Africa must champion climate resilience and adaptation

As Africa pursues sustainable development, mounting global crises – including climate change, protracted conflicts and global economic instability – overshadow progress and erode development strides made. The convergence of these shocks threatens to destabilise the continent’s growth trajectory. Still, the region must stand firm and build momentum in responding to one of the greatest threats of our time: climate change.

Like many developing countries in the Global South, Africa is disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, despite contributing less than 4% to global warming. According to the African Development Bank, Africa is home to nine of the ten most climate-vulnerable countries globally, thereby increasing its vulnerability. 

The continent faces accelerated warming. Intensifying droughts, floods, cyclones, rising sea levels and other climate-induced disasters have become a source of unprecedented destruction, trapping communities in cycles of devastation. Not surprisingly, the staggering economic toll of these disasters far exceeds what most economies can sustain.   

The cyclical nature of these disasters leaves African countries with insufficient time to recover and rebuild before another disaster strikes, affecting lives and livelihoods, and threatening long-term resilience. But Africa must fight back. 

Building Africa’s resilience through innovation and partnership

Over the years, concerted efforts have advanced the vision of a resilient Africa. With the support of the global community, the continent’s capacity for response and preparedness has steadily grown; however, until everyone is protected, more must be done to bridge the existing gaps.

Agenda 2063, the continent’s strategic blueprint for economic, social and environmental transformation, envisions a dynamic, globally influential Africa. It is driven by the African Union, the highest authority on the continent, which has ensured a commitment by all member states. Among other things, Agenda 2063 prioritises climate action through Goals 7, 13, and 15, all of which are closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Yet despite this, Africa’s climate efforts face a notable challenge: the accelerating scale of climate threats outpaces the continent’s capacity to implement solutions. Amid competing priorities, the challenge of limited resources hinders progress on planned, urgent initiatives.

Overcoming these challenges demands innovation, investment and international collaboration to match the gravity of the crisis. Africa must champion climate action and find opportunities to rise above the challenge. The continent is determined to strengthen its partnerships with global partners and collaboratively find viable practical solutions, starting with transforming the global climate financial architecture to make it available, accessible and equitable.

From global finance to local action: cooperation for a climate-resilient Africa

The critical role of global cooperation in strengthening the climate resilience of developing countries cannot be overstated. Africa welcomed the establishment of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, an instrument of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with a mandate to assist vulnerable developing countries in managing climate impacts. The continent looks forward to forging a strategic partnership with the fund and other existing funds, with the expectation of seeing an overall improvement in access to vital financing mechanisms to combat the escalating crisis.

Global institutions, such as the G20, play a critical role and have a responsibility to steer the trajectory of climate action with urgency and ambition. With strong political will and bold leadership, supported by noteworthy investments, these bodies can empower developing countries and help them thrive, even in the face of the climate crisis. 

Locally, as a developing continent actively investing in its growth, Africa must also use this phase to transform its economies. It is uniquely positioned to develop green economies and transform critical sectors such as energy and agriculture. Concurrently, it must invest in life-saving early warning systems and strengthen grassroots resilience by combining modern strategies with indigenous knowledge.

As the authority, the AU is leading in Africa’s climate response journey. At the policy level, policy changes and guiding frameworks, such as the AU Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan, have been mainstreamed to harmonise action, with milestones set for member states to encourage country momentum. It is also engaging and collaborating with international partners for their support.

The AU has also established instruments to support its work. Among these, it established the African Risk Capacity, its specialised agency, with a mandate to help African countries plan, prepare and respond to weather-induced threats and disease outbreaks. Its founding, back in 2012, acknowledges the urgency of building resilience as a critical part of development. 

ARC now boasts 39 of the 55 African countries as members and is a leader in disaster risk management and financing. Its work with African countries has strengthened the capacities of governments and led to the provision of rapid financing when extreme weather events have occurred in participating member states, complementing in-country social protection programmes. To date, ARC has paid out over $200 million in sovereign insurance claims.

At the Johannesburg Summit, G20 leaders have a unique opportunity to support Africa’s fight against natural disasters by scaling up early warning systems, creating debt-for-
resilience swaps and funding rapid disaster response. By empowering regional institutions and investing in nature-based solutions, the G20 can help African countries save lives, protect livelihoods and build long-term resilience against climate-driven shocks.