Africa Climate Summit 2023

The Africa Climate Summit (ACS 2023) which took place in Nairobi between 04 September – 06 September, 2023 brought together several Heads of State from the African continent, Climate Activists as well as officials of International Organizations. The maiden Summit was convened to provide a collective action by Africa on its exposure to climate change considering its global carbon emissions only accounts for 2-3 %.

The summary of the Nairobi Declaration by African leaders on climate change and call to action were as follows:

1. Taking note that the world was not on track to keeping within reach the 1.5°C limit agreed in Paris and that global emissions must be cut by 45% in this decade;
2. Underscoring the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmation that Africa is warming faster than the rest of the world and, if unabated, climate change will continue to have adverse impacts on African economies and societies, and hamper growth and wellbeing;
3. Expressing concern that many African countries face disproportionate burdens and risks arising from climate change-related, unpredictable weather events and patterns, including prolonged droughts, devastating floods, wild/forest fires, which cause massive humanitarian crisis with detrimental impacts on economies, health, education, peace and security, among other risks;
4. Acknowledging that climate change is the single greatest challenge facing humanity and the single biggest threat to all life on Earth. It demands urgent and concerted action from all nations to lower emissions and reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere;
5. Recognising that Africa is not historically responsible for global warming, but bears the brunt of its effect, impacting lives, livelihoods, and economies;
6. Reaffirming the principles set out in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement, namely equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities;
7. Recognising that African cities and urban centres are growing rapidly, and by 2050 would be home to over 1.0 billion people. Cognisant of the fact that rapid urbanization, poverty, and inequality limit planning capacities and other urban dynamics which increase people’s exposure and vulnerability to hazards and have thus turned cities into disaster hotspots across the continent.
8. Recalling that only seven years remain to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, and note with concern that 600 million people in Africa still lack access to electricity while 970 million lack access to clean cooking;
9. Emphasising that Africa possesses both the potential and the ambition to be a vital component of the global solution to climate change. It is home to the world’s youngest and fastest-growing workforce, coupled with massive untapped renewable energy potential, abundant natural assets and entrepreneurial spirit, our continent has the fundamentals to pioneer a climate-positive pathway as a thriving, cost-competitive industrial hub with the capacity to support other regions in achieving their net zero ambitions.
10. Acknowledging Africa’s role as one of the largest carbon sinks through the Congo forest and peatland, as well as, the potential in Africa’s savanna grasslands, mangroves, swamps, coral reefs and marine reserves, and note the progress made by African countries in promoting land and ecosystem restoration through various initiatives and programmes;
11. Recognizing the critical importance of the ocean in climate action, reversing biodiversity loss and the sustainable development of African and other countries globally, and commitments made on ocean sustainability in multiple fora;
12. Reiterating Africa’s readiness to create an enabling environment, enact policies and facilitate investments necessary to unlock resources to not only meet our own climate commitments, but to contribute meaningfully to decarbonisation of the global economy.
13. Calling upon the global community to act with urgency in reducing emissions, fulfilling its obligations, keeping past promises, and supporting the continent in addressing climate change;
14. Calling for climate-positive investments that catalyse a growth trajectory, anchored in the industries poised to transform our planet and enabling African countries to achieve stable middle-income status by 2050;
15. Operationalization of the Loss & Damage fund as agreed at COP27 and resolve for a measurable Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) with indicators and targets to access progress against negative impacts of climate change;
16. Calling for collective global action to mobilise the necessary capital for both development and climate action, echoing the statement of the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact that no country should ever have to choose between development aspirations and climate action. To achieve the necessary levels of urgency, scale, and inclusivity, we consider the following elements to be indispensable;
17. Calling for concrete action on the proposals to reform the multilateral financial system currently under discussion specifically to (a) build resilience to climate shocks, including better deployment of the SDR liquidity mechanism and disaster suspension clauses; better leveraging of the balance sheets of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to scale up concessional finance, and addressing the inordinate disparities emerging and advanced economies cost of financing from the capital markets