OPINION: Africa Climate Summit 2 - Charting Africa’s climate future

The continent is preparing for the second biennial Africa Climate Summit (ACS2), a good moment to reflect on progress since the inaugural summit in Nairobi in 2023, and to define Africa’s role in shaping global Climate Action. The key questions remain: what is in it for Africa, what role should the people play, and what outcomes should we expect?

A Critical Moment

The summit comes at a historically significant time. The impacts of climate change are intensifying across regions, while conflict, fragility, and food insecurity are on the rise. At the same time, global geopolitics remain fragile, influencing diplomacy and the ability to address these pressing issues collectively.

Looking Back: ACS1 and the Nairobi Declaration

The first Africa Climate Summit in 2023 culminated in the Nairobi Declaration, which outlined Africa’s collective priorities in clear and ambitious terms. It called for green growth and renewable energy to drive industrialisation, coupled with a strong push for the fulfilment of the long-promised USD 100 billion per year in climate finance.

The Declaration went further to demand reforms in the global financial system, including reduced borrowing costs, debt restructuring, and the establishment of a new Global Climate Finance Charter by 2025.

Equally important was the call for the full operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund, as well as the creation of a measurable Global Goal on Adaptation with clear indicators and targets. The Declaration underscored the urgency of halting biodiversity loss, restoring degraded lands, and advancing regenerative blue economies. On food systems, it committed to climate-positive agriculture, regenerative farming, sustainable water management, and resilient food production.

The Declaration also stressed the importance of a just transition, including clean cooking solutions to ensure inclusivity and equity. It recognised that climate change exacerbates vulnerabilities such as migration, displacement, and socio-economic stresses, and therefore emphasised the need for peace, stability, early warning systems, disaster risk reduction, and resilience-building.

The Declaration also mandated the African Union Commission to develop an implementation framework. The summit attracted pledges of over USD 26 billion in climate finance from public, private, and multilateral sources.

Developments Since ACS1

Since 2023, global climate negotiations have continued through COP28 and COP29, producing mixed outcomes. Climate finance discussions shifted from the unmet USD 100 billion pledge to new targets of USD 300 billion annually, with informal conversations suggesting an even higher figure of USD 1.3 trillion.

The Loss and Damage Fund has been operationalised, although contributions remain far below the scale of need. At the same time, indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation are being finalised and are expected to be unveiled at COP30. Food systems have stayed high on the agenda, with events such as the Africa Food Forum taking place in Senegal this week, highlighting sustainable approaches.

The climate-conflict nexus is also gaining recognition, though it is yet to be formally integrated into the UNFCCC agenda. Most importantly, the implementation framework for the Nairobi Declaration is still awaited and has not yet been made public.

Expectations for ACS2

ACS2 will bring together high-level meetings, panel discussions, side events, exhibitions, networking, and bilateral engagements. The conversations are expected to cover a wide range of pressing priorities. Central to these will be sustainable food systems, with particular emphasis on agroecology, alongside a strong push for the meaningful inclusion of marginalised communities.

Climate finance reforms will take centre stage, with gender-responsive Climate Action positioned as a crucial pillar. The summit will also advance discussions on the green transition and industrialization, while keeping a sharp focus on ensuring a just transition, especially as the UNFCCC’s Just Transition Work Programme approaches its conclusion. In addition, issues such as carbon sequestration, trading, and the broader decarbonization of industries are set to feature prominently in the dialogue.

Another expected outcome is a general, clear and united position of African negotiators across the negotiation streams ahead of COP30, ensuring the continent enters the talks with coherence and strength on the COP30 agenda. Equally important will be a declaration on the African state that will host COP32, which will further cement the continent’s leadership in global climate diplomacy.

Priorities for Africa

For Africa, ACS2 must go beyond broad commitments and translate ambition into concrete, context-specific action. The summit should centre the transformation of food systems as the pathway to achieving food and nutrition security across the continent.

It must also integrate conflict sensitivity into Climate Action, recognizing how fragility and insecurity are deeply intertwined with climate impacts. A just and inclusive transition should be pursued with particular attention to marginalized groups, ensuring that no community is left behind. Adaptation needs to be placed firmly at the core of Africa’s climate agenda, in line with progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation. Finally, ACS2 should serve as a moment to assess and reflect on the progress made in implementing the outcomes of ACS1, drawing lessons to strengthen future action.

Another critical issue is debt cancellation. With 2025 marking a Jubilee year, and the theme of “Turning Debt into Hope” gaining traction through movements like the People’s G7, Africa should renew its call for ecological debt cancellation. The Jubilee 2000 campaign led to debt relief for 37 countries (31 in Africa), freeing resources for development. Today, similar action could help African nations redirect resources toward climate resilience and sustainable development.

The Way Forward

ACS2 must conclude with a robust and implementable roadmap for realising the Nairobi Declaration. This roadmap should be inclusive, assigning clear roles to diverse stakeholders, and ensuring that actions uplift, rather than marginalise, vulnerable communities.

The Declaration from ACS1 remains Africa’s key contribution to global climate negotiations. With ACS2 in Addis Ababa, September 2025, the continent has an opportunity to solidify its leadership, track progress, and build renewed partnerships that advance Africa’s climate and development priorities.