Africa Takes Center Stage in Global Climate Action with Historic Addis Declaration
From renewable energy to food sovereignty, Africa positions itself as a global driver of climate solutions.
StorySpotlight
By Thuku Kariuki - For decades, Africa has been painted as a climate victim, its communities battered by floods, droughts, and hunger. But this week in Addis Ababa, the continent flipped the script.
At the close of the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2), leaders unveiled the Addis Ababa Declaration, a landmark pledge positioning Africa not as a bystander but as a bold driver of global climate solutions.
At the heart of the Declaration is the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII), the continent’s boldest step yet to transform its vast energy and resource wealth into engines of green growth.
The initiative, backed this week by a $100 billion commitment from Africa’s top financial institutions, promises to deliver climate-smart industries, real projects, and millions of jobs.
“With the Addis Ababa Declaration, Africa has shown it is moving from the margins of global decision-making to the centre,” said Mohamed Adow, Founder and Director of Power Shift Africa. “Africa is ready to lead; the question is whether the rest of the world is ready to follow.”
Among the Declaration’s most ambitious targets is the pledge to generate 300 GW of renewable energy by 2030, harnessing a fraction of the 40% of global renewable potential Africa holds. Leaders stressed that the continent, which currently attracts just 2% of global renewable investment, must become the natural destination for climate finance.
But energy is just the beginning. The summit also unveiled the Africa Green Minerals Strategy, aimed at ending the extract-and-export model that has long dominated Africa’s critical resources.
With vast reserves of cobalt, lithium, and other transition minerals, Africa is charting a new course, one that adds value locally, powers global decarbonisation, and drives African jobs and industrialisation.
Food security was another pillar of ACS2. Leaders pledged to put smallholder farmers, who produce 70% of Africa’s food, at the center of climate adaptation. From drought-tolerant seeds to smarter irrigation, the Declaration affirms that food is not just a survival issue but a sovereignty issue for African families.
From powering homes with clean energy to creating green jobs and ensuring families never go hungry, the Addis Ababa Declaration signals a turning point. Africa’s message to the world is clear: the continent is not waiting for solutions, it is leading them.
