Africa must press for changes to the financing mechanisms for mobilizing public and private investments for climate change mitigation and adaptation, such as the Clean Development Mechanism. With additional resources, adapting to and mitigating climate change can also present an opportunity. African leaders have called on the African development bank to establish an Africa Green Fund to receive and channel part of climate finance to Africa.

There is also a need to strengthen institutional structures and arrangements for managing sustainable development, particularly strong and committed political leadership, institutional leadership, managerial and technical capacity for coordination and the development of strategies based on long-term shared strategic and a pragmatic vision. African governments should commit to improving the national governance environment and to investing in capacity building.