Resetting the Africa–Europe Climate Partnership

The Africa Climate Summit 2 (ACS2) concluded in Addis Ababa on 10th September, after three days of intense deliberations that brought together Heads of State, policymakers, innovators, civil society, and private sector leaders to shape Africa’s climate and development agenda. Among the many sessions, the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) convened a high-level roundtable on “Resetting the Africa–Europe Climate Partnership.” The message was clear: business-as-usual is no longer an option. After decades of an aid-driven relationship, Africa and Europe are being urged to forge a new kind of climate partnership – one anchored in mutual benefit, local leadership, and urgent action.

Reframing Africa–Europe Climate Cooperation

One of the strongest undercurrents at the roundtable was the sense that the old, aid-driven model of cooperation has run its course. What Africa and Europe are talking about now is something different: a shift toward partnerships that invite real investment and shared responsibility for the green transition. Grants and public climate finance remain essential, but there is growing recognition that private capital must also be part of the story. Countries like Sweden are already blending development cooperation with private-sector investment, channeling half of their climate funding into adaptation while encouraging businesses to step in with scalable solutions.

The European Union’s Global Gateway strategy promises major investment in infrastructure and renewable energy, and officials highlighted examples like cocoa processing in West Africa or emerging green hydrogen projects in Namibia and South Africa. These efforts aim not just to build export industries but also to strengthen local economies and trade within Africa. Still, the success of these initiatives will be measured not by announcements but by outcomes: how many factories are built, how many jobs are created, and how much value stays on the continent. A reset partnership must ensure that Africa is not only a supplier of inputs but also a producer of high-value goods that support prosperity at home.

But with this shift comes a warning. Hanne Louise Knaepen, Head of Climate Action at ECDPM, put it bluntly during the discussion: “As the Africa–Europe partnership moves beyond aid towards commercial engagement, we cannot lose sight of climate justice. Europe’s offer, like the Global Gateway, must align with African priorities, turning ambitions for locally-led adaptation and co-created green value chains into concrete action.”

Aligning with African Priorities

For too long, the continent’s focus on adaptation, resilience, energy access, and green jobs has only been partially reflected in European initiatives. Leaders made it clear that climate action should not reinforce old donor-recipient dynamics but instead drive Africa’s own growth. Zimbabwe’s case was a vivid example: with vast lithium reserves, the country is determined to move beyond simply exporting raw materials. Officials stressed that partnerships with Europe must support local processing and manufacturing that create African jobs. In short, Africa wants a clean energy transition it truly owns – turning its sun, wind, minerals, and talent into value-added products, not just exporting raw commodities.

But alignment also means confronting Africa’s most urgent challenge: adaptation. The African Union has long insisted that resilience must come first, yet adaptation finance continues to lag far behind mitigation.

A roundtable organized by the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM).

Bridging the Adaptation Finance Gap

Nothing shows the need for change more than the struggle to fund adaptation. Too many pledges remain unfulfilled, and even when money is approved, it can take years before it reaches the people who need it. Some projects have waited a decade for funding while floods and droughts grew worse in the meantime. To make matters harder, much of the finance that does come arrives as loans, leaving countries already burdened with debt to borrow even more for projects that will never turn a profit. As Charles Mwangi of Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) reminded the audience, adaptation cannot be left to the market. Building seawalls or drought-proof farms requires public and concessional finance, not just private investment.

Yet there are reasons to be hopeful. The LIFE-AR initiative, created by a group of least-developed countries, is pioneering a new approach by sending money directly to communities instead of locking it up in years of procedures. The goal is bold: to ensure most of the funding goes into priorities identified by local people, not outside consultants. Donors like Sweden, Ireland and Germany are already backing it. The message is simple. When African institutions are trusted to lead, finance can move faster, reach the ground sooner, and give communities the tools they need to protect themselves.

Locally Led Solutions and Climate Justice

As someone who works with cooperatives, municipalities and grassroots networks, I see daily the creativity and leadership that already exist across Africa. A true reset of the Africa–Europe climate partnership must tap into that strength. It is not just about channeling more money to villages and towns, but also about shifting decision-making power. Communities on the frontlines should be the ones shaping priorities, whether that means early warning systems, mangrove restoration or drought-resistant crops. Encouraging examples already exist. In Kenya, devolved climate finance now sends resources directly to county governments and local committees, while in other places small grants to youth and women’s groups have sparked projects like tree planting and biogas systems. These efforts show that locally led adaptation is one of the most efficient ways to build resilience that lasts.

At the same time, local leadership must be matched with climate justice. That means ensuring land rights are respected, people are consulted before projects begin, and benefits are shared fairly. If lithium is mined or a solar farm is built, nearby communities should see jobs, services or revenue in return. Without this, “green” investments risk deepening the very inequalities climate change has already worsened. True justice means those most affected by climate impacts—and by climate solutions—must have both a seat at the table and a real stake in the outcome.

Figure by Winta Assefa

A Call to Reset

The conversations in Addis left me hopeful but also clear-eyed. Leaders spoke passionately about moving beyond aid, aligning with African priorities, closing the adaptation finance gap, empowering communities, and co-creating industries. Together these ideas form a strong blueprint for a new Africa–Europe climate partnership. But blueprints alone will not change lives. The real test will be whether both continents can turn words into action before the upcoming AU–EU Summit in Rwanda and COP30 later this year.

Resetting the partnership means more than new pledges. It means joint planning, faster finance, and accountability for results felt at the community level. Success should not be judged by billions announced but by concrete results: a higher share of climate finance, at least 70% reaching local governments and cooperatives, new value-added industries taking root on African soil, and thousands of farmers, youth, and coastal communities able to point to projects that have made them more resilient. Only then will this reset be worthy of the name.