President John Dramani Mahama has called on developed countries to fulfil their long-overdue climate finance commitments, insisting that support to vulnerable countries must come as predictable grants rather than loans.

Speaking during the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday, September 24, President Mahama said climate change was placing a disproportionate burden on Africa, despite the continent contributing less than four per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

"Climate justice demands that developed nations fulfil their long-overdue financial commitments. Mitigation support must be operationalised with predictable, non-debt-creating grants, not loans that further indebt fragile economies," he insisted.

President Mahama said Africa was already experiencing the effects of climate change through erratic rainfall, coastal erosion and accelerating desertification in parts of the continent.

He cited Ghana’s experience on June 29, when torrential rainfall exceeding 160 millimetres was recorded across seven coastal regions within 24 hours, resulting in 39 deaths and leaving one person missing.

“For those who have declared climate change a hoax perpetrated by geopolitical opponents, the warnings of recent times cannot have been clearer,” he said.

He pointed to melting glaciers, flash flooding, droughts, record-breaking heatwaves, bushfires and hurricanes as “unmistakable signals of an overburdened planet".

President Mahama described climate change as “the ultimate test of global equity", stressing the need for a fairer approach to financing climate action in vulnerable countries.