Page 10 - AfrElec Week 07 2022

AfrElec ADAPTATION AfrElec

Flanders to provide €2.4mn to

support climate adaptation in SA

EGYPT THE Flemish Government has agreed to provide country embarks on a transition to a low-carbon,
€2.4mn to fund the development of new climate climate-resilient and environmentally sustaina-
adaptation technologies in South Africa in a bid ble economy.
to build a green and resilience economy in the “It is no longer a question if companies
country. should adapt to climate change, but rather how
The funding from Belgium will be targeted companies can transition to a green and inclu-
on the private sector and will address the barri- sive economy”, she said. “This means that climate
ers that are currently hampering an accelerated change and environmentally friendly practices
adoption of measures and technologies on cli- should be incorporated in business plans. In
mate adaptation. partnership with UNIDO, the SA National
In practice, this cash will be used to help Cleaner Production Centre and the Technology
industry prepare for the future impact of climate Innovation Agency, we want to assist the private
change, such as floods, extreme weather and sector in making the required transition and in
drought. capitalizing on the opportunities that are emerg-
COP26 conference highlighted the impor- ing in the green economy.”
tance of funding climate adaptation activities in UNIDO Representative and Head of UNI-
developing countries. DO’s Regional Office for Southern Africa,
The UK, for example, committed at the Khaled El Mekwad, said the project was the
conference providing GBP143.5mn ($195mn) result of positive engagements between UNIDO
of new and existing funding to support Afri- and the Delegation of Flanders in Southern
can governments to roll out critical adaptation Africa, and UNIDO’s extensive involvement
projects so at-risk communities can adapt to in the green economy in South Africa and the
the impact of extreme weather and changing region.
climates. “Examples include the Global Eco-Industrial
The global community also promised to Parks Programme, the award-winning Indus-
make good on its previous commitment of pro- trial Energy Efficiency Project, the Low-carbon
viding $100bn per year in climate financing to Transport Project, and the Global Cleantech
developing nations by 2023. Innovation Programme”, he said.
The Flemish Government found the €2.4mn Rana Ghoneim, Chief of the Energy Systems
in funding after the adaptation project was pro- and Infrastructure Division at UNIDO’s Head
posed by the United Nations Industrial Devel- Office in Vienna, said that UNIDO has recently
opment Organization (UNIDO), which will been accredited to the UN’s Adaptation Fund
be responsible for the implementation of the and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
project. “Successful adaptation activities to date
The cash will fund technology upgrades in include ecosystem-based adaptation, off-grid
pilot enterprises to showcase the benefits of a renewable energy supply, climate-proofing
climate-resilience approach in an industrial con- of infrastructure and the water-energy-food
text, nurturing green innovation potential, and nexus.”
building capacity to mainstream climate action. The project will run over three years, and
The project will also strengthen South Africa’s implementation is expected to commence by
ability to develop and finance resilient capital the second quarter of this year.
investment projects in the green economy. The agreement comes after it emerged that
The adaptation project was designed in con- many African states are struggling to access
sultation with South Africa’s Department of money earmarked by the GCF to prepare them
Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to combat climate change.
and Department of Trade, Industry and Compe- A study published in the journal Global
tition (the dtic). Environmental Change warned that nearly half
Other government bodies such as the of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations,
National Cleaner Production Centre South from Haiti to Afghanistan, missed out on the
Africa (NCPC-SA), the Technology Innovation first round of grants for adaptation projects
Agency (TIA) and the Industrial Development from the GCF. Overall, the study found that 54%
Corporation (IDC) are also involved. of adaptation funds in the first GCF allocation
Geraldine Reymenants, General Representa- period went to small islands, LDCs and African
tive of Flanders in South Africa, highlighted that countries. This means that, by its own measure,
a clear window of opportunity exists to acceler- the body has succeeded in distributing half of its
ate the shift to a domestic green economy as the money to vulnerable states.™

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 07 17•February•2022