By Chuks Oyema-Aziken (Baku, Azerbaijan)
African lawmakers have vowed to monitor funds disbursed to tackle climate change in the continent.
They stated this during a meeting of the African Network of Parliamentarian on Climate Change at the ongoing COP29 in Baku Azerbaijan.
Member Nigerian House of Representatives and a member of Africa’s Network of Parliamentarians on Climate Change, Dr Ahmed Saba who was at the meeting said the group also agreed that the funds should be monitored in order to ensure more money come to Africa.
“Again we have resolved here at the parliamentary network that virtually all the members cut across from every country that are here agreed that all the funds that we make available for the climate change actions will be oversight and monitored so that more money will come to Africa because the challenge of those people that are bringing the resources that who are the people that oversight the resources who are the people that sit and budget on the resources the challenge we have is mitigation and adaptation and the resources is there but how to bring the resources to the country is the major problem.”
“Yesterday at the IPU a lot of people spoke about it that this is 29 years of COP and we discuss policies every day when are we going to see implementation that’s why people like us have to leave our country Nigeria and come back to Baku, Azerbaijan that we must stand for our people to make sure that the fund made available to be used and also to be oversight for example as a farmer we experience drought, flood high heat and there are resources for all this how do you go to oversight how these resources get to the grass these are the kind of challenges that we are having that all the legislators all over the world come together that we must oversight this fund to make sure we have a policy act that will make sure that all these climate change are resolved,” he said.
According to the lawmaker representing Edu/Moro/Patigi Federal Constituency “all the Parliamentarians have come together in the world that funding is major challenges or to solve a climate problem in the world that all the nations should come together increase the budget on the climate finance and also to look for a way out where all the climate financing can be able to become and bring back the countries that participated in the COPE 29”
Dr Saba also noted that the Parliamentarians also emphasized that the gap between the fossil fuel and renewable energy should to be reached.
“This is because people that cause this problem of climate change those people need to be paid they need to pay there are societies go to Niger Delta in Nigeria you see what’s happened there the environmental problems all those are not yet resolved cleanup of Niger Delta is not yet resolved and these people that cause it so those who have to pay so that they can clean Niger Delta and before we move to renewable energy.
“And the renewable energy we are talking about today is another thing that Mr. President, Bola Tinubu have also started the process by introducing the CNG and the EVC and a lot of things are coming up by also introducing the solar system to the rural areas and also the mini grid to connect the rural areas to the rural electrification facilities so all those things are there these are the kind of things that we put up together today you can hear it from our communique that we must stand all this we executed before Brazil COP30,” he added.
Director, Climate Policy Centre, Mr. David Awolala supported the move by the lawmakers, saying that African network of Parliamentarians on climate change, is working to ensure that there is support in providing adequate national budgets, legislation to support climate action in the continent.
Mr. Awolala urged African negotiating bloc, to look inward and see how national parliaments can support domestic finance by partnering with public-private sector to ensure adequate budgetary provision to drive climate adaptation and mitigation action.
“Of course, the Global North has been trying to play some games with regard to their commitment towards the US$100 billion climate finance goal. This creates opportunities for developing countries, especially the African negotiating bloc, to look inward and see how national parliaments can support domestic finance and also look at quite a number of public-private partnerships to ensure that there is adequate budgetary provision to drive climate adaptation and also mitigation action.
“I want to congratulate the African group of negotiators expert support for bringing up this initiative on behalf of Africa and for the first time we are having a network of parliamentarian to drive this cause for Africa,” he said.
