BENEDICT Okey Oramah, the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), spoke out against the unfair expectation of climate change mitigation from Africa during the press launch of the bank’s 30th anniversary celebrations and 2023 annual general meeting in the Ghanaian capital Accra, Koku Devitor reports.
According to Oramah, Africa cannot be held responsible for the causes of climate change and should not bear the burden of mitigation. He emphasised that Africa and its people are victims, rather than contributors, to climate change. Citing examples such as the flooding in Malawi and South Sudan, as well as the threats of desertification and rising sea levels to island economies, Oramah argued that Africa does not generate the carbon emissions that lead to these problems.
Oramah further highlighted Central Africa as the leading carbon sink in the world, absorbing more carbon than it emits. He questioned the logic of expecting a region that absorbs more carbon than it emits to take on mitigation measures. Oramah pointed out the use of kerosene lamps by rural African children and asked, ‘Are you going to tell that person to be energy efficient, to switch off the kerosene lamp? We think our emphasis must be on adaptation, where the risks are for us.’
Drawing attention to the continent’s per capita emissions compared to global targets, Oramah emphasised that Africa still has room to emit more in order to meet its energy needs for industrial development. He called for global discussions to put pressure on the countries responsible for the majority of carbon emissions to reduce their emissions while Africa focuses on adaptation.
‘Africans have room to emit more because we need to have the energy to run our industries, but others have to reduce theirs for things to be better. Global discussions about this must put pressure on those who contribute most of the carbon to reduce carbon emission while we deal with adaptation. We should not meet, talk, but do nothing,’ Oramah urged.
Oramah announced the launch of the climate adaptation facility and its implementation in Kenya as a response to the pressing need for adaptation. Acknowledging limited financial resources, he expressed the bank’s commitment to addressing the continent’s greatest climate change challenge through targeted interventions.
Mohammed Amin Adam, Ghana’s Minister of State for Finance, cautioned against heeding calls for mitigation, stating that Africa risked losing a significant source of revenue for development. He pointed out that around 50 percent of many African countries’ revenue comes from oil exports. Amin estimated that adhering to calls for mitigation would result in the stranding of at least 500 billion barrels of crude oil, with detrimental consequences for development. Instead, he suggested exploring environmentally friendly ways of exploiting these resources, citing Norway’s success as an example.
‘About 50 percent of revenue to many African countries comes from oil export. So if we respond quickly to what the heavy-polluting countries are asking us to do, we will lose a substantial part of our revenue for development. We need to think about that,’ said Amin.
The statements by Oramah and Amin reflect the growing recognition that Africa’s focus should primarily be on adaptation efforts to address the immediate impacts of climate change, while urging wealthier nations to take greater responsibility for mitigating emissions. As climate change poses significant challenges to the continent, African countries seek to strike a balance between sustainable development and environmental preservation.