The Africa Climate Forum has called for urgent action and increased investment in climate solutions to address the continent’s growing environmental challenges and promote sustainable development.
The Convener of the Forum and Director-General of the Global Centre for Law, Business and Economy, Prof. George Nwangwu, made the call at the fourth edition of the Africa Climate Forum, themed “Implementing in Lockstep: Public-Private Action for Green Outcomes.”
Nwangwu stressed the need for stronger collaboration between governments and the private sector to translate Africa’s climate commitments into practical solutions that protect livelihoods and promote sustainable development.
He said Africa must move beyond making climate commitments to implementing projects that deliver measurable results, particularly in renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, resilient infrastructure and sustainable cities.
“The real measure of climate ambition is not the number of commitments we make, but the outcomes we deliver,” Nwangwu said.
He noted that African communities continued to face the effects of climate change, including devastating floods, droughts, food insecurity and environmental degradation, while millions of people still lacked access to reliable electricity and clean cooking.
According to him, governments alone cannot provide the resources needed to address the continent’s climate challenges, making private-sector investment, entrepreneurship and technological innovation essential to achieving meaningful progress.
“Implementing in lockstep means recognising that no single institution, government, or sector can succeed in isolation,” he said.
Nwangwu explained that governments must provide effective policies and institutions, while the private sector contributes investment and innovation. He added that development finance institutions, researchers, civil society organisations and local communities must also work together to ensure climate interventions meet people’s needs.
He further called for adequate, predictable, accessible and affordable climate financing, noting that high financing costs, currency risks, regulatory uncertainty and limited access to long-term capital continued to prevent promising climate projects from reaching implementation.
The convener said the Africa Climate Forum was designed to bridge these gaps through four platforms: policy dialogue, investment facilitation, innovation and storytelling.
He explained that the Forum’s Deal Room connects project developers with investors, financial institutions, technology providers and public authorities to explore financing opportunities and develop partnerships capable of delivering practical results.
On innovation, Nwangwu said the Marketplace would provide African entrepreneurs and researchers with opportunities to showcase climate solutions, attract investment and connect with potential customers.
He also highlighted the introduction of Climate Stories, a platform intended to draw attention to the experiences of communities affected by climate change and showcase African-led solutions.
“Stories give these experiences a human face. They connect policy to lived realities and remind us that climate action protects livelihoods, strengthens communities, and secures a better future for generations to come,” he said.
Nwangwu added that Africa should not be viewed merely as a recipient of climate solutions developed elsewhere, but also as a source of knowledge, creativity and innovation.
He urged African countries to strengthen continental cooperation and coordinate their positions in international climate negotiations to advance shared development priorities.
He said the Forum would continue to promote partnerships capable of turning climate policies into investments and investments into measurable improvements in the lives of African people.
Founder of Avocado Holdings, Dr Oge Funlola Modie, represented by Mrs Chioma Ikenna Ibeh, also urged African governments and private sector players to translate climate commitments into measurable results, stressing the need for collaboration to address food security, energy access and sustainable development.
“For Africa, climate action is not simply an environmental responsibility. It is fundamentally a development question,” she said.
She also emphasised the importance of communication in implementing climate policies, noting that public understanding and participation were essential to achieving results.
“Communication must therefore be a part of implementation from the beginning, not something introduced after decisions have been made,” she added.
In his goodwill speech, the Director of the Environmental Management Department, Fred Odika, who represented the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, highlighted the need for climate-resilient development, stronger partnerships, increased climate financing and practical solutions to address Africa’s environmental challenges.
Odika noted that climate change was already affecting livelihoods, food security, water resources, infrastructure and public health across Africa, stressing the need for coordinated and sustainable responses to its effects.
“Climate change is no longer a distant concern. It is a present reality affecting livelihoods, food security, water resources, infrastructure, public health and economic development across Africa. From desertification and drought to flooding, coastal erosion and the loss of biodiversity, the impacts are far-reaching and demand coordinated, inclusive and sustainable responses,” he said.
