Lusaka, Zambia – Uganda’s Ministry of Finance has lauded Africa’s collective commitment to placing climate-responsive economic transformation at the heart of the continent’s development agenda, during the launch of the Pan-African Finance Ministers Forum for Climate Action in Lusaka, Zambia.
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, who also chairs the Global Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, said the Forum provides a platform for African leaders to speak with a unified voice grounded in regional priorities. “This Forum will promote peer-to-peer learning, strengthen institutional capacities, and ensure that Africa’s economic planning fully integrates climate risk, adaptation needs, and the opportunities presented by green growth,” he stated.
Minister Kasaija’s remarks were delivered on his behalf by Dr Albert Musisi, Commissioner for Macro-Economic Policy at Uganda’s Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, during the opening of the second meeting of African Finance Ministers.
The Global Coalition aims to embed climate action into public financial management, assisting finance ministries in aligning national budgets with the Paris Agreement, promoting carbon pricing, mobilising private finance, and sharing best practices for building low-carbon, climate-resilient economies.
“We see climate action as a catalyst for economic transformation, job creation, food security, clean energy expansion, and protection of natural assets on which our communities depend,” Kasaija emphasised. “This meeting is therefore timely and urgent for finance ministries to use their fiscal power in shaping macroeconomic, fiscal, and financial strategies that enable Africa to thrive.”
Dr Sam Mugume Koojo, technical coordinator at the Secretariat for Uganda, highlighted progress in the region, noting that several countries have advanced green budgeting practices, strengthened climate tagging, and established climate finance units, green bonds, and other innovative financing instruments.
Zambia’s Accountant General, Nsandi Manza, who represented Zambia’s Finance Minister, emphasised the urgency of climate action, noting that Africa is already experiencing severe climate impacts, including droughts, floods, cyclones, and food insecurity. “These are present and costly realities that reduce GDP, strain public resources, and undermine long-term development gains,” she said.
Manza added that Africa holds significant potential to translate its natural resources, renewable energy capacity, and human capital into bankable, growth-enhancing economic strategies.