The Africa Climate Week and Africa Climate Summit 2 (ACS2) 2025 were pivotal moments for the continent, providing platforms for African countries to align around shared priorities, articulate a continental consensus, and issue a collective statement of intent on climate and development pathways. For the African Climate Foundation (ACF), these events offered a strategic opportunity to advance our core objective: embedding Africa’s perspectives, needs, and solutions into global climate processes in the lead-up to COP30 in Belém.

Overall, ACF participated in over 60 events – hosting, co-hosting, speaking, moderating, and supporting partners’ engagements – demonstrating the breadth and depth of our involvement.

Africa Climate Week

The second UN Climate Week 2025 marked a significant moment for Africa’s voice in global climate discussions. ACF was present throughout the first week in Ethiopia, contributing to key sessions and advancing conversations around implementation and finance.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are central to translating climate pledges into tangible action. Recognising the challenges African countries face in mobilising climate finance, the UNFCCC Secretariat co-organised two NDC Clinics – platforms for dialogue on climate investment planning. ACF was proud to serve as the sole local partner for the Clinics and the only African non-state organisation present.

Key outcomes included a strengthened understanding of the policy, financial, and technical actions required for NDC implementation, enhanced capacity to assess progress, identify gaps, and seize investment opportunities, improved inter-ministerial coordination for stronger institutional alignment, increased familiarity with support available from relevant partners, and enriched peer learning through cross-country exchange.

We also participated in high-level platforms focused on unlocking solutions and translating climate commitments into measurable outcomes. Discussions emphasised the urgent need to scale up adaptation while ensuring the transition to low-carbon economies is equitable, inclusive, and socially just.

Finance mobilisation was another key focus, including the use of innovative Article 6 mechanisms under the Paris Agreement. Sessions elevated African priorities, reinforced regional leadership, and highlighted pathways to deliver clean energy access to the 600 million Africans still without it. At the COP30 Presidency Action Agenda session, co-organised by the UNFCCC Secretariat, COP30 Presidency, and High-level Champions, ACF showcased how it is contributing to COP30 preparations.

The second African Climate Summit

Held in Addis Ababa in early September 2025, the ACS2 brought together heads of state, ministers, negotiators, civil society, and philanthropic leaders. The Summit aimed to consolidate Africa’s climate and development priorities, strengthen the continent’s negotiating position ahead of COP30, and signal Africa’s leadership in shaping global climate action.

The gathering underscored Africa’s ambition to secure resources, forge partnerships, and assert its voice and solutions in international debates on adaptation, finance, resilience, and green industrialisation.

ACF, alongside partners, supported the Ethiopian Government with $1.2 million, combining our own contribution with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, GETI ClimateWorks, Rockefeller Foundation, and the Three Cairns Group. We also supported event and travel logistics for GETI.

Engagement highlights

We co-hosted a number of high-profile events, including the launch of the Green Industrial Development Expert Panel’s flagship report, Pathways to Green African Industrialisation, with The Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, which outlined Africa’s growth-oriented, green industrialisation agenda. We co-hosted a Climate Leadership lunch with IKEA Foundation and CECG to explore Africa’s climate leadership opportunities and challenges, and a networking dinner in partnership with Allied Talent Partners and Allied Climate Partners, convening donors and strategic partners. We also co-hosted The Case for Resilience Investment: Africa’s Path to Prosperity with Systemiq, the Bridgetown Initiative, Gates Foundation, and WRI, as well as events on Climate Finance and Clean Cooking with the African Group of Negotiators. At the CIFF Pavilion, we supported an event on Regenerative Tropical Agriculture with Systemiq, ICS, and Gates Foundation, highlighting resilience and adaptation pathways, and we assisted three events on Country Platforms in collaboration with WRI, CFMCA, and CIFF.

Beyond co-hosted events, the ACF team spoke at numerous sessions, supported partners, and engaged in bilateral meetings with strategic partners and donors. A comprehensive calendar ensured our team could effectively cover the Summit’s intensity.

Driving Africa’s climate agenda forward

Through this extensive engagement, ACF demonstrated its ability to deliver at scale, convene diverse stakeholders, and shape narratives around Africa’s climate and development priorities. From a branding and positioning perspective, the African Climate Summit II was invaluable. Our visible sponsorship and presence strengthened relationships with governments, donors, and multilateral actors, while the mobilisation of significant resources showcased ACF’s strategic and operational capacity. By co-hosting high-profile events and partnering with leading funders, we reinforced ACF as a trusted and effective convenor in climate philanthropy. By amplifying Africa’s voice on the global stage, ACF has solidified its reputation as a partner of choice for philanthropy and policy actors, enhancing our credibility, influence, and long-term brand value.