He emphasised that addressing climate challenges requires stronger cooperation among federal and state governments, regional institutions, development partners and private-sector stakeholders.
According to him, partnerships are essential to developing practical solutions, strengthening environmental protection and ensuring that climate considerations are integrated into regional development policies and infrastructure planning.
“This requires stronger collaborations, which I expect today, among federal and state governments, regional institutions, development partners and the private sector,” he said.
Odika called for adequate climate financing to support the adoption of appropriate technologies, strengthen institutional capacity and promote nature-based solutions to environmental challenges.
He explained that increased investment in climate initiatives could also create employment opportunities, support local communities and stimulate economic growth.
“Equally important is the need to mobilise adequate climate finance to encourage the transfer of appropriate technologies, strengthen institutional capacity and promote nature-based solutions that address environmental problems while also creating jobs and expanding economic opportunities for our people,” he said.
He urged participants to ensure that discussions at the Africa Climate Forum translate into measurable commitments, concrete actions and lasting partnerships that benefit Nigeria and other African countries.
Odika stressed that climate interventions should be locally relevant and regionally coordinated to ensure that environmental protection goes hand in hand with economic development and social inclusion.
“The outcomes of this forum, therefore, should extend beyond deliberations to concrete actions, measurable commitments and enduring partnerships that deliver tangible benefits to Nigeria, to African countries and their citizens,” he said.
The Chief Investment Officer of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PICNG and EV), Jide Awolowo, who represented its Executive Chairman, Ismail Ahmed, highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships, investment in clean mobility and local industrial development in driving Nigeria’s green transition.
Awolowo stressed that the transition to a greener economy requires collaboration among the government, private sector, financial institutions and development partners, noting that no single sector can achieve the desired results alone.
“Africa’s green transition cannot be achieved by the government or the private sector acting alone. It requires deliberate collaboration, innovative financing, strategic investments, and shared responsibility. By working together, we can accelerate the adoption of cleaner technologies and build sustainable solutions that respond to Africa’s unique needs,” he said.
He highlighted the role of compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric vehicles in promoting cleaner, more affordable and sustainable transportation in Nigeria. He noted that achieving meaningful progress would require investment in infrastructure, accessible financing and supportive government policies.
“Government must create the enabling environment while the private sector brings the capital, innovation, and operational expertise needed to achieve scale. Through this partnership, we can expand access to cleaner transportation, improve efficiency and make sustainable mobility more accessible to Nigerians,” he said.
Awolowo emphasised that Nigeria’s green transition should deliver both environmental and economic benefits through job creation, local manufacturing, increased investment and improved energy security.
“For Nigeria, the green transition must deliver both environmental and economic benefits, reducing emissions while creating jobs, strengthening local industries, attracting investments, and improving energy security. We must ensure that the transition creates opportunities for Nigerian businesses, develops local expertise and positions the country to benefit from the emerging clean-energy economy,” he said.
In his goodwill speech, delivered by UNIDO Programme Manager Reuben Bamidele on behalf of Regional Director Philibert Ambaka Johnson, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) highlighted the need for stronger public-private partnerships, increased access to climate financing and investment in clean technology to accelerate Africa’s green industrialisation.
Johnson stressed that governments, financial institutions and private businesses must work together to translate climate commitments into tangible results. He explained that governments provide policies and regulations, financiers mobilise capital, while businesses adopt and deploy innovative technologies.
He cited Nigeria’s Programme for Country Partnership, valued at approximately $175 million, as an example of a framework bringing government institutions, private businesses and development partners together to advance industrial development.
“Governments set the rules, financiers price the risk, and enterprises decide whether to adopt the technology. Pledges stop when any one of these moves out of step with the other. Delivery happens when all three move together,” he said.
He emphasised that the availability of capital alone would not bridge Africa’s climate financing gap, noting that projects must be properly prepared to attract investment and meet the requirements of financial institutions.
