Africa Steps Up: Leaders Push Bold Climate Model Amid U.S. Retreat
African leaders gathered in Addis Ababa on Monday with a bold message: the continent isn’t just trying to survive the climate crisis it wants to lead the world in shaping a greener future.
This year alone, floods, droughts, and landslides have tested Africa’s resilience. Now, as the continent hosts its second climate summit in Ethiopia, leaders are working to speak with one voice ahead of COP30 in Brazil.
“We are not here to negotiate our survival. We are here to design the world’s next climate economy,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared at the opening session, setting an ambitious tone for the summit.
Backing words with action, African development banks and commercial lenders signed a landmark deal to mobilize up to $100 billion for “green industrialisation.” Kenyan President William Ruto explained that the funds will be channeled into renewable energy and sustainable industries, with key institutions such as the African Development Bank, Afreximbank, Ecobank, and KCB Group taking part.
Abiy also put forward a vision for an Africa-led climate innovation drive an initiative that would unite universities, startups, researchers, and rural communities. The goal: to deliver 1,000 homegrown solutions to the continent’s climate challenges by 2030.
For Africa’s leaders, this summit is about more than adaptation. It’s about rewriting the narrative showing that the continent can be a driving force in the global fight against climate change.
