When leaders, experts, and civil society gathered at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa for the Africa Climate Summit II (ACS2) this September, the message was unmistakable: Africa will take the lead as rule-shapers of the climate transition.
Held under the theme “Accelerating Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development,” the Summit marked a decisive moment. For decades, the continent has been described mostly in terms of its vulnerabilities. Turning this on its head, however, a strong messaging of Africa’s opportunities became central in most conversations. The Africa Ocean-Climate Solutions Pavilion, convened by the Oceans Resilience and Climate Action (ORCA) and Ocean Visions, in partnership with the Professional African Technical Network Advisory (PATNA) Initiative and others, became one of the clearest demonstrations of this shift. Over two sessions organised by the PATNA Initiative, featuring presentations and four distinct high-level panel discussions, with governmental and private sector leaders, industry experts, policymakers, and researchers, shared the reimagination of Africa’s ocean governance and leadership, maritime decarbonisation and ocean-energy transition as an opportunity for economic transformation and industrial revolution for Africa, not as a burden. This pathway unlocks human security (food, health, energy), financial independence, industrialisation, and inclusive growth.
Africa as Rule Shapers
A clear caution from Kenya’s Special Envoy and Advisor for Maritime and Blue Economy in the Executive Office of the President, Ambassador Nancy Karigithu, was for Africa to avoid being left behind as a “rule-taker” in global negotiations. Instead, the continent should leverage its demographic, geographic, and resource advantages to shape the rules of transition, ensuring that the marine and blue economy’s broader developmental agenda aligns with the global need to reduce GHG emissions.
Africa’s place in global shipping reveals a striking paradox. The continent contributes less than four per cent of global emissions, yet it is expected to shoulder some of the highest costs of compliance under various Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction mechanisms and policy instruments, such as the International Maritime Organisation’s newly approved Net-Zero Framework. At the same time, it is estimated that Africa holds 45 per cent of the world’s renewable energy potential, but with only six per cent of its electricity generation tapping from renewables.
This mismatch presents both challenges and opportunities. If the continent remains passive, rising costs resulting from global policies aimed at transitioning to zero- and near-zero-emission fuels could exacerbate food insecurity and erode trade competitiveness. However, if Africa acts strategically, it can turn this global transition into an opportunity to redefine its role in the energy economy and, indeed, the marine and blue economy sector. Such a redefinition of an energy economy is the role African ports are playing in transforming into renewable energy hubs. They could become nodes for developing food, fuel and trading corridors for greening Africa’s ocean transport footprint. Clean fuel corridors could catalyse Africa into an industrial era. Entire value chains could be anchored in Africa rather than abroad.
Decarbonising Africa’s Blue Economy
The first Pavilion session opened with a presentation by Dr Dola Oluteye, who framed the challenge clearly: ports are not just gateways for goods, they are the pivot points of Africa’s climate and economic future. Evidence from the LEAP Project Series, now in its second phase, demonstrated that more than 80 per cent of Africa’s maritime emissions are concentrated in fewer than ten ports. Strategic upgrades at these hubs could reshape the continent’s economic trajectory.
Governance, Leadership, and Global Alignment
The first panel highlighted the governance and financing dilemmas Africa faces. The Secretary General of the African Shipowners Association, Madam Olufunmilayo Folorunsho, spoke about the challenges confronting shipowners on the continent, particularly the high cost of capital needed to modernise fleets. Ambassador Karigithu, who also serves as a Co-Chair of the PATNA Initiative, pressed for stronger coordination to secure a fair share of revenues from the Net Zero Fund in the coming negotiations on the IMO NZF guidelines. From a financing perspective, Dr Euan Low of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) highlighted Africa’s renewable energy potential for a green transition and outlined the conditions under which blended finance and concessional instruments could be scaled to unlock investment for the continent. To unify Africa’s voice in international forums like the IMO, Mr Numbu Sumabe, a Senior Maritime Officer (Environment) at the Ghana Maritime Authority, emphasised the need for effective regional maritime commitments. Numbu stressed that countries must first hold national consultations with stakeholders and ensure a strong connection between technical negotiators and their governments, while regional bodies should bridge divides, such as language barriers.
