African heads of state met Monday in Addis Ababa for the second Africa Climate Summit, calling for a shift from aid to investment as the continent seeks resources to confront climate change.

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Home to more than one billion people, Africa is among the regions hardest hit by droughts, floods, and other climate disasters that have displaced millions. At the first summit in Kenya last year, leaders pledged to expand renewable energy, but progress has been slowed by limited financing. This year’s gathering focuses on unlocking climate funds and advancing Africa-led adaptation strategies.

“It is time to replace climate aid with climate investment,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said at the opening ceremony, which brought together African leaders alongside business representatives, scientists, activists, and other stakeholders.

Amos Wemanya, a campaigner with Greenpeace Africa, called for taxing corporations and wealthy polluters to close the funding gap. “We need to tax the polluters and the super-rich to generate the resources needed to make them pay for the climate plunder they are causing the continent,” he said.

Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, chair of the African Union, proposed a framework of “climate justice” to assist vulnerable countries struggling with both climate impacts and debt burdens.

A final declaration outlining Africa’s priorities is expected this week at the close of the three-day summit and will be presented at COP30 in November. COP30 president, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, attended the event and expressed solidarity with African governments.

The host country is also showcasing its national initiatives. On Tuesday, Ethiopia will inaugurate the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, expected to generate over 5,000 megawatts of power — doubling current national output and enabling exports to neighboring states. In July, Ethiopia launched a campaign to plant 700 million trees in a single day as part of a broader plan to plant 50 billion by 2026.

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