Addis Ababa, Ethiopia— The curtains have fallen on the second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2), but the echoes are anything but quiet. From government corridors to grassroots movements, the message resounding through the halls of Addis Ababa was clear,  Africans are done waiting.

This year’s summit sharpened focus on the just transition, climate finance, and Africa’s mineral wealth. Yet, behind the polished declarations and photo ops, civil society, campaigners, and faith leaders delivered a firestorm of unfiltered truths.

Speaking to the Liberal news network, Dean Bhekumuzi Bhebhe of Power Shift Africa warned that declarations mean little without dignity. Bhebhe said,  “Finance without fairness is fragile. Africa is no longer waiting to be invited to the future. We are building it now.”

With the same tone, Amos Wemanya from Greenpeace Africa said,  “A just transition is not only about renewable energy. It is about fairness.” Wemanya insisted that, ” Without holding polluters accountable, Africa risks carrying the burden of climate action on its shoulders while the biggest emitters continue business as usual.”

Likewise,  Dr. Mfoniso Xael of HOMEF slammed carbon markets as “false fixes,” while Nafi Quarshie of NRGI celebrated the recognition of minerals but cautioned against “repeating past mistakes” of extractivism.

The climate justice activists were unfiltered. In particular, Mwenya Chitambala of the Laudato Si Movement said, “A just transition cannot be imposed from the top it must rise from the grassroots.” Chitambala  lauded that “In Africa, the Church is more than just a place of worship, it is the heartbeat of the community.”

Accordingly, Rajneesh Bhuee of Recourse said that there is a clear line between justice and hypocrisy. Bhuee insisted that, “Africa cannot solve a crisis it did not cause with loans that deepen debt.” He also stated that Africa needs grant-based finance, not gas-fueled false solutions.”

The chorus for a just transition resounded, and most of the civil society actors and activists who attended insisted that  Africa’s renewable potential is vast, its communities resilient, and its leaders ambitious. The activists agreed that without accountability, taxing polluters, regulating extractive industries, and embedding justice into finance declarations risk long historical promises for a just transition will be forever deferred.

Although the second Africa Climate Summit has concluded, the battle lines for COP30 in Belém are already drawn. African climate justice activists insist that the time for empty frameworks is over.

From Dependency to Development

For decades, Africa has lived on the promises of climate funding from developed nations, pledges often laden with conditions and delays. These nations whose own economic prosperity was built on the back of fossil fuels now push Africa to embrace renewable energy while continuing to power their industries with coal and oil. This glaring double standard threatens to undermine Africa’s economic sovereignty and risks turning the continent into a laboratory for renewable energy experiments that serve foreign interests over local communities

Innovating for Resilience

Africa is brimming with potential to lead the charge in sustainable development. From investing in renewable energy infrastructure to promoting circular economies and indigenous climate solutions, the continent can redefine what a just transition looks like. Homegrown initiatives such as Kenya’s geothermal energy projects or Rwanda’s green urban planning models are examples of how Africa can build resilience from within. By focusing on localized solutions, Africa can not only reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks but also assert itself as a leader in global climate action. Moreover, African nations must unite in demanding greater accountability from developed countries to drastically reduce their emissions, rather than shifting the burden to developing regions.

Addressing the Social Dimensions

Climate change is not just an environmental issue, it’s a human one. In Africa, its impacts disproportionately affect women, indigenous communities, and public health systems. Women, who often bear the responsibility of providing for families, are hit hardest by droughts, floods, and food insecurity. Indigenous peoples, the stewards of Africa’s rich biodiversity, face displacement and loss of cultural heritage due to climate-driven land degradation. Africa’s climate strategy must integrate these social dimensions. Empowering women through education and resource access, protecting indigenous rights, and strengthening health systems are critical steps in building a climate-resilient continent.

A Vision for Africa’s Climate Sovereignty

COP29 has made one thing clear, Africa cannot entrust its climate future to the Global North. While international cooperation remains vital, true progress demands an African-led revolution in climate action. By rejecting dependency, embracing innovation, and centering its people on climate strategies, Africa can turn its greatest challenge into its greatest opportunity. The time is now for African nations to rise, united in their resolve to build a sustainable and equitable future. Africa has the power to lead the fight against climate change—not as victims, but as visionaries shaping a new global narrative where justice, equity, and resilience take center stage.

Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of the Union of the Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCGLA), underscored this in the morning while underscoring the urgent need for adaptation. 

Speaking  during a panel on emerging digital technologies, he said, “Adaptation is key in climate change resilience,” 

Mbassi also said, “Africa pays double what is going into African care, “ emphasizing that, “Africa  needs to use technology to try and catch up with adaptation.”

This notwithstanding the proposed technology for adaptation for Africa is largely foreign. The continent’s innovations  are less than 10 percent of the globally known ideas.

Notably, Mbassi also underscored the importance of transparency in climate finance. In his view “It is important to have a more transparent system,” 

However, transparency is a bit farfetched, Chris Poullaira, the Chief Technology Officer of Blockchains and Climate Institute, outrightly said while explaining the complexities of global governance. 

In a rather unorthodox stance, he said,” AI is not necessarily the panacea of climate change,”

“If we do not have a robust system that is timely and credible, it will be difficult to address the climate crisis.”

Poullaira believes that the challenges of building prototype technologies for climate change have caused an unspoken mistrust among stakeholders.

But he is not alone, a group of activists at COP29 also lauded his views stating that climate finance is a hoax and decision-makers have decided to make Africans more poorer by deliberately making them pay up for the challenges they already endure.

Whether COP 29 will yield any tangible outcomes to aid Africa’s burden will be told over time. 

