The 21st Conference of the Parties (COP), which convened in Paris last December, made history as the first time in which a global consensus was reached to flight climate change. Chief among the outcomes of the meeting was increased funding from developed countries to help emerging nations implement programmes to fight and curb carbon emissions. However, these funds haven’t been of much help to African countries, which have had difficulties accessing these monies in the past. In fact, according to the Climate Policy Initiative, countries in Asia and Western Europe received USD 119 billion and USD93 billion, respectively, to pursue green initiatives. Africa, however, only garnered USD2.3 billion for their projects. As the Paris Climate Conference provides new funding opportunities, what needs to take place for countries like Ethiopia to benefit? EBR’s adjunct staff writer Meseret Mamo spoke with insiders to learn more about the challenges of accessing competitive global financing and what’s being done to improve the country’s chances.