Ministers of environment from all 54 African countries have gathered in Nairobi this week (July 12–18) for the 20th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). This session marks four decades since AMCEN’s inception and arrives at a critical moment, as the continent works to shape a more coordinated and forceful voice in upcoming global climate negotiations, including COP30, INC 5.2 on plastic pollution, and UNEA-7.
Held under the theme “Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future”, AMCEN-20 focuses on accelerating regional cooperation on issues such as deforestation, plastic pollution, biodiversity loss, climate finance, and environmental justice. This year’s gathering is also a strategic milestone, as it informs Africa’s negotiating positions ahead of the Second African Climate Summit and Africa Climate Week, both scheduled to take place later this year in Addis Ababa.
Dr. Richard Muyungi, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), used the platform to lay out key priorities guiding the continent’s preparations for COP30. These include pushing for equitable climate finance, scaling clean cooking access through initiatives like Mission 300, and advancing negotiations on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). He also announced that the AGN Secretariat is being institutionalized under the African Union, an important step toward consolidating Africa’s climate diplomacy efforts.
The UNEP Regional Office for Africa, represented by Dr. Rose Mwebaza, reminded delegates that AMCEN has served as Africa’s environmental voice for 40 years. “We must rise not just for the AMCEN we want—but for the Africa we deserve,” she said in her opening remarks.
Civil society organisations are also playing a vocal role during the conference, calling for practical commitments rather than symbolic declarations. Greenpeace Africa is among several advocacy groups urging African ministers to adopt a stronger stance on plastic pollution and environmental justice.
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Hellen Kahaso Dena, head of the Pan-African Plastics Project at Greenpeace Africa, called on governments to reaffirm the position taken under AMCEN Decision 19/2, which had demanded a legally binding global plastics treaty. She warned against pressure from industry groups and urged ministers to defend calls for production caps and full lifecycle accountability in the upcoming INC 5.2 negotiations.
“The plastic pollution crisis is not theoretical—it’s harming communities across Africa through open burning, illegal dumping, and toxic exposure,” Dena said. “Ministers must make it clear that Africa’s priorities will not be diluted.”
Alongside plastics, environmental advocates have pushed for polluters to take responsibility for climate damage. Referencing a joint poll by Greenpeace and Oxfam, campaigners noted that more than 80 percent of respondents across 13 African countries support taxation of fossil fuel companies to fund climate recovery. In Kenya, support stands at 85 percent.
Sherelee Odayar, a campaigner for oil and gas accountability, argued that this is not merely a matter of policy—it is a matter of fairness. “Communities facing droughts, floods, and rising heat are paying the price. Those who profited most from environmental degradation must be part of the solution,” she said.
Forests have also taken centre stage at AMCEN-20. Greenpeace Africa’s forest lead, Dr. Lamfu Yengong, called for a rights-based approach to forest conservation. He stressed that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities—who are the most effective guardians of Africa’s forests—must be given direct access to climate finance and legal recognition.
Meanwhile, new momentum is building around environmental rights. At a side event titled “One Continent, One Voice”, African leaders revisited the UN resolution recognizing the right to a healthy environment and explored how to translate that principle into enforceable national frameworks. Kenya’s Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to UNON & UNEP, Ababu Namwamba, highlighted the importance of building strong institutions to deliver environmental rights as a lived reality. Morocco’s Deputy Ambassador Siham Mourabit added that the global recognition of environmental rights must be followed by real legal reforms and community-level implementation.
Addressing environmental crime was also on the agenda. In a session led by Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda, ministers acknowledged that illegal logging, waste dumping, and wildlife trafficking are part of systemic issues tied to corruption, poverty, and weak enforcement. Delegates called for more coordinated regional responses, cross-border cooperation, and stronger legal tools.
As AMCEN-20 enters its final days, the focus is now shifting to concrete resolutions that will guide Africa’s positions at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. The African Union Commission has already announced that the Second Africa Climate Summit will focus on “Accelerating Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development.”
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The summit will aim to reframe Africa as a proactive force in global climate policy—not as a recipient of aid, but as a provider of ideas, innovations, and natural solutions such as carbon sinks, smart agriculture, and renewable energy systems. It will also push for increased access to climate finance, stronger national institutions, and fairer international cooperation frameworks.
AMCEN’s 40-year legacy has helped define Africa’s environmental path, but as the climate crisis intensifies, so too must the continent’s coordination, urgency, and ambition. Ministers now face the task of turning dialogue into policy—and policy into implementation. With mounting public demand, vocal civil society, and increasing regional alignment, the Nairobi gathering is shaping up to be more than a ceremonial milestone. It is a moment for Africa to act with purpose and clarity on a global stage that too often overlooks the communities most affected by climate breakdown.
