African Nations Defend Large Delegations at COP28 Conference

African governments have justified their decision to send large delegations to the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, despite criticism.

Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and Uganda were among the nations with the largest teams, with Nigeria leading the list with 1,411 delegates.

Nigeria and Kenya clarified that a significant portion of their delegations comprised individuals representing media, civil society organizations, and private institutions, who were not publicly funded.

Some listed delegates were participating remotely. Nigeria’s State House spokesperson, Hussein Mohammed, criticized the delegate numbers as “exaggerated” and stated that the national government had approved only 51 essential delegates, with the remainder sponsored by various groups.

Tanzania’s government claimed that over 90% of its delegation was sponsored by the private sector.