The three-day conference, co-hosted by the African Union and the government of Ethiopia, was held under the theme, “ Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development.
Across different quarters, the meeting of African heads of state in Addis Ababa for the second African Climate Summit (ACS2.0) in September was seen as a powerful moment of reclamation.
The Addis declaration, adopted after the three-day gathering, sent a clear message that the continent is positioning itself not just as a victim of climate change but also a hub of climate solutions and the next global climate economy.
That message crystallised in climate investments pledged at the summit, led by the unveiling of key initiatives: the Africa Climate Innovation Compact and the African Climate Facility, designed to unlock US dollars 50 billion for local climate action across the continent.
Further, African financial institutions and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) made a US dollar 100 billion pledge to support the continent’s green industrialisation plans. The Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII) framework aims to turn Africa’s renewable energy, minerals and industries into a climate-smart growth engine.
First unveiled at COP28 in Dubai, the framework builds on the commitments outlined in the Nairobi Declaration, an outcome of the inaugural African Climate Summit held in 2023.
Kenya’s president, William Ruto, who also chairs the committee of African Heads of State and Government on climate change, hailed the launch of AGII as a “ claim of Africa’s rightful place in the modern economy, not as a source of raw commodities, but as a continent of innovation, industry, and growth.”
Speech after speech at ACS2.0, leaders painted a picture of the Africa we live in. Catastrophic floods, drought, punishing heat waves and climate conditions that have upended the lives of thousands of individuals across the continent.
“Africa did not cause this crisis,” Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s prime minister, remarked. “Yet Africa can lead in solving it. We have the solutions to restore degraded land, capture carbon and produce green and clean power. We know what needs to be done. Now is the time to scale what works…”
But the story of what unfolded at the Addis Ababa convention cannot be told without looking beyond Africa’s borders. Even as more than 25,000 delegates met to advance Africa’s climate agenda, wars, economic uncertainty, and shifting alliances around the world are presenting hurdles to the fight against climate change.
Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), emphasised that climate finance must be fair, significant and predictable. “ The vulnerability of our member countries caused by climate change, debt burdens and the structural inequalities of the international financial system must be addressed through climate justice and genuine cooperation.”
Across decades and summits, the African continent, which is at the forefront of the climate crisis yet contributes less than four per cent of the global greenhouse emissions, has repeated one clear message: wealthy nations must pay for historical pollution.
However, despite repeated pledges, the flow of climate finance from developed to African countries remains far below what is needed. Between 2021 and 2022, Africa received only US dollars 30 billion against a need of nearly US dollars 3 trillion to meet its climate goals by 2030.
Back in 2023, ACS1.0 set the continent’s unified tone during the COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, including rallying behind the US dollar 1.3 trillion annual financing target, raising renewable energy generation from 56 GW in 2022 to 300 GW by 2030, and a new financing architecture that is fair and responsive to Africa’s needs.
On the climate finance front, Africa secured commitments worth USD 300 billion, a figure far below the scale required to meet the continent’s adaptation and mitigation needs. Progress toward the 300GW renewable energy target also remained largely nominal.
Analysts cautioned that the USD 300 billion in pledged finance would lean heavily on loans, not grants, deepening the debt load many African countries are already struggling to manage. At the same time, geopolitical rivalries and the dominance of fossil fuel interests at global talks diluted Africa’s push for a fairer climate agenda.
While African leaders reaffirmed their commitment to climate, and urged wealthy nations to honour their financing pledges and back Africa’s green transition, they warned against measures that could stall the continent’s industrial growth.
Akinwumi Adesina, who led the African Development Bank for a decade, warned at COP28 that the continent risked losing up to US dollars 25 million annually as a result of measures like the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Coming just two months ahead of COP30, ACS2.0 served as both a test and a statement of Africa’s readiness to shape the global climate conversation on its own terms. Dr Dion George, who led the South African delegation to Addis, said it offered much-needed clarity on Africa’s priorities going into the global talks.
“Climate finance is the critical enabler: without it, our people cannot thrive and our economies cannot grow. With it, Africa can drive a just transition, create jobs, and play a central role in the global effort to address the climate crisis.”
