Africa’s ambitions for climate-smart economic growth took a decisive step forward in Nairobi this week, as the inaugural California–Africa Climate Economic Forum convened leaders from across the continent and the United States’ most climate-progressive state (California). Hosted in Kenya, a nation widely regarded as a renewable energy leader, the forum sought to align Africa’s resource wealth and youthful ingenuity with California’s clean-tech innovation, targeting multibillion-dollar partnerships in clean transportation, renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, and green manufacturing.
Over two days, senior African policymakers, business executives, innovators, and academics engaged with a high-level Californian delegation led by State Transportation Agency Secretary Toks Omishakin. The discussions aimed not only to attract investment into Kenya but also to establish replicable models for US–Africa climate collaboration that could be rolled out from Dakar to Dar es Salaam.
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Kenya’s position as a hub for green innovation anchored the forum’s agenda. The country already derives more than 60% of its electricity from renewables—mainly geothermal—and has cultivated a vibrant climate-tech ecosystem in Nairobi. Officials presented Kenya not as an isolated success story but as a launchpad for continental growth, aligning with African Union strategies to accelerate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and unlock regional green value chains.
Kenya’s president William Ruto, in a round table with delegation from Africa and California during California-Africa climate economy forum
