By Thuku Kariuki
Africa has declared its place at the forefront of global climate leadership with the Addis Ababa Declaration, unveiled at the close of the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) in Ethiopia. The landmark agreement signals a decisive turning point for a continent long seen as a victim of climate change but now positioning itself as a global driver of 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. The Declaration placed climate-smart agriculture and smallholder resilience at the center of Africa’s adaptation agenda, affirming food not just as a survival issue but a sovereignty issue.
From energy and minerals to food systems, the Addis Ababa Declaration projects a unified African vision: one of prosperity, resilience, and leadership in the global green transition.
