The African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, Mahmoud Youssouf, has decried Africa’s position at the frontlines of climate crisis it did not create.
Youssouf made this known during the virtual meeting of the Africa Adaptation and Development Emergency Leaders on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
The meeting, chaired by Kenya President Williams Ruto, was attended by Heads of State and Government from Africa, partner countries, leaders of international financial institutions, and strategic partners.
According to him, Africa is on the frontlines of a climate crisis it did not create, saying droughts, floods and rising temperatures are eroding lives, economies, and ecosystems.
Also, shrinking climate finance threatened decades of hard-won development gains.
Youssouf said, “This is not only a climate emergency, it is a development, justice, and security emergency.
“Looking beyond COP30, one truth is clear: the world cannot meet its climate goals without Africa, the continent cannot unlock its full potential without predictable and equitable adaptation finance at scale.
“Africa brings solutions, youth-led innovation, climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, resilient infrastructure and nature-based solutions, with the right finance and technology, Africa can lead global green growth.”
This, according to him, is possible through adaptation as a pathway to development, saying every road, school, hospital and farm must be climate-resilient.
He stressed the need for Africa to unlock large-scale adaptation finance, private investment, integrate resilience into development planning centred on people, especially women and youth through the inauguration of AAAP2.0 (2026–2030).
The AAAP2.0 (2026–2030) refers to the second phase of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme announced by the AUC in January 2026, as a strategic initiative to scale-up climate adaptation efforts across the continent.
The phase focuses on implementing climate-resilient development from 2026 to 2030, in the bid to bridge the climate finance gap and foster green growth.
By Fortune Abang