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SAFE4ALL at Africa Climate Summit 2

October 10, 2025

SAFE4ALL was proud to host a session during the Africa Climate Summit 2, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last month. The session was focused on building climate resilience in Africa’s food systems, which are becoming more vulnerable to unpredictable climate shocks.

During this session, we introduced the Triple A Framework Analysis, Ambition, Action, which is the cornerstone of the SAFE4ALL Project, which aims to link data with ambition and ambition with real, on the ground impact. 

The session included tool demonstrations, case studies, and a lively discussion centered on a few key
questions:

  • How do we avoid analysis without action or action without shared ambition?
  • Whose knowledge counts when setting ambition? Are farmers, women, and young people part of the process?
  • How can we move from local pilots to systemic change?
 

The agenda started with an introduction to SAFE4ALL, its Triple A approach, and three of the nine tools being developed as part of the project. The second half featured a panel discussion with experts who work daily to turn ambition into action for food-secure futures.

This blog is a reflection on the second half of the session, which gave us a chance to look at where SAFE4ALL fits within the broader landscape of climate ambition and action. By bringing key stakeholders who work across ambition setting (at the local and national level) as well as drive action (both on the community and national scale), it helped us understand what those already working on these efforts need and how we can best support them through our data, tools, and partnerships.

The Triple A Framework

The Triple A Framework Analysis, Ambition, Action is SAFE4ALL’s approach to turning climate knowledge into real impact. It is a flexible cycle that helps communities and practitioners move from understanding climate risks to setting shared goals and taking concrete steps toward adaptation. 

Rather than a fixed process, it encourages learning at every stage. It can start anywhere by analyzing risks, setting ambitions, or taking action and adapts to local contexts and needs.

  • Analysis focuses on understanding climate hazards, vulnerabilities, and impacts.
  • Ambition involves setting priorities and defining shared goals for resilience.
  • Action turns those ambitions into real interventions that reduce climate risks.
 

The framework is the foundation of SAFE4ALL’s work across Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe and guides its Learning Program, helping practitioners connect data, goals, and action in a practical, ongoing cycle of adaptation and growth.

Reflections from the panel

Our panel brought together leaders from across Africa who are driving climate resilience in cities, food systems, and policy.

  • Evans Adjei, Chief Sustainability and Resilience Officer of Accra, shared lessons from Accra’s Resilience Strategy and the Accra Climate Action Plan. He spoke about linking ambition with data across sectors showing that when national targets are informed by local realities, they gain legitimacy and support. He emphasized that the most critical element in driving meaningful climate action is stakeholder engagement because real knowledge lies with the people. Cities can only set strong and relevant targets when they are shaped by the experiences, needs, and ideas of those who live and work within them. Engaging communities ensures that actions are grounded in reality and that solutions reflect local priorities and ambitions. He reminded us that ambition needs buy-in from across society and resources to back it up.
 
  • Abiyot Dagne, Lead for Climate Policy and Research at the World Resources Institute, discussed Ethiopia’s NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) update process. He emphasized that ambition must be shared and grounded in solid data. The quality of the data determines the quality of the ambition. He also added that ambition is not only about science and data. It also requires political vision, buy-in, and a clear sense of direction. This means identifying practical, grounded projects that can turn big goals into real progress and be seen as demonstrations of what climate action can improve. Lastly, he emphasized that for ambition to matter, it must connect national visions with action at the local level. Only when these ambitions are realistic and context-specific can they take root and create meaningful change on the ground.
 
  • Sihine Negede, Founder and CEO of Lem Chaka, shared an inspiring example of how waste can become a driver of both food security and equity. Her company turns organic waste into fertilizer, closing the loop between food production and sustainability – having already recycled 1 million KGs of waste into organic agricultural inputs. She reminded us that action takes many forms, and that small, local projects can have big impacts when given the right support especially through data, finance, and regulatory support. She emphasized the need for coalitions to scale the voices and impact of community-scale projects to have a sustained and lasting impact.
 
  • Dr. Moges Taddesse, Chief Resilience Officer for Addis Ababa, reflected on Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiative and urban corridor development efforts in Addis Ababa. He spoke about how cities can lead in implementing large-scale green projects, but also the challenges of retaining talent and keeping capacity strong. He emphasized the importance of collaboration between communities and policymakers so that action is holistic, people-centered, and sustained.
 

Together, the panelists agreed that information, ambition, and action must work hand in hand. Ambition without data is wishful thinking. Action without shared ambition risks fragmentation. To bridge these, we need grounded evidence, fair collaboration, and the inclusion of the voices of those living the realities of climate change every day.

