President William Ruto has called on African countries to take the lead in climate action, saying the continent must turn the climate crisis into an opportunity to attract investment, create jobs and strengthen economic resilience.
Ruto said Africa has the resources and potential to pursue green industrialisation while protecting communities and the environment.
“Africa must therefore pursue practical pathways that strengthen our economies while advancing climate action,” he said.
The President spoke in New York, while chairing a meeting of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change.
The meeting brought together African leaders to forge a common position ahead of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31), which will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, while also laying the groundwork for COP32 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Ruto said Africa must remain active in global climate negotiations and demand implementation of commitments made by developed countries.
“The world does not lack climate pledges. It lacks delivery. Temperatures are rising faster than promises are being fulfilled. Africa’s task is to help close that gap,” he said.
The President identified climate finance as one of the biggest obstacles to effective climate action, calling for stronger delivery of financial commitments made under international climate agreements.
“Climate finance is not charity. It is an obligation under the Convention and the Paris Agreement,” Ruto said.
He said the adaptation finance gap remained a major concern, estimated at between $200 billion and $400 billion annually.
Ruto also questioned whether existing commitments were translating into adequate funding, citing the Adaptation Fund's financing shortfall.
“Last year in Belém, Brazil, the world agreed to triple adaptation finance. But a promise to triple is not a plan to deliver. The Adaptation Fund secured only about $138 million against a $300 million target,” he said.
The President said Africa's transition towards climate resilience and low-carbon development would remain difficult unless the international financing system was reformed.
He argued that climate risks were increasingly becoming a central issue in economic policymaking and said climate finance should support resilience, investment and economic transformation.
Ruto further warned that the urgency of climate action was increasing as global temperatures continued to rise.
“The numbers are sobering. Last month tied with July 2023 as the hottest 30-day period on record, with global average surface air temperature 1.65 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average,” he said.
He cited warnings from the United Nations Environment Programme that exceeding the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold was becoming unavoidable, while a possible super El Niño could expose Africa and other vulnerable regions to severe climate impacts.
Ruto urged African countries to maintain the vision contained in the Nairobi and Addis Ababa declarations by treating climate action as an investment opportunity capable of driving economic growth, competitiveness and resilience.