CAPE TOWN, South Africa, November 21, 2025/APO Group: The critical climate negotiations at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, are pressing on the urgent need to translate global ambition into tangible investment and action. This imperative resonates directly with the upcoming fourth edition of the Africa’s Green Economy Summit (AGES), scheduled for February 24–27, 2026, at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town.
This year’s edition underscores a shared commitment to accelerating investment into Africa’s green and blue economies at a defining moment for global climate action, where Africa’s transition to a climate-resilience, low-carbon future is expected to take centre stage, powered by lead partner Sanlam Investments.
Hosted by the VUKA Group under the theme “From Ambition to Action: Scaling Investment in Africa’s Green and Blue Solutions,” AGES 2026 will bring together institutional investors, development finance institutions, innovators, governments, and sustainability leaders aiming to unlock climate-aligned capital for the continent’s most pressing development priorities. With more than 580 delegates, over 150 investors, and 200 project developers expected, the Summit reflects a growing pipeline of investment opportunities estimated at USD 5 billion across renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture, digital climate intelligence, adaptation technologies, and climate finance platforms.
“Africa stands at the frontier of both climate risk and innovation,” commented Emmanuelle Nicholls, Portfolio Director for the Green Economy at VUKA Group. “AGES exists to bridge that gap by connecting scalable, investment-ready projects with partners who can finance measurable impact.”
The AGES 2026 agenda reflects COP30’s heightened emphasis on scaling climate and nature finance, advancing system-wide reforms, and accelerating the operationalisation of country platforms that can turn national climate plans into bankable project pipelines. With a growing global attention on biodiversity and emerging nature credit mechanisms, as well as COP30’s clear push for digital MRV, AI-enabled climate intelligence, and greater transparency, the programme highlights the evolving tools reshaping the climate investment landscape.
Speakers across this year’s edition reflect the depth of expertise shaping Africa’s climate and finance landscape, including: Global Managing Director, Climate Policy Initiative, Barbara Buchner; Regional Director for Africa, Green Climate Fund, Catherine-Candice Koffman; Executive Director, Presidential Climate Commission, Dorah Modise; and CEO, Climate Fund Managers, Andrew Johnstone.
One of the central features of AGES 2026 is the Investment Pitch and Showcase Programme, marking a comeback with a curated pipeline of vetted projects presented directly to investors. These include proposals in renewable energy, battery storage, climate-resilient water systems, mobility electrification, waste-to-value innovation, circularity, climate-smart agriculture, and resilience technologies. The 40 projects range from early-stage USD 1 million concepts to industrial-scale ventures exceeding USD 100 million, attracting participation from the DFIs, venture capital firms, commercial banks, blended-finance platforms, and corporate climate investment vehicles.
The Summit will also host technical site visits across Cape Town, showing how climate investments translate into jobs, competitiveness, and long-term resilience. As global competition for climate finance intensifies, AGES 2026 offers a platform for Africa to articulate its climate investment agenda with clarity and ambition, grounded in data, policy frameworks, and the continent’s vast natural and human capital.
