Ruto calls for global support to match Africa’s climate ambition
President William Ruto has called on the international community to step up support for Africa’s climate adaptation and mitigation efforts, saying the continent is positioning itself as a source of solutions rather than a passive victim of the crisis.
Speaking at the opening of the Second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the President highlighted Africa’s “bold approaches” to climate action, including climate-positive growth, which he said could drive economic transformation, job creation, and sustainable development.
He cited the Nairobi Declaration, adopted at the inaugural Africa Climate Summit in 2023, as proof of Africa’s commitment to leveraging climate action as a driver of prosperity.
“Success will depend on both sides: Africa delivering at home, and the global system opening space where Africa’s climate, business, and development goals converge,” he said.
Ruto stressed that the fight against climate change cannot be won in isolation. “Acting alone, we will squander time, waste resources, and forfeit the future. Isolation is not a winning strategy; it is courting failure,” he warned.
Calling for reforms to the international system, the President urged the dismantling of structural barriers that hold Africa back.
He proposed: Lowering the cost of financing through reforms of global financial institutions, expanding concessional funds, and mobilizing large-scale private investment, and integrating climate into lending while addressing currency and debt risks.
Reforming trade and subsidy regimes to open global markets for Africa’s value-added climate-smart agriculture, green industrial products, and carbon credits.
He cautioned against short-termism and broken promises in global cooperation.
“Too often, commitments are broken and international solidarity is dismissed as weakness, precisely when the scale of the climate crisis demands enhanced cooperation, not less,” he said.
President Ruto also urged African nations to remain firm in building a modern, green, and inclusive industrial base, which he argued would secure the continent’s rightful place in the global economy and reinforce solidarity in the climate fight.
At the event, he launched the report Africa’s Journey of Climate Action and Partnership, which underscores that the continent’s climate summits form part of a long-term roadmap towards a climate-safe future.
“This journey also includes our global partners, who must be accountable not only to us, but also to the future of humanity,” he said.
