Africa Climate Communication Summit concludes with call for Africans to lead their own climate story

The Africa Climate Communication Summit 2025 has closed with a powerful call for Africans to take charge of their climate narrative, using communication as a catalyst for resilience, innovation, and collective action.

The two-day virtual summit, held under the theme “Towards a Climate Resilient Africa through Strategic Communication”, convened storytellers, communications and public relations professionals, policymakers, scientists, journalists, researchers, students, corporate leaders, and civil society.

Its central message was clear: Africa must move from being portrayed as a passive victim of climate change to becoming a global leader in solutions and resilience.

Adwoa Wiafe, Chief Corporate and Sustainability Officer at MTN Ghana, delivered the keynote address, highlighting storytelling as a driver of change. “We must tell both sides of our experience, the challenges and the solutions, because in both lie opportunities we can take advantage of,” she said.

Adwoa Wiafe emphasised the imbalance Africa faces, contributing less than 4 per cent of global emissions while enduring disproportionate impacts, such as droughts, floods, and rising sea levels.

Speakers and panellists emphasised the need for coordinated messaging that dismantles myths, amplifies indigenous innovations, and reaches audiences ranging from rural communities to tech-savvy youth.

Nii Commey, convener of the summit, underlined the central role of climate communication in Africa. “Statistics alone will not move people. It is the human stories of farmers, fishers, women, and youth at the frontlines of climate change that inspire action. Storytellers must rise to the challenge of making these voices heard,” he said.

The private sector was called to step up its role in climate communication. MTN Ghana highlighted its sustainability initiatives, including early warning systems, smart agriculture technologies, and affordable digital devices to expand access to climate information.

With contributions from speakers across Benin, Mali, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and Ghana, conversations explored how communication connects science, policy, and community realities while charting strategies for resilience.

As COP30 in Belém, Brazil, approaches, the summit’s message is timely: Africa must own its climate story, elevate its resilience, and present itself as a leader in adaptation and innovation. By placing communication at the heart of climate action, the Africa Climate Communication Summit affirmed that the continent’s story must be told clearly, boldly, and inclusively.

The Africa Climate Communication Summit was organised by the Stories for Change Foundation under its Climate Communication Africa Programme.

It is an indigenous storytelling hub, using the power of storytelling to create positive change in Africa. At the heart of S4C Foundation’s work are credible narratives that highlight positive impact stories.

Through Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC), they promote positive results on diverse themes of local, national, and global interest, with the grassroots as the bottom line.

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