WTO boss expectant of raising $25bn for climate adaptation programme in Africa
Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is expectant that some $25bn funds will be mobilised for climate change adaptation programmes on the African Continent.
“I truly expect and hope that we’ll be able to get some concrete contributions to support the continent’s adaptation needs,” she told norvanreports.
African Heads of States led by President Akufo-Addo are currently in Rotterdam, Netherlands participating in the Africa Climate Change Adaptation Summit.
The Summit which is being held by the Global Center on Adaptation, will provide African Heads of States, the opportunity to demand in full the $25bn climate change adaptation financing promised by the Western world.
Already, some $12.5bn has been mobilised to finance climate change adaptation programmes on the Continent.
Additionally, the African Development Bank has set aside some $3.5bn for the implementation of climate change adaptation programmes on the continent.
At the Summit, President Akufo-Addo together with his peers on the African Continent, will be presenting to Western leaders the various climate change related programmes and projects that needs to be funded with the $25bn pledge from the Western world.
According to the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), the African Continent loses about $7-$15bn annually due to climate change impacts on African countries.
The Continent’s losses to climate change are projected to rise even further to $40bn by 2030.
Africa suffers disproportionately from the negative impacts of climate change, including increased frequency and intensity of droughts, cyclones and floods, compounded by desertification.
This is despite the fact that Africa contributes the least to global warming, accounting for only 3% of all carbon emissions.
About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization which works as a solutions broker to accelerate action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sector, to ensure we learn from each other and work together for a climate resilient future.
Founded in 2018, GCA is hosted by the Netherlands, working from its headquarters in Rotterdam with a knowledge and research hub based in Groningen. GCA has a worldwide network of regional offices in Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Dhaka, Bangladesh and Beijing, China.
Through this evolving network of offices and global and regional GCA teams, the organization engages in high-level policy activities, new research contributions, communications, and technical assistance to governments and the private sector.
