By The Africa Make Big Polluters Pay (MBPP) Coalition has renewed its call for climate reparations, urging that African nations and the Global South be compensated for the devastating environmental impacts they suffer despite contributing the least to global emissions.
During a virtual two-day summit hosted by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), climate experts, journalists, and advocates from across the continent emphasized the need for urgent action and accountability. Dr. Nnimmo Bassey of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) said Africa has long been exploited for its resources and now faces catastrophic threats like sea-level rise and coastal erosion.
“These are not new challenges,” Bassey said. “Africa has been stripped for centuries. Now we bear the brunt of a crisis we did not create.” He stressed the dual approach of climate mitigation and adaptation, urging stronger financial support for African communities.
Corporate Accountability’s Managing Director, Elvis Méndez, was blunt in his message: “Reparations are not charity—they are justice.” He added that while emissions are driven largely by the Global North, it’s the Global South, particularly Africa, that suffers the consequences. “We live in precarious times. Corporations must be held to account.”
CAPPA’s executive director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, called on African communities to resist environmental destruction and demand payment from those responsible. “It’s time for the polluters to pay,” he said, adding that justice must be central to global climate conversations.
As part of the summit, over 50 journalists received training on climate reporting and storytelling, empowering them to better hold governments and corporations accountable. “Africa cannot afford silence,” said Dawda Cham of HELP-Gambia. “The truth must be told—and told loudly.
