President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s attendance at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, has sparked widespread outrage due to the exorbitant cost of his 238-person delegation.
This figure, released by COP29 organisers, dwarfs those of other African nations, raising serious questions about resource allocation amidst Zimbabwe’s crippling drought and widespread food insecurity.
The sheer scale of the Zimbabwean delegation stands in stark contrast to those of other nations. South Africa, with a population sixty times larger, sent only 51 delegates; France, 63; Mozambique, 78; and Botswana, 39. This disparity is particularly striking given that over half of Zimbabwe’s population currently requires food aid due to the country’s worst drought in four decades. The irony of such lavish spending on a climate summit, while citizens struggle to survive, has not been lost on critics.
Adding to the controversy, the government is providing each delegate with a daily allowance of US$1,000 for five days, totalling US$1.2 million. President Mnangagwa’s travel arrangements further exacerbate the situation. He travelled to Baku aboard a privately chartered Boeing 737-700 BBJ, owned by Royal Jet Services, at a cost of US$12,700 per hour. The 18-hour round trip alone cost the taxpayer over US$200,000, excluding the cost of empty leg flights between Dubai and Harare.
The total cost of the five-day trip is estimated to approach US$2 million, a sum that could provide vital food assistance to thousands of impoverished Zimbabweans. This figure includes the cost of commercial flights for the majority of delegates, further highlighting the perceived extravagance of the trip. The contrast between this lavish spending and the desperate needs of the population has fuelled widespread anger and criticism.
While President Mnangagwa addressed the summit on Tuesday, stating that “the time for half measures is over and we all have a duty to implement our agreements,” his message appears to have been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the delegation’s size and cost. His speech, delivered alongside approximately 30 other African heads of state and government, focused on the continent’s unified position on climate finance and the ongoing negotiations for a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG).
The NCQG aims to replace the 2009 pledge by developed countries to mobilise $100 billion annually for climate action in developing nations. Negotiations have been protracted, hampered by disagreements over the fund’s size, eligible funding types, contributing parties, and the handling of adaptation, mitigation, loss, damage, and accountability. Despite the importance of these discussions, the Zimbabwean government’s extravagant spending on its delegation has overshadowed the country’s participation in the crucial climate negotiations.
Adding to the official delegation of 238, an additional 44 individuals are listed under a category titled “Overflow,” indicating their independent travel arrangements to Baku. The lack of transparency surrounding the composition and expenses of the entire delegation has further fuelled public criticism.
