- Ameenah Gurib-Fakim takes over as GCA chair in new push on Africa-led adaptation
The Global Centre on Adaptation has appointed former Mauritian President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as its new board chair, in a leadership transition the organisation says will sharpen its focus on climate adaptation as part of a growth, jobs, and development agenda, with Africa remaining central to its strategy.
The announcement, made on March 9, 2026, also confirmed Rindra Rabarinirinarison, Madagascar’s former economy and finance minister, as the new chief executive officer. The leadership changes come as former Senegalese president Macky Sall steps down as chair following his UN secretary-general candidacy, though he will remain with the institution as honorary chair. Former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon will take on the role of chair emeritus, while founding chief executive Patrick Verkooijen ends his second term this month.
In its statement, GCA said the appointments place female leadership from the Global South at the top of the organisation at a time when climate adaptation is increasingly being framed not only as an environmental necessity, but as an economic and strategic imperative. Gurib-Fakim said climate resilience must be seen as “a growth agenda, a jobs agenda and an integrated sustainable development approach.”
The institution also used the transition to underline its growing African footprint. GCA said it has helped shape more than $20 billion in adaptation-related projects across more than 40 countries, and highlighted the next phase of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP 2.0) as a major part of its future direction. It also pointed to its new dual-headquarters model in Nairobi and Rotterdam as part of efforts to deepen its institutional presence on the continent.
The appointment of Gurib-Fakim is significant beyond symbolism. As a former head of state, scientist, and biodiversity expert, she brings both political visibility and technical credibility at a time when adaptation finance, water security, and resilience planning are moving closer to the center of development policy debates. The choice of Rabarinirinarison, with her finance ministry and multilateral experience, suggests that GCA wants to tie adaptation more directly to public finance and investment mobilisation. That is an inference from the backgrounds highlighted in the announcement and GCA’s stated priorities.
Background
H.E. Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, who served as the first female President of Mauritius, is a globally respected biodiversity scientist and academic with a distinguished record in science, sustainability and international cooperation. She has previously served as Co-Chair of the United Nations High-Level Panel on Water. In 2024, she received the International Woman of the Year Award at the UK House of Commons. She has also been Professor and chair in Organic Chemistry at the University of Mauritius where she served successively as Dean of the Faculty of Science and as Pro–Vice Chancellor (2004–2010). Her appointment reflects the growing importance of linking climate adaptation with biodiversity protection, water security, and sustainable economic development.
Newly appointed CEO H.E. Rindra Rabarinirinarison brings to the GCA an outstanding understanding of the financial and economic dimensions of climate adaptation and of investment mobilization approaches. As Minister of Economy and Finance of Madagascar (2021–2025), she was a laureate of the African Business Leadership Awards as the region’s leading promoter of trade and investment (2023). She also served as a governor of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, and the African Development Bank, among other high-level appointments. Prior to her term as Minister, she was the Permanent Secretary of Madagascar’s economy and finance ministry.
Since its founding, GCA has supported the integration of climate adaptation into major development investments, particularly across Africa. Working with governments and development finance institutions, the organization has helped shape more than $20 billion in projects across over 40 countries, spanning agriculture, resilient infrastructure, water systems, and further key public programs including in the domains of locally-led adaptation, health and nature-based solutions, among others.
A flagship initiative in this effort, the GCA co-managed the largest adaptation program in the world, the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), launched by African leaders in 2021 as a partnership between the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and GCA. AAAP formed part of the Action Agenda adopted at COP30 in Brazil in November 2025, while its next five-year phase — AAAP 2.0 — was a key outcome of the Africa Climate Summit II held in Addis Ababa in September 2025 as an initiative of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) as chaired by President William S. Ruto of Kenya.
Alongside the AAAP, the GCA forged technical partnerships with wide-ranging International Financial Institutions, in particular the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, supporting climate adaptation to figure within major investments in development finance. The GCA provided advisory support on adaptation to the IMF and African governments in the roll-out of its to-date more than $7 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) across multiple African nations.
These leadership appointments follow the recent announcement of GCA’s unique dual headquarters model, with Nairobi, Kenya to serve alongside Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as the seat of the organization. As inaugurated by H.E. William S. Ruto, Hon. President of Kenya, the dual headquarters aims to anchor efforts under the next phase of Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) within the purview of President Ruto’s presidency of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC). GCA’s new leadership will further consolidate the Global Center’s institutional presence on the African continent reflecting both Africa’s acute climate vulnerability and the importance of regional leadership in advancing global adaptation solutions.
Since 2018, GCA has been unique in hosting multiple Heads of State level summits to galvanise prioritisation on climate adaptation and to advance adaptation action within the global climate and development agenda. At the last two United Nations General Assemblies, GCA convened major high-level dialogues bringing together world leaders and high representatives from more than 50 nations, reinforcing adaptation as a core pillar of international cooperation.
The GCA’s flagship knowledge initiatives included the 5-year research project, the State and Trends in Adaptation series, which delivered a major contribution to global analytics on climate adaptation together with dozens of knowledge partners. Together with GCA’s co-leadership of the Global Commission on Adaptation report, the Stories of Resilience reports focused on locally-led adaptation, its pioneering of the Resilient Economies Index – Africa, and the recently-launched ‘Adaptation Insights’ series, among others, GCA has strengthened the economic and policy case for climate resilience worldwide and promoted frontline solutions and experiences to a global audience.
Since its inception, GCA has also built the world’s largest youth movement dedicated to climate adaptation, engaging and supporting over 35,000 members across more than 100 countries to champion resilience solutions in their communities.
As GCA marks eight years since its founding, these governance transitions reaffirm its mandate to accelerate adaptation action, strengthen and support African leadership on adaptation and to ensure that climate resilience remains central to global development priorities.
