Regional implications of the AGF recommendations: Africa

This executive summary outlines the implications for Africa of the United Nations Secretary’s High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Finance (AGF) report, which proposes methods to raise US$100 billion annually by 2020 for climate investment in developing countries.

• Africa faces a substantial shortfall in climate investment. While the AGF's goal of US$100 billion per year may be insufficient, the report suggests credible options to reduce this gap, prioritizing immediate concessional funding from public sources for 'win-win' investments that simultaneously reduce climate vulnerability and support economic development in areas such as institutional development, literacy, and public health.
• Private investment is necessary to ensure that the increasing energy demands of Africa are addressed through the use of low-carbon technologies.
• Revenue sources such as levies on international transport and the auctioning of emission allowances may lead to fluctuating revenues based on carbon prices. To achieve the US$100 billion target, the AGF indicates that emissions cuts must be deep enough to maintain a stable carbon price between US$20–25 per tonne.
• International transport levies are expected to raise trade costs for African countries. The AGF acknowledges the necessity of compensation for these impacts, noting that such compensation can be designed while still preserving significant climate-finance resources.
• Carbon markets currently do not function effectively for Africa, despite their potential to deliver a significant portion of low-carbon investment. Proposed remedies include incorporating land-use change emissions into these markets, alongside broader reforms to improve the investment climate to attract the private sector.

APA

Fankhauser, S., & Ward, J. (2010). Regional implications of the AGF recommendations: Africa. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/AGF-Implications-Africa-CDKN-Precis.pdf

Chicago

Fankhauser, Sam, and John Ward. Regional implications of the AGF recommendations: Africa. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2010. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/AGF-Implications-Africa-CDKN-Precis.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fankhauser |first1=Sam |last2=Ward |first2=John |title=Regional implications of the AGF recommendations: Africa |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=November 2010 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/AGF-Implications-Africa-CDKN-Precis.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fankhauser2010regional, author = {Fankhauser, Sam and Ward, John}, title = {{Regional implications of the AGF recommendations: Africa}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2010}, month = nov, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/AGF-Implications-Africa-CDKN-Precis.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }