Africa Adaptation Dialogue: Implementing the Vision

Africa Climate Week

This event will showcase the progress of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program and how it is contributing to narrowing the finance gap, thus accelerating the implementation of the Africa Adaptation Initiative.

Event description:

Africa is responding to the triple crisis of food insecurity, climate shocks, and Covid-19. Despite contributing the least to global warming, Africa finds itself on the frontline of the climate emergency, with the impacts of external shocks exacerbating these vulnerabilities. Even if international mitigation efforts keep global warming at 1.5°C, Africa requires urgent and transformational adaptation action. With Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba as its Champion, the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI) aims to strengthen collaboration on adaptation across the continent.

To implement the vision of the AAI, the Global Center on Adaptation and the African Development Bank have jointly developed the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program – AAAP. This Africa-led, Africa-owned response is mobilizing US$25 billion for climate adaptation finance for the continent over five years. The AAAP is the largest, boldest, and most transformative climate adaptation program ever put forward for Africa. The program was endorsed in 2021 at the largest ever gathering of African Heads of State and Government focused on adaptation and welcomed by President Bongo for actualizing the vision of the AAI. The AAAP is Africa’s response to the climate crisis, mobilizing investments for adaptation in the areas of food security, resilient infrastructure, climate finance, and youth employment.

Building on the priority areas identified by African countries in their Nationally Determined Contributions, National Adaptation Plans, national climate strategies, other national strategies, and extensive consultations with African stakeholders, the AAAP works on four interconnected bold pillars to achieve transformational results:

• Climate Smart Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Security
• Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator
• Youth for Entrepreneurship and Job Creation in Climate Adaptation and Resilience
• Innovative Financial Initiatives for Africa.

This event at Africa Climate Week will showcase the progress of the AAAP and how it is contributing to narrowing the finance gap, thus accelerating the implementation of AAI. It will look at examples and results from the operational activities of the AAAP Upstream Financing Facility, with a focus on how the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme is yielding a triple dividend, by averting future losses, spurring economic gains, and delivering environmental and social benefits through investments in adaptation.

In order to scale up high-impact investments, GCA has set up the AAAP Upstream Financing Facility. Since June 2021, the Facility has supported the upstream design of multi-million projects to strengthen adaptation components of $3.1 billion of AAAP downstream investments with Multilateral Development Banks in 36 countries.

Program

Welcome Remarks by the Moderator

• Davinah Milenge Uwella – Principal Programme Coordinator, African Development Bank

Opening Video

Opening Remarks

• Dr. Kevin Kariuki – Vice President, Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth, AfDB

Framing remarks: The Africa Adaptation Initiative and the AAA

• Tanguy Gahouma-Bekale – Special Advisor to His Excellency Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic, Permanent Secretary of the National Climate Council

The AAAP as the vehicle to implement the AAI vision

• Prof. Anthony Nyong – Senior Director, and Africa Regional Director, Global Center on Adaptation

AAAP voices from the field

• AAAP partners and beneficiaries

Moderated discussion with participants

Wrap up by the Moderator