In Nigeria, perhaps compelled by an age-long religious culture, we have a question you will hear very often before meals and at gatherings, religious or irreligious. Someone –usually the person leading such meeting- will ask 'Who will pray for us?' The question simply opens the floor for divine intervention, a call to the transcendental to involve itself in the affairs of men and make them work. This question is usually a precursor to the barrage of pleas, entreating and prayers that eventually come flowing from one of the participants at such gathering. I have altered this question a bit, requesting, not from the ethereal, but questioning Africa itself, asking, who will pay for us?

Since the signing of the Paris Agreement by 178 countries in 2015, the conversation has shifted from intended actions of signatories to fulfillment of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC's) of these countries. In doing this, a major concern - and one especially for the Global South - has been how to finance these ambitious commitments. The continent has been bedeviled by the gaping chasm created between its financing needs and the available funding, and in fact a third cleft has been created- how to access available funding. Thus, the question, 'who will pay for us?' is one of the most important questions that can be asked in this century. We are impelled by the effects of climate change in this decade to ask pertinent questions like this that determine our future, and whether we will survive this mortal orb. Research has it that Africa is one of the worst regions that will be affected by climate change, while still one of the most struggling regions to access financing. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that adaptation expenditures for sub-Saharan Africa alone could total $67 billion by 2050, even in a 2 degrees celsius world. So, it is not then out of place to ask, who will finance Africa's climate resilience activities?

In a previous article, I enthused about how Ethiopia's coffee is under heavy threat and at the brink of extinction if nothing is done soon enough and I highlighted a few suggestions for financing within the Horn of Africa. There seems to be, however, an even more pressing need to consider a more systematic financing obligation for the continent as a whole and in order for that to work, it requires a collaborative effort, regionally and sub-regionally from countries in Africa. It is essential that African countries steer away from the norm of global dependence and explore regionally devolved, bottom-up structures as laid down by the Paris Agreement and, acting as a coordinated block of countries (rather than individual countries in their own space), there should be a harmonized implementation of their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC's) in ways that leverage funding and make it available to the countries that require it the most. We can depend on the Global Climate Fund all we want, and the World Bank and the IMF and International Donors, but if we do not figure out sustainable ways to provide climate financing for Africa, then Africa will always be at the receiving end, and that is a vulnerable point, one that speaks of a bleak climate future.

It is some good news that Africa has done a considerable lot in locally enabling finance for its own climate drive in recent times. Two institutions stand out in this uphill task. Africa's premier institution for mobilizing resources for Africa's economic and social development, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has in the past few years reiterated its commitment to support African cities, which are being impacted by the effects of climate change, and to build resilience, especially after it won accreditation for the Green Climate Fund during the early part of last year. Committing to the climate drive, the Bank has, through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) pledged to double its efforts towards meeting the cost of climate change adaptation, and true to its word, the AfDB in 2013 implemented a 10 year strategy to promote inclusive and green growth in Africa and has followed it up keenly till date. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also adopted a new platform on finance for climate action which was reached in June this year in Abidjan. The platform is set to be launched at this year's annual UN climate change conference – COP23 – to be held in Bonn, Germany in November 2017 and set to be replicated in 2018 with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia for South-East Asia and with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority in the Gulf Middle East and North Africa region. These milestones are indeed significant steps in the right direction, and proof that Africa is not waiting for anyone to finance its climate.

Among the laid down action points in the ECOWAS June Abidjan Declaration are items that must be put in place immediately, not just by the ECOWAS states, but throughout the African region. The Declaration recognizes the need to adopt a new model that involves crowding-in private sector funding for green investments. In order to do this, it highlights a need for knowledge dissemination. This is highly important to provide a repository for financial analysts, investors and private actors to properly understand the climate investment market. The Declaration also highlighted the need to use local expertise to pool investments with a view to benefiting local communities, who are most affected by the effects of climate change. The document also touched on the essence of a positive policy move that aids the growth of climate investment and green bonds. Doubtlessly, financing Africa's climate resilience requires a major shift in investment patterns towards low carbon and climate resilient options. Achieving this goal will require policies that involve unprecedented economic, social and technological transformation, as economies shift towards low-carbon and climate-resilient (LCR) infrastructure investments.

Finally, I must again point out how Green bonds and debts and de-risking financial instruments, and generally pooling capital market investments for Green development is a great way of financing climate in Africa. A regional capital market for Africa to float such bonds should be established in order to attract private sector funding on a continental level.

Evidently, both regionally and sub-regionally, Africa and her component states are taking positive action to finance Africa's climate drive, yet all we ask - all we should strive - for at this point, is a more concerted, systematic and strategic effort that involves dedicated policy action, advocacy, knowledge drive and a demystification of the climate investment market, and of course floating instruments that can pool private sector funding. So the next time anyone asks 'Who will pay for us?' I want us to boldly say 'We don't need anyone to. We're doing just fine'