Africa’s climate finance gap stems more from weak institutions than lack of funding – Dr. Anka

By Aliyu Inuwa Mansir On Jul 9, 2026

Africa, climate finance , institutions, funding, Umar Saleh Anka, — Dr. Umar Saleh Anka

The Director of Climate Change at the Kano State Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Umar Saleh Anka, has said Africa’s biggest challenge in accessing climate finance is not the shortage of global funds but weak institutions, limited technical capacity and poor coordination across governments.

Dr. Anka stated this at a virtual presentation titled “Systemic Barriers Constraining Africa’s Ability to Mobilize and Absorb Climate Finance” during the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN) 3rd Western Regional Dialogue on Bridging Africa’s Climate Finance Gap.

According to him, although trillions of dollars are required annually to tackle climate change globally, African countries continue to struggle to access available climate finance because many lack the institutional readiness needed to attract and effectively manage such resources.

“The gap is not primarily about the existence of money—it is about the capacity to reach it, structure it and use it,” he said, noting that Africa receives significantly less climate finance per capita than Asia and Latin America despite its high vulnerability to climate change.

Dr. Anka identified three major barriers undermining Africa’s climate finance readiness: weak institutional and governance frameworks, inadequate technical expertise and absorptive capacity, and fragmented coordination among government agencies and stakeholders.

Read Also: How climate change turns seasonal diseases into growing health threat — Expert
He explained that many countries still lack dedicated climate finance units, effective inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms and strong political leadership to champion climate finance initiatives, while existing policies are often poorly aligned with international funding requirements.

SolaceBase reports that the climate expert also observed that many ministries and agencies lack the expertise required to prepare bankable proposals that meet the standards of major international climate funds, adding that weak public financial management systems have further constrained countries’ ability to monitor and account for climate-related expenditures.

Speaking on inclusiveness, Dr. Anka said youth-led and grassroots organisations remain largely excluded from climate finance opportunities due to complex application processes, limited visibility and inadequate institutional support, despite being among the closest actors to communities affected by climate change.
Using Kano State as a case study, he said the state has established a Climate Change Department and is working to strengthen coordination with key ministries and development partners.

He added that Kano has adopted the PACE Public Sector Readiness Assessment Checklist to identify institutional gaps and improve its preparedness to access climate finance.

To improve Africa’s access to climate finance, Dr. Anka called for the establishment of permanent inter-ministerial climate finance coordination bodies, stronger public financial management systems, a regional technical assistance facility for proposal development, tailored support for public institutions, businesses and youth-led organisations, and trust-based multi-year financing mechanisms.

He maintained that closing Africa’s climate finance gap would require strengthening institutions, building technical expertise and ensuring coordinated governance that enables countries to mobilise and absorb available global climate funds effectively.