The African Green Economy and Sustainability Initiative (AGESI) has called on leaders to harness the economic value of the continent’s vast natural resources.

AGESI’s executive director, Eugene Itua, highlighted this value as the institute debuted at the Africa Climate Summit 2 (ACS 2).

Mr Itua, also the CEO of Natural Eco Capital, delivered a call to action, urging leaders to reframe nature not as a liability, but as the continent’s greatest economic opportunity, valued at $1.4 trillion annually.

Speaking at the influential side event, ‘Developing the Finance Stack for Restoring African Ecosystems’, Mr Itua joined a distinguished panel of experts to discuss innovative financial mechanisms for conservation, according to a statement by AGESI on Tuesday.

The AGESI director argued that the core challenge is not a lack of resources, but the need to build a sophisticated “finance stack”, a blend of grants, concessional loans, and market instruments like carbon and biodiversity credits, to unlock Africa’s immense green wealth.

“For too long, we have framed financing nature as a burden. But let’s be honest: this isn’t a cost,it’s our single greatest economic opportunity. The African Development Bank agrees,” Mr Itua explained. “That $1.4 trillion is not a dream. It’s a number. And it’s ours to claim.”

The summit witnessed the introduction of AGESI’s flagship initiative, the Green Opportunity Index.

Mr Itua presented the GOI as a transformative, data-driven compass designed to guide investors and policymakers toward the most promising green economy opportunities across the continent.

“This tool marks AGESI’s commitment as a pan-African ‘do tank’, not simply a think-tank, created to move beyond advocacy and provide concrete solutions for sustainable development,” said the institute.

The event, moderated by Theresa Reisch of FSD Africa, featured a line-up of leading voices in conservation finance, including Muhtari Aminu-Kano, director of Policy and Government Relations, The Nature Conservancy; Tim Bromfield, vice-president, Africa, Conservation International; Fiona Napier, senior adviser, Nature Finance; and Ariana Day Yuen, founder and CEO, Forested.

“The collective discussion underscored a unified message: Africa must lead the way in developing bankable, scalable, nature-based solutions. AGESI’s successful debut at ACS 2 firmly positions it as a key player in shaping this vital agenda,” the statement noted.