Staff Reporter
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 7 – To bolster long-term climate resilience and investments in climate-sensitive sectors such as water, infrastructure, energy, and agriculture, Africa must intensify its commitment and expand partnerships within the Africa Climate Resilient Investment Facility (AFRI-RES), according to experts at a side event held on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai.
AFRI-RES was established to assist African countries and stakeholders in incorporating climate resilience tools and capacity into critical sectors.
The side event, titled “Partnership for Scaling Up Resilience in Africa: Results, Lessons Learned, and Ways Forward,” was organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), African Union Commission (AUC), African Development Bank (AfDB), World Bank Group, and the Nordic Development Fund (NDF).
Nassim Oulmane, Acting Director of Technology, Climate Change, and Natural Resources at ECA, highlighted that African economies are experiencing an annual average loss of 5% of their GDP due to the adverse impacts of climate change. He cited the example of Cyclone Freddy in Malawi earlier this year, which impacted 4.8% of the country’s GDP, affecting the main dam that generates electricity. The country is still grappling with a 40% gap in electricity generation.
Mr. Oulmane emphasized the importance of strengthening the capacity of African institutions and the private sector to plan, design, and implement investments in selected sectors, enhancing their resilience to climate change.
He noted that the first phase of AFRI-RES has concluded, and the second phase will build upon the lessons learned from the initial phase. “Phase one generated knowledge that has informed the climate resilience sector guidance notes and knowledge products,” said Mr. Oulmane.
Kanta Rigaud, Lead Environmental Specialist at the World Bank, discussed the progress made in enhancing the African Climate Resilient Investment Facility partnership. Over the last five years, 30 AFRI-RES projects, including traditional (agriculture, water) and non-traditional (energy, health, finance competitiveness, and innovation) initiatives, received funding to deepen climate resilience in investments.
Referring to West Africa (Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Burkina Faso), Rigaud highlighted the impact of climate change on agriculture, jobs, and poverty. She stressed the need to integrate resilience attributes into the design and monitoring of projects, translate knowledge into practical skills and capacity with a focus on modular units and certification programs, and develop and validate training materials for the integration of climate resilience in PIDA phase 2.
During AFRI-RES phase 1, ECA developed a Climate Change Knowledge and Data Portal as a gateway to other similar portals.
Rigaud emphasized the importance of addressing the growing demand for AFRI-RES knowledge and training products, including their pace and reach. She also underscored the urgent need for a one-stop climate data and information platform.
Haruna Gujba from the African Union Commission (AUC) emphasized that building partnerships and sustained networks is crucial for the next stage of AFRI-RES. He outlined a three-part strategy involving the next generation of knowledge products with deeper and wider reach, training and capacity building for sustained impact, and broadening partnerships.
Post Views: 9
Leave a Reply