Africa needs stronger public-private partnerships for climate action — ACF

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Convener of the Africa Climate Forum (ACF), Prof. George Nwangwu, has said that
Africa needs stronger continental cooperation and more effective public-private partnerships to translate climate commitments into measurable outcomes.

Nwangwu made the call yesterday at the fourth edition of the Africa Climate Forum in Abuja, themed: “Implementing in Lockstep: Public-Private Action for Green Outcomes.”

He said the continent needed greater alignment between national priorities and regional strategies, stressing that the real measure of climate ambition was not the number of commitments made, but the outcomes delivered.

In his welcome address, Nwangwu said the theme of the forum was deliberate and timely, noting that Africa had participated in international climate negotiations, articulated its development priorities and called for climate justice for decades.

He said the continent had developed national climate commitments, embraced renewable energy ambitions and advocated greater support for adaptation, resilience and the transition to low-carbon development.

However, he noted that the gap between commitments and implementation remained significant.

According to him, communities across Africa continue to face the consequences of devastating floods, droughts, food insecurity and environmental degradation, while cities face growing climate-related pressures.

He added that agricultural systems remained vulnerable to changing weather patterns, while millions of Africans still lacked access to reliable electricity and clean cooking, despite the continent’s abundant renewable energy resources.

“The challenge before us, therefore, is not simply to make more commitments. It is to translate the commitments we have already made into concrete and measurable results.

“To implement is to move from aspiration to execution, from promises to projects, and from declarations to delivery,” he said.

Nwangwu said implementing climate actions “in lockstep” required recognising that no single institution, government or sector could succeed in isolation.

He said governments must provide appropriate policies and effective institutions, while the private sector should bring investment, innovation and commercial discipline.

He also identified development finance institutions (DFIs), researchers, innovators, civil society and local communities as critical players in achieving effective climate action.

He said public expenditure and development assistance alone could not address the scale of Africa’s climate challenges, stressing the need for private investment, entrepreneurship, technology and commercially sustainable solutions.

According to him, sound policies, credible regulation, effective governance and appropriate financing mechanisms must support private sector action.

“We must create an environment where investment flows into projects that deliver both economic value and meaningful environmental and social benefits.

“The objective is not merely to mobilise capital, but to direct it towards outcomes that matter,” he said.

Nwangwu identified resilient infrastructure, affordable and reliable energy, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable cities, green industries and opportunities for African enterprises among the areas requiring greater investment.

He also called for adequate, predictable, accessible and affordable climate finance, as well as greater investment in adaptation and resilience.

“We need effective arrangements for addressing loss and damage. We need access to appropriate technologies and financing structures that recognise the circumstances of African economies,” he said.

He identified high financing costs, currency risks, regulatory uncertainty, inadequate project preparation and limited access to long-term capital as some of the challenges preventing promising climate projects from becoming bankable investments.

Nwangwu said Africa must also ensure that its voice was heard in shaping the rules, policies and institutions governing the global climate response.

He said the continent needed a platform where ideas, policy, investment and innovation could converge to advance practical solutions to its climate challenges.

“We aspire for the Africa Climate Forum to become a platform where ideas translate into policies, policies into investments, and investments into measurable improvements in the lives and livelihoods of African people,” he said.

Nwangwu said a common African voice did not mean that every country must have identical priorities, but required building enough consensus to advance shared interests while respecting the diversity of circumstances across the continent.

He disclosed that, for the first time, the Africa Climate Forum series had been taken beyond Nigeria to Accra, Ghana, reflecting the ambition to build a truly pan-African platform.

He said the organisers were already considering Nairobi, Kenya, as a possible destination for next year’s mini Climate Forum series.

Nwangwu said the ambition was for the next four years of the forum to be more impactful, with broader participation, stronger partnerships and more tangible outcomes.

Also speaking, the Director of Environment Management at the Ministry of Regional Development, Fred Odika, who represented the Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, and the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Perry Aganbobe, said sustainable development could not be achieved without integrating climate considerations into policies, programmes, infrastructure planning and community development initiatives.

“We must therefore embrace an approach that places climate resilience, environmental protection, and well-being of our people at the centre of decision-making,” he said.

Odika also called for advancement of renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green industries and climate-resilient infrastructure.

Similarly, the Regional Director of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Ambassador Philbert Abaka Johnson, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting initiatives that promote sustainable regional development.

Johnson, who was represented by UNIDO National Programme Officer, Dr. Reuben Bamidele, said the organisation was pleased to be part of the fourth edition of the forum.

He said the forum had inspired renewed commitment to strengthening partnerships and decisive action towards a climate-resilient, prosperous and sustainable Nigeria and Africa.

Meanwhile, the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PICNG and EV), Barrister Ismail Ahmed, said development partners and financial institutions had a critical role to play in unlocking investment opportunities.

He said Nigeria’s green transition must deliver both environmental and economic benefits by reducing emissions while creating jobs, strengthening local industries, attracting investments and improving energy security.

Ahmed said PICNG and EV remained committed to building partnerships that would accelerate cleaner mobility, unlock private investment and deliver sustainable outcomes for Nigerians.