• African leaders meet in Addis for 2nd Africa Climate Summit
• Aim: turn $26B 2023 pledges into concrete climate projects
• Addis Ababa Declaration expected to guide Africa’s COP30 position

African Heads of State are meeting in Addis Ababa this week for the second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) amid high stakes. The first summit in 2023 generated significant momentum, with nearly $26 billion in climate investment pledges announced by 2030. Two years later, it remains difficult to determine how much of that has actually been disbursed.

The ACS2 aims to build on that initial summit. Held under the theme, "Accelerating Global Climate Solutions and Financing for Africa's Resilient and Green Development," the goal is to transform distant promises into precise financial commitments for concrete projects across the continent.

"The inaugural Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi (2023) amplified Africa’s collective voice on the global stage. Building on this momentum, ACS2 [...] should promote the initiatives from the previous Summit. Addressing Africa’s climate finance gap is essential, as it impedes our development efforts amid pressing challenges," said Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairman of the African Union Commission. He added, "Together, we will ensure ACS2 delivers more than declarations: It will catalyze investments, policies, and hope."

Unkept Promises: The Achilles' Heel of International Summits

For decades, promised funding for developing countries, particularly in Africa, has been a recurring issue. Pledges are made, but rarely followed by action. As a result, these major international gatherings are often seen as costly diplomatic rituals where there is much talk but little action.

The most striking example is the $100 billion per year promised at COP21 to help vulnerable countries reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. A decade later, that promise remains largely unfulfilled. Africa, the continent most exposed to the effects of warming, received only about $13 billion per year for climate adaptation in 2020-2021. That represents only 20% of global flows and barely covers a quarter of the estimated annual needs, according to the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA).

Since the 2023 Paris Summit for a New Global Financial Pact, several African leaders, including Kenya's William Ruto, have openly criticized the gap between announcements and implementation. Since then, African states seem determined to no longer settle for empty declarations. The Nairobi Declaration, which concluded the first ACS, marked the beginning of a nascent African federalism on climate issues, where the continent's countries are finally trying to defend their common interests. The ACS2 is now expected to produce an Addis Ababa Declaration, which will serve as a common roadmap for future COP30 negotiations.

ACS2: Linking Commitments to Projects

In Addis Ababa, the ambition is to directly link the 2023 pledges to tangible projects. Inclusive consultations were already held in May, mobilizing NGOs, youth, women's initiatives, the local private sector, and indigenous communities to build a more representative agenda rooted in African realities. Then, on the eve of the summit, preparatory days from September 5-7, 2025, refined the program for this second edition.

Leaders want to highlight African solutions—renewable energy, industry, technology, and nature-based innovations—that deserve massive support. The goal is also to strengthen local adaptation, regional financial autonomy, and recognize the central role of communities, women, and youth.

"We aim to demonstrate Africa's technological solutions, where ecology and nature-based solutions drive the economy, and resilience becomes our legacy," said Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

The Private Sector: Largely Absent from Climate Finance

These ambitions, however, are running up against a harsh reality: global climate finance remains largely public. According to the GCA, the private sector finances only 3% of Africa's adaptation needs, a paltry share given the scale of the challenges.

African states are increasingly advocating for a greater contribution from the private sector. But major multinational corporations, often among the biggest polluters, remain heavily invested in fossil fuels on the continent. Lacking effective leverage, African governments are hesitant to apply direct pressure, wary of compromising their immediate priorities: infrastructure, employment, and a lower cost of living. These are criteria that weigh far more heavily in the judgment of their citizens than climate goals.

The ACS2 is therefore walking a tightrope. It must transform the fine words of 2023 into measurable commitments and lay the groundwork for a future Addis Ababa Declaration as a collective roadmap before COP30. If it fails, it risks joining the long list of international summits where Africa hoped for much but received little.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou