ABIDJAN – The Belém Package – the set of climate-finance and adaptation measures adopted at last year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil – was limited in scope. Still, by acknowledging that the world can no longer design climate solutions for Africa without meaningful African input, it marked a profound shift in policymaking.

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Despite accounting for less than 4% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, Africa is bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. As a result, the continent has in recent years moved from the periphery of the climate-finance debate to the forefront. Much of the world now recognizes that Africa’s path to net-zero emissions must foster development, not constrain it. Rather than replicating old patterns of dependency, African countries must industrialize, trade, and grow while forging a low-carbon future.

The inaugural ESG report by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), released during COP30, reflects this shift. It finds that instead of waiting for external solutions, African institutions are already taking the necessary steps to support the continent’s economic development and climate ambitions.

But to unlock climate finance at scale, African multilateral institutions must act as a coordinated force promoting a shared continental vision. The Afreximbank report highlights a range of practical instruments, such as the Climate Change Adaptation Finance Facility, which could help mobilize sustainable investments. Whether supporting solar projects in Cameroon or providing Nigerian businesses with stable power, these instruments demonstrate how decentralized clean energy can underpin Africa’s industrialization and economic competitiveness.

Similarly, facilities such as the Africa Trade Transformation Fund can help address the continent’s twin challenges of a heavy debt burden and climate vulnerability. The innovative Africa Trade Trust Fund, in particular, exemplifies the kind of project-driven instruments that will be critical to scaling up climate investment.

Effective climate action in Africa is inseparable from economic sovereignty and trade. Localizing green value chains, building low-carbon manufacturing hubs, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure are not merely climate initiatives; they are also nation-building projects crucial to a just transition.

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The question now is whether the global financial system can adjust to this new reality. As Africa builds the necessary institutions for a sustainable future, advanced economies must honor their commitments by fully funding the Loss and Damage Fund, easing access to concessional finance, and treating Africa not as an aid recipient but as an equal trading partner.

Far from an act of charity, supporting Africa’s green transition is the only viable path to global climate resilience and equitable growth. As COP30 made clear, the continent’s financial institutions are already shifting toward clean energy on their own terms.

Africa’s economic transformation will depend on technology transfer and capacity building, both of which are essential to the projects Afreximbank and its partners are financing. Consider solar farms. Beyond installation, this generating capacity becomes part of a future electricity grid, stimulates local component manufacturing, and helps train a new generation of engineers.

Nigeria’s Aba Integrated Power Project illustrates this holistic approach. By delivering stable, clean gas power to small businesses, it simultaneously tackles emissions, boosts productivity, and strengthens local value chains.

The resulting multiplier effect reinforces the case for treating climate finance as development finance. Doing so answers a key question raised by many COP30 attendees: How can economies become both climate-resilient and globally competitive? The answer lies in integrated projects that link environmental progress with economic strength.

Make no mistake: systemic obstacles remain. Africa faces a staggering financing gap of $1.6 trillion to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, underscoring the persistent misalignment between the global financial system and the continent’s needs. The Belém Package, which acknowledges that imbalance, is a step in the right direction. Correcting distorted risk perceptions and the resulting high credit spreads, however, will be key to unlocking private capital at concessional rates.

Encouragingly, African institutions are already responding by developing de-risking tools and blended finance models, including concessional windows and trust funds, to attract private capital. In effect, they are building the landing strips for global investment, directing it toward projects that advance both climate and development goals.

All of this shows that Africa is no longer willing to be defined by a crisis it did not create. Instead, the continent is pursuing a just green transition that drives industrialization, leverages local energy resources, expands trade, and integrates markets. It is creating one of the defining growth opportunities of the 21st century and laying the groundwork for global climate resilience.

© Project Syndicate