The African Union (AU) has commended the government of the Netherlands for supporting the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme (AAAP) with a contribution of EUR 110 million.

The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, announced the financial commitment during a high-level meeting with Senegal’s President and AU Chairman, Macky Sall.

It is understood that the CEO of the Global Centre on Adaptation, Patrick Verkooijen, and the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, also attended the meeting.

SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Data from the AfDB shows that Africa is the most vulnerable continent to climate change despite having contributed the least to global warming and having the lowest emissions.

Climate change poses systemic risks to the continent’s economies, infrastructure investments, water and food systems, public health, agriculture, and livelihoods.

AAAP was developed by AfDB and the GCA to mobilise $25 billion by 2025 to implement, scale and accelerate climate adaptation across the African continent.

President Sall underlined the importance of action over words as world leaders meet this week to discuss the global response to the climate emergency, highlighting that

‘Africa is ground zero for the global climate breakdown. Nobody benefits if Africa fails to tackle it’, President Sall said.

‘The AAAP is Africa’s response to the climate crisis to leverage investments in adaptation and resilience not just to protect ourselves from the threat of climate change, but to drive a green economic growth agenda for prosperity’.

For his part, Prime Minister Rutte said, ‘We have to face reality: climate change is already having lasting effects. Climate resilience must be our motto, climate adaptation our common endeavour.

‘Adapting to climate change is in the DNA of the Netherlands and it is vital that we work with our partners in Africa to ensure investments flow through the bold and innovative roadmap that AAAP delivers for climate-proofing cities, farms, and infrastructure, to protect livelihoods and to ensure economic continuity’.

AAAP, it is understood, works across four interconnected pillars to achieve transformational results: Climate-Smart Digital Technologies for Agriculture and Food Security; African Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator; Youth Empowerment for Entrepreneurship and Job Creation in Climate Adaptation and Resilience and Innovative Financial Initiatives for Africa.

Photo source: CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems