Governments in Africa must walk the talk on climate change

Deficit in forecasting capability exacerbates the vulnerability of African countries to weather-related catastrophes. [iStockphoto]

Climate change discourses like the recent Climate Summit held in Nairobi continue to be welcomed. However, from the look of things, African countries seem to fail to walk the talk. We hold conferences and meetings related to climate change, but meaningful actions emanating from these discussions are thin on the ground. Clearly, there are some fundamental issues which need to be addressed.

First, implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) needs to be addressed. The NDCs, as part of the Paris Agreement, are supposed to be the pillars for the fight against climate change. Most of the current discussions do not inform the audience how far African countries have gone in implementing their NDCs. I came across one senior official from an African country who informed me that her country is still waiting for funding to start implementing their NDCs. This means that while African countries' climate change negotiators are still talking about the issues, their discussions have little relevance to what they are actually doing, or not doing, at the country level. From reports in the available literature, it is unfortunate that NDCs are under-funded and in some instances, no funds have been allocated for local implementation. In Kenya, for example, only 13% was earmarked locally and 87% was supposed to be mobilized from external sources. If African countries are to take climate change seriously, they must take a proactive approach and prioritize climate change, even as they await so-called promised donor funds which take forever to be accessed. As the saying goes, 'charity begins at home,' so African countries should revisit this issue of NDCs.