ONE WEEK AFTER ADDIS, AFRICA’S MOMENT OF PRIDE SHINES ON

Some of the African flags at the Africa Climate Summit 2

ACS 2.0 was more than a summit. It was a statement of intent that Africa will no longer be defined by what it lacks, but by what it contributes. I am hopeful, but the hope is purposeful, grounded in the understanding that vision alone is not enough without action, oversight, and persistent determination, argues JUMA IGNATIUS, Senior Adaptation Advisor at Power Shift Africa

Imagine an Africa where prosperity is not a distant dream but a lived reality. A continent where decent jobs are abundant, livelihoods improve, and communities thrive on access to clean energy, water and food. An Africa whose children are no longer on the front pages of international newspapers as symbols of hunger, but instead as innovators, builders, and leaders. An Africa that no longer approaches the global stage with an empty bowl, but one that harnesses its wealth for the benefit of its people and the world.

This was the promise of the first Africa Climate Summit (ACS 1.0) in Nairobi in 2023.

If Nairobi was the launchpad of Africa’s dream, then Addis Ababa, host of ACS 2.0, was where the bricks and mortar were laid. In a year where hope in the world seemed to dim under the weight of geopolitical tensions shaping global order, Africa chose the road less traveled: to lead the world’s decarbonization ambitions, powered by its cobalt, lithium, copper, and rare earths, the very minerals driving the green industrial revolution. Equally, the continent chose to elevate adaptation, the lifeline of her people.

As the curtains closed in Addis Ababa, the African Leaders Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action was adopted, cementing the Nairobi message: Africa will act, not just ask. I welcome this bold stance with cautious optimism. While it is encouraging to see leaders assert Africa’s agency, the real test will be translating these pledges into tangible results for communities across the continent. We can celebrate progress, but vigilance is essential to ensure that ambition does not outpace implementation.

Crucially, African leaders committed to scaling up flagship initiatives such as the Great Green Wall, the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative, the second phase of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme (AAAP 2.0), and Ethiopia’s Green Legacy. New instruments were also born: the Africa Climate Innovation Compact (ACIC) and the African Climate Facility (ACF), championed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Together, they aim to mobilize $50 billion annually and deliver 1,000 African climate solutions across energy, agriculture, water, transport, and resilience by 2030.

On finance, the continent’s perennial Achilles heel, Africa-based financial institutions stepped up. The AfDB, Afreximbank, Africa50, and the Africa Climate Fund pledged $100 billion for the Africa Green Industrialization Initiative. This figure is more than a statistic, it represents jobs for millions of young Africans, pathways to clean energy, and a bold reimagining of development. These resources, if well-managed, can deliver meaningful change. While at it, we must be reminded that mobilizing finance is only half the challenge, ensuring it reaches the people who need it most is the real measure of success.

The summit did not forget those on the frontline of climate impacts, for the pastoralist in the Sahel region losing livestock to drought, African Leaders made it clear that adaptation remains Africa’s top priority. The recent ICJ opinion gave adaptation a legal imperative, making it a matter of justice rather than charity giving African governments and her people the people to demand for accountability from countries most responsible for the perils the Africa faces today and for them to keep the promise of the Paris Agreement.

Adaptation finance, as they argued, must come as grants not loans that pile onto already crushing debt. The 21 African countries whose loan interest rates are growing faster than their GDP, remaining trapped in cycles of poverty, as President Ruto pointed out in one side event, must not be overburdened further by these colonial vestiges. Every African should support these calls while remaining aware that translating legal and moral imperatives into real-world support will require relentless advocacy and oversight.

Addressing adaptation finance is only one piece of the puzzle. Reforms to the global financial architecture are key to unlock Africa’s true agency and power. African leaders were clear on the need to reform multilateral development banks: lowering borrowing costs, increasing African representation, and dismantling the colonial structures that continue to handicap the continent.

A breakthrough came with the long-awaited African Climate Change Fund, which will channel green bonds and other innovative instruments designed for African realities. Equally, the leaders’ bold demand for Africa’s share of global renewable energy investment to rise from 2% today to 20% by 2030 was both pragmatic and urgent.

Over 600 million Africans still lack electricity, and 900 million continue to cook with dirty fuels. For the mothers and girls of Kibera slums, this is not just an environmental issue, it is a matter of life, dignity, and survival. We must remain cautiously optimistic that the global community will respond in kind, but vigilance is necessary to ensure pledges are not delayed or diluted.

Similarly, as we celebrate, we must remain alert. ACS 2.0 must be seen through the lens of global geopolitics. Africa’s mineral wealth makes it both indispensable and vulnerable.

The same cobalt and lithium that power clean energy transitions are at the center of new great-power rivalries. African governments must put in place proper governance structures and take charge of the continent’s development trajectory. Without this, Africa risks becoming a pawn in a green industrial race between China, the U.S., and Europe exporting raw materials cheaply while importing expensive technology.

To prevent this, Africa must focus on value addition and industrialization on its soil. Leveraging indigenous knowledge and creating opportunities for the highly skilled, tech-savvy youth can ensure that the continent not only exports resources but also develops local capacity. Coupled with this vision is the need for strong institutions and transparency. Without them, even the best-laid plans may falter.

ACS 2.0 was more than a summit. It was a statement of intent that Africa will no longer be defined by what it lacks, but by what it contributes. I am hopeful, but the hope is purposeful, grounded in the understanding that vision alone is not enough without action, oversight, and persistent determination.