Johannesburg 18 November 2025 Amid global climate negotiations, as we move closer to implementing the Baku to Belém Roadmap with COP30 being held this month, Africa finds itself at a critical juncture. The continent must not only secure its share of what is projected to be a $1.3 trillion climate investment pipeline, but also prove it is worthy of this financing. 

This is key when the Roadmap requires that funding be used effectively, transparently, and in an equitable manner. None of this money can be wasted at a time when Africa urgently requires assistance in limiting the adverse effects of climate change. 

If climate finance transparency is the backbone of the Baku to Belém Roadmap, then African technology companies must be its vital organs, tracking climate investment from disbursement to measurable climate outcomes through the intelligent use of data. 

Across the continent, businesses are deploying artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and data analytics – from precision agriculture in Kenya to forest-monitoring systems in the Congo Basin. These examples show that the technological capability already exists. 

Despite this, Africa's tech sector remains largely sidelined from building the public sector technology and capability needed to track and report climate investment impact.

While African startups build innovative monitoring solutions, they're rarely commissioned to create the government tracking systems that could address corruption, the very issue that sees billions in climate finance lost to misappropriation across the globe each year. The result is a persistent data gap that limits access to finance, weakens accountability, and undermines global transparency goals. 

Africa needs to ensure that any use of climate finance is beyond reproach.
 

Why data matters 

Data, when turned into information, transforms investment into outcome. It enables us to see whether money is being used effectively and whether promises are being kept. This is key for good governance – something Africa has been criticised for lacking. When we have these insights, climate finance becomes measurable, comparable, and verifiable, building the trust required for long-term financing partnerships. 

African countries contribute minimally to global carbon emissions, yet they are highly vulnerable to climate change. The effects include increased water stress, reduced agricultural yields, and heightened inequality. Millions have been displaced by drought, floods, and crop failures – all because the globe is getting too hot, too fast. 

For Africa to reach Net Zero, we will need around $2.8 trillion – and that figure is already out of date. The African Development Bank Group estimates corruption amounts to around $10 billion, which is money lost to healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Many observers believe the true figure is much higher. 

There is a solution. We can use Africa's skilled data scientists and expert software developers to track financial flows and help reduce the money leaving our shores each year. In doing so, we strengthen governance through transparency, accountability, and data-driven oversight, which is a safeguard for Africa’s climate future.

African solutions for African challenges 

Moreover, data helps us identify where urgent intervention will make the greatest difference and lift communities out of crisis. Why not use the talent already available on the continent? This will create much-needed jobs while skilling up the next generation of data scientists. 

Africa already has AI-driven climate models and satellite-enabled monitoring of forests and farmlands. These are powerful examples of what’s possible when local expertise meets local context.

African companies are proving that technology built on the continent can solve global problems. Let's harness the skills we have at home to ensure money is used as intended and directed where it's most needed. 

African data scientists bring two critical advantages: technical capability and on-the-ground knowledge. They understand local realities, governance structures, and community needs in ways external actors cannot. They know which regions face the most urgent threats and where funding will have the greatest impact.
 
This combination of technical sophistication and contextual intelligence is exactly what the transparency challenge demands. It is also how we will demonstrate good governance through measurable impact.

A matter of urgency

The Baku to Belém Roadmap created the framework for coordinated international action. Now African innovation must fill it with substance.
 
International donors and multilateral institutions should prioritise partnerships with African technology companies when building climate finance tracking infrastructure. 

African governments must recognise their domestic tech sectors as strategic climate assets, investing in digital public infrastructure that supports transparent climate governance. 

And African companies should step forward with confidence, knowing that their locally developed solutions can meet and even set global standards. 

The technology exists. The talent exists. The urgency is undeniable. 

Africa can lead the world in climate finance transparency, if we choose to trust our own capabilities and act with the speed this moment demands.