Tanzania calls for diverse climate finance as philanthropy steps in to bridge Africa's funding gap at UNEA-7
By: Josephine Christopher
Josephine Christopher is a seasoned business journalist for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers.
Mwananchi Communications Limited
Nairobi. Tanzania advocates for a more diverse and accessible climate-financing framework, emphasizing the need for stronger collaboration between philanthropy, governments, and multilateral organizations to address the persistent funding gaps in Africa.
In a high-level panel discussion on "Philanthropy and UNEP: Driving Collective Action for a Healthy, Prosperous, and Resilient Planet" at UNEA-7 in Nairobi, Tanzania's Presidential Adviser on Climate Change, Dr. Richard Muyungi, highlighted the potential of philanthropic capital to play a pivotal role in unlocking the resources African nations require to achieve their climate goals.
"This partnership is already evident in Tanzania," he stated. "We have successfully collaborated with philanthropic organizations to promote clean cooking, expand energy access, and support community-level climate projects. Philanthropy fills critical gaps where traditional financing methods have been slow or inaccessible."
Dr. Muyungi pointed out that Africa continues to receive a disproportionately small share of private climate finance, accounting for only 4% globally, despite being among the regions most affected by climate change.
"This is why philanthropy matters," he emphasized. "We need pioneers and risk-takers who can unlock opportunities that commercial or institutional investors might hesitate to pursue. A systematic approach, where philanthropy collaborates with governments, the private sector, and climate funds, can significantly impact."
He underscored the strategic role of UNEP in facilitating access to climate finance by enhancing countries' technical capabilities, guiding proposal development, and assisting governments in meeting the stringent requirements of climate funds.
Africa faces persistent challenges in accessing major global climate-financing mechanisms. Dr. Muyungi cited several funds, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Adaptation Fund, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Loss and Damage Fund, and the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Fund, which hold substantial resources but remain difficult for many African states to access.
"Accessing these funds has been a challenge for Tanzania and the broader continent," he noted. "This is where philanthropy can step in, not to replace these mechanisms but to support readiness, build capacity, and help countries meet the complex technical thresholds required for approval."
Dr. Muyungi added that in Tanzania, philanthropic partnerships are increasingly taking shape at the community level, driving small-scale climate solutions. These initiatives serve as proof-of-concept pilots that can later attract larger investments.
He called for more structured partnerships between philanthropic foundations, African governments, UNEP, and the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), which he chairs.
On the sidelines of UNEA-7, Dr. Muyungi also held bilateral meetings with senior officials from the African Union Commission and the UNFCCC. Discussions focused on securing a unified African voice in climate negotiations, increasing Tanzania's representation in key climate institutions through appointments and secondments, strengthening national and regional capacity-building efforts, and aligning African countries around shared climate priorities ahead of COP30.
Dr. Muyungi emphasized the importance of these engagements to ensure that Tanzania not only benefits from global climate processes but also contributes meaningfully to shaping them.
As UNEA-7 progresses into its third day, Tanzania's message remains clear: addressing climate change in Africa requires more diverse financing, stronger institutional readiness, and deeper partnerships across both traditional and non-traditional actors.
UNEA-7 continues this week in Nairobi, with negotiations expected to shape global environmental priorities for 2025–2026.
