Pan African Climate Justice Alliance

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, commonly known as PACJA, is an Africa-wide civil-society network focused on climate justice and equitable development. Established in 2008 and based in Kenya, it brings together more than 1,000 organizations from 48 African countries. Its membership and partner base includes nongovernmental organizations, grassroots and community-based organizations, indigenous communities, farmers' groups, trusts, foundations, and religious organizations. Rather than operating as a conventional consumer-facing company, PACJA functions as a people-centered advocacy and coordination platform. The alliance emerged to strengthen African civil-society participation in climate-change debates and to promote positions that reflect the continent's development needs, poverty-reduction priorities, and exposure to climate impacts. Its approach connects environmental protection with human rights, social justice, sustainable development, and pro-poor growth. PACJA argues that climate policy should distribute responsibilities and benefits fairly, protect vulnerable communities, and give African stakeholders a meaningful role in international decision-making. Its work spans climate and environmental justice, policy advocacy, research, public education, community empowerment, sustainable development, and influence over national, regional, and global climate negotiations. The network seeks to make information accessible to civil-society actors, build common strategies, engage governments and other stakeholders, and articulate African perspectives in climate diplomacy. It has also supported specialized initiatives on renewable energy, climate finance, climate education, environmental journalism, parliamentary engagement, and climate-justice activism. PACJA's public advocacy has included opposition to perceived external interference in African renewable-energy governance, campaigns for improved access to climate finance, and calls for faithful implementation of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations 2030 Agenda. In its climate-justice framework, the alliance has highlighted distributive justice, retributive justice, and procedural justice: who receives resources and bears burdens, how harms and responsibilities are addressed, and who is able to participate in decisions. The organization has developed programs and coalitions beyond its core network. These include the ACCER Awards for environmental journalism, the Africa Coalition on Sustainable Energy, the Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice, the GUARD Africa reconstruction and resilience project, the Africa Green Climate Finance National Designated Authorities Network, and the African Activists for Climate Justice project. PACJA has also worked with institutions such as the Pan-African Parliament and has represented African climate and development expectations at high-level international meetings, including the Conference of the Parties process. PACJA's identity is therefore based on coalition-building, policy influence, knowledge exchange, and representation of communities that are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Its work is oriented toward strengthening African agency in climate governance while linking climate action to adaptation, renewable energy, human rights, and inclusive development.

PACJA was established in 2008 as a coalition intended to give African civil-society organizations a stronger and more coordinated voice in climate-change politics. It was co-founded by climate activists Augustine B. Njamnshi and Mithika Mwenda. From its Kenyan base, the alliance developed a continent-wide network encompassing more than 1,000 organizations in 48 African countries. Its constituency includes formal NGOs as well as grassroots groups, farmers, indigenous communities, trusts, foundations, community-based organizations, and religious bodies. The alliance's formation reflected a concern that international climate policy often treated Africa primarily as a recipient of aid or as a site of climate vulnerability, rather than as a region with its own priorities, expertise, and development choices. PACJA consequently framed climate action through equity, justice, human rights, and poverty reduction. It sought to help African organizations access information, coordinate advocacy, engage governments and other influential stakeholders, and develop common positions for international negotiations. Over time, PACJA expanded from general climate advocacy into a broad portfolio of policy, education, research, communications, and coalition activities. In 2013 it created the ACCER Awards to support environmental journalism and public communication. In 2016 it founded the Africa Coalition on Sustainable Energy, a coalition advocating decentralized and low-carbon energy systems. In 2017 PACJA organized a petition challenging perceived French and European Union interference in the African Renewable Energy Initiative, reflecting its broader insistence that African energy and development priorities should be shaped with meaningful African participation. Education became another important part of the organization's work. In August 2021, PACJA launched the Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice at Kenyatta University. The pilot reportedly brought together approximately 700 participants, helping connect climate knowledge, advocacy, and professional development. That same year, the alliance launched GUARD Africa, a post-pandemic reconstruction project focused on development that is low-carbon, climate-resilient, just, and inclusive. PACJA also increasingly concentrated on climate finance. In 2022 it launched the Africa Green Climate Finance National Designated Authorities Network, designed to improve the ability of African countries to access climate finance and support adaptation. The initiative formed part of PACJA's wider argument that climate commitments require reliable financial and technical assistance, not only declarations of intent. In 2023, PACJA began the African Activists for Climate Justice project, a multi-country effort focused on climate-vulnerable populations, particularly women, children, and indigenous communities. The project operates in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, Senegal, Somalia, and South Africa. PACJA also co-organized the third African Parliamentarians' Climate Policy and Equity Summit with the Pan-African Parliament. At that meeting, Executive Director Mithika Mwenda described climate justice in distributive, retributive, and procedural terms, emphasizing fair allocation, accountability for harm, and inclusive participation. PACJA continues to present itself as an African platform for civil-society participation in climate governance. It advocates implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda while calling for policies that protect human rights, support poor and vulnerable communities, and promote sustainable development. Its activities at international climate summits, including COP-related processes, aim to keep African development expectations, adaptation needs, finance demands, and environmental-justice concerns visible in global negotiations.

