Kenya-South Sudan Link road upgrading

Adaptation Need

The corridor is increasingly vulnerable to climate hazards such as extreme heat, flooding (both pluvial and fluvial), and landslides, which threaten its long-term functionality. Without adaptation, the road network is projected to suffer annual losses of up to $71.5 million by 2050 under a high-emissions scenario (RCP8.5), a 340% increase from current estimates. These costs reflect both direct damages to road assets and indirect economic costs caused by traffic disruptions and downtime of the assets (trade, including food trade interruptions and potential losses of trade products). Segment-specific assessments show that risks are highest in the Morpus–Lokichar stretch, which is particularly exposed to heat and flood events, while landslides are most prominent between Morpus and Marich due to steep topography.

GCA’s Added Value

GCA delivered a detailed prioritization of green and grey adaptation options with a focus on operations and maintenance interventions. GCA highlighted a set of prioritized solutions with potential value addition ranging from USD 1.3 to USD 8.7 for every dollar invested. These adaptation solutions includes design options to increase assets and operations resilience to climate hazards, as the analysis quantified assets’ vulnerability without adaptation options ranging up to USD 72 million/year in damages in 2050 under the high-emissions global warming scenario (RCP 8.5).