Abuja: A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), People, Planet and Peace Foundation, has advocated a joint action among African countries to curb climate change within the continent. Mr. Olatunji Francisco, the Lead of the Climate Beyond Borders Caravan, an initiative of the Foundation, made the call during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Francisco emphasized that a unified African voice in global climate action is both achievable and crucial for climate justice, equity, and sustainability on the continent. Despite Africa being at the forefront of climate change impacts, its participation in global climate decision-making remains fragmented across various regions and sectors. African countries face shared climate challenges such as drought, floods, food insecurity, health crises, desertification, and migration due to forced displacement. Francisco noted that the continent often participates in global climate platforms from isolated national or regional perspectives.
Francisco stated that the Climate Beyond Borders Caravan aims to transform Africa’s climate advocacy into a collective journey, uniting regions and amplifying lived realities. By physically connecting communities and symbolically uniting voices, Africa can present itself with clarity, strength, and purpose on the global climate stage. The initiative involves an overland journey to connect African regions physically and symbolically, uniting voices from West, Central, South, East, and North Africa.
Francisco further explained that the initiative seeks to transform advocacy from conference rooms to live, people-centered engagements by moving across borders and communities. This journey will serve as a mobile platform for youth dialogue, evidence gathering, solidarity building, and continental messaging. It will culminate in a unified African climate position presented at global platforms such as the Conference of Parties (COPs), African Union forums, and International Climate Dialogues. The goal is to build and project a coordinated, inclusive, and youth-driven African voice on climate action through a Pan-African advocacy journey that connects grassroots realities with global climate policy processes.
Miss Olabisi Kumuyi, the Secretary of Climate Beyond Borders Caravan, Nigeria, reiterated the foundation’s readiness to connect climate-affected communities across African regions through a shared advocacy road journey. She stated that the initiative would document and amplify local climate realities, solutions, and indigenous knowledge along the route. The initiative aims to strengthen continental solidarity among youths, Civil Society Organisations, faith actors, scientists, and policymakers to harmonize regional climate priorities into a unified African Climate Advocacy Statement. It will also influence global climate negotiations by presenting Africa’s collective demands on adaptation, finance, loss, and damage. The journey will culminate in a continental convergence point at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the unified African message will be formally presented. Kumuyi identified the theme of the initiative as ‘Unified African Voice in Global Climate Action- African Advocacy
Initiative.’