Friday March 29th, 2024
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USA Commits USD 150 Million to Support Climate Initiatives in Africa

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, announced a donation of USD 10 million to Cairo's new adaptation centre.

Cairo Scene

USA Commits USD 150 Million to Support Climate Initiatives in Africa

Following US President Joe Biden’s visit to Sharm El Sheikh to attend the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference, the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, announced the launch of climate adaptation projects worth USD 150 million across Africa.

The package of initiatives and pledges hopes to propel implementation and action on-ground through a strategic breakdown of avenues per pledge.

As a starting point, USD 100 million will be provided in adaptation funding to support food systems and security across Africa. USD 25 million has been pledged to the African Union’s Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI), which is hosted by the Egyptian government, to launch their food security accelerator. The project will further integrate private sector investments in climate-resilient food security across Africa.

A further USD 15 million have been pledged to the development and/or acquisition of early-warning systems in Africa. This will be supplemented by USD 13.6 million for the Systemic Observations Financing Facility, which will equip Africa with more weather, water, and climate observation tools with the end goal of cutting the number of people in need of emergency assistance due to climate disasters by half.

In Egypt, USD 10 million will support the launch of a new adaptation centre, the Cairo Center for Learning and Excellence of Adaptation and Resilience.

An extra USD 2 million will go towards the Resilience and Adaptation Mainstreaming Program to raise the capacity of governments in managing climate risks, while USD 3.5 million will support the Least Developed Countries Initiative for Effective Adaptation & Resilience, helping African countries like Uganda, Malawi, Gambia, and Burkina Faso make adaptation finance accessible for vulnerable populations.