AT THE CLOSE OF ACS2, AFRICA CLAIMS ITS PLACE IN GLOBAL CLIMATE LEADERSHIP WITH MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR COMMITMENTS TO FINANCE LOCALLY-LED CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

The final day of the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) concluded with a clear call to position Africa, not as a mere victim of climate change, but as a driver of solutions and the next global climate economy. ACS2 was hosted by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in collaboration with the Africa Union under the theme: “Accelerating Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development”.

The Addis Ababa Declaration Successfully Adopted

At the close of ACS2, the African Leaders Addis Ababa Declaration on Climate Change and Call To Action was officially adopted, heralding a historic moment that puts Africa at the forefront of global climate action.

The Leaders Declaration called for “strengthened and sustained support to scale up the implementation of African-led climate initiatives such as the African Union Great Green Wall Initiative, the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative, and the Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative.

Climate Finance and Other Commitments and Announcements Made at ACS2 Including;

African leaders and partners of Africa pledged for financial and innovative commitments to the continent for the implementation of African-led solutions including:

• The Africa Climate Innovation Compact (ACIC) and the African Climate Facility (ACF), were established under the initiative of H.E. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, committing to mobilize $50 billion annually in catalytic finance to champion climate solutions that accelerate innovation and scale local climate solutions across the continent. The Compact aims to deliver 1,000 African solutions to tackle climate challenges in energy, agriculture, water, transport, and resilience by 2030.
• Leaders were clear that adaptation finance is the legal obligation from the developed world, not charity. Africa stressed that adaptation finance must be delivered in the form of grants, not loans that worsen already fragile debt burdens. To correct the imbalance of the climate finance in Africa, a landmark deal was struck to operationalise the long-awaited African Climate Change Fund, supported by the African Development Bank, which will channel green bonds and innovative financing instruments built for Africa’s realities.
• Heads of State and Government spoke with one voice in demanding urgent reform of multilateral development banks to lower borrowing costs and expand African representation in global financial governance.
• The Government of Denmark announced $79 million for supporting agricultural transformation.
• African financial institutions such as AfDB, Afreximbank, Africa50, and AFC signed a landmark Cooperation Framework to operationalise the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII), backed by $100 billion mobilised for green growth and aiming at transforming Africa’s renewable energy, resources, and industries into a climate-smart growth engine.
• The Government of Italy reaffirmed its commitment to its pledge of $4.2 billion to the Italian Climate Fund, devoting about 70% of this to Africa. It signed an MoU with Ethiopia so as to benefit from this initiative.
• The second phase of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) called on partners to collaborate actively in AAAP 2.0, which aims to climate-prepare Africa’s food systems, future-proof infrastructure and urban zones, seeking $50 billion investment and unlocking resilient finance at scale by 2030.
• The EIB Global has signed technical assistance agreements with Zemen Bank SC, Dashen Bank SC and Hibret Bank in Ethiopia with facilitation through the “Readiness support for greening central banks” of the NDC Partnership as part of EIB Global’s devotion to supporting €100 billion of investment by the end of 2027.
• The Mission 300 Agenda and the Clean Cooking Initiative were advanced to ensure that 300 million Africans gain access to modern energy and 900 million to clean cooking solutions within the decade.
• Leaders further called for Africa’s share of global renewable energy investments to rise from a meagre 2% today to at least 20% by 2030, a shift that would finally reflect the continent’s potential as a renewable energy powerhouse.
• The Summit pushed for the Green Minerals Strategy, a blueprint to ensure that cobalt, lithium, copper, and rare earths fuel not only global clean energy supply chains but also local beneficiation, job creation, and industrialisation.
• Leaders pledged to establish dedicated financial mechanisms for addressing climate-related health threats, from deadly heatwaves to the spread of vector-borne diseases.
• ACS2 also marked the official launch of the newly developed Africa Just Resilience Framework (JRF), which will work alongside the Climate Justice Impact Fund for Africa (CJIFA) to provide a framework and funding for local climate initiatives. CJIFA has already dispersed 64 grants in 17 African countries.

Over the three days of the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2), an Amazing Interactions of the Participants Achieved.

• Over 25,000 delegates, including heads of state and government, ministers, representatives of the civil society, development partners, private sectors, local community and indigenous peoples, farmers, youth, and academia, converged here to deliberate and chart a way forward for their future and for posterity. 
• 23 Pavilions at the Addis International Convention Center (AICC) hosted interactive debates by thousands of participants from African countries, regional organisations and development partners.
• Over 43 exhibitions by the private sector presented innovations and commitments for green growth and low-carbon development.
• Over 240 mandated and official side events focused largely on African-led climate solutions and explored new pathways.

ACS2 Laid Down the Road to Belem for Africa’s Effective Engagement at COP30

At a time when many global summits have been reduced to finger-pointing and stalemates, ACS2 was notable for its spirit of cooperation. The presence of leaders from across the African Union Member States, alongside global partners, representatives of the civil societies, private sectors, faith-based organizations, community based organizations, local communities and indigenous people all over the globe, reinforced the message that climate is the ultimate test of multilateralism. 

This summit has shown Africa and the world that when nations come together to seek solutions, better outcomes follow. The summit’s success is proof that Africa can convene, lead, and deliver outcomes that reverberate globally that will directly Cary into COP30 and beyond.

The Government of Ethiopia and African Union Commission will continue their leadership to implement the Addis Ababa Declaration and support the initiatives that came out of the ACS2.

END of the press releases

In a related news:

Ethiopia Launches its NDC 3.0 at ACS2

he Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia officially launched its third-generation Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), covering the period from 2025 to 2035, during the Second Africa Climate Summit at the Ethiopia Pavilion.

Ethiopia’s NDC 3.0 commits to a conditional 70.3% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 compared to business-as-usual (BAU), up from 68.8% in the previous update, alongside an unconditional 30.7% reduction.

The launch was officiated by H.E. Seyoum Mekonen, State Minister at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Planning and Development, who underscored Ethiopia’s ambition and commitment to climate action:

“Ethiopia’s Enhanced NDC3 is a call to action, our commitment to turn climate vulnerabilities into drivers of sustainable growth. With initiatives like the Green Legacy and the GERD powering over 5,250 megawatts of clean energy, we are building resilience while advancing prosperity. We have pledged USD 22.13 billion through domestic efforts and call on partners to help mobilize the additional resources needed. Together, we can secure a fair Ethiopian contribution to global climate goals and a resilient future for our people.” –  H.E. Seyoum Mekonen, State Minister, Ministry of Planning and Development, Ethiopia

Global leaders and partners, including Ms. Melanie Robinson, Global Director for Climate, Economics and Finance at the World Resources Institute; Mr. Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director at the World Bank; Dr. Pablo Vieira, Global Director of the NDC Partnership; and Mr. Paul Martin, Manager for Environment Operations in Eastern and Southern Africa at the World Bank, commended Ethiopia’s bold and ambitious climate leadership.

This commitment underscores Ethiopia’s determination to lead on mitigation, adaptation, resilience, and Just transitions while calling for fair climate finance, technology transfer, and partnerships to transform ambition into action.

Source: Africa Climate Summit 2