ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – President William Ruto on Monday opened the Second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa with a rallying call for stronger African unity and sweeping reforms of the global financial system to accelerate the continent’s green transition.
Speaking before fellow heads of state and government, Ruto said Africa must shed the image of being a climate victim and instead position itself as a source of solutions through innovation, clean energy, and climate-smart industrialization.
“No nation can solve this crisis alone. Acting alone, we squander time, waste resources, and forfeit the future,” Ruto told delegates.
The president urged African countries to decisively exercise their agency by implementing policies that attract green investment, reward innovation, and present a unified voice on climate negotiations.
He highlighted initiatives such as the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative and the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA) as twin engines for building modern economies powered by clean energy.
Push for Global Financial Reforms
Ruto criticised the current international financial architecture, saying it continues to hold Africa back.
He called for reforms to lower the cost of capital, expand concessional finance, mobilise private investment at scale, and open global markets to Africa’s value-added products such as carbon credits and green industrial goods.
“Climate action risks being sidelined as national security and short-term interests dominate global priorities,” he warned. “It has never been more urgent for Africa to stand together and demonstrate that collaboration delivers prosperity and peace for all.”
Africa’s Progress Since Nairobi
The Addis Ababa gathering comes two years after the inaugural Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, which produced the Nairobi Declaration — a political compact framing climate action as an engine of growth, job creation, and resilience.
Ruto noted that since then, Africa has made strides in areas such as climate-smart agriculture, waste management, renewable energy, and cutting-edge technologies like direct air capture.
He said African entrepreneurs and communities are already driving resilience “from the ground up.”
The Summit, hosted by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has placed emphasis on implementation and finance, moving discussions from vision to action.
A Call to Collective Action
Releasing a progress report titled “Africa’s Journey of Climate Action and Partnership”, leaders pledged to strengthen collaboration within the continent and hold global partners accountable.
“From this African home of humanity, let us offer transformative solutions to preserve the human family,” Ruto concluded. “With innovation, determination, and unity, Africa will drive global climate action and shape a sustainable, prosperous future for all.”