ACF-panel-discussion2

Where SAFE4ALL Contributes to Efforts in Ambition and Action

The panel discussion offered valuable insights into what it takes to move from data to ambition to lasting action. These reflections reaffirm SAFE4ALL’s missionto support those on the ground not only by providing tools but also by listening, co-creating, and ensuring that local experience shapes steps forward. We are doing this through:

A. Providing key information

Good ambition and good action rely on good data. SAFE4ALL brings together an ecosystem of tools that
turn complex climate information into usable insights for farmers, communities, and decision-makers.

Our tools for localized weather information

  • Uliza-WI Chatbot (Weather Impact): provides 24/7 weather and farming advice to help farmers plan their activities. Watch the video to learn more about the Chatbot.
  •  DROP App (Wageningen University and Research): connects scientific forecasts with local knowledge, offering tailored hydro-climate services for better decisions. Read the recent article to learn more about the DROP App.
  • Hyperlocal Weather Intelligence Engine (Neuralio AI): offers high-resolution forecasts using advanced AI to give accurate, local-scale predictions.
  • High Impact Thunderstorm Nowcast (MicroStep-MIS): gives short-term severe weather warnings to protect lives and livelihoods.
 

Our tools for long-term planning

  • Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning Framework (Neuralio AI): Models how environmental and social factors interact to guide strategic planning.
  • Climate Atlas and Critical Threshold Explorer (Climate Adaptation Services): Helps explore climate impacts through interactive maps and data. Read more or access the Kenya Climate Impact Atlas.
  • Foodsheds: A co-developed framework helps decision makers understand food systems and how climate, socioeconomic shifts, and migration affect them. Read the article and learn more.
  • e-WaterCycle (Delft University of Technology): Supports long-term water resource management through open hydrological modeling.
  • TWIGA Platform (Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory): Combines satellite and ground data to improve weather and water decisions.
 

B. Building coalitions and connecting communities

Climate resilience depends on people working together. SAFE4ALL helps create spaces where local voices connect with communities at the frontlines of climate impacts, decision-makers, and global audiences. 

  • Building a Community of Champions: A growing network of practitioners committed to climate resilience and that bridge the gap between technical expertise and real-world application, ensuring the above-mentioned climate services reach stakeholders and communities effectively.
  • Learning Program guided by the Triple-A Framework (Analysis, Ambition, Action): an online and in-person program designed for technical experts, enablers, and end-users to improve access to climate knowledge by
    • Using learner-centered, flexible methods that adapt to local needs.
    • Including interactive sessions and hands-on learning.
    • Helping participants integrate resilience thinking into their work while connecting them to others doing the same.
 

C. Building coalitions and connecting communities

SAFE4ALL recognizes that resilience is built by people who live and work in the midst of climate impacts. Farmers, waste workers, farmers, women, youth, and informal communities all play a part in this story.

  • Developing climate stories with communities to document how people adapt and defend their livelihoods.
  • Recording and sharing indigenous knowledge while connecting it with scientific insights, ensuring both inform climate services.
  • Co-developing and adapting tools with users to make sure solutions are grounded in local experience and designed for real-world use.
 

C. Making the case for action

SAFE4ALL helps translate community realities into policy influence.

  • Policy insights: Identifying gaps in national and regional policies, especially around migration, and sharing them through dialogue and research.
  • Amplifying voices: Sharing community stories and lessons through SAFE4ALL platforms and networks to inspire funders and decision-makers to act.
 

Conclusion

The world is changing quickly, and our food systems so vital to life must keep up. Across Africa, smallholder farmers already feel the shifts in weather and seasons, but adapting to these changes is becoming more complex. Reliable climate information is essential, and it must be accessible to everyone from farmers and community leaders to technical experts and policymakers. This information drives ambition setting and action, helping people make informed decisions and plan for resilient futures. Equally important is the knowledge that comes from the ground up. The experiences and insights held by those on the frontlines of climate impacts must be elevated and used to shape ambition and guide action. SAFE4ALL aims to do exactly that bridging local realities with regional and global decision-making.

The Africa Climate Summit 2 reminded us that while Africa faces significant climate challenges, it is also home to leadership, creativity, and determination. The call for homegrown solutions was loud and clear, and people on the continent are building partnerships and shaping their path forward in the face of climate change.

The summit also underscored that climate action is not just an environmental need it’s a matter of justice and fairness. To get there, we must continue strengthening our ability to make the case for resilience and adaptation, grounded in data, collaboration, and local voices.

At SAFE4ALL, we were proud to host this discussion and to stand alongside our partners in Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. We remain committed to ensuring that the momentum built at the summit translates into lasting action on the ground supporting communities, amplifying local knowledge, and driving Africa’s climate resilience forward.