The upcoming second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, following the inaugural 2023 summit in Nairobi, must prioritize accountability over grand declarations to ensure pledges translate into tangible impact on the ground.

• At the 2023 summit, billions of dollars in climate finance pledges were announced, including $450 million from the United Arab Emirates for green energy projects.
• The Financing Locally Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) programme in Kenya, designed to decentralize climate finance, has faced effectiveness issues due to a lack of robust accountability and transparent tracking.
• The summit is a pivotal step towards COP30 in Belém, Brazil, emphasizing Africa's unified demand for equitable climate finance and the continent's leaders demonstrating their commitment to implementation and holding the global community accountable for pledges.