The Third Annual Africa Climate Finance Conference has ended in Kampala with a call for African governments, financial institutions, development partners and the private sector to move beyond climate commitments and channel funding into bankable, locally led solutions.
Held under the theme, “From Commitments to Capital: Operationalizing Africa’s Climate Finance Architecture,” the two-day conference brought together policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, researchers, development partners, businesses, innovators, youth and civil society to explore practical ways of closing Africa’s climate financing gap.
Climate Finance and Sustainability Centre Executive Director Dr Maria Nantongo said the conference was created to provide a neutral platform where stakeholders across the climate finance chain can work together to turn knowledge and policy into practical investments.
“At the university, we do research and capacity building. But we also realised that we have the space, as a neutral voice, to convene people, and that is why we started these conferences,” Nantongo said.
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She said climate finance should ultimately benefit communities most affected by climate change, particularly women, young people, small businesses and vulnerable households whose livelihoods depend heavily on agriculture, water, food and energy systems.
Nantongo called for stronger investment pipelines, improved project preparation and financing instruments that can enable African enterprises and local institutions to access available climate funding.
Minister of State for Microfinance Shartsi Kutesa Musherure challenged stakeholders to judge climate finance frameworks by the capital and economic activity they generate.
“We should not confuse architecture with outcomes. A strategy is useful if it mobilises capital. A taxonomy is useful only if it influences financing decisions. A pipeline is useful only if projects reach financial close,” Musherure said.
She said climate finance should be treated as an economic and development priority rather than only an environmental concern, given the growing impact of climate shocks on agriculture, infrastructure, energy, water and household incomes.
The conference also highlighted the need to strengthen the role of African banks, development finance institutions, insurers, pension funds, SACCOs and capital-market players in moving climate finance into the real economy.
Participants further called for simpler financing mechanisms to enable local governments, small and medium enterprises, farmers, women and youth to access climate funding.
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A key feature of the conference was the Green Finance Matchmaking and Partnership Hub, which connected climate-focused enterprises and project sponsors with potential investors, banks, development finance institutions, insurers and development partners.
The organisers said the success of the conference will ultimately be measured by the policies, partnerships, investments and projects that emerge from the discussions.
The conference is expected to contribute to a communiqué outlining key recommendations, while insights from the engagement will also feed into the Africa Climate Finance Outlook 2026.
The conference ended with a clear message that Africa’s climate finance challenge cannot be solved through commitments alone but requires investable projects, stronger institutions, appropriate risk-sharing mechanisms and financing that reaches communities and businesses on the ground.
