Media's Role in Africa's Climate Crisis: Catalysts for Change

The African continent is on the frontlines of the climate crisis, with rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, desertification, and flooding causing food insecurity, displacement, and instability. As these environmental shocks intensify existing crises, the need for accurate, timely, and dignified reporting on climate-related issues has never been more urgent. This is the backdrop against which the forum, an official pre-event to the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) in Addis Ababa from 8 to 10 September 2025, is convening. Under the theme “Media as a Catalyst for Africa’s Climate Change, Peace and Security Agenda: Driving Just Transition and Climate Justice,” the forum brings together more than 60 journalists, policymakers, and civil society actors from across the continent in partnership with German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and Oxfam.

The forum mirrors ACS2's priorities on just transition, climate mobility, adaptation and resilience, early warning systems, and transparent climate finance. The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and the Pan African Press Network (PAPS) underscore that trusted information and countering disinformation are essential to public safety and social cohesion, especially where climate pressures intersect with fragility and conflict. Sessions equip participants to track climate finance from pledge to impact, report on climate-related mobility with accuracy and dignity, and cover conflict-sensitive adaptation in communities already facing multiple risks.

The African Union Assembly has acknowledged the link between climate, peace, and security and called for a Common African Position on this nexus, a direction reaffirmed by the AU Peace and Security Council. Delivering a keynote address at the opening of the forum, Dr. Richard Muyungi, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) on climate change, emphasized the central role of journalists in this effort. “When information is trusted and timely, it can reduce tensions, guide early action and support fair policies,” he said. He added that the AGN is committed to working with FAJ to mobilize the journalists’ movement across the continent with clearly coordinated climate efforts.

Dr. Philip Attuquayefio, Adviser on Climate, Peace and Security at the African Union Commission, speaking on behalf of the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, declared, “This event has a very specific and transformative purpose: to place the media, the Fourth Estate, at the heart of Africa’s response to the climate, peace and security nexus. The media is not a bystander. It shapes narratives, raises awareness, amplifies the voices of the most vulnerable and demands accountability from those in power. Where disinformation and silence prevail, insecurity grows. Societies can mobilize for justice, resilience, and peace when the media becomes empowered, equipped, and independent.”

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) General Secretary Comrade Anthony Bellanger declared, “Media freedom and public-interest reporting help hard-hit communities understand risk, set priorities and hold leaders accountable for climate decisions.” He added that the IFJ fully supports the African Union Commission’s priority on climate security and that African journalists and their unions have an inextricable role to play in securing the just transitions the continent needs.

The FAJ President Omar Faruk Osman stressed the indispensable role of journalists in pursuing climate justice. “Journalists are on the frontline of climate-related crises, documenting shocks in real time, often at personal risk. This forum invests in their safety and skills so they can tell accurate stories, challenge harmful narratives and support solutions that build peace, security and resilience in the context of the African Climate Summit.”

The European Union (EU), a leading partner for Africa across many areas, including climate action, is also supporting this initiative. Pascal Delisle, Head of the Political, Press and Information Section at the EU Delegation to the African Union, said, “This forum explores how the media can strengthen Africa’s response to climate, peace and security while supporting a just green and digital transition. I salute the difficult and sometimes dangerous work journalists do. Climate, peace and security are EU priorities and central to our partnership with Africa at national and continental levels. Facts are at the heart of journalism and needed more than ever as disinformation grows. The EU stands as a reliable partner to Africa as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the AU-EU partnership.”

Cooperating partners echoed this focus. Rebecca Minkus, German Development Cooperation (GIZ), said, “German Development Cooperation continues to support African voices in this field, from our cooperation with the AU Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, to our work with African journalists, because amplifying trusted voices is essential for resilience.”

Elise Nalbandian, Head of Oxfam’s African Union Liaison Office, emphasized the media's role as essential architects of public understanding and political will. “You have the power to move the climate debate from scientific reports into the hearts and minds of the public, to spotlight disproportionate impacts, hold leaders accountable and illuminate solutions. By driving this narrative, you become the catalyst for the just transition and climate justice we so desperately need.”

Looking ahead, IFJ and FAJ commended the AU’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security for placing climate security high on the continental agenda and for mobilizing a broad coalition of stakeholders, including the media. The forum provides a timely platform to advance a people-first approach that protects livelihoods, rights, and social cohesion, as both the AU Assembly and the Peace and Security Council are engaged in discussions about the climate, peace, and security nexus.

This work builds on firm foundations. The initiative follows FAJ’s Abidjan Declaration and Action Plan on climate justice and just transition, which set a continental roadmap for journalism, shaped African narratives on climate change, and deepened partnerships with organized labor and civil society. It also advances collaboration across the AU system, multilateral institutions, regional economic communities, and media partners to embed climate security, crisis prevention, and just transition in policy and practice.

The forum is a critical step in ensuring that Africa's response to the climate crisis is informed, coordinated, and effective. By equipping journalists with the tools and knowledge to report accurately and dignifiedly on climate-related issues, the forum aims to strengthen public safety and social cohesion, ultimately contributing to a more resilient and just future for Africa.