AFRICAN LEADERS NAIROBI DECLARATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE 

AND CALL TO ACTION

PREAMBLE 

We, the African Heads of State and Government, gathered for the inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 4th to 6th September 2023; in the presence of other global leaders, intergovernmental organizations, Regional Economic Communities, United Nations Agencies, private sector, civil society organizations, indigenous peoples, local communities, farmer organizations, children, youth, women and academia, hereby:

1.  Recall, the Assembly Decisions (AU/Dec.723(XXXII), AU/Dec.764 (XXXIII) and AU/Dec.855(XXXVI)) requesting the African Union Commission to organize an African Climate Summit and endorsing the offer by the Republic of Kenya to host the Summit;

2. Commend the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) under the Leadership of H.E. President William Ruto in providing a unified approach and the required political leadership on a new African vision that pursues climate change and development agenda;

3. Take Note of the 6th Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), stating that the world is not on track to keeping within reach of, the 1.5°C limit agreed in Paris and that we must cut global emissions in this decade by 45%;

4. Aware that many African countries face disproportionate burdens and risks arising from unpredictable weather patterns including prolonged droughts and devastating floods which cause massive humanitarian crisis with detrimental impacts on economies, health, education, peace and security, as well as other related risks.

5.  Concerned that AR6 IPCC report confirms that Africa is warming faster than the rest of the world and if unabated, Climate Change will continue having negative growth impact on African economies;

6. Further Concerned by the IPCC 6th Assessment report (IPCC AR6) that agricultural productivity growth in Africa has been reduced by 34% since 1961 due to climate change, more than any other region, and it will continue to negatively affect food systems in Africa.

7. Cognizant that African countries, despite their low contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, are the least able to meet adaptation and mitigation costs; 

8. Welcome efforts to operationalize the AU Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2032 to enhance climate action at the continental, regional, sub-regional, national and sub-national levels;

CLIMATE FINANCE GAP

9. Note that limited fiscal space and social vulnerabilities are exacerbated by climate and disaster shocks impacting growth and development, and without substantial and timely interventions, governments will continue to face challenges in meeting their national development needs.

10. Acknowledge the UNFCCC’s recent analysis that developing countries require at least $6 trillion by 2030 to meet less than half of their existing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and confirmation by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that the actual flow of climate finance from developed to developing countries in 2020 was merely between $21 billion and $83.3 billion;

11. Concerned that access to affordable finance remains one of the biggest challenges to climate action and that climate finance continues to be predominantly delivered as loans, a large share of which has been non-concessional;

12. Deeply concerned that about 60% of low-income countries are in, or on the edge of, debt distress and are spending an estimated eight times more on debt servicing every year, undermining future resilience and growth prospects;

13. Underscore the need to address the financing gap and debt distress to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement and other climate change goals through a bold new vision that is devoid of division as well as economic growth and climate action;

14. Affirm the need to urgently scale up and improve access to affordable financing to address the threat of climate change.

AFRICA’S POTENTIAL TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION BY ACHIEVING CLIMATE POSITIVE GROWTH

15. Appreciate that climate change is the single greatest challenge facing humanity, and the single biggest threat to all life on earth;

16. Further recognize that climate change is a global problem, that requires a global solution, demanding urgent and concerted action by all nations in order to lower emissions and reduce the concentration of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere; 

17. Emphasize Africa’s unique potential to be an essential part of the solution – with our massive untapped renewable energy potential, the world’s youngest and fastest growing workforce, and relevant natural assets, Africa has the fundamentals to become a cost-competitive green industrial hub; 

18. Note that Africa has a unique opportunity to pursue a much less carbon-intensive development pathway, if matched with timely finance and technology at scale;

19. Recognize that realizing Africa’s potential to be part of the solution requires effort from both African countries and the global community, requiring African countries to develop economic strategies and enabling policy and regulation, and requiring the global community to provide fair and equitable market access for trade, and to avail sufficient appropriate finance to unlock these opportunities;

20. Affirm Africa’s commitment in Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions through deployment of untapped and underutilized potential in renewable energy, green transition minerals, uncultivated arable land, nature and carbon sinks;

RENEWABLE ENERGY 

21. Welcome the COP 28 President designate’s call for governments to commit to double energy efficiency, triple renewable energy capacity to 11,000GW globally, and double hydrogen production to 180million tons a year by 2030;

22. Note that Africa’s untapped renewable energy potential, which is 50 times the global anticipated electricity demand by 2040, currently stands at over 10,000GW, and can play a significant role in keeping the rise in global temperatures within the 1.5°C objective set under the Paris Climate Change Agreement by 2050;