Heilu Ward, located in Moyale sub-county, Marsabit County in northern Kenya, greeted us with a cacophony of braying donkeys and the clanging of jerrycans. Curiosity drew us towards the noise, leading us to a nearby water point where the animals were gathered.

At the dam’s entry, security guards told us that everybody was required to pay five Kenyan shillings for a 20-liter jerry can for locals and 10 Kenyan shillings for Ethiopians, the buyers later sold the water in Moyale town at 100 Kenya shillings per 20 litre jerrycan.

Out of curiosity, I peeped inside the dam to see how locals were fetching the water, and to my shock, the water was visibly unfit for human consumption.

Fatuma Dalle, a 42-year-old mother of six, villager, confirmed our fears. “The water is dirty, but we have no choice,” admitted Dalle while explaining how the lack of donkeys only worsened their plight.

Dalle spoke through a translator, a middle-aged man, who, decoded her Borana dialect.

Dalle admitted that, “The lack of proper water storage forced the residents to rely on rainwater which unfortunately was shared with wildlife and was often made dirty hence unfit for human consumption.”

“Before the dam was built, we used to trek for over five kilometers to look for water but since the dam was established through efforts of community members around Heilu ward, we have been relieved from the burden of walking for long distances. We water vendors have taken the initiative of employing two security guards to watch over the water from being contaminated by wild animals,” explained Dalle.

The water business was booming in the area as the vendors bought a 20-litre jerry can for five shillings and sold it for 100 shillings in the town.

Strategically located at the Kenya-Ethiopia border, Heilu Water Point served as a meeting point for communities from both sides. Ethiopians and residents from other wards paid a premium for the life-sustaining liquid.

Accordingly, Dalle admitted that the water business enabled her to fend for her family and even pay school fees for her six children. She remained optimistic and hopes that with time she will manage to buy more donkeys and expand her business.

Heilu Manyatta ward is a central point for donkey vaccination

A team from Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW) in partnership with the County government of Marsabit in Moyale Sub-county partnered to vaccinate donkeys in Heilu and Banisa wards, targeting the dam site because of its central point for the beasts of burden.

As we strolled by the water point, a man named Abdi Dida caught our eye. He was arranging a row of bright yellow jerrycans to collect water. Despite his busy schedule, he stopped to share his approach to caring for his loyal donkeys.

“I rely on Ethiopians to look after them,” Dida explained. “They come from the neighboring country, and work from dawn to dusk.”

He went on to detail their employment terms, noting, “They receive a monthly salary ranging from Ksh. 2,000 to Ksh. 3,000, depending on the size of my donkey herd.”

The 48 year old said that most of them sought Ethiopians to enable them to engage in other activities and their children to go to schools without being troubled by having to graze their cattle.

“We share one market with the Ethiopians so in case anyone wants to buy a donkey it is never a problem. There are Kenyan men there who help with negotiation and even act as witnesses during the purchasing process,”  explained Dida .

Dida who had been in the business for more than 20 years mentioned that one of the major challenges that the community faced was the inability to identify their donkeys in a herd when they got lost.

Dida also highlighted the challenges of identifying lost animals, he said, “We simply observe the direction from where the animal is coming from to tell if it is from Manyatta or Ethiopia. Ethiopian donkeys have dark body marks while the Kenyan ones have tattoo on the ears or use physical marks which at times resemble.”

Dida also revealed that the donkey  owners only embark on a two-month search mission before giving up completely.

Inter- county transfer of donkeys a threat to the animals

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“This village bore witness to the  crackdown of slaughterhouses,” recounted Doctor Dennis Bahati, a Programs Manager from ANAW. “Illegal cross-border movements left numerous donkeys vulnerable to theft.”

We approached the water point with cautious steps with tension unfolding from a distance, mindful of the animals’ skittish nature.

Two middle-aged men gently restrained a donkey by its ears, signaling for the removal of the metal grille from its back to facilitate the procedure. Nearby, a veterinarian poised with needle in hand awaited the opportune moment, ready to administer the vaccine.

The metal grilles, once laden with water from the dam, served as makeshift supports for jerry cans.

Once the donkey grew calm, the vet swiftly injected the vaccine into its neck, withdrawing before the animal could detect any threat.

Dr. Bahati reflected on ANAW’s efforts since their arrival in 2021 to collaborate with Moyale sub-county and border patrol to bolster the security of these endangered creatures. “We’ve uncovered numerous welfare issues demanding attention,” he acknowledged.

“In recent weeks,” he continued, “we’ve witnessed a surge in illegal donkey movements across the Kenya-Ethiopia border. These unsuspecting animals venture into areas known as hotspots for donkey bush slaughter, posing a significant threat.”

Hassan Guyo, an official from the Marsabit County Department of Livestock and Veterinary Service overseeing the vaccination, confirmed that at least 400 donkeys had received treatment that day.

Guyo conceded to the prevalence of illegal cross-border donkey movement in the area over the past three months.

“It was reported that eight to ten lorries, transporting between 4000 to 6000 donkeys, crossed from the Moyale border to unknown destinations, leading to an increase in bush slaughter cases in areas like Naivasha,” Guyo disclosed.

However, there was a glimmer of hope in February 2024, when African heads of state and government collectively agreed to ban donkey slaughter for their skin, a measure aimed at protecting the continent’s 33 million donkeys.

Despite this progress, Guyo emphasized lingering legal loopholes that needed addressing to ensure the animals’ security.

“Donkey slaughter may be banned, but there remains a loophole allowing for their movement,” Guyo explained. “Traders exploit this gap, transporting animals to destinations for bush slaughter.”

He called upon the government and advocacy groups to take decisive action to ban the movement and slaughter of donkeys entirely.

Guyo expressed optimism in the potential of a donkey identification and traceability system to aid in the recovery of stolen animals in the event of large-scale theft.