Africa has contributed the least to the global greenhouse gas emissions crisis, yet it is bearing some of its harshest consequences. From prolonged droughts and devastating floods to growing food insecurity and fragile economies, the impacts of climate change are no longer abstract, they are here and already reshaping lives and livelihoods. Yet, while the damage accelerates, Africa is being forced to fight for recovery with limited support.

The real question is not whether Africa can recover from climate damage, but how. What the continent lacks is not ideas, innovation, or political will. It is fair access to finance, equitable partnerships, and regulatory frameworks capable of unlocking the full scale of Africa’s resilience. This imbalance is all the more striking given Africa’s vast mineral wealth and natural resources, yet the continent remains trapped in complex and often unfair global systems simply to access the financing needed for its own recovery.

It is for this reason that we, as Channel Africa will host the inaugural Africa Matters Summit on 25 March 2026 at Wits Business School in Johannesburg, under the theme: “Climate Change – Financing Africa’s Recovery.” We are using our continental reach as a media organisation to create a platform where Africans can debate their priorities, challenge assumptions, and shape their own recovery path from climate change. Our responsibility goes far beyond reporting on crises in the continent. We must help catalyse solutions and build bridges that enable collaborations with meaningful impact. The Africa Matters Summit embodies this commitment. It brings together policymakers, financiers, regulators, academics, innovators, and civic leaders who shape Africa’s climate finance landscape. The aim is simple but urgent: to move from talk to action on how Africa finances its climate recovery and resilience.

Our collaboration with Wits Business School adds depth and academic rigour to the initiative. WBS will produce a professionally drafted outcomes document that captures the summit’s insights, proposals, and commitments. This will be shared with climate-focused institutions, development finance bodies, and policymakers across the continent, to ensure that the conversation does not end with applause at the Donald Gordon Auditorium but continues as influence.

At its core, the Africa Matters Summit reflects a basic truth: that Africa must lead its own recovery from climate change. We cannot afford to wait for global solutions that may arrive too late,, or not at all. We cannot entirely depend on external goodwill to rescue us from crises we confront daily. Africa must design, finance, and implement its own climate resilience agenda, that is grounded in African realities and aligned with African priorities.

Channel Africa is proud to convene this moment, to contribute meaningfully to the dialogue, and to amplify the voices shaping the continent’s climate destiny.

Because Africa matters to us.