecurity are costing the continent 2-5 percent of its GDP every year. According to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, 17 of the 20 most vulnerable countries to climate change are in Africa.
These climate challenges are compounded by socio-political unrest. In 2024, youth-led protests erupted across Africa in response to poor governance and economic struggles. In Kenya, protests against tax hikes expanded into broader calls for accountable leadership.
In Nigeria, the #EndBadGovernance movement demanded an end to economic hardships. Similar protests have spread across Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, and Mozambique, with young people pushing back against corruption and ineffective leadership.
In West Africa, regional instability has grown following the expulsion of US and French forces in countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Sudan’s civil war, exacerbated by foreign interference, further added to the unrest.
This surge in protests reflects the growing frustration among African youth, who are disillusioned by governments that have failed to meet their needs.
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As Sir Mo Ibrahim points out, “Unmet expectations, especially for young people, fuel frustration and anger—the best triggers for unrest and conflicts.” These frustrations are driving an increasing wave of protests, highlighting the disconnect between Africa’s potential and its current struggles.
Growing economies with strong institutions and opportunities are essential for social stability, and they are critical for withstanding the climate crisis. However, to answer why Africa must bear the consequences of others’ actions, one must also look inward.
Africa’s biggest challenge isn’t just climate change—it’s the political dysfunction that hinders adaptation and economic transformation. Decades of misgovernance, corruption, and weak institutions have left many African nations unable to mobilise resources effectively.
The problem isn’t just external injustice but also internal failures. Many leaders prioritise short-term political survival over long-term environmental planning. Despite global commitments, climate finance for Africa continues to fall short.
In 2009, developed nations pledged to mobilise $100 billion annually by 2020 to support climate action in developing countries. Yet, it wasn’t until 2022 that this pledge was finally met, with $115.9 billion provided, according to OECD data.
However, this amount still falls far short of Africa’s pressing climate financing needs. Between 2019 and 2020, the continent received an average of $29.5 billion in climate finance, of which only $11.4 billion was allocated to adaptation.
This is a fraction of the $580 billion estimated to be needed for climate adaptation between 2020 and 2030, according to Brookings. Moreover, Africa’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) call for approximately $2.8 trillion between 2020 and 2030, an amount that exceeds 93 percent of the continent’s GDP, according to UNDP data.
This significant financing gap underscores the urgent need for wealthy nations to fulfil—and expand—their financial commitments to help Africa mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.
Unfortunately, even when funds are received, Africa often lacks the institutional capacity to manage large-scale adaptation projects effectively. Funds are frequently misallocated or lost to inefficiencies.
The African Union estimates that corruption costs the continent over $148 billion annually, draining resources that could have strengthened climate resilience. Without sufficient and reliable funding, the continent remains ill-equipped to confront the escalating climate crisis.
Africa must enhance governance and transparency to ensure the efficient use of resources and the effective implementation of climate policies.
In addition, Africa should prioritise climate-smart agricultural practices to increase food security and resilience to climate impacts. Investing in renewable energy sources like solar and wind will reduce reliance on fossil fuels and improve energy access.
To escape this vicious cycle, Africa must take decisive action—not just by demanding climate justice but by reforming its governance structures. Without addressing internal weaknesses, Africa risks remaining the world’s biggest victim of a crisis it neither caused nor is equipped to fight.
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