By Abdullahi Lukman
The Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) opened on Monday, September 8, 2025, in Addis Ababa with African leaders urging stronger collaboration, bold action, and increased investment to fast-track climate solutions across the continent.
Kenya’s President William Ruto, host of the first summit, stressed that tackling the climate crisis requires sustained regional and global cooperation, warning against isolation in response efforts.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, hosting this year’s summit, highlighted Africa’s potential as a leader in climate innovation and announced plans to launch an African Climate Innovation Compact aimed at delivering 1,000 solutions by 2030 in sectors like energy, agriculture, transport, and resilience.
Prime Minister Abiy also called for Africa to be recognized as a valuable investment partner, urging global stakeholders to shift from climate aid to climate investment.
The summit is set to focus on finance, implementation, and Africa’s role in global climate leadership, emphasizing the need to link climate action with debt reform, fiscal space, nature restoration, and industrial transformation.
Amid these discussions, African leaders reinforced support for the proposed Fossil Fuel Treaty, an international initiative calling for a fair, financed transition away from fossil fuels through debt relief, increased investment in renewables, and alternatives for fossil fuel-dependent countries.
The treaty aims to bolster the Paris Agreement’s goals by providing a clear pathway to keep warming below 1.5°C.
Seble Samuel, Head of Africa Campaigns & Advocacy at the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said Africa has vast renewable energy potential but faces systemic barriers.
She emphasized the treaty as a platform for just international cooperation to phase out fossil fuels equitably, finance renewable transitions, and scale African innovation.
The Fossil Fuel Treaty proposal is built on three pillars: a global just transition with wealthy nations providing technical and financial support to developing countries; a fair phase-out requiring richer countries to end fossil fuel extraction first; and stopping the expansion of new fossil fuel projects.
