Africa, the main victim of climate change, is now at the heart of the Global Centre for Adaptation (GCA) policy. It has just opened a regional office following a videoconference that brought together several African heads of state, as well as heads of financial institutions.
Housed at the African Development Bank (AfDB) headquarters in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, GCA-Africa’s mission is to build partnerships across the continent to scale up and accelerate adaptation measures that protect African communities from the impacts of climate change.
“This is a historic moment for accelerating adaptation in Africa, said Ban Ki-moon, Co-Chair of the GCA Board of Directors. Nowhere is the challenge of sustainable development in the face of a changing climate greater. Our new regional office will support regional and national adaptation efforts by highlighting and disseminating existing best practices on the continent and ensuring their full integration into broader international adaptation efforts.
Improving food security in Africa
The Africa office of the World Adaptation Centre will support efforts to improve the food security of one billion people in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 through a programme on rural well-being and food security. Also planned are projects to support communities through programmes on water management for urban growth and resilience, the development of sustainable and more climate resilient infrastructure, as well as financing adaptation and strengthening youth leadership.
The centre should work closely with financial institutions such as the AfDB to push for the unblocking of climate finance. “The Bank has pledged to double its climate financing to US$25 billion by 2025, of which more than 50% will be dedicated to climate change adaptation. Africa must not be the poor relation in global climate finance. We will partner with the GCA to mobilize more resources for climate adaptation in Africa,” promises AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina.
Jean Marie Takouleu