The adoption of the UN carbon-crediting mechanism at COP29 in Baku in 2024, and the growing emphasis on adaptation tracking leading up to COP30 in Belem, have marked a new phase in global climate governance. For African countries, the credibility of climate action—and access to finance—will increasingly depend on governments’ capacities to generate, govern, and use reliable data.

This policy paper argues that Africa stands at a turning point: from fragmented digital systems toward an integrated data-intelligence and governance architecture that links geospatial and AI (GeoAI) analytics, harmonized measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems, and transparent institutional frameworks. Drawing on insights from the Untapped Potential Index (UPI) on AI and geospatial readiness in African agri-food systems, the outcomes of the COP29 negotiations on Article 6, and the regional experience of ECOWAS in harmonizing climate-data systems, the paper outlines how Africa can consolidate its data foundations for both climate and development.

Developing such architecture serves three strategic goals: (i) strengthen Africa’s credibility and participation in the global climate finance architecture through a reliable GHG tracking system; (ii) establish robust, evidence-based adaptation and resilience measurement; and (iii) build a foundation for multi-sectoral “development intelligence”, linking climate, agriculture, energy, water, health, and trade.

Published as ZEF Working Paper No. 249