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California and African partners push MOUs into action at California–Africa Climate Forum
Summary
State and university leaders highlighted memoranda of understanding signed with Kenya and Nigeria and pressed for tangible projects — from e‑mobility and clean ports to agri‑tech and finance — to move partnerships from dialogue to delivery.
Aditya Ramji, director of the Global South Center at UC Davis, opened the second annual California–Africa Climate and Economic Forum by framing recent memoranda of understanding with Kenya and Nigeria as the basis for a shift from dialogue to delivery. "This gave the foundation for what is now known as the California Africa Climate and Economic Partnership," Ramji said, noting the partnership’s aim to pair climate goals with economic development.
Dr. Alyssa Kendall, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis, told delegates the partnership is grounded in mutual learning and institutional trust and pointed to early technical support already underway in Kenya, including vehicle‑efficiency work and an Africa Clean Transport Center of Excellence proposed for Nairobi. "This forum … is about seeing impact happen," Kendall said.
California officials and African ministers who spoke at the forum emphasized concrete implementation steps. Ambassador Ali Mohamed of Kenya described a pipeline of practical opportunities across transport, energy, agriculture and technology, saying Kenya is “now into a phase focused on delivery.” Dr. Majekodunmi, director general of Nigeria’s National Council on Climate Change, outlined Nigeria’s priorities for cooperation — sustainable urban transport, methane abatement, climate‑smart agriculture, renewable energy deployment and nascent work on carbon markets — and said the country seeks partnerships that deliver tradeable outcomes and institutional strengthening.
State leaders and university partners framed UC Davis as the secretariat for the new partnership and urged immediate, high‑value pilot projects that can be scaled. Chancellor Gary May said the MOUs now must be translated into flagship activities that produce measurable results and create the institutional links that sustain long‑term cooperation.
Participants also announced a new subnational relationship under development: Assemblymember Matt Haney described the process to formalize a sister‑state relationship between California and Lagos State, Nigeria, as part of broader efforts to deepen city‑to‑city and state‑to‑state exchanges on trade, technology, and workforce development.
Why it matters: delegates repeatedly argued that climate cooperation is also an economic opportunity and that public, private and academic institutions must coordinate to make projects bankable. Speakers and panels emphasized the need for coordinated financing, regulatory clarity and pilot projects — e‑mobility corridors, sustainable aviation fuel supply chains, port electrification, and agricultural value‑chain investments — as immediate priorities.
Next steps: forum participants urged California and its academic and private partners to identify a small set of flagship projects that can turn MOUs into funded, monitored pilots; to coordinate finance mechanisms (including blended finance and credit enhancement) to de‑risk investment; and to continue capacity‑building and technical exchanges between agencies, utilities, universities and private firms.
