Accra: Mr. Seidu Issifu, Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, has called for the urgent establishment of a climate debt forgiveness mechanism to support countries disproportionately affected by the consequences of climate change. He stated that developing nations, particularly in Africa, were being pushed into deeper debt traps as they struggled to cope with increasingly severe climate-related disasters, events they had little role in causing.
According to Ghana News Agency, the Minister of State made these remarks during a courtesy visit by the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) in Accra. The visit aimed to welcome him into Africa's climate negotiation leadership arena and explore areas of collaboration to advance Africa's common interests in global climate discussions. It also sought to align and coordinate Ghana's national actions with the African Group of Negotiators' continental agenda, while encouraging sustained advocacy on key priorities such as adaptation, loss and damage, and just transitions.
Mr. Issifu highlighted that in 2020 alone, Ghana lost 195 million U.S. dollars due to climate-related events like droughts and floods, with projections indicating potential losses of up to 550 million dollars annually by 2050 if no action is taken. He emphasized that this financial burden is a consequence of external development, urging African climate negotiators to unite in demanding global debt relief for climate-vulnerable nations.
The Minister underscored the unsustainable cycle of African governments being forced to borrow at high interest rates to fund adaptation and recovery efforts. He pointed out that the effects of climate change in Ghana extended beyond environmental damage, impacting health systems, agriculture, infrastructure, and economic productivity. He called for the integration of a debt-relief agenda into global climate negotiations, especially as preparations for upcoming COP summits intensify.
Mr. Issifu laid out his vision for Ghana's national climate agenda, which included establishing climate and sustainability units in all climate-sensitive ministries, forming a multi-sectoral technical working group to coordinate initiatives, and creating a climate action hub to centralize and scale up efforts. He stressed that coordinated support and consistent funding are necessary for building internal resilience, which can only be achieved by forgiving unjust debts.
He warned that if the current debt trajectory continued, African nations could face economic collapse, and the global north might become unable or unwilling to provide ad hoc funding support. Dr. George Wamukoya, Team Lead of AGNES, remarked that AGNES provides strategic, technical, and coordination support to the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) on Climate Change and plays a pivotal role in shaping unified African positions on climate-related issues. He noted that scientific evidence shows Africa as one of the most climate-vulnerable regions globally, facing frequent and severe weather events.
Dr. Wamukoya emphasized the importance of frameworks like Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) for identifying priorities and guiding investment, as no African country is fully adapted to climate change.