Social and Economic Impacts and Implementation
Following a presentation by Fitzroy Meyer-Petgrave, PATNA’s Senior Researcher, the conversation shifted to the lived impacts of Maritime GHG emissions reduction in Africa. Hon. Clifford Andre, a member of Seychelles Parliament and board member of PATNA, drawing on his experience as a parliamentarian, argued that legislatures must embed food security and industrialisation goals into national maritime law to ensure continuity beyond electoral cycles. Prof. Wisdom Akpalu, a natural resource economist at Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Ghana, the Chairman of the Governing Council of Ghana’s Fisheries Commission, and a member of PATNA’s academic cohort, underscored Africa’s vulnerability to rising food prices, pointing to evidence that refrigerated imports and raw commodity exports are particularly exposed to future carbon levies. Capt. Ladi Olubowale, the CEO of Seamate Maritime Integrated Services and President of the African Shipowners Association (ASA) Nigeria, and board member of PATNA, brought a private operator’s perspective, identifying viable opportunities in renewable bunkering and green shipbuilding, while committing that members of the African Shipowners Association could take pilot actions within the year. Elizabeth Nwarueze, a member of PATNA’s policy cohort, a lawyer, maritime consultant, and doctoral researcher in International Law at the University of Oxford, closed the panel by emphasising the need for legal harmonisation, urging regional model laws that align African frameworks with MARPOL Annex VI and the IMO Net Zero Framework before 2027.
In sum, there was consensus around the need for a continental roadmap linking maritime decarbonisation to Africa’s renewable energy transition, food security, and industrialisation.
Gender-Responsive Ocean-Energy Transition
Dr Oluteye and Liz Mubari shifted the spotlight from ports to people in the next session. Dr Oluteye leads the UCL Energy Institute, Shipping and Oceans Group’s Africa Maritime Decarbonisation Programme, in her role as the architect and principal investigator of the LEAP Project Series. She also leads the UK Chapter of the Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE) and recently founded and co-chairs The PATNA Initiative. Liz Mubari is an electrical engineer and the Kenyan Chapter Lead for Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE). They both opened with a reminder of Africa’s current blue economy revenue generation of $300 billion annually, supporting 49 million jobs. They stressed modelled projections to the tune of $405 billion, increasing jobs to 57 million by 2030. While these figures are encouraging, they stressed that women and youth remain largely excluded from these benefits. Women account for just 1.2 per cent of the global seafarers’ workforce and occupy only a quarter of leadership roles in renewable energy across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Policy and Regional Perspectives
Gender inclusivity underpinned the policy and regional discourse, with a note of women’s participation in the maritime workforce as strategic and not a charitable course. In sharing her vast experience in advancing women’s voices in the maritime sector, Ambassador Karigithu outlined practical steps for embedding gender equity in law and implementation, such as designing gender-sensitive PPE and onboard facilities, investing in women’s training and mentorship, and promoting their leadership in decision-making roles. Numbu Sumabe, who is also a member of the PATNA initiative and one of the lead contributors to the LEAP Project, shared lessons from Ghana’s national action plan on shipping decarbonisation. Numbu raised the critical importance of women’s inclusion and integration into new fuel development and supply chains. Nikol Hearn, a finance professional specialising in the green transition with experience across London, Germany, and Southern Africa, and currently the Head of Transactions at the Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme, brought her finance and transactions expertise into the discussion, emphasising the importance of designing instruments that deliberately support women-led enterprises.
