This policy brief reviews general trends in African climate finance. It considers the key actors in the region and their evolving role in negotiations over the global architecture for climate finance, and finds that funding that is currently delivered is far from fulfilling the demonstrated needs of SSA. There is a particular need to increase finance for adaptation. There are serious challenges associated with directing finance to the sectors and people most vulnerable to climate change. The brief reviews how institutions are positioning themselves to channel future scaled-up climate finance, and concludes by highlighting issues that require policy attention to improve the effective and equitable distribution of climate finance in the region.