African leaders vow to tackle climate change

African leaders have adopted the Addis Ababa Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action, setting out a bold vision for a climate-resilient, green future for the continent.

The declaration, which concluded the Second Africa Climate Summit last week, positions Africa as a proactive player in the global climate arena rather than a passive victim of climate change.

The declaration builds on the momentum of the 2023 Nairobi Declaration and calls for urgent, fair, and predictable climate finance to close Africa’s enormous adaptation and energy access gaps.

Currently, over 600 million Africans lack access to electricity, while extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves are increasing in frequency and intensity, threatening lives and livelihoods across the continent.

Among its key commitments, the declaration urges developed nations to honour and scale up climate finance pledges, particularly for adaptation funding, which remains critically underfunded.

While mitigation has historically received the lion’s share of international climate finance, African leaders stressed that adaptation must be treated with equal urgency.

This reflects Africa’s reality: even if global emissions stopped today, the continent would still face devastating impacts due to its vulnerability and limited resilience.

The declaration also launched new mechanisms such as the Africa Climate Innovation Compact, designed to accelerate investment in green industries, technology transfer, and renewable energy.

A new African Union climate dashboard will track progress and improve accountability among member states.

“Africa is tired of promises without delivery,” said Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed at the summit’s closing session, adding that “adaptation is not a choice for us; it is a necessity for survival.”

The risk of empty promises

The Addis Ababa Declaration represents a significant evolution from previous African climate strategies. It goes beyond framing Africa as a vulnerable region needing aid and instead highlights the continent’s potential as a global leader in climate solutions.

By emphasising renewable energy expansion and value-addition for Africa’s critical minerals, the declaration aligns climate action with sustainable economic development.

The explicit focus on adaptation finance is particularly noteworthy. According to the UN Environment Programme, Africa needs $52–$80 billion annually by 2030 for adaptation alone, yet current funding flows are less than a quarter of that.

By spotlighting adaptation, the declaration challenges the global community to correct the imbalance between mitigation and adaptation funding, where the former has received more money.

However, questions remain about implementation. Past climate declarations have faltered due to insufficient follow-through, lack of coordination among African states, and reliance on external donors.

While the creation of a monitoring dashboard is a positive step, it remains unclear how compliance will be enforced or how new mechanisms will mobilise the vast sums required.

Moreover, global political realities may limit progress. Developed countries have consistently fallen short of their climate finance pledges, and negotiations over loss and damage funding remain contentious.

Without binding commitments from the Global North, the Addis Ababa Declaration risks becoming another aspirational statement rather than a catalyst for real change.

Africa’s survival hinges on adaptation

By foregrounding adaptation, African leaders are sending a strong message ahead of COP30, to be held in Brazil, in November.

While mitigation remains essential to slow global warming, adaptation is where Africa’s survival hinges.

This includes building climate-resilient agriculture systems, upgrading infrastructure to withstand extreme weather and protecting communities through early-warning systems and social safety nets.

The Addis Ababa Declaration’s strong language on adaptation could shift international discussions. If matched with concrete financing and technical support, it has the potential to transform Africa’s climate resilience trajectory.

If ignored, the gap between commitments and reality will only widen, leaving the continent exposed to escalating climate disasters.

The Addis Ababa Declaration is a bold statement of Africa’s ambition and agency in global climate politics.

It signals a growing consensus that climate action must be linked to development and justice. Its success, however, will depend on whether adaptation finance commitments translate into real projects that improve lives on the ground.

For now, the declaration is a step forward, but the world will be watching closely to see whether Africa and its partners can turn words into action.

• Dr Enock Sithole is the executive director of the Institute for Climate Change Communication.