Africa entered COP30 with urgent priorities — from scaling climate finance and accelerating energy access to strengthening adaptation and advancing its NDC 3.0 commitments. COP30 concluded with an agreement to triple adaptation finance and launch the first UNFCCC dialogues on trade, but the negotiations fell short of addressing weak national climate ambition, offering no explicit roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels or halt deforestation.

Beyond Belém: What COP30 Means for Africa distills these outcomes through an African lens, translating decisions made in Belém into clear implications for the continent. Drawing on insights from the 2025 State of Climate Report and Africa’s NDC 3.0 journey, the webinar highlights where progress is being made, where gaps remain, and what renewed ambition will be required. 

The discussion will also unpack key emerging issues from COP30, including African leaders’ calls for pragmatic space to use domestic fossil resources amid a major clean-energy finance shortfall, debates over adaptation indicators seen as shifting financial burdens, and the first operational call of the Loss & Damage Fund. By exploring practical mechanisms such as Country Platforms, the event will focus on how Africa can turn global commitments into investable, equitable climate action that delivers real benefits for communities across the continent. 

Speakers 

  • Juliet Kabera, DG Rwanda Environment Management Authority
  • Soha Benchekroun, Researcher and Senior Advisor - Climate Finance and Adaptation
  • John Kalisa, Director, Climate, Economic and Finance, WRI Africa 

Moderator: Rebekah Shirley, Deputy Regional Director, WRI Africa