African leaders and partners call for scaled-up investment in climate adaptation at Africa Climate Summit

Addis Ababa, September 2025 – A high-level session at the Second Africa Climate Summit has spotlighted the urgent need to move from planning to full-scale implementation of climate adaptation, backed by significant finance and readiness support. 

The event, “Moving from Planning to Implementation: The Case for Channelling Significant Support for Adaptation Investment Planning and Readiness,” brought together senior government representatives, donors, multilateral funds and international organizations to discuss how African countries can transform their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) into investment-ready pipelines. 

Speakers emphasized that while adaptation planning frameworks across Africa are growing in sophistication, the real challenge lies in mobilizing, channeling and scaling finance into projects that are bankable, country-owned and resilient to risks. 

Moving from plans to pipelines 

Opening the session, Matthias Naab, Director of UNDP’s Regional Service Centre for Africa, underscored the urgency: “Adaptation is a race to avert an existential threat, protect lives and livelihoods, and secure the foundations of growth. But to move from plans to action, countries need finance and technical support to turn priorities into bankable investment strategies.” 

Naab applauded Italy’s leadership in launching the Adaptation Accelerator Hub during its G7 Presidency and noted UNDP’s role as support agency: “Working hand-in-hand with G7 members and partners, UNDP helps countries develop investment strategies, strengthen project pipelines, and crowd in finance from development banks, philanthropies, and the private sector.” He welcomed the new Italy–Ethiopia bilateral partnership solidified with a signing of an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two governments earlier that day as “a milestone that clears the path for implementation.”  

Italy: A focus on results 

H.E. Claudio Barbaro, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, reiterated Italy's ambition to arrive at COP30 in Belém with concrete outcomes, not just pledges. He highlighted its $4.2 billion Italian Climate Fund, with 70 percent allocated to Africa, and announced the signing of a new MOU with Ethiopia under the G7 Adaptation Accelerator Hub (AAH). The partnership will support Ethiopia’s NAP and NDCs implementation and build investment-ready adaptation pipelines. “African countries must be equipped with robust initiatives capable of attracting large-scale financing,” Barbaro stressed. 

Ethiopia: Partnerships for delivery 

Zerihun Getu of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance reflected on the country’s decade-long efforts to integrate climate into development priorities. He emphasized the importance of two-way partnerships: donors fulfilling finance commitments, and technical support to help countries deliver, with special focus on gender-responsive approaches. He also welcomed regional windows such as those of the Adaptation Fund for advancing cross-border proposals, including regional resilience programmes. 

European Union: From early-stage design to deployment 

Diana Acconcia, Director at DG CLIMA, reaffirmed the EU’s position as the largest global provider of adaptation finance. She noted the Team Europe adaptation agenda has already mobilized over $1 billion. Acconcia also introduced a joint technical assistance programme with the European Investment Bank to improve early-stage project design and readiness, ensuring continuity into large-scale deployment through the EU’s Global Gateway. 

Mozambique: Planning under pressure 

Jadwiga Massinga, National Director of Climate Change in Mozambique, illustrated the scale of challenges facing her country, which has experienced 21 cyclones, 20 floods and 12 droughts over four decades. “Too often what we build we lose to floods and cyclones,” she said. Mozambique has identified $6 billion in local adaptation needs through its Local Adaptation Plan process but remains severely underfunded. Current efforts with GCF Readiness and UNDP are focused on strengthening coordination, monitoring systems, and identifying innovative finance options. 

African Development Bank: Adaptation is investment 

Representing the AfDB, Rita Effah stated: “Adaptation is not aid; it is an investment.” She highlighted AfDB’s mainstreaming of adaptation into country strategies and the $322 million Climate Action Window dedicated to adaptation grants and technical assistance. “There is no shortage of projects in Africa, only a shortage of financing and readiness support,” she concluded. 

United Kingdom: From plans to action 

Simonetta Rossi, Economic Adviser in the UK’s Climate and Nature Finance Department, noted that many countries have comprehensive plans for climate adaptation in place, but now, “the global community must move into implementation.” She stressed that in-country plans must be co-designed with governments, backed by robust data and evidence to attract private sector finance, and supported with donor-backed de-risking mechanisms.  

Adaptation Fund: Scaling direct access 

Bianka Kretschmer, Climate Change Specialist and Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Coordinator at the Adaptation Fund showcased the Fund’s $1.4 billion portfolio, including 61 projects across 47 African countries. She highlighted the Fund’s direct access modality and recent expansion of country caps, noting that Adaptation Fund projects often act as catalysts for larger MDB or private sector financing. “There is no shortage of investable projects,” she reiterated, underscoring the Fund’s catalytic role. 

Strong call for partnership 

The session concluded with consensus on key priorities: adaptation finance remains insufficient; the bottleneck is no longer planning but support for investment readiness and investment to enable implementation; country ownership of NAPs and NDCs must drive investment; and partnerships between governments, development banks, bilateral donors and the private sector are critical to widen the diversity of funds channeled to support adaptation. 

Speakers agreed that scaling adaptation will require better data, stronger readiness support, and innovative partnerships. Above all, they stressed that Africa cannot afford to wait: adaptation planning must now translate into tangible action to safeguard lives, livelihoods and long-term prosperity across the continent.