Nardos BEKELE-THOMAS

Less than 1% of global climate finance reached smallholder farmers in 2025.

Yesterday at #COP31 in Antalya, we took a step to change that. AUDA-NEPAD signed an MoU with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to establish the Platform for Agricultural Carbon in Africa.

The timing matters. Demand for agricultural carbon credits has more than tripled, from about 1 million in 2021 to 3.2 million so far this year. The market is moving. The question is whether African farmers move with it or watch from the sidelines.

Our approach rests on three commitments:
1️⃣ Farmers and their organisations help write the rules from day one
2️⃣ Every credit reflects a real, verified climate benefit
3️⃣ The farmers doing the work get a fair share of the proceeds

Carbon markets can open a new path to finance for Africa's farmers, but only if they are built with them, not around them.

#COP31 #AfricaAtCOP31 #AUDANEPAD #ClimateFinance #CarbonMarkets #ClimateResilientAgriculture

I’m taking part in the COP31 Leaders’ Summit in Antalya, where the theme is “Towards a Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Future.” For me, that means protecting the development gains African countries are making as we expand access to energy and water, create jobs and build infrastructure that can withstand a changing climate.

Equity also means getting the terms of climate finance right. A renewable power project can earn revenue. An early warning system saves lives and often needs sustained public funding.

Both are worth investing in, and each needs financing that fits its purpose and that countries can afford.

@NEPAD_Agency @_AfricanUnion @UNFCCC @turkiyecop31

#COP31 #AfricaAtCOP31 #AUDANEPAD #Agenda2063 #ClimateAdaptation #ClimateFinance

It was a pleasure to attend the launch of the Angola Pavilion at @turkiyecop31 in Antalya. @NEPAD_Agency stands in solidarity with the Government of Angola and supports its transition to green energy.

The promise of that transition is practical. Reliable power keeps clinics running, and affordable electricity gives small businesses room to grow. A cleaner energy system can bring those benefits within reach of more people.

Angola is pursuing this transition at home while helping guide our work on Agenda 2063 as Chair of AUDA-NEPAD’s Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee.

Obrigada, Angola. 🇦🇴
#COP31 #AfricaAtCOP31 #Angola #AUDANEPAD #Agenda2063 #EnergyTransition

A drought can erase years of progress in a single season.

At #COP31, I’m calling for climate finance that protects Africa’s land and water while helping families earn a more secure living.

@NEPAD_Agency @_AfricanUnion @turkiyecop31 @UNFCCC 
@cop32ethiopia

#AfricaAtCOP31 #ClimateResilience #ClimateFinance #Agenda2063

I congratulate the Government of Ethiopia on the opening of the Ethiopia Pavilion at #COP31 in Antalya. Ethiopia’s experience in restoring degraded landscapes and expanding renewable energy is part of what it brings to the global climate conversation as it prepares to host COP32 in Addis Ababa.

Speaking at the pavilion, I reflected on how a climate shock travels through a food system. A drought can cut a farmer’s harvest and raise the price of food for families. A reliable school meal can help protect a child’s nutrition through that shock. Where schools can buy from local producers, those same programmes can also give farmers a more dependable market.

That connection should shape how we invest in adaptation. At AUDA-NEPAD, we see an opportunity to bring agriculture, nutrition and social protection together when developing climate investments.

As we look towards Addis Ababa, I want us to pay closer attention to who can access climate finance, what it enables them to do, and whether they can count on it when the next shock comes.

@cop32ethiopia @NEPAD_Agency @MFAEthiopia

#COP32 #ClimateFinance #ClimateAdaptation #Agenda2063