Key Takeaways from the NDC 3.0 Regional Forum for Africa

The NDC 3.0 Regional Forum for Africa, held in Kigali, Rwanda on October 7 – 9, 2024, focused on the challenges and opportunities for African nations to implement and enhance their climate commitments for the third round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to be submitted in February 2025. 

Throughout the discussions, participants reiterated their commitment to ambitious climate goals, but also acknowledged several persistent barriers. Key concerns included difficulties in mobilizing climate finance, the need for more transparent and accurate data, and capacity challenges in tracking and implementing NDCs.

Participants emphasised the importance of improved coordination between ministries and stakeholders. Weak alignment across institutions, particularly between finance and planning ministries is a major hurdle to integrating climate action into broader national development strategies. 

Participants also called for better access to international financial mechanisms and more robust technology transfer to support NDC implementation. The forum examined how to create an enabling environment for climate finance mobilisation. Participants stressed the need for clearer investment frameworks and stronger collaboration between central banks, finance ministries, and other stakeholders. 

Capacity and data were also critical issues. Significant gaps in technical skills, data availability and management, and technology transfer, were highlighted as major barriers to effective project development. Intellectual property restrictions on essential technologies are an additional obstacle, limiting the ability of African countries to access and scale the innovations necessary for climate adaptation.
 

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Throughout the forum, the importance of regional cooperation and shared experiences was a recurring theme. Participants noted that stronger alignment between NDC cycles and national financial frameworks, as well as enhanced engagement with private sector and international financial institutions, would be key to unlocking the necessary resources for achieving climate goals.

The critical opportunity for meaningfully including short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) in the coming NDC update featured throughout the entire event. The event included opening remarks by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) supported youth representative Mary Morrison from Kenya, and presentations from Seraphine Haeussling (CCAC Secretariat) on sectoral opportunities for transformative and implementable NDCs. 

Sina Spiegler (CCAC Secretariat) participated in a panel discussion on support opportunities for NDCs 3.0 development, and CCAC national experts Bala Bappa (Nigeria) and Fred Onyai (Uganda) participated in a panel discussion on best practices in sectoral opportunities. CCAC focal point for Cote d’Ivoire Ange Benjamin Brida participated in a panel discussion on tracking NDC progress and achievement, underlining the importance of addressing non-CO₂ pollutants like methane in updated NDCs to improve both air quality and climate mitigation efforts. 
 

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The CCAC supported 20 participants from 14 countries to participate in the forum in Kigali, coming from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Gabon, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, and Uganda.

The event marked the fifth and last in a series of regional NDC fora, organised to help countries shape the next round of NDCs under the Paris Agreement. The Forum was hosted by the Government of Rwanda in collaboration with UNEP, UNDP, NDC Partnership, and the UNFCCC, co-organized by CCAC and AfDB.