In Belém, AfDB Champions Africa’s Case for Adaptation Funding and a Fair Energy Transition
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday received African Development Bank Group President, Dr Sidi Ould Tah, in Belém, the host city of this year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP30).
The meeting signalled a strengthening Brazil–Africa partnership as the Bank spearheads the continent’s campaign for a fairer global climate finance system and increased support for adaptation and resilience. The engagement comes ahead of the World Leaders’ Summit on 6–7 November — the first time such a summit will take place before official COP negotiations begin.
Taking place in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, COP30 is expected to be the most consequential climate summit since the 2015 Paris Agreement, as countries face a narrowing window to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Nearly 60,000 delegates, including heads of state, negotiators, financiers, the private sector and civil society leaders, have converged in Belém.
At negotiations from 10 to 21 November, the Bank Group will reaffirm Africa’s priorities: justice in climate finance, accelerated renewable energy access, and stronger climate resilience. Africa contributes less than 4% of global emissions, yet hosts most of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries and receives barely 3% of global climate finance.
Dr Ould Tah will also highlight the shared ecological importance of the Amazon and the Congo Basin, the planet’s largest tropical rainforests, stressing their central role in stabilising the global climate.
During the Leaders’ Summit, he will support the launch of Brazil’s Tropical Forests Forever Fund, a blended-finance initiative uniting the Amazon, the Congo Basin and other African forests. The initiative aligns closely with the Bank’s work through the Congo Basin Forest Fund and its long-standing partnership with the Central African Forest Commission.
President Ould Tah is expected to issue a continental call to action on climate adaptation, clean energy, resilience and financial sovereignty. He will deliver remarks during a high-level session on “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans,” chaired by President Lula. Bilateral meetings with governments, private sector representatives and development partners will support a post-COP30 finance roadmap aligned with his Four Cardinal Points strategic agenda for the Bank.
The African Development Bank Group has positioned itself as a global leader in climate finance. In 2024, it committed $5.5 billion to climate action, with nearly half of approvals directed to climate projects — and 60% of funding over the past decade allocated specifically to adaptation.
Through the African Development Fund’s Climate Action Window, launched in 2022, the Bank has boosted financing and technical support for 37 least developed countries on the frontlines of droughts, floods, and rising temperatures.
As global funding tightens, the Bank’s proactive approach has strengthened its role as a key institution driving climate resilience, renewable energy expansion and a just energy transition for Africa.
The Bank Group will share updates and coverage from COP30 on its dedicated microsite and social media platforms.
