Somalia’s president brings a climate plea to Addis Ababa as Africa seeks a united front
ADDIS ABABA — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Ethiopia’s capital on Sunday as leaders from across Africa convened for the second Africa Climate Summit, a gathering that has shifted in recent years from platitudes to a sharpened insistence: poor nations deserve more money, and faster, to cope with climate shocks.
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Mohamud was greeted at Bole International Airport by senior Ethiopian officials and joined other high-level arrivals, including Tanzania’s Vice President Philip Mpango and the vice president of Libya’s Presidential Council, Mossa E.B. Elkony. Their presence signals the summit’s importance not only as a forum for declarations but as a diplomatic arena where competing priorities — adaptation versus mitigation, national sovereignty versus regional solidarity, development needs versus debt relief — will be negotiated.
From Mogadishu to Addis: why Somalia’s voice matters
For Somalia, the summit is not a diplomatic photo op. The Horn of Africa nation has been at the sharp end of climate change for years: alternating cycles of drought and flash floods, collapsing harvests, livestock losses and mass displacement have combined with political fragility to produce one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises.
“We are coming to Addis to make Africa’s case louder: our people are already paying the price of a crisis they did not make,” read a statement from the Somali presidency released as Mohamud landed. “We will press for predictable finance for adaptation, for early warning systems, and for assistance that reaches communities — not just capitals.”
That framing — demands for adaptation finance, early warning systems and direct support to communities — reflects a wider shift in climate diplomacy. African leaders are increasingly vocal about the limits of mitigation-focused funding when entire regions need immediate, practical help to survive changing rainfall patterns and shrinking rangelands.
Summit aims and the wider stakes
The Africa Climate Summit, hosted by Ethiopia, is intended to consolidate a continental position ahead of global climate negotiations. Leaders will push for larger sums for adaptation, faster disbursal of funds, and a role in shaping how global finance is used. They will also likely intensify calls for compensation for “loss and damage” — the irreversible costs poorer countries are incurring from extreme weather — an issue that has become a thorn in North–South climate diplomacy.
For Somalia, the calculus is immediate and political. Investing in water infrastructure, drought-resistant crops, livestock support and social safety nets could blunt some of the displacement and food insecurity that feed instability. But such measures require sustained money — not the short-term aid cycles that have long characterized humanitarian responses.
- Adaptation: communities need resilient water systems, soil restoration and climate-smart agriculture.
- Early warning: better forecasting and communication could save lives by allowing faster evacuations and resource shifts.
- Debt and finance: leaders argue that high debt burdens hinder their ability to invest in climate resilience.
Diplomacy, donors and the search for tangible commitments
The summit will also test the willingness of global partners to move beyond promises. African nations have long complained that while the continent contributes the least to global emissions, it receives a disproportionately small share of climate finance. That frustration fuels a broader debate about fairness and the architecture of climate funding.
“The ask is simple but urgent: make money accessible, predictable and flexible,” said Amina Yusuf, a Nairobi-based climate policy analyst. “Adaptation is not glamorous but it is lifesaving. African leaders are pledging national reforms and regional cooperation — donors need to match that with real commitments.”
These are political as much as technical discussions. Ethiopia, as host, is reviving its role as a diplomatic convenor in Africa even as it manages domestic tensions. For Mogadishu, aligning closely with peer capitals in Addis Ababa signals a desire to position Somalia as a serious negotiator on the climate agenda, not merely a recipient of aid.
Questions that will shape the summit — and Africa’s future
As the summit unfolds, a handful of questions will determine whether this becomes a turning point or another well-intentioned gathering:
- Will wealthy nations commit to new, large-scale, multi-year financing for adaptation and loss-and-damage, and will that funding be delivered through mechanisms African governments find reliable?
- Can African states present a united front that balances national priorities with continental bargaining power, avoiding fragmentation that weakens their leverage?
- Will the summit produce practical, measurable outcomes — new projects, regional early-warning systems, or debt-for-climate swaps — rather than only lofty pledges?
For communities in Somalia’s rural hinterlands, the answers have immediate consequences. A resilient water pump or a functional early-warning alert can mean the difference between a harvest and hunger. For leaders, aligning those technical interventions with diplomacy and finance will be the real test.
Meaning beyond Addis
Even as the summit brings capitals together, global geopolitics shadows the discussions. China’s infrastructure investments, European climate diplomacy, and Gulf states’ shifting aid priorities all play into how African states secure financing. None of those actors can be ignored — nor can the hard realities on the ground that leaders like Mohamud carry with them.
As President Mohamud steps into conference rooms in Addis Ababa this week, he carries a message that extends beyond Somalia: Africa seeks a seat at the table where climate budgets are decided, and it is asking not for charity but for just, practical, and urgent tools to protect lives and livelihoods in a changing climate.
Will the summit convert words into durable resources on the ground? For millions across the continent — and for fragile states like Somalia — the answer cannot wait.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
