The 13th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-XIII) concluded with a resounding call for a “coherent, evidence-based, and investment-ready African climate agenda.”
Held from 5-7 September in Addis Ababa, the conference brought together more than 250 policymakers, negotiators, scientists, civil society representatives and youth leaders.
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The conference outcomes will be used to shape the continent’s common position at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Opening the gathering, Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, said Africa cannot afford to be trapped in endless pledges “while our people suffer.”
“We need urgent action, with adaptation and resilience placed at the centre of global climate action. Justice means financing Africa’s solutions, not charity handouts.”
Anthony Nyong, Director of Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank (AfDB), underscored the scale of the financing gap.
“Africa is at a crossroads. Despite contributing less than 4% of global emissions, our continent receives only 3% of international climate finance, even as nine of the ten most climate-vulnerable countries are here. This gap is unacceptable.”
Nyong highlighted the proactive response by the AfDB to scale climate-smart investments, institutional reforms and results-oriented finance, including the mobilisation of $4 billion through the Climate Action Window by 2025 to support vulnerable and fragile states.
“Climate resilience must be built where it is needed most, on the frontlines of vulnerability. That means connecting adaptation to peace, empowering every African country to lead its own climate transition, and equipping them with the intelligence to act decisively,” said Nyong.
James Kinyangi, AfDB Coordinator of the ClimDev-Africa Special Fund, emphasised science as Africa’s first line of defence.
“Without closing knowledge gaps, our people remain exposed to risks we cannot anticipate or manage. Investing in climate data and early warning is not optional – it is essential for saving lives and building resilience.”
The conference delivered a set of technical recommendations that will shape the Addis Ababa Declaration and Africa’s common voice for COP30:
Closing the conference, Claver Gatete, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), emphasised the important role Africa’s leadership plays.
“This conference was not an end in itself. It is a bridge that links evidence with ambition, technical depth with political momentum, and Africa’s aspirations with actions. Africa is not waiting to be acted upon. We are shaping our destiny, leveraging our resources, and bringing solutions to the world.”
Jointly organised by ClimDev-Africa, the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance and other partners, the CCDA-XIII event served as a technical platform ahead of the Second Africa Climate Summit, also being held in the Ethiopian capital city.
Opening the Summit on Monday (8 September) Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed proposed the launch of an African climate innovation compact.
He described it as a “bold, continental, wide partnership, uniting Africa’s universities, research institutions, startups, rural communities, and innovators.”
The Second Africa Climate Summit officially opened under the theme Accelerating Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s resilient and Green Development.
The summit, which will run for three days, aims to foster a unified African voice on global climate platforms and transform the continent’s climate challenges into opportunities for shared prosperity.
In his address to the summit, Ahmed said: “We ask our global partners not to fund us because we are impacted, but to invest with us because we are visionary.”
By 2030, the Compact should aim to deliver 1,000 African solutions to tackle climate challenges in energy, agriculture, water, transport, and resilience, Abiy noted.
“Africa will not only meet its needs, but boost exports, powering growth beyond our borders in advancing Pan African prosperity.”
Abiy said this compact will be funded and owned by Africans in partnership with the world, but never beholden to it.
“We will also claim climate data sovereignty, mapping our own forests, measuring our own carbon, embracing our own ecosystems.
“Climate data is not just science. It is the new currency of power,” he said, it is time to replace climate aid with climate investment; the returns will be measured in avoided emissions, millions of jobs, enhanced food security, stabilised regions in a more resilient global climate. Africa did not cause this crisis; yet, Africa can lead in solving it.
“We know what needs to be done. Now is the time to scale what works. Now is the time to accelerate our collective action,” said Abiy.
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