All focus shifts to Ethiopia next week as it prepares to host the second Africa Climate Summit(ACS2), following Kenya’s landmark 2023 summit that birthed the Nairobi Declaration and ignited a bold collective call at both continental and global levels.
The summit, scheduled for 8-10 September in Addis Ababa, aims to build on the achievements of the maiden one and will emphasise solutions led by African nations, assess the progress of commitments, and outline a plan for future actions.
Additionally, the event, expected to bring together over 25,000 participants, will focus on strengthening systems and institutions to foster impact, climate finance, adaptation, resilience, trade, innovation, and technology.
As the continent is among the most vulnerable regions to climate change, the biennial summit was initiated by the African Union to give Africa a unified voice and greater influence in the global climate agenda and, most importantly, to serve as a provider of climate solutions. With over 100 million people already affected by climate change, the continent has a vital role in voicing this reality and building a climate-resilient, low-carbon future.
It is no surprise that in a bid to amplify its voice globally, the African Union strategically scheduled the event before several major global gatherings, including the November G20 Summit in South Africa, the UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30) in Brazil, Climate Week New York, and the UN General Assembly, later in September.
Nairobi Declaration
The first Summit aimed to redefine Africa’s role in the climate fight and demonstrate that the continent is not a passive recipient of aid, but an active leader. It proved its potential as a green powerhouse, including its role as a carbon sink and its production of renewable energy.
The Summit adopted the Nairobi declaration with African Heads of State and Government calling on the global community to unite and take urgent action to reduce emissions, meet existing obligations, uphold prior commitments, and assist the continent in addressing climate change.
Specifically, they urged efforts to reduce emissions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement, honour the pledge to provide US$100 billion annually in climate finance, and promote climate investments to stimulate growth and help African countries achieve a stable middle-income status by 2050, among other objectives.
Key pledges from Africa included enhancing efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, deforestation, and desertification, advancing the green revolution, and finalising and implementing the African Union Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.
So far, progress has been made in policy, as Kenya recently launched Africa’s first registry dedicated to REDD+ projects, aiming to integrate the sector into its national carbon accounting system, and committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 35 per cent after updating its Nationally Determined Contribution, submitted to the United Nations in April.
The Nairobi Summit has already achieved some success in enhancing Africa’s visibility and influence on the COP platform. For example, in 2023, Africa negotiated the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund, securing pledges of about $400 million on the first day of COP28 in Dubai.
Last year, at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, African nations negotiated as a single bloc and secured $300 billion in public climate finance, significantly less than the expected $1.3 trillion. This funding aims to help vulnerable communities adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.
Build Momentum
The Addis Ababa Summit should build on the momentum and once again remind the world that success in climate action is achievable when all stakeholders are engaged and when commitment and cooperation are prioritized. It should emphasise that the urgent need to decarbonize the global economy presents an opportunity to promote equality and shared prosperity for both the Global South and the North.
The summit presents a significant opportunity for the continent to establish itself as a leader in global climate action and a symbol of hope, showcasing successful initiatives that not only reduce emissions but also improve the livelihoods of marginalized communities.
The Summit should highlight Africa’s innovative, home-grown approaches to tackling climate change by blending traditional knowledge with modern science, rooted in local realities, and emphasizing resilience through climate-smart agriculture, agroforestry, and REDD+ projects, such as the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ in Taita Taveta County.
It should also remind the world how millions of local communities and indigenous peoples across Sub-Saharan African countries are leading climate adaptation through nature-based solutions and community-led resilience projects, and pioneering climate-smart agriculture.
On the other hand, despite Africa setting ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions, it faces significant financing shortfalls, often seen as the main obstacle to effectively tackling climate change.
Access to and transfer of environmentally sound technologies, including those supporting Africa’s green industrialization and transition, should remain a key demand, alongside ongoing calls for climate finance for the Global South, which is crucial for addressing the climate crisis effectively and equitably.
The summit should relentlessly press for financial commitments and structural reforms aligned with climate challenges and economic growth needs. It should also urge the Global North to uphold its longstanding commitments to climate finance.
We hope that as the continent shapes its unified approach ahead of COP30 in Brazil, the Addis Ababa Declaration should reinforce the importance of global commitment to climate action amid global warming and the necessity for all governments to participate.
Ms. Olivia Adhiambo Ojwando is the Climate Policy Director for Africa at Wildlife Works.
