The UK has announced new adaptation projects worth £49 million to help fight climate change in Africa by funding climate resilience practices in the continent.
Speaking on Monday while visiting Kenya for the first Africa Climate Summit which is underway in Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Andrew Mitchell, UK Minister for Development and Africa said the partnerships between Africa and the UK on green investment and climate resilience are “growing economies and improving lives”.
“Our partnerships with African countries on green investment and climate resilience are growing economies and improving lives. But more action has to be taken, as those least responsible for climate change are increasingly bearing the brunt of its effects,” he said.
These projects will focus on mobilising finance for climate action and help people manage the impact of climate change across the continent.
The funding which will be delivered across Africa will help to create jobs, grow economies and improve the lives of women, farmers and at-risk communities.
According to the minister, this delivers on the UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s promise of honest reliable investment in Africa when he visited Kenya in December 2022, along with COP26 commitments, demonstrating the strength and capability of UK-Africa partnerships.
It includes £34 million for new projects across 15 African countries to help women, at-risk communities, and more than 400,000 farmers build resilience against the effects of climate change, under the established CLimate Adaptation & REsilience (CLARE), Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA)and Weather and Climate Information Services (WISER) programmes.
“The UK is working closely with African partners to fight climate change, boost resilience and help those whose lives are most impacted,” said Mitchell.
Early warning systems
Early warning systems, such as text alerts, radio and social networks, will help hard-to-reach communities take action before extreme climate events occur, and these projects will also improve water security for more than 1.5 million people.
Seven new climate finance projects will also be launched at the Summit. Investments worth £15 million from UK-backed FSD Africa Investments will mobilise capital from private sources, allowing small-scale businesses to access finance, create innovative products and deliver inclusive tech solutions such as turning desert into land for farming.
Together, these projects will improve access to basic services including renewable energy and healthcare for over 500,000 people, generate 3,400 jobs, and provide cheaper and reliable power to households.
Reaffirming international climate finance
Whilst in Nairobi, the Minister will reaffirm the UK’s commitment to providing £11.6 billion international climate finance over 5 years, and will call for rapid reform of the international financial system to unlock trillions of dollars to combat climate change.
He will also welcome the launch of Weza Power, a new partnership between the Government of Burundi and UK-backed company Virunga Power, to expand energy access to almost 70% of Burundi’s population.
In addition, he will visit Nairobi Railway City, a regeneration of the city centre designed by British architects with the latest green technology and KES 11.5 billion of UK investment. This is 1 of 6 climate investment projects fast-tracked by President Ruto and Prime Minister Sunak at COP27. Since the meeting, construction has begun, and ground has been broken at a second project.
Minister Mitchell will also announce details of the third successive Climate and Development Ministerial, hosted by the COP28 UAE Presidency and the UK ahead of COP28, with Malawi and Vanuatu as co-chairs. The Ministerial was first launched by the UK ahead of COP26 to generate tangible outcomes for climate finance access and loss and damage.