According to him, sharing investment risks fairly between governments and private-sector players is essential to ensuring that climate commitments translate into projects on the ground.
“Nigeria’s climate finance gap will not close on capital availability alone. It closes when projects are prepared to bankable standards and risk is shared fairly between public and private sectors,” he said.
Johnson also highlighted UNIDO’s support for project appraisal through its Computer Model for Feasibility Analysis and Reporting (COMFAR), which helps project developers and financiers assess costs, cash flows, financing structures and profitability.
He further highlighted the potential of clean technology innovation to reduce emissions, attract investment, create jobs and strengthen local industries.
He cited Nigeria’s Global Cleantech Innovation Programme, which supported three cohorts of Nigerian clean-technology startups between 2022 and 2024. According to him, the startups attracted more than $17 million in investment and created over 7,000 jobs.
He also referenced a Nigerian project designed to recycle approximately 5,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries annually, recover valuable minerals and create nearly 100 jobs.
“Our shared aim should be for Africa, building on the African Continental Free Trade Area, to manufacture more of the clean technologies it deploys, capture more of the value and create jobs at home,” he said.
In her goodwill speech, the Dean of the Faculty of Law at Nile University of Nigeria, Professor Fatima Akali, highlighted the importance of legal frameworks and research in promoting a just energy transition and addressing climate change.
She emphasised the importance of legal frameworks in guiding a fair and sustainable energy transition.
“As scholars of law, we know that it is the function of law to define the pathway for a just and sustainable energy transition, and our faculty is invested in that,” she said.
She stressed the need for research, knowledge-sharing and collaboration to translate climate discussions into practical solutions.
“A platform, a forum for people to meet, exchange ideas and experiences and actually move climate conversations into meaningful action,” she said.
The Programme Coordinator of the Africa Climate Forum, Mr Benjamin Mukoro, highlighted the importance of cross-sector partnerships and inclusive climate action in driving Africa’s green transition.
He said the 2026 forum would focus on strengthening collaboration across sectors and geographical boundaries, with discussions covering climate finance, policy, technology, justice, accountability and capacity building.
“Since the inception of the Africa Climate Forum in 2023, the organisers have endeavoured to align with real-world issues that concern Africa in the global green transition,” he said.
Mukoro also highlighted the role of the forum’s activities, including plenary sessions, a deal room connecting projects with financiers, a marketplace showcasing green technologies and a climate stories challenge, in promoting practical climate solutions.
“We hope that at the end we’ll be on a path to more strategic, inclusive, and closely knit partnerships that will deliver shared climate ambitions across the continent,” he said.
The panel session on Journalism, Climate Action and Civic Space Engagement, moderated by Francesca Ekondaho, Africa Outreach Program Coordinator at the Pulitzer Center, featured Afy Malungu, Africa Outreach Senior Program Manager at the Pulitzer Center; Alaba Adeyemi, Head of News and Current Affairs at Hi-Power 102.7 FM; Rosalyn Ocran, Administration and Finance Lead at the Ghana Youth Environmental Movement; and Opeyemi Alaran, Africa Education Freelancer at the Pulitzer Center.
The discussion highlighted the role of the media, investigative journalism and community engagement in driving climate action. Speakers stressed the need to report climate issues accurately, use indigenous languages to reach wider audiences and challenge misinformation about climate change.
Adeyemi warned against misconceptions that environmental disasters, such as floods and erosion, are caused by God’s anger or human sin, stressing the need for journalists to educate communities on the actual causes of these events and promote evidence-based understanding.
The panel also highlighted practical, community-based solutions, with Ocran sharing initiatives in Ghana that train market women to reuse old clothes to make shopping bags as alternatives to single-use plastics.
The speakers called for stronger collaboration among journalists, educators, community leaders and local businesses to raise awareness, promote sustainable practices and translate climate reporting into meaningful action.