Community, Law, and Data
On data, law, and communities, it highlighted the key ingredients necessary for successful climate resilience. First, Prof. Akpalu elevated and highly valued the role that local communities play through active participation and the sharing of local knowledge, which ultimately ensures successful climate action. Dr Helvi Petrus highlighted Africa’s data gaps, arguing that without systematic investment in research, the continent risks negotiating in the dark. Bringing institutional and sectoral knowledge to the discourse, Mdm. Folorunsho stressed the need for mentorship and leadership pipelines to support mainstreaming in the maritime space, especially by including them in maritime governance and policy shaping. According to her, this approach will draw women from the margins of the maritime ecosystem.
The session culminated in the launch of GENDA, a gender-disaggregated maritime data initiative, which will be championed by The PATNA Initiative in partnership with WiRE.
Lessons Across the Pavilion
Across the two sessions and four panels, several lessons emerged. First, evidence must drive action. The LEAP Project showed how targeted upgrades at fewer than ten ports could reshape Africa’s emissions profile and strengthen its competitiveness.
Second, finance determines outcomes. Without redistribution of climate revenues, Africa risks higher food prices and economic strain. With redistribution and with Africa positioned as a clean fuel producer, the continent could increase GDP by as much as 1.3 per cent by 2050.
Third, ports must be seen as anchors of transformation. They are currently high-emission hotspots, but they could also become renewable energy and industrial hubs.
Fourth, laws and governance frameworks must catch up quickly. Aligning African charters and national laws with global rules such as the IMO Net Zero Framework is the only way Africa can secure influence rather than remain at the mercy of external decisions.
Finally, inclusion is non-negotiable. Food security, industrialisation, ports, workforce empowerment, and equitable finance are not separate issues, they are interconnected pillars of Africa’s pathway forward. Women and youth, who remain underrepresented in maritime and renewable energy sectors, must be deliberately positioned as beneficiaries and leaders of the transition. Indigenous communities, with their deep traditional knowledge, must also be recognised as partners in shaping sustainable solutions. Panel discussions underscored that science and traditional knowledge can complement one another, that African researchers need stronger support to close data gaps, and that private actors such as shipowners must be engaged early in policy design to ensure accountability and technical relevance.
The Roadmap
Looking toward COP30 in Brazil and the implementation of the IMO’s Net Zero Framework in 2027, Africa’s priorities are clear. The continent must focus on building capacity initiatives required to engage in, undertake, and successfully deploy e-projects, unlock and secure innovative financing, including concessional loans and blended finance, as well as allocations from the IMO Net Zero Fund. It must harmonise national and regional laws with international standards to avoid fragmentation. It must scale pilot projects in ports and shipping, transforming them into renewable bunkering hubs and clean fuel corridors.
At the same time, the transition must be people-centred and inclusive. Expanding gender-responsive pathways is crucial, ensuring that women and youth are not only beneficiaries but also leaders in Africa’s ocean energy economy. Indigenous peoples, with their deep traditional knowledge of resource stewardship, must be recognised as partners in shaping sustainable practices. Strengthening Africa’s research and data ecosystems is equally urgent: empowering young researchers, funding institutions, and building continental repositories will give policymakers the evidence base needed to negotiate confidently and design resilient strategies. Multi-stakeholder collaboration, from shipowners and private operators to community groups and civil society, must also be embedded in policy processes so that technical expertise and local knowledge inform Africa’s climate action.
These steps will require a strong political will, effective regional coordination, and international partnership. But above all, they will require a shift in mindset. Maritime decarbonisation is not merely about compliance with global rules. It is about advancing Africa’s food security, driving industrialisation, and creating inclusive growth.
The Africa Climate Summit II proved that Africa’s maritime transition is about more than reducing emissions. It is about reshaping the continent’s development model for generations to come. With ports as anchors, people as drivers, and pathways firmly grounded in evidence and inclusion, Africa can lead in shaping global ocean and climate governance.
Ports, people, and pathways will define how Africa navigates this transition, and whether it does so on its own terms.
