The Second African Climate Summit (ACS2) closed in Ethiopia with a strong show of unity, ambition, and resolve. Over three days of deliberations in Addis Ababa, African heads of state, policymakers, scientists, civil society leaders, and international partners adopted the landmark Addis Ababa Declaration, a document that redefines Africa’s place in the global climate debate. Far from being framed merely as the continent most vulnerable to climate shocks, Africa used the summit to present itself as a leader, a solutions hub, and a moral force for climate justice.
At the heart of the Declaration is a call to accelerate global climate solutions while securing financing for Africa’s resilient and green development. Leaders stressed that climate action on the continent must be backed by predictable, fair, and accessible finance, not by loans that increase debt burdens. They argued forcefully that Africa cannot, and should not, be expected to bear the costs of a crisis it did not create. The Declaration therefore places climate justice at the center, making the case that those who pollute the least but suffer the most must have both the resources and the partnerships needed to adapt, recover, and thrive.
The Addis Ababa Declaration of ACS2 builds on the foundation laid by the Nairobi Declaration adopted at the inaugural Africa Climate Summit in 2023, yet the two documents reveal an important evolution in Africa’s climate diplomacy. The Nairobi Declaration was largely a rallying cry, positioning Africa as a potential hub for renewable energy and calling on global partners to invest in the continent’s vast green potential. It was ambitious but at times criticized for being too mitigation-heavy, focusing on energy markets and carbon credits while underplaying adaptation and the lived realities of vulnerable communities.
By contrast, the Addis Ababa Declaration shifts the narrative decisively. It places adaptation, resilience, and nature-based solutions at the center, explicitly calling for predictable and fair climate finance that reduces rather than adds to Africa’s debt burden. It reframes Africa’s position from being a passive recipient of external solutions to being an active shaper of global climate responses, with a stronger emphasis on justice, equity, and homegrown innovation. In this sense, the Addis Ababa Declaration can be seen not only as a continuation of Nairobi’s vision but also as a correction, broadening Africa’s climate agenda to balance economic opportunity with social equity and resilience.
The summit also launched the Africa Climate Innovation Compact, an ambitious new platform designed to catalyze investment and technology transfer across the continent. The Compact is expected to mobilize billions annually to drive clean energy development, green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and African-led innovation. Its unveiling was paired with the release of the Flagship Report on African Climate Initiatives, which documents progress already being made in areas such as renewable energy expansion, forest restoration, and sustainable agriculture. Together, the Declaration, the Compact, and the Report paint a picture of a continent determined to move from vulnerability to leadership.
One of the most striking themes of ACS2 was the emphasis on nature-based solutions as a foundation for green growth. Leaders pointed to examples such as Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative, a massive tree-planting campaign that has mobilized millions of citizens, as evidence of how local action can scale into transformative regional models. They also reaffirmed continental commitments to the African Union’s Great Green Wall Initiative and the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative, both of which have the potential to restore millions of hectares of degraded land, create jobs, and secure water and food systems for generations. In Addis Ababa, these efforts were not presented as charity cases needing external rescue, but as proven, homegrown solutions deserving international support and scaled investment.
Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie, closing the summit, underscored the urgency of moving from rhetoric to measurable outcomes. “Our vision is clear,” he told delegates. “We are committed to forging a prosperous, resilient, and green continent. It is an injustice that more than 600 million Africans still live without access to electricity. Our climate action must begin with massive investment in renewable energy and a call for climate justice. The commitments enshrined in the Addis Ababa Declaration are unconditional. We have the will, resources, and unity to realize our ambitions. Africa’s future is in Africa’s hands, and we are building it now.”
Other leaders echoed that sentiment, reframing Africa’s role from a victim of climate impacts to a driver of global solutions. Bankole Adeoye, speaking on behalf of the African Union Commission, described the summit as a pivot “from crisis to opportunity, from aid to investment, and from external prescription to African-led innovation.” The message was clear: Africa is not waiting to be saved. It is driving the change, demanding fairness, and insisting that its priorities shape the global response.
Yet the Declaration is not without challenges. The commitments require unprecedented levels of financing, both from within the continent and from international partners. While pledges were made at ACS2, including through the Innovation Compact, the financing gap remains vast. Africa needs trillions to meet its climate and development goals. The concern is that without sustained follow-through, many of the bold promises made in Addis Ababa could end up joining the archives of past declarations. Civil society groups present at the summit reminded leaders that inclusivity, accountability, and transparency will be critical. Women, youth, and indigenous communities must be at the heart of the climate agenda, not at its margins.
Still, the energy around ACS2 was unmistakably forward-looking. For the first time, the continent arrived at a climate summit with a unified voice, clear demands, and concrete frameworks. By stressing adaptation alongside mitigation, by centering justice, and by elevating African-led initiatives, the Addis Ababa Declaration sends a message to the world ahead of COP30: Africa will no longer accept being sidelined in global climate negotiations. Its vulnerability, once a source of disadvantage, is now being turned into a platform for leadership.
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The question, then, is what comes next. The real test of ACS2 will be in its implementation. African governments must now integrate the Declaration’s priorities into their national development and climate strategies, align budgets to match, and set up monitoring systems that hold themselves accountable. International partners, multilateral lenders, and the private sector must translate rhetoric into financing that is fair, accessible, and scaled to the size of Africa’s needs. Civil society must remain vigilant in ensuring that local communities are not excluded from decision-making and that the benefits of climate finance are felt at the grassroots.
Looking ahead, all eyes will be on COP30 later this year in Brazil, where Africa will present its unified position on financing, adaptation, and climate justice to the global stage. If Addis Ababa marked the moment Africa reframed its climate narrative, COP30 will be the proving ground of whether that narrative can influence the global system. Success will depend on whether the commitments made at ACS2 survive the glare of international negotiations and translate into tangible resources and results.
