The African Green Economy and Sustainability Initiative (AGESI) made a significant and impactful debut at the recently-held Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2). Dr. Eugene Itua, Executive Director of AGESI and CEO of Natural Eco Capital, delivered a call to action, urging leaders to reframe nature not as a liability, but as the continent’s greatest economic opportunity, valued at $1.4 trillion annually.
Speaking at a side event themed “Developing the Finance Stack for Restoring African Ecosystems,” Dr. Itua joined a distinguished panel of experts to discuss innovative financial mechanisms for conservation. He argued that the core challenge is not a lack of resources, but the need to build a sophisticated “finance stack” – a blend of grants, concessional loans, and market instruments like carbon and biodiversity credits – to unlock Africa’s immense green wealth.
“For too long, we have framed financing nature as a burden,” Dr. Itua stated during his talk. “But let’s be honest: this isn’t a cost – it’s our single greatest economic opportunity. The African Development Bank agrees. That $1.4 trillion is not a dream. It’s a number. And it’s ours to claim.”
A highlight of the session was the introduction of AGESI’s flagship initiative, the Green Opportunity Index (GOI). Dr. Itua presented the GOI as a transformative, data-driven compass designed to guide investors and policymakers toward the most promising green economy opportunities across the continent. This tool marks AGESI’s commitment as a pan-African “do tank,” not simply a think-tank, created to move beyond advocacy and provide concrete solutions for sustainable development.
The event, moderated by Theresa Reisch of FSD Africa, featured a lineup of leading voices in conservation finance, including Muhtari Aminu-Kano, Director of Policy and Government Relations, The Nature Conservancy; Tim Bromfield, Vice President, Africa, Conservation International; Fiona Napier, Senior Adviser, Nature Finance; and Ariana Day Yuen, Founder and CEO, Forested.
The collective discussion underscored a unified message: Africa must lead the way in developing bankable, scalable nature-based solutions.
According to Itua, AGESI’s successful debut at ACS2 firmly positions it as a key player in shaping this vital agenda.
AGESI’s impact at the summit was further solidified through a high-level bilateral meeting with leaders from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The discussions – which included Dr. Matthias Z. Naab, UNDP Director of the Regional Service Centre for Africa; Dr. Zeynu Ummer, Director of the UN Resilience Hub for Africa; and Charles Nyandiga, UNDP Regional Team Leader for Environment – signaled a strong potential for collaboration to advance shared goals for a sustainable and resilient Africa.