NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 27 — President William Ruto on Monday convened a virtual Special Africa Leaders’ Meeting on Climate Adaptation to rally support for scaled-up financing and coordinated action to strengthen climate resilience across the continent.
The high-level meeting bringing together African Heads of State, senior government officials, international partners, and development institutions focused on aligning climate adaptation, development priorities, and macro-economic stability, as Africa faces escalating climate shocks amid tightening fiscal space.
“Africa is stepping into its next phase of climate resilience,” President Ruto said.
“Leaders are aligning adaptation, development, and macro-economic stability to unlock resilient growth across the continent.”
At the centre of the discussions was the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme (AAAP), Africa’s flagship initiative designed to scale up climate adaptation while supporting jobs, food security, and public health.
President Ruto emphasized that the programme is driven by a strong partnership between the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA)—a collaboration that unites political leadership, financing, and technical expertise to accelerate adaptation at scale.
“This partnership is helping align adaptation investment with development finance at a time of tightening fiscal space and rising climate risks,” the President said, reaffirming Africa’s commitment to mobilizing resilient financing solutions and concrete partnerships.
President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, President Mohammed Al-Menfi of Libya, AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and former Senegalese President Macky Sall, who chairs the GCA Supervisory Board, attended the meeting.
Several countries, including Ghana, Norway, Mauritius, and France, were represented at ministerial level, alongside leaders of international financial institutions and strategic partners.
Urgency
Addressing the meeting, AUC Chairperson Youssouf highlighted the urgency of Africa’s climate challenge, describing it as a crisis the continent did not create but bears disproportionately.
“Africa is on the front lines of a climate crisis it did not create,” Youssouf said, warning that droughts, floods, and rising temperatures are eroding livelihoods, economies, and ecosystems, while declining climate finance threatens decades of development gains.
“This is not only a climate emergency; it is a development, justice, and security emergency,” he added.
Looking beyond COP30, Youssouf stressed that the world cannot meet its climate goals without Africa, and Africa cannot unlock its potential without predictable, equitable adaptation finance at scale.
He also highlighted Africa’s capacity to offer solutions, citing youth-led innovation, climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, resilient infrastructure, and nature-based solutions as drivers of global green growth.
He called for the launch of AAAP 2.0 (2026–2030) to unlock large-scale adaptation financing, crowd in private investment, integrate resilience into development planning, and place people—especially women and youth—at the centre of climate action.
“Adaptation is development. Every road, school, hospital, and farm must be climate-resilient,” Youssouf said.
The meeting concluded with renewed calls for stronger political commitment, innovative financing mechanisms, and deeper partnerships, ensuring that Africa not only withstands climate shocks but also leverages climate adaptation as a pathway to inclusive and sustainable growth.