23. Underscore the fact that global renewable energy investments need to almost triple, from an average of just below USD 300 billion annually in 2013-2018 to almost USD 800 billion annually to keep the rise in global temperatures within the 1.5°C objective set under the Paris Climate Change Agreement by 2050;

24. Deeply Concerned that Africa, with substantial renewable energy potential, currently receives only 2 per cent of clean energy investments, and that the cost of capital for renewable energy projects in the continent could be seven times higher than in the developed world;

25. Emphasize the urgent need to provide electricity to the 600 million Africans without access to it, as well as enhance access to clean cooking fuels and technologies to over 900 million and reduce associated health impacts of black carbon;

26. Recognize the need for large-scale anchor industrial demand to improve the bankability of African renewable energy projects;

27. Further recognize the need to avail renewable energy at internationally competitive prices in order to realize Africa’s inherent potential to decarbonize global production and to grow low-emission local, regional and global supply chains;

28. Emphasize the need for a rapid increase in investment in renewable energy in Africa coupled with a recognition of the need to ensure, a just, fair and equitable energy transition that leaves no one behind;

29. Call upon our trading partners to design global trade mechanisms (including but not limited to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) to allow products from Africa to compete on fair and equitable terms;

30. Urge governments to develop industry policies that incentivizes investment flows to locations that offer the best and fastest global climate returns.

Commit to: 

1. Accelerate efforts to triple our renewable energy potential from the 2019 levels of 20% of the total installed electricity generation capacity to 60% by 2030; 

2. Enhance our efforts to inter-connect the continent through on and off-grid renewable energy technologies and regional power pools to improve universal access to electricity by 2030, and enable just transition from fossil fuels within and outside the continent;

3. Remove systemic barriers across technology, infrastructure, policy, and institutional settings within our countries to create an enabling environment;

4. Promote the development of energy-intense industrial deployment as secure energy off-take improving the viability of renewable energy investment – including, inter alia:

1. production of green hydrogen production and derivatives
2. shift of energy-intensive primary processing of Africa’s raw material exports – agricultural and minerals
3. shift to electrification of African transport at scale

GREEN TRANSITION MINERALS 

31. Cognizant of the fact that Africa, as the Continent with the most important green minerals holds the key for global energy transition;

32. Recognizing that acceleration of energy transition will increase the demand for the green transition minerals;

33. Deeply concerned that 70% of the Africa’s mineral exports are unprocessed commodities;

34. Noting with concern that despite being endowed with a variety of green transition minerals, the Continent has not been able to implement energy transition;

35. Invite investments in sustainable infrastructure, technology, processing, training and capacity building to tap the full benefits of the minerals’ value chain;

Commit to: 

1. Provide enabling policies and incentives to attract local value addition of green transition minerals within the Continent;

2. Promote green industrialization on the Continent by facilitating the emergence and expansion of green industrial parks and Special Economic Zones for transition minerals.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

36. Note that Africa has over 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, and has the potential to increase its food and agricultural production to feed its people and the world;

37. Concerned that Africa remains a net importer of staple foods such as cereals, vegetable oils, dairy products and meat;

38. Aware that 60 % of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is smallholder farmers which is mostly rain-fed, and about 23% of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP comes from agriculture; 

39. Concerned that there is limited progress made in agro-industries and agribusiness development, which hampers value addition and competitiveness of our products in trade, both local, regional, and international; 

40. Cognizant that climate change has made agricultural development in Africa more challenging, and expected to get worse with accelerated warming;

41. Acknowledge that successive shocks to global food supply chains from external factors, such the COVID-19 pandemic, wars and conflicts, requires that Africa moves towards food sovereignty;

42. Note with concern that intra-regional trade in agricultural products in Africa is below 20%.

Commit to: 

1. Double agricultural  production and productivity by 2030 ;

2. Pursue efforts to increase investments at scale in climate-smart and regenerative agriculture that enhance adaptation particularly in food systems, infrastructure, and farm-input;

3. Boost Intra-African Trade in Agricultural commodities and services to create strong linkages with regional markets though the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA);

4. Invite private sector to invest in value addition of agricultural products;

5. Increase new infrastructure investments to provide market access and reduce risk.

NATURE AND CARBON SINKS

43. Appreciate growing awareness in the role of nature as carbon sinks and its potential in reducing global carbon emissions;  

