Page 14 - AfrElec Week 44 2021

AfrElec CLIMATE ADAPTION AfrElec

UK to support climate adaption in

Africa with $195mn commitment

AFRICA THE UK announced at COP26 GBP143.5mn mechanism – the ‘Room to Run’ guarantee – to
($195mn) of new and existing funding to sup- the African Development Bank (AfDB).
port African governments to roll out critical This is expected to unlock up to GBP1.45bn
adaptation projects so at-risk communities can ($2bn) worth of new financing for projects
adapt to the impact of extreme weather and across the continent, half of which will help
changing climates. countries adapt to the impacts of climate change.
COP26 President Alok Sharma announced “More finance for African nations to develop
GBP20mn ($28mn) of new UK support for the and adapt to climate change is important as
Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme these countries find themselves on the frontline
(AAAP) – an initiative endorsed by African of impacts. It is a huge investment opportunity.
Union leaders and led by the African Develop- By combining our cash with other donors and
ment Bank (AfDB), Global Centre on Adapta- businesses, and working with partners such as
tion and the Africa Adaptation Initiative, to back the African Development Bank to direct funding
African-led plans to accelerate resilience-build- into green projects, today we are delivering on
ing across Africa. our commitment to African-led climate adapta-
The UK also committed GBP42mn ($57mn) tion,” said UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
to the new Africa Regional Climate and Nature The UK is a long-standing supporter of Afri-
Programme (ARCAN). This will include sup- ca’s adaptation to climate change, with around
port to the World Bank to support co-operation half of the UK’s GBP2.7bn ($3.7bn) adaptation
on the management and development of shared budget between 2016 and 2020 having been
water resources. spent in Africa.
Other funding includes GBP22mn ($30mn) “For communities across Africa, the impact
of premium financing support to help African of climate change is being felt right now. From
countries pay for drought insurance. cyclones in Southern Africa to locusts in East
London is also to provide GBP19.5mn Africa, changing weather patterns are already
($26.6mn) for the Shock Response Programme having catastrophic impacts for communities
in the Sahel, including support to the World living across the continent, impacting lives
Bank to strengthen government social protec- and jobs. This is despite African nations being
tion systems in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mau- responsible for just 2-3% of global emissions.
ritania and Niger. New support announced today will enable Afri-
Finally, the UK has committed GBP40mn can countries to adapt to a changing climate and
($54mn) to the Climate Adaptation and Resil- build resilience to the impacts of climate change.
ience research programme (CLARE) to support This is essential if communities and countries are
action-focused research to inform development to thrive in an uncertain future,” said UK Minis-
in a changing climate in Africa. ter for Africa Vicky Ford.™
Meanwhile, the UK is to offer a new guarantee

P14 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 44 04•November•2021