BY MBONGENI NDLELA
MBABANE – Eswatini has placed climate justice at the heart of Africa’s green development agenda.
Speaking at the Second Africa Climate Summit in Ethiopia, Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini, representing His Majesty King Mswati III, stressed that while Africa contributes the least to climate change, it bears the greatest burdens.
The Premier painted a vivid picture of the continent’s struggle: devastating floods, prolonged droughts, and disrupted agriculture threatening millions of livelihoods. For Eswatini, where over 70% of citizens rely on rain-fed farming, the stakes are particularly high. Despite this, the Kingdom has pledged a 5% emissions reduction by 2030 and is investing in adaptation measures, from land degradation neutrality projects to climate-smart agriculture.
However, Dlamini was emphatic that ambition alone cannot bridge the gap. Africa needs nearly US$3 trillion by 2030 to meet its climate goals, yet current climate finance flows are alarmingly insufficient. Eswatini joined other nations in calling for transformative financing, moving beyond aid to strategic investment in local innovation. He demanded reforms in Multilateral Development Banks to increase concessional finance and ensure Africa’s fair representation.
He further urged for the operationalization of critical mechanisms such as the Fund for Loss and Damage and the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance. Importantly, he warned against unilateral measures like the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which threatens to drain Africa of up to US$25 billion annually by 2030.
Eswatini’s vision of a just transition is rooted in fairness: energy transitions must not leave people behind. Instead, they must create jobs, strengthen local industries, and expand access to clean and affordable energy. The Kingdom’s message to the world was powerful, climate justice is not a plea for sympathy but a demand for fairness, dignity, and partnership.
(Pic: EBIS News)
