As the continent marked Africa Day, strategic climate change grant-making foundation the African Climate Foundation (ACF) on May 25 launched its Strategic Framework for 2021 to 2025.

Speaking at the launch, executive director Saliem Fakir said the framework was a guiding, directional document that set out the foundation’s strategic thinking over the next five years.

He highlighted that the framework was the outcome of extensive research and engagement undertaken by the foundation’s team over the course of a year.

Fakir indicated that the ACF had engaged more than 300 people across the continent, undertaken several roundtables and conducted extensive research.

The framework had been informed and shaped by the knowledge and experience of a network of African scholars, practitioners, decision-makers and activists of which the ACF was a part.

The framework had been designed as a living document. Fakir explained that it was a work in progress and said it would be developed as the foundation consulted and worked with partners across the continent over its life.

Therefore, while the framework captured the foundation’s current thinking and approach to climate change and development in Africa, it would evolve over time.

As mentioned, the framework had also been designed as a directional document.

It provides an overview of the ACF’s theoretical framing, its body of work, its objectives and its approach to delivering impact.

More detailed strategies for each of the foundation’s sectoral focus areas had been developed, which both inform and are informed by the framework.

The foundation emphasises that climate change interventions have immense potential to unlock new development pathways in Africa.

To realise this potential, climate change needs to be brought to the forefront of development thinking and planning on the continent, it said.

“Carving out new pathways – at the nexus of climate change and development – also creates a unique opportunity for African countries to redefine what we mean by development, what we prioritise in our developmental agendas, and how we measure progress towards it,” the ACF highlighted.

The launch also included insights from the ACF’s pan-African advisory council, which provides strategic oversight and guidance in matters related to political, economic and development issues on the continent.

Speakers noted that Africa is rich in mineral resources, which presents considerable opportunities in terms of climate change.

However, while progressing towards reaching a global net zero target, the continent was facing risks that could potentially hurt its economies.

Therefore, solutions going forward needed to have in mind the intersections of climate and development, speakers said.

Speakers also noted that African countries had to start shaping and creating their own ideas in terms of climate action and had to position themselves strategically to move forward with this, especially in terms of the green economic recovery agenda.

Speakers noted that climate action had to be peopled-centred.

They also mentioned the need to add systemic voices in how to bridge the divide between climate and development.