The President of Botswana, Duma Boko, has formally announced his nation’s support for the establishment of the Africa Biodiversity Fund, during the closing session of the inaugural Africa Biodiversity Summit held in Gaborone from 2–5 November 2025. In a keynote address, President Boko emphasised the imperative for African countries to reconceptualise economic development in ways that recognise the intrinsic and systemic value of biodiversity.
The summit, themed Leveraging Biodiversity for Africa’s Prosperity, convened regional leaders, policymakers, ecologists, economists, and civil society actors to consolidate Africa’s position under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and strengthen implementation of the African Union’s Biodiversity Strategy. The gathering concluded with the formal adoption of the Africa Biodiversity Summit Declaration, marking a significant political milestone for regional ecological cooperation.
President Boko warned that the African continent faces a critical conservation finance shortfall that must be addressed through both innovative and collective mechanisms. He argued that the current metrics of prosperity—often narrowly measured by gross domestic product—must be expanded to include environmental resilience, clean water access, secure food systems, and healthy ecosystems that act as buffers against climate-induced shocks.
“Africa is confronted by compounding ecological pressures—biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation, shrinking forests, invasive species, climate variability, and escalating human-wildlife conflicts. These trends are not peripheral. They are central to the well-being, food sovereignty, and long-term security of our communities,” Boko stated.
The Africa Biodiversity Fund, now gaining traction across the continent, is being envisioned as a financing vehicle designed to channel both domestic and international resources towards conservation, restoration, and ecosystem management projects. It also aims to catalyse private sector engagement through financial instruments such as biodiversity credits, green bonds, and nature-based impact investments.
The proposed fund reflects growing recognition that environmental degradation is not a singular ecological problem but a systemic development issue with wide-reaching socio-economic implications. As such, it requires financial models that go beyond traditional donor aid and build inclusive economic incentives for conservation stewardship.
In support of this vision, Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, affirmed the AU’s readiness to assist member states in implementing and aligning their national strategies with the continental AU Biodiversity Strategy, and to ensure coherence with global biodiversity goals under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
The summit marked a strategic shift in how African leadership positions biodiversity: not merely as a matter of preservation but as a cornerstone of Africa’s developmental sovereignty. Rather than adopting external paradigms of conservation that often exclude local voices, this continental approach seeks to embed biodiversity value into macroeconomic planning, land governance, and development financing.
As Africa continues to grapple with the legacies of extractive economies and environmental marginalisation, initiatives such as the Africa Biodiversity Fund illustrate an emerging continental consensus—rooted in self-determination—that sustainable development must be ecologically just, community-inclusive, and financially innovative.
The outcomes of the summit, including the declaration and Botswana’s support for the fund, contribute to a wider continental agenda aimed at restoring Africa’s ecological integrity while simultaneously unlocking pathways for socio-economic transformation. The mobilisation of domestic capital, alongside international partnerships and private investment, will be critical to ensuring the long-term success and autonomy of Africa’s biodiversity frameworks.
The Africa Biodiversity Summit positions the continent not as a passive recipient of global environmental strategies, but as an architect of its own ecological future—asserting its right to lead, finance, and shape conservation narratives that centre African landscapes, knowledge systems, and communities.
