Panafrican Climate Justice Alliance

What Panafrican Climate Justice Alliance does

Panafrican Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) is a non-profit civil society coalition founded in 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa, at a workshop convened by NEPAD and Oxfam International. The organisation is operationally headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and currently operates with a small secretariat of 11-50 staff coordinating a consortium of more than 2,000 member organisations drawn from grassroots, community-based, faith-based, NGO, trust, foundation, indigenous, farmer, and pastoralist constituencies across all 54 African countries. Its core activities are climate justice advocacy, policy influence, capacity building, and representation of African civil society in international climate negotiations.

PACJA operates Designated National Platforms (DNPs) in each of the 54 African countries, holds official observer status with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and sits on the Participants Committee of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and the Steering Committee of ClimDev Africa. Its programmatic portfolio comprises advocacy campaigns (Climate Justice Torch, Keep Your Promise, Climate and Economic Justice Campaign), educational and youth initiatives (Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice, South to South Youth Platform), media and journalism programmes (PAMACC, ACCER Awards), and multi-donor projects including GUARD Africa, the African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ), Africa Energy Transition, SCEJU, FLOCCA, and AFR100 restoration work.

The organisation is funded primarily through grants from international development agencies and government donors, including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swedish Sida, UK Aid, the European Union, GIZ, Trocaire, Diakonia, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Oxfam, WWF, the World Bank, and the African Development Bank. It has strategic partnerships with AMCEN, UNEP, AUC, UNECA, and others. PACJA is governed by a Steering Committee led by Executive Director Mithika Mwenda and is not commercially traded; revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Panafrican Climate Justice Alliance

Legal name

Pan African Climate Justice Alliance

Website

https://pacja.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Panafrican Climate Justice Alliance is a Nairobi-based non-profit coalition of more than 2,000 African civil society organisations across 54 countries that advocates for climate justice, builds member capacity, and represents African civil society in UNFCCC and related international climate governance processes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Justice Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

Keywords

• Climate justice advocacy
• Civil society coalition
• Environmental policy
• Capacity building
• Climate governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Development Funding and Grants: PACJA operates as a non-profit civil society organization funded primarily through grants, donations, and partnerships with international development agencies, governments, and foundations that support climate justice advocacy and capacity building in Africa.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PACJA is a non-profit coalition founded in 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa, now headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, that coordinates climate justice advocacy, policy engagement, and capacity-building support for over 2,000 member civil society organizations across 54 African countries. The alliance serves as a unified platform for African NGOs, community-based groups, and social movements to engage in international climate negotiations, including holding observer status with the UNFCCC.

Product overview

PACJA is a pan-African civil society coalition focused on climate justice advocacy, not a technology company. Its offerings consist of advocacy campaigns (Climate Justice Torch, Keep Your Promise Campaign), educational initiatives (Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice), media programs (ACCER Awards, PAMACC), youth platforms (SYPLACTICE), and climate action projects (GUARD Africa, AACJ, Africa Energy Transition, SCEJU). These programs work together to mobilize African civil society, build capacity, and advocate for climate accountability at national, regional, and international levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACCER Awards: African Climate Change and Environment Reporting Awards - initiative to recognize journalists covering environmental and climate issues
• ACSEA
• NSSCJ
• PAMACC
• GCF Watch
• SYPLACTICE

Products and services

• Climate Policy Advocacy and Negotiation Support
• Member Coalition Coordination
• Climate Justice Capacity Building Programs
• Climate Justice Research and Policy Analysis

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3000 representatives from diverse backgrounds participated in PACJA-hosted convenings