• 2023

  African Activists for Climate Justice begins

  [1]Pan African Climate Justice Allianceen.wikipedia.org

  PACJA starts a multi-country project focused on climate-vulnerable communities and climate-justice advocacy.

• 2022

  AFDAN launches

  [1]Pan African Climate Justice Allianceen.wikipedia.org

  PACJA launches a network focused on improving African access to climate finance.

• 2021

  Nairobi Summer School and GUARD Africa launch

  [1]Pan African Climate Justice Allianceen.wikipedia.org

  PACJA launches the Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice and begins the GUARD Africa post-COVID-19 reconstruction project.

• 2016

  Africa Coalition on Sustainable Energy founded

  [1]Pan African Climate Justice Allianceen.wikipedia.org

  PACJA establishes ACSEA to advocate decentralized, low-carbon energy development.

• 2013

  ACCER Awards created

  [1]Pan African Climate Justice Allianceen.wikipedia.org

  PACJA creates the ACCER Awards to recognize and strengthen environmental journalism.

• 2008

  PACJA is established

  [1]Pan African Climate Justice Allianceen.wikipedia.org

  The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance is established as a coalition of African civil-society organizations; Augustine B. Njamnshi and Mithika Mwenda are identified as co-founders.

A pan-African, people-centered climate and environmental justice coalition that connects grassroots organizations, civil society, researchers, communities, and policymakers to advance equitable climate action and African influence in international negotiations.

• Environmental journalism awards · 2013

  ACCER Awards

  An awards program created by PACJA to recognize excellence in environmental journalism and encourage sustained reporting on climate and environmental issues across Africa.

• Climate education and training · 2021

  Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice

  A climate-justice education initiative launched at Kenyatta University. Its pilot program brought together approximately 700 participants and was designed to build knowledge, advocacy skills, and engagement around equitable climate policy.

• Climate-resilient development program · 2021

  GUARD Africa

  A post-COVID-19 reconstruction and development project emphasizing low-carbon, climate-resilient, just, and inclusive development across Africa.

• Climate-finance network · 2022

  Africa Green Climate Finance National Designated Authorities Network

  A network intended to improve African countries' capacity to access climate finance and strengthen adaptation-related engagement with climate-finance institutions.

• Climate-justice advocacy project · 2023

  African Activists for Climate Justice

  A five-year advocacy and movement-building project focused on climate-vulnerable groups, including women, children, and indigenous communities, in eight African countries.

• 2017African Renewable Energy Initiative petition

  Africa · European Union

  PACJA coordinated a petition opposing what participating organizations considered French and European Union interference in the African Renewable Energy Initiative and its investment priorities.

  Outcome. The petition received support from civil-society organizations in multiple African countries; a definitive policy outcome is not documented in the supplied material.

  Source

• 2022

  Prioritize climate-finance accessStrategy

  Background

  PACJA identified limited access to climate finance as a barrier to African adaptation and climate action.

  Action taken

  It launched the Africa Green Climate Finance National Designated Authorities Network.

  Aftermath

  The initiative added climate-finance capacity and institutional access to PACJA's advocacy portfolio.

  Source

• 2021

  Launch climate-justice education and reconstruction initiativesProduct launch

  Background

  PACJA sought to expand public and professional understanding of climate justice while addressing post-pandemic development needs.

  Action taken

  It launched the Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice and the GUARD Africa project.

  Aftermath

  The summer school's pilot reportedly attracted about 700 participants, while GUARD Africa established a programmatic focus on resilient and inclusive reconstruction.

  Source

• 2016

  Create a sustainable-energy coalitionStrategy

  Background

  PACJA identified decentralized and low-carbon energy as an important component of equitable African development.

  Action taken

  It founded the Africa Coalition on Sustainable Energy as a multi-organization advocacy platform.

  Aftermath

  The coalition broadened PACJA's work from climate negotiations into energy-policy advocacy.

  Source

1. 1Pan African Climate Justice Allianceen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Pan African Climate Justice Alliance official websitepacja.org