As the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) got underway on Monday, September 8, 2025, African leaders, civil society and development partners are uniting behind a clear and urgent call: a fully resourced African Development Fund (ADF-17) is critical to securing Africa’s climate resilience, sustainable development and economic transformation.
Hosted by the Government of Ethiopia in partnership with the African Union, ACS2, holding from September 8 to 10, presents a defining moment for Africa’s climate and development agenda. Against this backdrop, the ONE Campaign, Open Society and the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET) will co-host the official side event From Risk to Resilience: How the ADF Delivers Climate Solutions Across Africa on 8 September, highlighting Africa-led solutions and the transformative power of strategic finance.
Since its inception, the ADF has delivered over $45 billion in investments across 37 low-income African countries, nearly half of which are fragile economies. By directing concessional resources to climate-smart agriculture, energy, infrastructure and regional integration initiatives, the Fund has enabled measurable policy outcomes that strengthen economies and safeguard communities.
Projects such as Senegal’s local rice production initiative, which enhances national food security and reduces dependency on imports and the Yookudi Clinic in Liberia, which provides essential healthcare services and strengthens community resilience, demonstrate how ADF investments create tangible change. However, without a fully resourced ADF-17 replenishment in December 2025, these hard-won gains risk stalling, leaving vulnerable communities exposed and slowing Africa’s progress toward evidence-based, climate-resilient policies.
Kerezhi Sebany, Director of Economic Opportunities for Africa at the ONE Campaign, said: “The African Development Fund is a vital engine driving Africa’s climate resilience where it matters most. A fully resourced ADF-17 will equip farmers to adapt, empower young people to seize opportunities and propel economies toward greener, more sustainable growth. By strategically investing in agriculture, energy and infrastructure, the ADF has delivered tangible improvements in communities across the continent. This is Africa’s story of determination and innovation, and it is why ADF-17 must be ambitious and fully supported.”
With just three months until the final pledging session for ADF-17, the Africa Climate Summit offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to place Africa’s climate resilience, sustainable development and economic transformation at the centre of global action once again.
“A fully resourced ADF is not optional, it is essential to advancing climate-smart policies, scaling solutions and empowering African communities to thrive in a changing world,” added Sebany.