The First Annual African Symposium on Climate-Sensitive Macroeconomics

Rethinking Growth in Africa’s Natural Resource Base

12 February 2026, 09:00 - 13 February 2026 , 17:00 Eastern Africa Time

African economies are increasingly exposed to climate-related shocks that threaten development gains, fiscal sustainability, and macroeconomic stability. From extreme weather events and biodiversity loss to the depletion of natural capital, climate risks are reshaping economic realities across the continent. Yet many macroeconomic frameworks used in public finance and planning continue to overlook climate and nature-related risks and the long-term benefits of resilience and adaptation investments.

Against this backdrop, African policymakers face a complex balancing act: advancing economic transformation, ensuring energy security and affordability, and maintaining fiscal stability in an era of climate uncertainty. Responding to these challenges requires new analytical tools, stronger institutional capacity, and closer collaboration between Ministries of Finance, academia, and development partners.

The First Annual African Symposium on Climate-Sensitive Macroeconomics: Rethinking Growth in Africa’s Natural Resource Base, supported by PAGE and hosted by Makerere University through the Centre of Excellence for Africa Climate-Sensitive Macroeconomic Modelling (CEACM), provides a dedicated African platform to advance these goals. The Symposium supports the objectives of the Pan-African Finance Ministers Forum for Climate Action (PAFMCA) and contributes directly to Helsinki Principle 4 of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, which calls for integrating climate action into economic and fiscal policy through improved macroeconomic analysis and modelling.

Participant Registration for in-person attendance.

Event Brief

First Annual African Symposium on Climate-Sensitive Macroeconomics: Rethinking Growth in Africa’s Natural Resource Base

Host:
Makerere University – Centre of Excellence for Africa Climate-Sensitive Macroeconomic Modelling (CEACM)

Context:

The First Annual African Symposium on Climate-Sensitive Macroeconomics: Rethinking Growth in Africa’s Natural Resource Base builds on growing continental and global momentum to strengthen climate-responsive macroeconomic policymaking. It aligns with recent CFMCA flagship report and complements initiatives such as the Coalition for Capacity on Climate Action (C3A) and global forums on the macroeconomics of green and resilient transitions. It also builds on insights from the PAGE Regional Academy held in Rabat in May 2025, which highlighted the untapped potential of African academic and training institutions to support Ministries of Finance.

Purpose:
The Symposium aims to strengthen Africa’s analytical and institutional capacity to integrate climate and natural capital considerations into macroeconomic and fiscal policy. It will convene policymakers, researchers, universities, think tanks, and development partners to exchange knowledge, present frontier research, and explore practical tools for climate- and nature-integrated economic analysis.

Key focus areas include: