African leaders have called on developed nations to deliver climate finance as grants, honour past pledges, and reform global financial systems to make funding more accessible and equitable.
Gatekeepers News reports that the demand was captured in the Addis Ababa Declaration, adopted on Wednesday at the close of the second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2), held from September 8 to 10 in Ethiopia.
The leaders stressed that while Africa contributes the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, the continent suffers disproportionately from climate impacts. They estimated that Africa requires over $3 trillion by 2030 to meet its climate targets but received only $30 billion between 2021 and 2022.
The declaration underscored that climate finance is a legal obligation under the Paris Agreement, not charity, and urged the operationalisation of the loss and damage fund to support the most vulnerable nations.
On renewable energy, the leaders reaffirmed Africa’s ambition to install 300 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy capacity by 2030, achieve universal energy access, and scale up green industrialisation. Adaptation was also identified as the continent’s foremost climate priority, with calls for greater investment in food security, climate-smart agriculture, water systems, and resilient healthcare.
In his closing remarks, Bankole Adewoye, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, said Africa must be recognised as part of the solution to the climate crisis.
“We must move forward with one voice, one vision, and one brave commitment: to leave no African behind in the energy transition, to demand climate justice, and to invest boldly in African solutions for a dignified future,” he declared.
Ethiopia’s President, Taye Seassi, urged leaders to harness the continent’s abundant renewable resources for sustainable development, stressing that more than 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity.
“Our climate action must empower every household, every industry, and create millions of jobs. Africa is not waiting for aid; it is a source of solutions for the world,” Seassi said.
The summit, which highlighted energy, technology, and nature-based solutions, also saw African lenders pledge more than $100 billion under the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII). The programme aims to accelerate green industries and renewable energy projects across the continent.
Kenyan President William Ruto hailed the initiative as a shift “from conversation to concrete collaboration.”
Key signatories include the African Development Bank, Afreximbank, Africa50, Africa Finance Corporation, major private lenders, and the AfCFTA Secretariat.
