He has experience having participated in nine editions of United Nations Climate Change (COP) conferences. Nigerian activist Olumide Idowu, executive director and founder of the International Climate and Development Initiative Africa (ICCDI), has dedicated his life to publicizing and defending the climate demands of Nigeria and the entire African continent.
Olumide spoke to the Brazil Agency this Thursday (20), in the official space of COP30, which takes place in Belém. While the authorities of the negotiating countries enter into decisive moment of the conferencethe activist demands greater protagonism for the African continent and criticizes solutions that do not meet the real needs of the continent’s populations.
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According to the director of ICCDI, Africa seeks climate financing compatible with its needs, without territorial appropriation mechanisms. Olumide says that the moment demands immediate action:
“It’s past time we stop talking and start implementing. We’ve been talking for over 30 years, and it doesn’t seem like change is happening.”
Check out the main excerpts from the interview with Olumide Idowu below:
Brazil Agency: How does ICCDI Africa’s work work and what is the entity’s type of action here at COP30?
Olumide Idowu: We advocate building a climate-conscious generation across Africa, within local communities. We work on climate-related topics: renewable energy, water, sanitation, agriculture and biodiversity.
What we try to do as an organization is to reduce the distance between the community and the government, to identify problems and propose solutions through actions led by the communities themselves.
My presence here also aims to observe another dimension: what will happen to all the agreements that the Global South has been talking about? Because this is the only way to solve the problems we find ourselves in.
We see the discussions about climate finance, loss and damage, and I also want to follow what the Nigerian government is saying here. How they are viewing climate financing, which is very critical for the country.
And also listen to what the African Group of Negotiators is advocating, to ensure that all African countries are included in this space.
Belém (PA), 11/20/2025 – Interview with Nigerian activist, Olumide Idowu, climate activist from Nigeria, talks about COP30 negotiations and representation of African countries at the event. Photo: Bruno Peres/Agência Brasil – Bruno Peres/Agência Brasil
Brazil Agency: Can the organization connect with all countries in Africa?
Olumide Idowu: At ICCDI we already carry out projects in different African countries, although we are not yet a registered institution in those countries. But we have already made several interventions.
Our communication takes place mainly through social media, e-mail and also when we participate in in-person events, such as African Union meetings or invitations from UN institutions.
We also have a platform called Climate Wednesday. We bring young people, teachers and experts from different countries in Africa and around the world to talk about the problems we face and how we can solve them. We tell these stories so that they reach the base, the communities, helping to create feedback and engagement mechanisms.
Brazil Agency: Are you satisfied with Africa’s representation at COP30 and the position the continent occupies at the negotiating tables?
Olumide Idowu: Africa has presented very prominent voices at this COP. We are positioning ourselves so that the world understands what we need. What we advocate here is not just talk. It’s a movement. A movement to change the narrative of how we do things in the environmental field.
There is a saying in Africa: “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers”.
We have suffered for decades. It is time for Africa to embrace the potential of its resources and defend the rights of its people, so that our lands are not taken for carbon credits, offsets or carbon markets. Our lands must be productive, generate income and support local communities.
We are also discussing blue carbon — what will happen to our mangrove areas? Sometimes it feels like we are in a prison. It is said that we are all in the same boat, but it seems that our boats are different.
Africa is clearly saying: we need change! We need to move quickly, so as not to be caught halfway.
Brazil Agency: And what demands has the African bloc brought to the discussions?
Olumide Idowu: Africa is a continent of resources. We have a lot of resources. Any kind of resource you’re looking for in the world — we have it. We are rich by nature. That’s why we look for real solutions. We do not want carbon credits that result in land grabbing. We want climate finance that addresses adaptation and mitigation strategies.
This is why the African Group of Negotiators fights to ensure that the African continent is heard by the Global North and polluters — who must pay.
All this talk seeks to reposition Africa. We want Africa to stop being seen as a dumping ground and start being seen as a place of resources, where people want to invest and work.
Africa is not just here because of the population, but because of what we are facing and what we seek to solve, step by step.
Brazil Agency: November 20th is an important date in Brazil, Black Consciousness Day, which speaks to African heritage. Is it possible to connect African and Afro-descendant Brazilian struggles at COP30?
Olumide Idowu: First of all: black is gold. We are valued because we come from a continent of strength. But there is the challenge that many are unable to stay here at COP, because it is expensive, and end up returning home to avoid debt.
Africa is a continent full of opportunities. Africa is bold, it is gold, it is valued — and our lands are fertile for investment. Today, I celebrate every black man, woman and child in Brazil and Africa. I wish you all a great celebration.
Regarding our struggles and COP30, I think it’s past time for us to stop talking and start implementing. We’ve been talking for over 30 years, and it doesn’t seem like change is happening. Our leaders need to rethink.
We need more digital capacity, more training, so that they understand what climate change is and see the consequences it will bring in the future. We must move from ambition to action, to achieve more — for Africa and the entire world.
