As the world prepares for the Africa Climate Summit II (ACS-II) in Addis Ababa and COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the African Coalition for Sustainable Energy and Access (ACSEA), the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), and partners of the 630 Campaign are calling for a major shift in the global climate agenda.
They want one simple but powerful change:
Universal energy access must be recognized as a global climate goal alongside mitigation, adaptation, and finance.
The Problem
Global climate frameworks focus on cutting emissions, building resilience, and mobilizing finance. But one of Africa’s most urgent realities, energy poverty, is still missing from the picture.
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Over 630 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa have no access to electricity.
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Nearly one billion people rely on polluting cooking fuels like firewood and charcoal.
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Energy poverty holds back industrialization, weakens healthcare and education, deepens gender inequality, and leaves communities more vulnerable to climate shocks.
This is also a moral issue. The world cannot ask Africa to decarbonize rapidly while millions remain in darkness, without electricity for hospitals, schools, or livelihoods.
Our Position
We believe that leaving energy access out of the global climate framework makes climate action unjust and disconnected from the realities of the world’s poorest people.
We are calling for:
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Universal energy access as a climate goal on par with mitigation, adaptation, and finance.
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Scaled-up, grant-based finance and technology partnerships for universal energy access, especially for off-grid renewables and clean cooking.
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Context-appropriate energy transition pathways so Africa can balance development needs with decarbonization.
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Energy access metrics to be included in the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance.
Why ACS-II and COP30 Matter
Africa must come to ACS-II with one united position that energy access is central to its climate vision.
At COP30, global leaders will decide on the Global Goal on Adaptation, the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance, and the future of fossil fuel phase-outs. Africa needs to make sure energy access is part of these decisions.
Without this recognition, we risk locking Africa into a climate framework that might save the planet but leave millions of Africans behind.
Read the Full Position Statement
Help us make universal energy access a top priority in global climate talks. Download full statement here
