At the Africa Climate Summit 2 (ACS 2) in September 2025, the African Green Economy and Sustainability Institute (AGESI) held a key meeting with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) officials to discuss a strategic partnership aimed at propelling Africa’s green economy.
The meeting at the UNDP Pavilion on September 10 brought together Dr. Eugene Itua, Executive Director of AGESI, with Dr. Matthias Z. Naab, Director of the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa; Dr. Zeynu Ummer, Director of the UNDP Resilience Hub for Africa; and Charles Nyandiga, UNDP Regional Team Leader for Environment.
Speaking at the summit’s side event, ‘Developing the Finance Stack for Restoring African Ecosystems’, Itua called for “a $1.4 trillion reinvestment in Africa’s natural capital,” stating that “we must urgently unlock new capital flows to protect, restore, and sustainably manage our ecosystems if we are to build resilience and drive inclusive growth”.
“This discussion with the UNDP is a critical step in scaling our mission,” said Itua. “Our Green Opportunity Index can provide the ‘where’ and ‘how’ for green investment, and a partnership with a respected institution like the UNDP can help provide the ‘way’, creating a powerful synergy to mainstream nature finance and build a prosperous, resilient Africa.”
He introduced AGESI’s Green Opportunity Index as “a data-driven tool that can identify bankable nature-positive investment opportunities and help de-risk investments, enabling both private and public sectors to confidently invest in Africa’s future”.
On the partnership discussions, Naab said, “UNDP welcomes collaboration with AGESI that enhances our ability to mobilise finance at scale for Africa’s climate ambitions. The Green Opportunity Index offers a practical approach to inform investment decisions and strengthen country-led development pathways.”
Ummer noted that building resilience to climate shocks “is central” to Africa’s sustainable development.
“We see tremendous value in aligning our expertise with AGESI’s innovative tools to mainstream nature-based solutions in national strategies,” he added.
Nyandiga disclosed that “our work focuses on translating environmental strategies” into measurable action.
“Leveraging the Green Opportunity Index will strengthen our capacity to support project development and financing on the ground,” Nyandiga explained.
The prospective partnership envisages combining AGESI’s agile “do tank” operating model with UNDP’s technical expertise and deep African presence to develop a pipeline of bankable green projects with measurable impact.
This alliance is positioned to accelerate Africa’s progress toward climate-resilient, nature-positive growth, according to a statement on Tuesday by AGESI.
The meeting concluded with a mutual commitment to continue dialogue, bolstering Africa’s drive toward sustainable development in line with global climate and biodiversity goals.
