Sierra Leone minority leader criticizes climate finance bureaucracy — MyJoyOnline

Sierra Leone’s minority leader said during an extraordinary session of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States in Accra, Ghana, that excessive bureaucracy in the global climate finance system prevents vulnerable countries from promptly receiving the necessary funds.

As MyJoyOnline reports, the parliamentarian said that complex administrative procedures slow access to resources for responding to climate challenges in West Africa. According to him, states facing immediate climate threats should be able to receive financial support more quickly.

Access to financing

According to the politician, countries most vulnerable to floods, droughts, coastal erosion and other effects of climate change benefit insufficiently from existing climate finance mechanisms, despite global commitments under the Paris Agreement.

He also stated that countries with high greenhouse gas emissions must support states that suffer disproportionately from climate change through accessible and timely financing mechanisms.

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Proposals for ECOWAS

The minority leader called on ECOWAS to create special mechanisms that would help member states navigate administrative procedures related to obtaining climate finance. In his view, regional support structures could reduce delays and facilitate access to funding for adaptation, disaster preparedness and environmental projects.

Separately, the parliamentarian called for stronger accountability in the use of climate funds. He insisted that the ECOWAS Commission should regularly report to lawmakers on spending, implemented projects and their impact.

At the same meeting, Ghana’s Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang called on West Africa to speak more coherently at global climate negotiations in order to attract funding for sustainable agriculture, water resource management, coastal protection and clean energy.