Climate challenges facing Africa are dominating this year's UN Climate Talks, in Morocco. African leaders gathered at a separate summit in an effort to reach agreement on key climate issues and present a united voice.

Africa Day at Cop 22, the international climate conference, and a chance to shine the spotlight on the continent. Away from the main conference site, leaders attended a specially-arranged Africa Action Summit as guests of Morocco's King, Mohammed the Sixth.

The goal: combine African efforts to fight climate change and build a sustainable clean energy future. Many of Africa's poorest countries are also the most vulnerable. And few have sufficient plans in place.

"Africa alone cannot bear the burden of adapting to climate change. There must be global climate justice for Africa. We would like to call on the global finance facilities, the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility to pay for the insurance premiums for African countries," said Akinwumi Adesina, African Development Bank president.
 
One of the key climate change developments has been the readiness of countries to embrace both knowledge and technology sharing. There have already been examples of that across Africa. But the main stumbling block remains financial.

On that, Morocco wants to show the way. The country recently embarked on a nine billion dollar initiative to generate more than half of its energy requirements from renewable sources. Much of the funding came from Europe. Africa knows all too well the suffering climate change can bring. Leaders here hope the united front will make the rest of the world take notice.