SoAR Stakeholders workshop in Addis Abeba

AFRICAN EXPERTS GATHER TO SHAPE STATE OF ADAPTATION REPORT, 2025

Addis Ababa, Wednesday, 3rd September, 2025 – African Experts from government agencies, research institutions, regional bodies, international organisations, civil society, youth, media and the private sector, have gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to provide technical inputs to the State of African Adaptation Report (SoAR) spearheaded by the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI).

Speaking at the opening session of the workshop, AAI Special Advisor, Kulthoum Omari Motsumi highlighted the importance of African Experts’ involvement in shaping the continent’s adaptation agenda.

“Climate impacts in Africa are immediate, urgent, and intensifying—and because adaptation is about people’s safety, livelihoods, ecosystems, and economies today. Yet, too often, major reports about climate adaptation in Africa are authored by non-African experts and organizations. This matters. When Africa’s voice is peripheral, priorities can be "misframed"; and recommendations may be difficult to implement in our governance, fiscal and environmental context. That is why, for this report, African experts are the pen-holders,” said Motsumi.

The SoAR process is convened by AAI, anchored by the African Union (AU) and the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), and enabled by GIZ support.

Motsumi further noted the importance of African institutions to set the questions, shape the methods, and tell the African story of adaptation in terms of what is working, where the gaps are, and how to scale solutions that are effective, equitable, and financeable in accordance with African realities.

“Your sustained efforts for African priorities—grounded in evidence and the continent’s lived realities—anchors this process. We also express our sincere appreciation to our funder, GIZ, for its generous support and longstanding commitment to strengthening Africa-led climate adaptation action. This flagship report aims to provide an authoritative assessment of the status, progress, and challenges in climate adaptation across Africa. It is based on evidence grounded in African data systems and research networks, drawing on local case studies. Its analytical frame is aligned with Agenda 2063, national plans (NAPs, NDCs), regional strategies, and AGN negotiating priorities and the development in the UNFCCC global space,” Added Motsumi.

The chapters of SOAR 2025 are structured in line with the thematic sectors of the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), ensuring that it is useful and relevant to the global process.

Globally, the GGA has set ambitious targets along the thematic areas that are important for the continent. Thus, the report will not only contribute to policy discourse, investment planning, but also to the global discussion and negotiations on the GGA.

It is designed to serve as a reference document for policymakers, development partners, researchers, and practitioners working on climate change adaptation across the continent.

The AAI communication team.