Makerere to Host Landmark African Climate & Economics Symposium

Makerere University is set to host the First African Symposium on Natural Capital Accounting and Climate-Sensitive Macroeconomic Modelling, a landmark continental gathering aimed at strengthening Africa’s ability to integrate climate and natural resource risks into economic planning and fiscal policy.

The two-day symposium will take place on 12th and 13th February 2026 at the Main Hall, Freedom Square, Makerere University, running from 8:00am to 4:30pm, and will be conducted in a hybrid format, allowing both physical and virtual participation.

Organised by Makerere University’s Centre of Excellence for Africa Climate-Sensitive Macroeconomic Modelling (CEACM) under the School of Economics, College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), the symposium is being held in collaboration with the EfD-Mak Centre and Uganda’s Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED).

The symposium will be held under the theme: “Climate-Sensitive Macroeconomics: Rethinking Growth in Africa’s Natural Resource Base.”

According to organisers, the event comes at a critical time when African economies are increasingly vulnerable to climate-related shocks including extreme weather, biodiversity loss and depletion of natural capital—threats that continue to undermine development gains and strain public finances.

Despite the growing climate burden, experts note that many of the macroeconomic frameworks currently used across the continent still fail to fully account for climate and nature-related risks, limiting governments’ ability to plan for resilience and adaptation investments.

The symposium aims to help address this gap by convening policymakers, researchers, think tanks, universities and development partners to exchange knowledge and explore new analytical tools for climate- and nature-integrated economic analysis.

“The symposium will strengthen Africa’s analytical and institutional capacity to integrate climate and natural capital considerations into macroeconomic and fiscal policy,” organisers said in a statement.

The gathering also aligns with the objectives of the Pan-African Finance Ministers Forum for Climate Action (PAFMCA) and supports Helsinki Principle 4 under the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, which calls for climate action to be embedded into fiscal policy through improved macroeconomic modelling.

Key focus areas will include climate-sensitive macroeconomic modelling and fiscal risk analysis, natural capital accounting in national planning, institutional capacity strengthening within ministries of finance, and building a continental learning network under PAFMCA.

Activities lined up for the symposium include an opening ceremony, keynote presentations, technical policy discussions, breakout sessions, case studies, exhibition kiosks in a “World Café” format, networking events and entertainment.

Uganda’s Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Matia Kasaijja, will serve as the Chief Guest, while the keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Paul Jonathan Martin from the World Bank.

The symposium will be hosted by Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, while CEACM Director Prof. Edward Bbaale, who is also the Principal of CoBAMS, will provide leadership for the event.

Organisers noted that physical attendance will be strictly by invitation, but virtual participation is open to the public through the link: https://bit.ly/NCASymposium.

The symposium is funded by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and UN PAGE, with support from funding partners including the European Union, Germany, Finland, Norway, Korea, Sweden and Switzerland.

The symposium is expected to mark a major milestone in Africa’s efforts to reshape macroeconomic policy thinking by placing climate resilience and natural capital at the centre of national growth strategies.