The Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2), hosted by the Government of Ethiopia and the African Union Commission, closed with high ambitions for climate action and a unified call for African-led solutions. Under the theme “Accelerating Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development”, the summit brought together heads of state and government, ministers, development partners, private sector leaders, youth, and civil society.

Leaders rallied around bold declarations, multi-billion-dollar commitments, and a vision of turning Africa’s resources, innovation, and youthful talent into global climate leadership.

A Summit Alive with Activity

From the opening morning, The Addis Ababa International Convention Centre thrummed with energy. Delegates streamed into plenary halls, bilaterals rooms, and pavilions showcasing hundreds of climate and energy solutions. The dialogues included addresses from heads of state, ministers, leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators with a clarion call for renewed vigor in the push for Africa;s climate leadership.

Participants follow proceedings during a clean cooking session at the AICC in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Alongside global players, AfAfrica Climate and Energy Nexus – AfCEN with its partners showcased Africa’s newest tool for connecting data, capital and capacity for climate and energy solutions. This is Africa’s premier AI enabled platform bringing together governments, investors and developers, and is designed to speed up projects through technology, data, and capital.

Visitors to AfCEN’s stand engaged with the team on how the platform will cut project development timelines from years to months, unlocking investment and delivering bankable projects faster.

A live demo and discussions illustrated AfCEN’s conviction that Africa can set the pace in reimagining climate infrastructure development.

Delegates mill around a group of Ethiopian entertainers at the AICC in Addis Ababa.

AfCEN at the Heart of Africa’s Climate Innovation

AfCEN’s platform launch was a testament to Africa’s ingenuity. Working collaboratively with partners such as FSD Africa, CIFF, Bayes Consulting, and others, AfCEN showcased how cutting-edge technology is transforming project design, financing, and implementation.

A highlight of the tech focus in climate adaptation and energy transition was the was the AfCEN Pan-African Hackathon, run in partnership with Kytabu. Already attracting hundreds of young coders and innovators from more than 25 African countries, the hackathon has attracted a lot of young talent who are designing digital solutions tailored to African realities. The first week of challenges saw teams coding energy and climate solutions solution videos.

This initiative reflects our belief that Africa’s youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow — they are creating solutions today.

“What platforms like AfCEN are doing is incredible. It teaches us that the voice and participation of the youth in climate discourse is valuable. This ACS is our African COP and having innovations such as the AfCEN platform involving young Africans in hacking for solutions is not only important but a show of Africans ability to innovate and create solutions for global challenges.” Said Elizabeth Wathuti, Global Environmentalist and Young African Climate Leader and Founder of Green Generation Initiative.

Lead Energy Access Explorer at World Resources Institute (WRI) Dimitrois Mentis  praised AfCEN’s data analytics and AI platform as a huge enabler to data cantered project development  and scaling of innovative solutions in Africa.  “Our work on the Energy Access Explorer has shown that robust data governance is critical to unlocking climate and energy solutions. AfCEN’s data platform complements this by aggregating, validating, and making accessible essential climate and energy-datasets across Africa. Its ability to standardize data, track progress, and expose high-quality, decision-ready analytics makes it an indispensable tool for governments, investors, and innovators who need real evidence to drive impactful action.”

The outcomes of ACS2 were ambitious: the Addis Ababa Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action, new finance compacts, and pledges of billions in funding for green growth, resilience, and renewable energy. But ambition must now translate into delivery.

ACS2 demonstrated that Africa’s climate future will be written by Africans themselves — through ingenuity, collaboration, and bold leadership. For AfCEN, the summit was not the end but the launchpad: proof that the continent’s talent, resources, and ambition can redefine what global climate action looks like.

As delegates returned home, AfCEN remains committed to ensuring that the spirit of ACS2 lives on in real projects, real investment, and real transformation for millions across the continent.

Kenya’s first lady Rachael Ruto poses for a photo with other delegates after addressing delegates in a clean cooking event at the summit.