Funding flows for climate change research on Africa: Where do they come from and where do they go?

Abstract

Africa has only contributed a fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions yet faces disproportionate risks from climate change. This imbalance is one of many inequities associated with climate change and raises questions concerning the origin, distribution and thematic prioritisation of funding for climate-change research on Africa. This article analyses a database comprising USD 1.51 trillion of research grants from 521 organizations around the world and covering all fields of research from 1990-2020. Only around 3.8% (USD 1.262 billion) of global funding for climate-change research is spent on African topics – a figure incommensurate with Africa’s share of the world population and vulnerability to climate change. Moreover, institutions based in Europe and North America received 78% of funding (USD 480.25 mill.) for climate research on Africa, while African institutions received only 14.5% (USD 89.15 mill). Africa-related climate research focuses most on food systems, ecosystems and fresh water and 28% of research funds go to the social sciences. Research on climate mitigation received only 17% of the funding while climate impacts and adaptation each received 40%. Except for Nigeria, funding supported research on former British colonies more than other African countries. These findings highlight the need to prioritise research on a broader set of climate-change issues in Africa and to increase funding for Africa-based researchers in order to strengthen African ownership of research informing African responses to climate change.

Keywords: Africa, climate change, mitigation, adaptation, research financing