COP31: Ghana pushes for climate finance justice

At the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, Ghana's Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, Seidu Issifu, urged wealthy nations to fulfill their commitments to climate finance and ensure Africa receives its equitable share of funding to combat the effects of global warming. The continent, despite being one of the most vulnerable to climate change, continues to see a lack of sufficient financial support despite its contribution to global emissions being relatively minimal compared to high-emitting nations.

Issifu emphasized that the Paris Agreement places the responsibility on the countries responsible for most of the global emissions to provide support to developing countries striving to implement climate action measures. President John Dramani Mahama has been appointed as a Green Climate Fund (GCF) replenishment champion by Ghana, positioning the country at the forefront of global efforts to gather resources for climate action.

This appointment, according to Issifu, provides a significant opportunity for Ghana to leverage climate financing to propel national development. Nonetheless, he cautioned Ghanaian institutions not to be passive, urging them to position themselves to access and utilize the available climate funds as President Mahama leads the efforts to mobilize resources.

Issifu stressed that Ghana is committed to moving beyond mere pledges to climate action to measurable results, calling for clear roadmaps and timelines to track progress within a shorter timeframe. Furthermore, he called on the private sector to partner with the government in mobilizing resources and implementing interventions to mitigate the impact of climate change.

In a bid to increase its presence and commitment to global climate action, Ghana has established its own national pavilion at COP31, marking a year since it had to rely on borrowed space at the previous summit.