From Trade to Transformation: Advancing a Climate Action and Sustainability Protocol under AfCFTA to Address Africa's Disproportionate Climate Burden and Finance Gaps

Africa contributes less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions yet bears a disproportionate share of climate-related economic losses, with estimates suggesting annual GDP reductions of 2–5% across climate-vulnerable states. Despite these vulnerabilities, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the continent's flagship integration project lacks binding climate provisions within its legal architecture. This article examines how climate shocks undermine trade stability, agricultural productivity, and fiscal resilience across African economies and proposes the adoption of an AfCFTA Climate Action and Sustainability Protocol to align trade integration with climate resilience and structural justice. Using doctrinal legal analysis and policy evaluation supported by empirical evidence from the World Meteorological Organisation, Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor, and climate-economic transmission models, the study demonstrates that climate risks are systemic constraints on African trade competitiveness. It argues that embedding climate governance within AfCFTA would transform the agreement into a continental mechanism for redistributive climate finance, adaptive trade governance, and sustainable development. The article advances institutional and legal pathways for integrating climate resilience into regional trade regimes and positions AfCFTA as a potential global model for climate-just trade governance in the Global South.