‘Turning Ambition into Action’ at the Africa Climate Summit
Germany, through GIZ and others, supports the African Union and its member states on a diverse range of related topics, such as adaptation to climate change, renewable energy, and resilient infrastructure. At the Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) in September, a German delegation led by Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) presented Germany’s contributions and held bilateral talks with partners and financial institutions.
Africa contributes the least to global emissions yet suffers severely from climate change. From 8–10 September 2025, African leaders gathered in Addis Ababa for the second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2), an important milestone on the path to COP30 in Brazil.
Germany, through GIZ and others, supports the African Union and its member states on a diverse range of related topics, such as adaptation to climate change, renewable energy, and resilient infrastructure. At ACS2, a German delegation led by BMZ Parliamentary State Secretary Bärbel Kofler and BMUKN State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth presented Germany’s contributions and held bilateral talks with partners and financial institutions.
“It is of utmost importance that African countries come together and find solutions for climate change issues on the continent and beyond,” said Bärbel Kofler. She also highlighted the new ENGAGE project, launched at ACS2 to accelerate Africa’s transition to accessible renewable energy, implemented by GIZ with the AU and other partners. “The African continent is providing impressive evidence of how innovative investment can protect the climate and simultaneously create economic growth and new jobs”, Kofler explained.
Roland Meyer, head of BMZ’s AU cooperation unit, noted that German support has already unlocked 11 billion EUR in investments into green cross-border infrastructure.
On behalf of BMZ, GIZ supported the AU in co-hosting the summit. This included bringing 75 African youth innovators to Addis Ababa to pitch their practical solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation. GIZ also contributed to high-level panels and side events on resilience, peace, climate and security, and renewable energy, highlighting Germany’s broad support for turning climate ambition into action.
More info:
- AU Press Release: “Africa claims its place in global climate leadership with multi-billion-dollar commitments to finance locally-led climate solutions”
- BMZ press release: “Germany will remain reliable partner for the green transformation and climate action in Africa”
- giz.de: Accelerating the Energy Transition in Africa (ENGAGE)
- Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP)
