AfDB Approves $6 Million Grant to Strengthen Disaster Risk Management in Africa
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a $6 million grant to support the African Risk Capacity (ARC) in boosting disaster preparedness and risk financing across Africa over the 2025-2026 period.
Approved on October 29, the grant—provided through the Bank’s African Disaster Risk Financing Initiative (ADRiFi) — will help ARC maintain its core capacity-building and disaster risk financing services for the Bank’s regional member countries.
The project aims to help African governments move from reactive disaster response to proactive preparedness. It will strengthen national institutions’ technical expertise and operational capacities in disaster risk management, including evidence-based risk assessment, early warning systems and training for policymakers and technical experts.
A key component of the project will enhance countries’ ability to plan and allocate resources for emergencies more efficiently. It will also support the development of stronger institutional frameworks to coordinate rapid and effective responses to natural disasters.
The ARC will work to expand country participation in its sovereign insurance risk pool through increased engagement and new climate risk insurance products offer to its member states. Planned activities include high-level advocacy for the ratification of the ARC Treaty, finalisation of its work programmes with participating countries, and facilitation of insurance premium support.
Implementation will cover all ARC member states, with a focus on regions most exposed to droughts, floods, tropical cyclones and epidemics. Beneficiaries will include policymakers, technical working groups and civil servants, who will receive targeted assistance in disaster risk quantification, contingency planning, risk financing, women’s inclusion, and monitoring and evaluation.
About the African Risk Capacity
Established in 2012 as a specialised institution of the African Union, the African Risk Capacity provides member states with risk modelling, contingency planning and sovereign disaster risk financing services. Since its inception, 39 African Union member states have signed the ARC Agreement, which has facilitated the disbursement of more than $230 million to 14 countries, protecting millions of vulnerable people through rapid and predictable financing in the aftermath of a disaster.
