Welcome remarks by Mr. Claver Gatete at the 13th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-XIII)

13TH CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA (CCDA-XIII)

OPENING CEREMONY

Theme:

"Empowering Africa's Climate Action with Science, Finance and Justice"

Welcome Remarks

By

Mr. Claver Gatete

United Nations Under-Secretary-General and

Executive Secretary of ECA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

5 September 2025

H.E. Dr Fitsum Assefa, Minister of Planning and Development, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

H.E. Benedict O. Oramah, President, Afreximbank

H.E. Sidy Mohamed Tah, President, African Development Bank (AfDB)

H.E. Moses Vilakati, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union Commission (AUC),

Mr. Richard Muyungi, African Group of Negotiators (AGN) Chair,

Mr. Mithika Joseph Mwenda, Executive Director, Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA),

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a great honour to welcome you to the 13th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-XIII) under the timely theme: "Empowering Africa's Climate Action with Science, Finance and Justice".

I wish to start by expressing heartfelt gratitude to the Government and people of Ethiopia for hosting us here in Adwa, Addis Ababa, and for their consistent commitment to advancing Africa's climate and development agenda.

I also extend our deepest appreciation to the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, Afreximbank, the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance and all our partners for their steadfast collaboration in convening this premier forum.

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

The stakes before us could not be higher.

As we speak, Africa continues to endure the harshest impacts of a crisis it did not create.

By 2022, over 110 million of our brothers and sisters were affected by floods, droughts and heatwaves.

For example, cereal yields in parts of Southern Africa dropped by nearly half, and more than 700,000 people were displaced by climate-induced disasters.

Meanwhile, the financing gap remains staggering.

To implement its Nationally Determined Contributions by 2030, Africa requires nearly US$3 trillion, yet it currently receives only around 3% to 4% of global climate finance.

How can justice prevail when those who have done the least to cause the crisis suffer the most?

And how can resilience be built when resources remain out of reach?

Thankfully, Africa is not only a victim of climate change; Africa is also a source of solutions.

We hold 60% of the world's solar potential.

The Congo Basin absorbs over 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year.

And our countries are already demonstrating innovation and leadership, from Kenya's remarkable 90% renewable electricity generation, to Ethiopia's ambitious Green Legacy Initiative, to the Great Green Wall stretching across the Sahel.

Clearly, Africa is moving from a narrative of vulnerability to one of agency and leadership.

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is precisely why CCDA-XIII is so important.

The work we do here over the next three days will guide the Addis Ababa Declaration for the Second Africa Climate Summit and shape Africa's unified position at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

Our deliberations must therefore be concrete, credible and actionable.

Allow me, therefore, to outline three recommendations that must guide our way forward.

First, Africa must close its climate data gaps and strengthen its scientific capacity.

This is not a choice but a necessity, because without accurate data, we will be navigating blindly.

As such, we must harness advanced tools such as artificial intelligence, satellite analytics and digital platforms, while at the same time integrating indigenous knowledge systems, to ensure that our policies and investments are rooted in evidence that reflects African realities.

Science must become the foundation upon which Africa's climate action is built.

Second, Africa must shift climate finance from aid to investment.

It is no longer sufficient to wait for sporadic pledges that rarely materialize.

We must innovate through debt-for-climate swaps, blended finance, green bonds and equitable carbon markets.

At the same time, we must build Africa's capacity to generate high-quality carbon credits and ensure that revenues are fairly shared and environmental integrity preserved.

Just as crucial, we must strengthen domestic resource mobilization by digitizing tax systems, reducing inefficiencies and promoting fiscal transparency.

Only then can climate finance become predictable, accessible and truly transformative.

Third, Africa's transition must be just and equitable.

This is not merely a matter of principle, but a matter of survival.

Over 600 million Africans still live without access to electricity.

A just transition for Africa must therefore expand clean energy access, create millions of decent green jobs and guarantee that the exploitation of our critical minerals benefits our people, while protecting our workers.

Indeed, this must be seen as a developmental necessity.

Excellencies,

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

This thirteenth session of CCDA is a defining moment for Africa's climate leadership.

We must be clear in our minds that this conference will not be business as usual, but the beginning of Africa shaping global climate solutions.

We must leave CCDA-XIII with policies that deliver, investments that count and solutions that inspire the world.

And the Economic Commission for Africa is honoured to walk this path with you, to make Africa's future green, inclusive and unstoppable.

I thank you.