COP26: AfDB amplifies Africa’s voice with climate icons, priorities in $8.5bn fund
Ben Eguzozie is business a.m. regional lead based in Port Harcourt, providing regional and national coverage for economy, business and finance
You can contact him on ben.eguzozie@businessamlive.com with stories and commentary.
The African Development Bank (AfDB), unarguably the biggest fighter for Africa’s benefit from the climate change investments, has listed the faces of some climate champions to drive its climate investment funds (CIF) campaign, ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
The climate investment fund is one of the world’s largest multilateral funds working to pilot and scale climate solutions in developing countries. The $8.5 billion multi-donor trust fund seeks to accelerate climate action by empowering transformations in clean technology, energy access, climate resilience, and sustainable forests in developing and middle-income countries. It was launched by the ChangeMakers campaign in September 2021; and will continue to showcase global ChangeMakers and partners leading up to and beyond COP26.
The AfDB is a partner of the campaign and implementing agency of CIF. The bank nominated several climate champions from the continent who actively work in the field of climate action. Their images will be projected on the façade of St. Andrew’s Cathedral until one week after the end of COP26.
Some of the climate champions include: Grace W. Kpan, who promotes universal access to energy in Africa. She has set up ‘Light On’, an initiative of young Africans, which promotes entrepreneurship in key areas that are a lever for the economy in West Africa, so they will be able to face community issues like access to energy. On 15-16 October 2021, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Light On hosted the first edition of the regional energy and sustainable development fair, with the support of the African Development Bank.
For Zineb Aghozu, he created clean energy by working as an engineer at the largest concentrated solar power plant in the world, Morocco’s Noor Ouarzazate project, financed with a combined investment of nearly $2.5 billion from the African Development Bank, Climate Investment Funds, the World Bank and other partners.
Bonmwa Fwangkwal is the programme manager for the secretariat of the African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA), hosted by the African Development Bank. Bonmwa is spurring Africa’s transformation towards a circular economy. On his part, Prithivirai Booneeady is improving weather observation to enhance climate resilience in Botswana. Booneeady is the coordinator of the Southern African Development Community Climate (SADCC) services center, financed by the African Development Bank through the Climate for Development in Africa Special Fund (CDASF).
Another climate champion is Côte d’Ivoire’s Jean Yves Andé, who is helping the West African country to access climate finance to better respond to the negative impacts of climate change. Andé was appointed the coordinator of a project at the Africa Climate Change Fund, hosted by the AfDB. Adama Tondossama, fellow Ivorian, is a water and forests engineer for the Abidjan Urban Transport project, supported by the African Development Bank, and is working to conserve the Banco National Park in Côte d’Ivoire.
AfDB has served as an implementing agency of CIF since 2018. The pan-African multilateral development financial institution will participate in COP26 to amplify Africa’s voice and priorities on climate change.
Recently, Akinwumi Adesina, the bank’s president, called on the Global North to make good its promise of a $100 billion annual grant to Africa to tackle effects of climate change.