Forum aims to link – and strengthen - African adaptation efforts

Africa has no shortage of climate change adaptation projects and efforts, but effectively linking them – and bringing in other key players such as policymakers and business – remains a challenge.

Making it happen, however, is likely to be crucial for everything from getting enough climate finance to Africa to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

From March 21-24, adaptation leaders in Africa will hold a continent-wide Africa Learning Forum on Adaptation in Senegal, to try to move ahead with the effort. The meeting will be held at the Palm Beach Hotel, in Saly, near Dakar.

The meeting aims to help Africa’s most important adaptation efforts learn from each other, improve the quality of adaptation on the continent and find ways to build long-term expertise to deal with climate change problems that particularly impact Africa’s most vulnerable.

The gathering will look at the challenges and opportunities African countries confront with on-the-ground adaptation, climate finance, efforts to put into effect national plans of action on climate change, and technology transfer, said Aliou Diouf, of Dakar-based ENDA Energie and UK-aid-funded BRACED programme.

“This event is special because it’s the biggest in Africa bringing to the table policymakers and the private sector,” Diouf said. He said the event would draw representatives from all regions of Africa.

 The forum is being organised by a range of partners, including CARE International’s Adaptation Learning Programme, the International Development Research Centre, the Africa Centre for Technology Studies, the Climate Knowledge Brokers and ENDA Energie. It will be conducted in both English and French, Diouf said.

It will include a BRACED side event looking at what models of intervention on the ground can best build resilience, while ensuring local ownership and the sustainability of adaptation. BRACED partners taking part in the event are expected to include CARE International’s PRESENCES consortium, which works in Niger; International Relief and Development’s RIC4REC consortium, working in Mali; the Decentralising Climate Funds consortium working in Mali and Senegal; and Christian Aid, working in Senegal.