AMCEN@40: Triumphs, Trials, and the Road Ahead for Africa’s Environmental Governance

 

In 1985, as global awareness of environmental degradation began to rise, African leaders came together to ensure the continent had a unified voice in shaping the environmental agenda. Four decades later, the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) is a testament to Africa’s enduring commitment to sustainability, even as it faces new challenges (UNEP, 2025).

The Twentieth Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-20) will be held from 14-18 July 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme “Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future.” The session also marks the 40th anniversary of AMCEN (UNEP, 2025).

From a civil society perspective, we look back at the achievements and challenges of AMCEN since its founding in 1985 on environmental transformation across climate action, nature action, chemicals and pollution action, and land degradation, desertification, and drought Action.

Founding Mission

The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) was established in Cairo, Egypt in 1985 following the adoption of the Cairo Programme for African Cooperation. For 40 years, AMCEN has facilitated the broadening of the political and public policy debate regarding Africa’s environmental priorities and concerns. As the permanent forum of Africa’s environment ministers, AMCEN aims to strengthen cooperation between African governments on economic, technical and scientific activities to halt the degradation of Africa’s environment.

AMCEN’s mandate is to: provide information and advocacy for environmental protection in Africa; ensure that the basic human needs are met adequately and in a sustainable manner; ensure that socio-economic development is realised at all levels; and ensure that agricultural activities and practices meet the food security of the region.

But what have been the key achievements over the years, and what are the challenges haunting AMCEN’s progress?

Four Decades: Key AMCEN Accomplishments

Policy Coordination and Regional Agenda Setting

AMCEN has been instrumental in formulating and promoting regional environmental strategies. For example, it spearheaded the Action Plan for the Environment Initiative of NEPAD, adopted during the 9th Ordinary Session in Kampala in 2002 (UNEP, 2002). This provided a continent-wide framework to integrate environmental sustainability into development planning.

AMCEN also developed the African 10-Year Framework Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production, aligning with global commitments under Agenda 21 (UNEP, 2013).

Furthermore, through the creation of the African Environment Outlook reports, AMCEN has raised national and global political discussion and prioritisation of environmental issues on the continent.

Unified Climate Change Advocacy

AMCEN has also led the formation of Africa’s common positions on climate change, particularly ahead of major UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties (COPs). The 13th Session in Bamako (2010) contributed to shaping Africa’s unified voice ahead of COP15 and COP16, reinforcing calls for adaptation finance and technology transfer (AMCEN, 2010). For example, the Cairo Declaration on Climate Change (2015), adopted during the 15th Session, reaffirmed Africa’s demand for equity in global climate negotiations and played a key role in shaping African positions at COP21 (AMCEN, 2015).

Mobilising International Partnerships and Resources

AMCEN has attracted support from UNEP, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and international donors. It played a role in launching initiatives like the African Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) and the African Adaptation Initiative (AAI), which mobilise climate finance and technology (African Union, 2016).

Strengthening Environmental Governance and Diplomacy

Regular AMCEN sessions have strengthened coordination among African environment ministries and enhanced technical and policy capacities. They have facilitated information sharing, South-South cooperation, and harmonisation of national legislation (UNEP, 2017). AMCEN sessions have also shaped and galvanised the African Common Position at global climate talks (for example, at the annual UNFCCC COPs).

Mainstreaming Environmental Concerns into Development

AMCEN has ensured that the environment is central to Africa’s development agenda, especially in aligning regional strategies with the AU Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (AMCEN, 2019).

The African Green Stimulus Programme (AGSP) is an innovative African-led initiative to support the Continent’s recovery response in a sustainable manner to the devastating socio-economic and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic and to support the Continent’s longer-term sustainable development objectives. The AGSP was adopted by the African Environment Ministers at the 8th Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in December 2020 and by African Heads of State at the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in February 2022 (AMCEN, 2022).

Enduring and Emerging Challenges

Implementation Gaps

Despite strong declarations, implementation at the national level remains weak. Many action plans lack follow-up, monitoring, or integration into national development policies due to limited institutional capacity (UNEP, 2018).

For example, Agenda 2063 identifies energy security as a continental priority. Yet, Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face severe energy deficits, with over 600 million people lacking electricity and relying on biomass for cooking. With just a few years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, this trend questions the global political commitment to the future of Africa’s forest resources as global commons.

Funding Limitations

African countries often lack the financial resources needed to implement AMCEN’s decisions. Many AMCEN initiatives rely on external funding, making them vulnerable to donor priorities (AMCEN, 2022). While the Africa 2063 Agenda declares that Africa must take full responsibility for financing its development goals, the realisation of this goal and the development of Africa lie in effective public finance management, public debt management, and public investment.

However, the recent significant growth in debt load, almost one-third of Sub-Saharan African nations, spells a high danger of financial distress, including the majority of nations that benefited from debt relief in the 1990s (Xolani Thusi et. Al., 2024). For example, climate change is costing African economies up to 15% of GDP annually. In response, African Governments are diverting up to 9% of their budgets to cope with extreme weather (UNECA, 2025), while grappling with debt distress, facing difficult trade-offs between climate action and meeting critical development needs, such as health and education

Rapid Urbanisation in Africa

Rapid urbanisation in Africa presents both opportunities and challenges. By 2050, 60 per cent of Africa's population will live in urban areas, contributing significantly to GDP but also straining infrastructure and services, including the environment and natural resources.

Limited Legal Authority

AMCEN operates primarily as an advisory body. It lacks enforcement mechanisms to ensure member states comply with decisions, which undermines the consistency of action across the continent (UNEP, 2013).

Institutional and Political Coordination Challenges

Overall, AMCEN’s mandate is broad and its structure quite layered, making coordination and efficient action difficult. In addition, inconsistencies in national-level commitment, overlapping mandates with other institutions (AU, NEPAD), and a lack of continuity between sessions hinder AMCEN’s long-term effectiveness (AMCEN, 2023).

There are also capacity gaps, for example, many African countries lack regulatory frameworks and face technical barriers such as a lack of infrastructure and expertise in carbon project development. This is against the backdrop of the fact that Africa’s carbon markets are expected to see rapid expansion by 2025, driven by the continent’s expansive natural resources and ecosystems that can support both voluntary and compliance markets (Africa Carbon Trade Network, 2025).

External Pressures

Factors like political instability, economic crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, and conflict in several regions have diverted attention and resources away from environmental initiatives (UNEP, 2021). As long as civil and cross-border conflicts in biodiverse and mineral-rich regions of Africa, like Central  and Eastern Africa, persist, the environment and natural resources as a development bedrock will not receive the necessary due investment. This will put both the current and future generations in danger.

Worse still, Africa is disproportionately affected by climate change, with annual economic losses at $7 to $15 billion, and projected to rise to $50 billion a year by 2030 (UNECA, 2025). In order to meet its climate adaptation needs only, Africa will need an estimated USD 250 billion annually from 2020 to 2030 (Climate Policy Initiative, 2022).

As AMCEN enters its fifth decade, the question is not only whether it can respond to Africa’s environmental crises, but whether it can catalyse a new era of leadership, where action matches ambition. For that, political will, inclusive governance, and sustainable finance are not optional—they are urgent necessities.