44. Acknowledge 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;

45. Acknowledge the progress made by African countries in promoting land and ecosystem restoration through various initiatives and programmes, such as the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) the Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative; the African Climate Commissions (African Islands, Congo Basin and the Sahel) and the Great Blue Wall Initiative;

46. Welcome the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15) and commend the development of the Draft African Union Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (ABSAP) to guide AU member States in the implementation of the Post 2020 GBF;

Commit to:

1. Strengthen actions to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, deforestation, desertification, as well to restore degraded lands to achieve land degradation neutrality;

2. Urge all AU Member States to finalize and adopt the draft African Union Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (ABSAP) with the view of realizing the 2050 Vision of “Living in harmony with Nature”;

3. Ensure that at least 30% of African land and at least 30% of the African ocean and seas are conserved or protected by 2030;

4. Continue supporting small holders, indigenous peoples and local communities, who depend on various ecosystems for their livelihoods and have a key role in their stewardship;

5. Encourage African countries to develop their carbon market laws for environmental integrity, better benefit sharing arrangements and support their attainment of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE

47. Aware that African Countries are among the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change due to low adaptive capacity;

48. Further aware that climate change adaptation and resilience is key to sustained climate positive green growth;

49. Recognize the need for strengthening local, national and regional efforts in adaptation;

50. Acknowledge the need to develop adequate whole of government policies and new funding mechanism for Loss and Damage;

51. Note that African countries’ adaptation needs is estimated to be US$52.7 billion annually by 2030, against annual average flows of US$11.4 billion leaving a financing gap of US$41.3 billion.

52. Recognize the need for the integration of human mobility in climate action for sustained continental development in light of the adverse impacts of climate change contributing to displacement, migration and relocation, and the potential for insecurity and destabilization of the continent;

Commit to:

1. Identify, prioritize and mainstream adaptation into development policy-making and planning, including in the context of national plans;

2. Build effective partnership between Africa and other regions, to address the needs for adequate financial, technical and technological support and knowledge sharing for climate change adaptation;

3. Strengthen early warning, climate information services and early action to protect lives and assets and to inform long-term decision-making in climate change risks;

4. Embrace indigenous knowledge and citizen science in adaptation and early warning systems;

5. Enhance support to the most vulnerable particularly the marginalized/indigenous communities, the elderly, women, people living with disability and children. 

HOW TO FINANCE OPPORTUNITIES 

53. Take note of the on-going initiatives to reform the multilateral financial system and global financial architecture including the Bridgetown Initiative, the Accra-Marrakech Agenda, the UN Secretary General’s SDG Stimulus Proposal and the Paris Summit for a New Global Financial Pact;

54. Acknowledge the efforts by the international community to refine the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatments to deliver timely, faster resolutions of debt distress, but note with concern that the effort are not sufficient and timely; 

55. Call for a comprehensive and systemic response to the incipient developing country debt crisis outside of default frameworks in order to create the fiscal space that all developing countries need to finance development and climate action without sacrificing one for the other;

56. Endorse the proposals for a global tax regime to finance climate action at scale by crowding in and de-risking private capital, including but not limited to financial transactions tax (FTT) and emission levies on fossil fuel trade, aviation and maritime transport, and ring fencing of the resources and decision making from geopolitical and national interests.

CALL TO ACTION

57. We therefore, call upon other world leaders to appreciate that managing climate, will involve decarbonizing the globe, achieving climate positive green growth and moving the world to a low carbon development pathway;

58. Furthermore, we call upon the world leaders to recognize the potential that Africa has to be a solution to climate change thanks to its immense resource potential

 We therefore declare as follows that:

1. ALL global leaders to join in and support our call for a new global tax regime to finance climate action at scale;

2. Development Partners from the global south and north align and coordinate their technical and financial resources to the continent towards sustainable utilization of Africa’s arable land, green transition minerals, renewable energy and carbon sinks, to facilitate climate positive green growth and low carbon development pathway to tame climate change;

3. Establish a new financing architecture that is responsive to Africa’s needs including debt restructuring and relief;

4. African Union Commission develops an implementation framework and roadmap for this Declaration and mobilize resources to support this process;

5. African Union to make Climate Change an AU theme for the Year 2025 or 2026 and adopt the Africa Climate Summit as a biennial event convened by African Union and hosted by AU Member States, to monitor the outcomes of this declaration and Africa’s Progress on Climate Change;

6. This Declaration serves as a basis for Africa’s common position in the global climate change process to COP 28 and beyond.

ADOPTED by African Heads of State and Government and high-level representatives of the African Union on 6 September 2023 in Nairobi Kenya.