Africa Climate Summit: AfDB Commits Millions to Women-Led Climate Solutions
At the Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, the African Development Bank pledged millions through gender-responsive financing, spotlighting women entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders in Africa’s green transition.
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By Thuku Kariuki - Women are on the frontlines of Africa’s climate crisis, yet too often left out of the solutions. At the Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, the African Development Bank (AfDB) set out to change that, spotlighting women as leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs in the continent’s green transition.
At the Bank’s Pavilion inside the International Convention Center, the session “Scaling Up Gender-Responsive Climate and Energy Solutions: From Finance to Policy and Data” drew policy makers, civil society, and investors eager to debate how to close Africa’s climate finance gap for women.
One of the standout moments came when KawiSafi Ventures, an AfDB investment partner, pledged that 35% of its $90 million Fund II will go to female-founded energy transition companies.
Through its flagship Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) program, AfDB has been working to dismantle the barriers that keep women from accessing capital.
Collaborating with the Climate Investment Funds and civil society organizations, the Bank is pushing for reforms that embed gender in climate policy while opening new channels of green finance for women entrepreneurs.
The stakes are high. “Women, particularly in rural areas, are bearing the brunt of climate shocks while often being excluded from decision-making, finance, and opportunities in the green economy,” said Jemimah Njuki, AfDB’s Director of Gender, Women Empowerment and Civil Society.
“When women are empowered as leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs, our collective response to climate change becomes stronger.”
Her remarks echoed a recurring theme at the Summit: Africa’s resilience depends on women’s inclusion. Angela Muraguri, Investment Manager at KawiSafi Ventures, applauded the progress but added a cautionary note: “Dedicating 35% of our fund to female-founded companies is only scratching the surface. Expanded partnerships are needed to tackle systemic inequality.”
For many, the conversations in Addis Ababa resonated with realities back home. In Kenya’s flood-prone western counties, women farmers watch their crops drown season after season, while pastoralist women in drought-hit Turkana trek longer distances in search of water.
Despite being on the frontlines, both groups remain largely locked out of the climate financing now being pledged.
Beyond money, AfDB is positioning itself as a standard-setter for inclusive climate action. “Through the climate funds we partner with and implement, we are ensuring that women and youth are at the center of Africa’s climate transition,” said Kidanua Gizaw, coordinator of AfDB’s partnership with the Climate Investment Funds.
Africa remains one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change, facing rising floods, harsher droughts, and declining agricultural productivity. For AfDB, anchoring women in climate finance and policy is more than a moral obligation, it is a strategy to strengthen the continent’s ability to adapt.
The challenge, however, lies beyond the polished pavilions of international summits. For women farmers and entrepreneurs across the continent, the true test will be whether these pledges deliver tangible tools, loans, and opportunities, not just promises from the podium.