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 August 2008PACJA has forged strong partnership with AMCEN, engaging at sidelines of ministerial consultations and making civil society engagement a regular component of AMCEN processes. PACJA spearheaded African Civil Society meetings at sidelines of AMCEN consultations.
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPACJA partners with UNEP Regional Office for Africa. Since 2010, PACJA has coordinated and hosted the African Civil Society Organizations in the UNEP Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum.
• WWFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner for Africa Energy Transition Project focusing on divestment from coal and promotion of renewable energy.
• Oxfam InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer with NEPAD of the founding workshop in 2008 that led to PACJA's establishment. Long-standing advocacy partner.
• World BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in climate initiatives and represented in PACJA's partner ecosystem.
• African Development Bank (AfDB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner through ClimDev Africa programme (a programme of AfDB, African Union Commission, and UN Economic Commission for Africa). PACJA sits on the Steering Committee of ClimDev Africa.
• UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner through ClimDev Africa and Africa-Europe climate convenings. Co-convenor of Africa Climate Talks.
• African Union CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner through ClimDev Africa programme and co-convenor of Africa Climate Talks focused on NDC V.3.0.
• GermanwatchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational climate policy organization listed as PACJA partner.
• Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Bank program where PACJA represents African Civil Society in the Participants Committee.
• Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman political foundation partner in SCEJU project (Strengthening Civil Society Engagement for a Just and Sustainable Urbanization) co-funded by EU.
• CARE MalawimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting gender-responsive climate and disaster risk financing initiatives through CISONECC.
• GIZmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman development agency engaging on climate action and FLOCCA (Financing Locally Led Climate Action) initiatives.
• Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Climate and Economic Justice Campaign launched in 2025.
• NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer with Oxfam of the founding workshop in 2008 that led to PACJA's establishment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Heinrich Böll Foundation: German political foundation affiliated with the Greens and active in global climate justice, ecological democracy, and NDC policy work. Comparable on climate policy advocacy and North-South partnership with civil society, though broader in political and cultural remit than PACJA.
• CARE International: Global humanitarian and development confederation; CARE Malawi is explicitly listed as a PACJA partner on gender-responsive climate and disaster risk financing. Comparable on Africa-focused climate justice and resilience programming but operates at a much larger global scale.
• WWF International: Global conservation organization that is a PACJA implementing partner on the Africa Energy Transition Project. Overlaps on African environmental advocacy and climate work, but operates a much larger portfolio across conservation, food systems, and just transition globally.
• Oxfam International: Global poverty and justice confederation that co-organized PACJA's founding workshop in 2008 alongside NEPAD and remains a long-standing advocacy partner. Comparable on Africa-focused development and climate justice advocacy but vastly larger and broader in scope than PACJA.

Direct peers

• Germanwatch: Berlin-based climate policy and advocacy organization explicitly named as a PACJA partner. Closely comparable on international climate policy advocacy, NDC analysis, and North-South climate justice coalition work, though operating from the Global North.
• 350.org: Global grassroots climate movement with strong Africa presence and active mobilization around UNFCCC COPs. Closely mirrors PACJA's people-centered climate justice framing and convening-driven advocacy model, though focused on grassroots mobilization rather than policy legislation.
• Greenpeace Africa: Africa office of Greenpeace running climate, energy, and environmental justice campaigns across the continent. Directly comparable on Africa-focused environmental advocacy, UNFCCC participation, and direct donor-funded campaign operations — though Greenpeace is campaign-driven rather than coalition-based.
• Climate Action Network (CAN): Global civil society coalition coordinating NGO participation in UNFCCC climate negotiations. Directly comparable to PACJA in mission and model (membership-based coalition, observer at UNFCCC, regional nodes), though operating globally rather than Africa-only.
• Friends of the Earth International: Federation of national environmental groups with strong Africa presence (Friends of the Earth Africa) and long history of UNFCCC participation. Mirrors PACJA's membership-based environmental justice coalition model and federated advocacy at international climate negotiations.

Emerging players

• Climate Action Tracker: Independent scientific assessment of government climate pledges and policy, with specific country-level analysis for African states. Partially overlaps PACJA's policy accountability work (NDCs, Paris Agreement tracking) but focuses on analytical output rather than coalition mobilization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PACJA1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pan-african-climate-justice-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Panafrican Climate Justice Alliance