“A Blueprint for Catalysing a Resilient Africa”
Communiqué of the High-Level Development Partners Committee on AAAP 2.0
Co-chaired by the Republic of Kenya and the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), the High-Level Development Partners Committee convened 40 representatives from governments, international financial institutions (IFIs), private sector leaders, philanthropic partners, technical and knowledge institutions, and youth networks. The meeting assessed the achievements of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program’s first phase (AAAP 2021-2025) and converged on expectations for AAAP 2.0 (2026-2030).
This Co-Chairs’ Summary is submitted to the African Union Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) for political guidance.
AAAP Phase 1 (2021-2025): Transformational Impact
- Delivery: AAAP proved itself as a world-leading adaptation finance mainstreaming initiative. By 2025, it embedded climate resilience solutions into $25 billion of IFI development investments across infrastructure, agriculture, and essential services. These investments safeguard socio-economic benefits despite climate shocks.
- Impact: Operating in 40 African countries, AAAP reached more than 200 million beneficiaries and generated over 1 million jobs, driving climate-smart growth through IFI-aligned investments.
- Value for Money: AAAP far outperformed expectations, achieving a leverage ratio of 1:1,370 versus the original 1:100 target, a benefit-to-cost ratio of 3-5:1, and an IRR above 20%. Larger-scale projects proved especially cost-efficient.
- Reinforcement: Areas identified for strengthening include monitoring and evaluation, gender and social inclusion (already above 70%), and deeper integration of learning and knowledge.
- Opportunities: Phase 1 highlighted significant opportunities including to strengthen engagement with commercial banks and the private sector, expanded youth and locally-led action, and deepened partnerships with IFIs and technical institutions.
Convergence on AAAP 2.0
1. Scale-Up with Urgency
The world is on track to surpass the 1.5°C warming threshold in the near term. As the most vulnerable continent to the climate crisis, Africa must respond with the greatest urgency to protect its people, economies, and ecosystems. At the same time, adaptation and resilience offer a transformative opportunity for growth, job creation, and strong economic returns. Building on the success of its first phase, AAAP 2.0 must therefore scale up its efforts, impact, and effectiveness to meet this challenge in full.
2. High Upside Through Private Finance
Africa needs half a trillion dollars of adaptation finance by 2030, yet only a fraction is currently mobilized and traditional mainstay sources are declining. AAAP 2.0 can secure Africa’s “high-upside” trajectory by unleashing the full potential of the private sector, in line with how Asia has mobilized private participation in climate finance. This will involve working with large national and regional commercial banks, national DFIs that support the private sector, and financial regulators, while securing greater access to international capital to crowd in domestic private finance. Targeted development finance will still be crucial to unlock private finance, and Africa continues to count the Glasgow Pact to double adaptation finance and global prioritization of responsible adaptation finance delivery.
3. Focused Strategic Goals
AAAP 2.0 will act as a catalyst for resilience by concentrating on three mutually reinforcing goals:
- Climate-prepare Africa’s food systems – empowering Africa’s small-holder farmers to secure the benefits of a resilient transformation;
- Future-proof infrastructure and urban zones – leveraging nature to withstand climate extremes while enabling sustainable growth and investment;
- Unlock resilient finance – mobilizing private and public finance, secure expanded access to international capital markets, and reinforcing domestic financial systems.
4. AAAP 2.0 Operational Model:
To deliver on its ambitious goals, AAAP 2.0 will adopt an operational model designed to translate vision into impact, across three delivery channels:
- Transmission Belt: Channel cutting-edge expertise from global, regional, and national/local institutions into adaptation finance solutions.
- Capability Accelerator: Build adaptive capacity directly and through regional and national institutions, universities, and educational partners.
- Innovation Hub: Curate and accelerate learning, innovation, and knowledge sharing, supporting leadership platforms and locally-led action.
Community leadership, gender and social inclusion, youth empowerment, and job creation will be systematically mainstreamed across all operations.
5. Diversified Partnerships
AAAP 2.0 will expand beyond IFIs to include new multilateral development banks, private capital providers, philanthropic organizations, and regional and national banks. Partnerships with national institutions and ministries will be deepened to ensure institutional capacity and long-term sustainability.
6. Integration with African Institutions
The program will strengthen collaboration with AU institutions including AU-NEPAD and initiatives, including regional economic communities, and regional/national centres of excellence, brokering knowledge to state institutions, communities, and youth for systemic capacity development.
7. Sustainability & Market Transformation
AAAP 2.0 will deepen systems change and advance national ownership in line with the establishment of a new headquarters on the continent by embedding proven adaptation and resilience (A&R) solutions sustainably across pipelines, programs, and organizations. Building on AAAP 1.0’s efficiency, the next phase will focus on developing replicable tools (such as digital solutions) and codified capacity-building products (including masterclasses and curricula), enabling partners from local to supranational levels to mainstream A&R skillsets at scale. In parallel, AAAP 2.0 will promote market transformation through standards, guidelines, and taxonomies, reinforcing its role as a reference for resilience tools and processes.
8. Innovation & Learning
AAAP 2.0 will intensify monitoring and evaluation, gender responsiveness, and innovation. By selecting finance interventions with step-change potential, disseminating knowledge globally, and showcasing the business case for adaptation, the program will remain the world’s foremost adaptation finance mainstreaming initiative.
Adopted at Nairobi, Kenya on Friday 5th of September 2025
Participants
Countries: Canada, China, Denmark, European Union, France, Republic of Korea, Norway, Netherlands, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Organizations: AUDA-NEPAD, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Boston Consulting Group, CBRD, Climate Policy Initiative, Equity Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Gates Foundation, International Fund for Agricultural Development, International Monetary Fund, United Nations (Office at Nairobi), and University of Ghana.
Others: Homa Bay County Government, GCA Youth Advisory Panel.
