Second Africa Climate Summit Delivers Addis Ababa Declaration, Championing Finance and Innovation for Green Growth
The Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2), hosted by Ethiopia and the African Union in Addis Ababa from September 8-10, 2025, has concluded with the landmark Addis Ababa Declaration on Accelerating Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development. Gathering African Heads of State, global leaders, and experts during UNFCCC Climate Week 2, the summit elevated Africa’s unified voice on climate finance, adaptation, and just transitions ahead of COP30. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in his closing address, declared: “Africa is not waiting for solutions—we’re leading them, turning climate challenges into opportunities for innovation and equity.”
Key outcomes include the proposed African Climate Innovation Compact, linking universities, research centers, startups, and communities to deliver 1,000 African-led solutions—including green jobs—by 2030, backed by up to $50 billion annually in blended finance. The declaration demands transparent climate funds, prioritizes loss and damage mechanisms, and calls for $100 billion in annual adaptation support, while endorsing Article 6 carbon markets for intra-African trade. Despite debates on regional water issues, the summit fostered pan-African solidarity, with pledges for $10 billion in green infrastructure from AU partners.
For entrepreneurs, this is a policy blueprint for action. An Addis-based cleantech startup could tap Compact funding for solar microgrids, scaling across East Africa and creating 100,000 jobs in renewable supply chains. SMEs in agriculture gain from adaptation incentives, like resilient crop tech aligned with AfCFTA, boosting exports by 25%. As AU Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat noted, “These commitments empower private builders to drive Africa’s green renaissance.”
ACS2 reaffirms governments’ role in mobilizing resources for private ambition. With Africa’s climate economy projected at $3 trillion by 2030, the declaration positions the continent as a global solutions provider, where policy fuels entrepreneurial leadership.
