As world leaders convened in New York for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, a critical thread carried through many speeches and summit rooms: ‘the race against time’. With COP30 in Belém, Brazil, now just weeks away, nearly 100 countries have either submitted new or updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), or promised to do so imminently. For Africa, this wave of commitments reflects both urgency and an opening for stronger climate diplomacy, while also underscoring persistent gaps in finance, adaptation, and accountability.
At the Climate Summit co-hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on September 24, countries from across continents made public their readiness to sharpen their climate targets. Among these, a number of African nations have moved from talking to acting. Liberia, Eswatini, Angola, Kenya, and Nigeria have already submitted or updated their NDC 3.0 documents, committing to emissions reductions, renewable energy expansion, and measures to protect ecosystems.
The submitted NDCs include economy-wide targets in some cases, while others offer sectoral strategies covering energy, forestry, agriculture, and transport. Liberia has emphasized land restoration and forest protection in its 2035 NDC 3.0, Eswatini has integrated water security measures alongside emissions cuts, and Angola has highlighted renewable energy growth as a central pillar of its strategy.
Still, while Africa has shown leadership in updating NDCs, a number of large emitters and many developing countries have yet to submit final versions. The UN has set the deadline for all Paris Agreement parties’ new contributions at the end of September. As of the summit, around 120 parties had engaged in the process, but several key countries were still finalizing their submissions.
Read also: Kenya unveils clean energy policy to achieve 100% green power by 2030 and net-zero by 2050
African leaders used UNGA as a stage not only to unveil new climate plans but to push harder on climate justice, adaptation finance, and loss and damage. They pointed out that Africa contributes the least to global emissions yet suffers disproportionately, stressing that the ambition of NDCs will count for little without access to reliable funding, technology transfer, and mechanisms to deal with climate-driven devastation.
During the Solutions Dialogues held alongside the Climate Summit, issues of early warning systems, digital infrastructure, forests, industrial decarbonization, clean energy transitions, and finance featured heavily. African participants emphasized that while mitigation commitments are important, adaptation and resilience measures are existential priorities.
Read also: FSD Africa, CIFF and UNECA launch debt programme to link fiscal stability with climate action
Globally, momentum is building, but ambition gaps remain. More than fifty countries have already submitted or announced updated NDCs, but there is growing recognition that what has been pledged so far still falls short of what is needed to keep warming to 1.5°C. In some cases, pledges are politically convenient rather than scientifically aligned. China, for instance, announced its first formal economy-wide emissions reduction target, pledging to cut emissions by 7–10 percent from peak levels by 2035 and scale up renewables, but observers say the target still leaves the world off track. Australia committed to a 62–70 percent cut from 2005 levels by 2035, which domestic experts judged to be below the necessary threshold. The European Union has been under pressure to finalize its updated NDC, though internal disagreements have delayed a decision, with proposed targets ranging from 66.25 to 72.5 percent reductions from 2020 levels by 2035.
In the African context, expectations remain high, but so too does impatience. At the Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa earlier this month, leaders argued for shifting from aid towards climate investment, emphasizing the need for solutions that are led, owned, and governed within Africa. They called for climate finance that reduces vulnerability rather than increasing debt burdens. Finance also dominated discussions in New York, where developing countries urged wealthy nations to finally deliver on long-promised funding. Without reliable and predictable flows, many NDCs risk remaining aspirational rather than transformational.
Concerns about implementation continue to hover over the process. Targets are only as strong as the policies, investments, and monitoring frameworks that back them up. Civil society, scientific bodies, and media commentators have stressed that COP30 must not only produce new targets but also binding commitments on finance and accountability.
In his address at the Summit, António Guterres underscored the urgency: science requires action, law demands justice, economics compels transformation, and people are demanding results. But he warned that ambition gaps remain to keep 1.5°C within reach. For Africa, which is already living with rising temperatures, shifting weather patterns, drought, floods, and sea level rise, keeping 1.5°C is about survival.
As COP30 draws near, the task before the international community is clear. What emerges from Belém must include credible global responses: not just updated pledges, but concrete commitments that deliver real change. For Africa and other vulnerable regions, the time for promises has passed. What is needed now is delivery.
Read also: Two South African renewable energy firms merge to form ‘Anthem’, targeting 6 GW by 2030
