ADDIS ABABA: African leaders are seeking to reposition the continent at the center of the global green transition, calling for a coordinated push on climate finance and clean energy investment as developed economies accelerate their shift towards low-carbon growth.
At the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in Addis Ababa, William Ruto, chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), argued that Africa’s vast renewable energy resources could transform the continent into a competitive industrial hub.
“Africa’s renewable wealth offers reliable and affordable energy that can power industries, create jobs and strengthen competitiveness,” Ruto told fellow leaders.
Africa holds nearly 60 per cent of the world’s best solar resources, yet accounts for less than 2 per cent of global renewable generation capacity. Despite contributing under 4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the continent faces some of the most severe climate impacts, from prolonged droughts in the Horn of Africa to destructive floods in Southern Africa.
Leaders at the CAHOSCC meeting reviewed outcomes from COP30 and the Second Africa Climate Summit, focusing on scaling up climate finance and operationalising continental carbon market frameworks, including the Nairobi Declaration and the African Carbon Markets Initiative.
Tanzania spends 97.6bn/- for environmental conservation, climate resilience projects
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan joined the summit, reaffirming her country’s commitment to multilateral cooperation and sustainable development. Tanzanian officials said her presence underscored Africa’s growing resolve to shape global climate negotiations rather than react to them.
The AU summit, themed around water security and sanitation under Agenda 2063, also highlighted the development-climate nexus. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nearly 400 million people without access to basic drinking water services, according to UN agencies, making climate adaptation inseparable from economic planning.
With Africa’s population projected to double to 2.5 billion by 2050, leaders framed climate investment not as an environmental obligation but as an economic necessity — one that could unlock green industrialisation and absorb millions entering the labour market each year.
