For African city leaders, the escalating climate crisis is a daily reality. Yet, the vital flow of climate finance needed to build resilient urban infrastructure remains a largely unfulfilled promise, leaving communities exposed and services vulnerable.
Despite a growing recognition of the threats, from flooding in Lagos to droughts in Cape Town, adaptation finance is critically lagging. An analysis of South Africa’s climate finance landscape reveals that only 11.3% of tracked funds supported adaptation, well below the African average. The situation in Nigeria is similarly stark, where adaptation finance covers a mere 6% of the country’s estimated needs. This deficit leaves cities without the resources to invest in the climate-resilient water systems, energy networks, and transport infrastructure essential for protecting growing urban populations.
The bottleneck is no longer a lack of plans, but a failure to translate them into bankable projects. As highlighted at the recent Africa Climate Summit, the urgent need is to move “from planning to implementation” by providing investment-ready pipelines and de-risking instruments to attract private capital.
While initiatives like the C40 Cities masterclasses in Accra are strengthening municipal capacities, and partnerships like the Aqinile programme advocate for direct access to finance, the consensus is clear. Closing the climate finance gap requires a decisive shift from pledges to projects, ensuring that funds finally reach the urban front lines where the battle for a resilient Africa will be won or lost.