Dar es Salaam. As the world prepares for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, on November 10, African negotiators, civil society organisations, and climate experts convey one clear message: the Loss and Damage agenda must move from symbolic pledges to actual funding reaching affected communities on the ground.
For African countries, loss and damage are no longer theoretical, since climate-fuelled disasters are destroying lives, heritage, and economic stability across the continent.
The African Group of Negotiators (AGN) Chairman, Mr Richard Muyangi, said Africa enters COP30 with a decade of escalating climate impacts that demand stronger global support.
He pointed to climate-related harms already unfolding across the continent, stressing that African countries are facing mounting damages and require grant-based financing rather than loans that deepen debt.
Dr Muyangi noted that stalled progress on the proposed $1.3 trillion (Sh3,250 trillion) global finance goal limits the continent’s ability to respond to worsening climate shocks.
“The Global Goal on Adaptation is central to reducing vulnerability. Indicators should be there to measure real resilience and address impacts already being felt,” he said.
Dr Muyangi also warned that many National Adaptation Plans remain unfunded, preventing countries from managing growing climate losses, underscoring a persistent gap between Africa’s needs and available resources to confront climate damage.
Power Shift Africa, a climate think tank based in Nairobi, captures the urgency on its X account, stating: “Loss and damage is already a lived reality. Africa is losing lives, cultural heritage, farmland, coastlines, infrastructure, and public budgets to climate impacts it did not cause.”
The institution adds that with projected losses of $290 to $440 billion (Sh725 to Sh1,100 trillion) by 2030, Africa needs the Loss and Damage Fund to deliver finance directly to countries and communities, without years of bureaucracy or loans.
Across the region, communities that have lost homes to floods, watched fisheries collapse, or seen farmland turn barren due to drought feel the effects first.
Yet, financial support promised under global climate agreements has been painfully slow, often caught in lengthy processes.
The Africa Group insists the Fund must be fully operational, fairly governed, and capable of delivering timely support to vulnerable countries.
Speaking ahead of COP30, Kenya’s Climate Envoy and former AGN chair, Mr Ali Mohamed, stressed Africa’s expectations:
“Africa has been consistent and firm in its position on finance. We cannot afford delays. Communities are facing irreversible loss today, and delivery on commitments must have no reverse gear.”
The AGN is pushing for predictable, grant-based finance, not loans that increase debt burdens on already struggling economies.
African negotiators further insist that frontline communities must have direct access to resources, not only governments or intermediaries.
Civil society demands a justice-driven approach
African civil society is equally vocal, with the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) repeatedly urging COP30 to adopt a justice-centred approach that acknowledges historical responsibility.
In a recent regional communiqué, PACJA noted on X that: “Loss and damage finance must reflect the principles of climate justice. Communities that bear no responsibility for the crisis should not be forced into further debt or left behind by complex access procedures.”
CSOs argue the Fund must guarantee transparency, community representation, and accountability.
They warn that if the Fund is captured by large institutions or influenced by Global North donor conditions, it risks repeating past climate finance failures.
Experts warn of ‘too little, too slow’ funding
Independent African experts caution that existing pledges, though welcome, fall far short of what is needed.
Climate analyst and Power Shift Africa Executive Director Mohamed Adow recently warned that Africa cannot rely on goodwill: “Loss and damage costs for Africa alone could reach hundreds of billions of dollars by 2030. Token pledges won’t protect people who have already lost homes, crops, fisheries, and futures. COP30 must deliver tangible outcomes.”
Analysts also highlight that previous climate finance mechanisms, such as the Green Climate Fund, took years to reach countries at a pace Africa says is unacceptable amid escalating climate disasters.
What Africa is demanding at COP30?
With the Fund now established in principle, Africa sees COP30 as the moment to make it fully functional.
A clear set of demands is emerging across governments, NGOs, and experts.
Power Shift Africa summarises the continent’s call for COP30 in Brazil: “Fully capitalise the Fund, deliver finance as grants, not loans, guarantee direct access for frontline communities, recognise Loss and Damage as a permanent third pillar of climate action.”
The “third pillar” refers to treating Loss and Damage with equal importance to mitigation and adaptation, a long-standing demand from climate-vulnerable nations.
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