Declaration caps Africa Climate Summit 2 with call for investment, justice

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

African leaders wrapped up the three-day Africa Climate Summit 2 in Ethiopia’s capital on Wednesday with the adoption of the Addis Ababa Declaration, pledging to turn the continent into a global hub for renewable energy and climate solutions while demanding fair and predictable financing from the international community.

Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie, closing the summit, said the gathering had shown Africa is not a victim of a crisis it did not create but rather “a global center for climate solutions.”

“Our vision is clear. We are committed to forging a prosperous, resilient, and green continent,” Taye said. “It is an injustice that more than 600 million Africans still live without access to electricity. Our climate action must begin with massive investment in renewable energy and a call for climate justice.”

The summit declaration, he said, rests on three pillars: accelerating renewable energy development, forming a coalition of Africa’s critical mineral producers to ensure fair value in global supply chains, and protecting natural heritage through reforestation and restoration partnerships.

Taye stressed that the declaration should not be “a document to put in the archives” but a plan for immediate and measurable action, monitored through an African Union dashboard to ensure transparency and accountability.

“The commitments enshrined in the Addis Ababa Declaration are unconditional,” he said. “We have the will, resources, and unity to realize our ambitions. Africa’s future is in Africa’s hands, and we are building it now.”

‘From crisis to opportunity’

Speaking on behalf of African Union Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Bankole Adeoye, the AU commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security, said the summit had moved Africa’s climate agenda from “crisis to opportunity, from aid to investment, and from external prescription to African-led innovation.”

“We have sent a clear and united message ahead of COP30,” this year’s UN climate conference, Adeoye said. “Africa’s climate finance demands are not charity appeals. They are calls for equity, for justice, and for shared global responsibility,” he added.

He underscored the need for a reformed global climate finance architecture that reduces Africa’s debt burden and makes climate finance a path to sovereignty, not servitude. He also stressed the importance of strengthening African institutions and de-risking investment through public-private partnerships.

“Africa is not a problem to be solved. Africa is a solution to be supported,” Adeoye said. “May our actions match our ambitions. May our unity light the path forward.”

The summit brought together African heads of state, civil society, researchers, and international partners under the theme of financing Africa’s resilient and green development. Leaders said the summit declaration would serve as a roadmap as Africa prepares to present a united front at November’s COP30 climate talks.