The Boards of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 approved the “Africa Thriving and Resilient: The Bank Group’s Second Climate Change Action Plan, 2016-2020 (CCAP2)”. The approval of the document is said to be propitious as, according to the organisation, it echoes the on-going discussions at COP23 in Bonn, Germany to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change and achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global temperature rises to 1.5C.

The African continent is a minor contributor to global warming but is highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change that threatens its economic development. However, the continent also has enormous opportunities to build resilience to climate change as well as transition towards low-carbon development.

The commitment of the African continent to contribute to global solutions to climate change is demonstrated by the fact that all 54 countries have submitted their “Intended National Determined Contribution” under the Paris Agreement, and 43 of these countries have actually ratified the Agreement.

The CCAP2 is designed to incorporate the Bank’s High 5 priorities in the Paris Agreement, the 2030 development agenda, the Bank’s Green Growth Framework and the lessons learned in the implementation of the first climate change action plan (CCAP1), 2011-2015.

AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina, said:  “The approval of the CCAP2 by the Board today sends a clear message on the Bank’s commitment to helping African countries to mobilise resources to support the implementation of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions of our Regional Member Countries in a way that will not hinder their development.”

The strategic vision of CCAP2 is to enable the achievement of “low – carbon and climate-resilient” development in Africa. It has four Pillars: Mitigation, Adaptation, Climate Finance and a Cross Cutting Pillar that addresses technology transfer, capacity development, institutional reforms as well as other cross-cutting activities that will create of the enabling environment for its successful implementation.

“Over the next four years, the AfDB hopes to achieve the objectives set out in the CCAP2, to help our member countries to be developed and resilient while keeping Africa a low-emitting continent,” said Amadou Hott, Vice President of the Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth Complex. The interventions identified under CCAP2 aim at bringing economic prosperity to African communities within safe planetary boundaries, including the boundaries imposed by climate change. Achieving this requires substantial investments from the Bank and its partners.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has doubled the amount of approved climate finance during the past year, the Co-Chairs to the GCF Board reported on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 to the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that is currently convening in Bonn, Germany.

An acceleration of GCF’s distribution of climate finance “translates to double the number, and more than double the amount of approved GCF funding reported at the COP last year,” said GCF Board Co-Chair Ayman Shasly from Saudi Arabia. “The Green Climate Fund is picking up its speed to programme resources for the implementation of ambitious, paradigm shifting action,” he stated.

Mr Shasly explained that the GCF Board has approved a total of $2.65 billion in GCF funding for 54 climate change projects and programmes to be implemented in 73 developing countries. When accounting for co-financing with other contributing organisations, the GCF portfolio is now valued at $9.16 billion.

GCF Co-Chair Ewen McDonald from Australia, highlighted recent GCF progress in expanding its scope of climate finance to cover Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) as well as its moves to streamline its approval processes.

“I am delighted to report that the Green Climate Fund has taken solid steps to take our mandate on REDD+ into concrete action,” said Mr McDonald. “At our last Board meeting, we allocated $500 million to a request for proposals pilot program on REDD+ results-based payments.”

The REDD+ request for proposals programme will allow for payments to developing countries for emissions reductions achieved through REDD+ activities.

The GCF Board also recently approved a pilot scheme for a Simplified Approval Process,  which will streamline the approval process for small-scale climate finance proposals, particularly from direct access Accredited Entities.

Representing the 24-member GCF Board, Mr McDonald and Mr Shasly said the Green Climate Fund will continue to respond to the guidance from the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) in channelling climate finance to developing countries to promote a paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways.

The COP established the Green Climate Fund in 2010 as a dedicated international climate finance institution, and requested the GCF Board to report on the Fund’s progress annually.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 passed a bill to provide a legal framework for mainstreaming of climate change responses and actions into government policy formulation and implementation.

The bill also proposed the establishment of a council to coordinate climate change governance as well as support the adaptation and mitigation of the adverse effects of climate change in the country.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Sam Onuigbo (Abia-PDP), said that the need for a strong national institution to address the effects of climate change compelled him to come up with the bill.

According to him, the absence of a law on issues of climate change has scared investors from investing in the country.

‘‘Today, there is no law on climate change, all we have are policies and that has been a serious setback for the country as far as climate actions are concerned.

‘‘Climate change is a global issue that cuts across the world and that is what informed the move of the United Nations’ convention on climate change.

‘‘But back home, there is no law both at the national and sub-national levels and that has necessitated this bill.

‘‘The early coming into force of the 2015 Paris Climate agreement reinforced the necessity of a climate change legislation.

‘‘It will facilitate the domestication of the agreement and enable Nigeria to effectively implement its commitments, particularly the emission reductions target,’’ he said.

Onuigbo further said that absence of a law that prescribed legal obligation for compliance with elements of national climate policy and all other climate-related initiatives and programmes had also inhibited climate change management in the country.

‘‘But this bill will provide a framework for a federal budget appropriation process that institutionalises transparency and accountability of climate related sources, including international climate finance,’’ he said.

The lawmaker added that the bill intended to balance institutions and approaches responsible in addressing climate challenges across economic sectors and through public and private participation.

He said it would also aid the ‘‘setting up of guidelines for prescription of range of economic instruments and regulatory techniques to reduce Green House Gas emissions.

‘‘Pursue high economic growth rate at a low carbon trajectory at the same time reduce environmental risks and ecological scarcity in an inclusive manner, and growing new jobs.’’

Onuigbo said the bill would be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence on Wednesday and subsequently to the President for assent.

‘‘Every leader determines what happens to his subjects, and the President has given climate change a go by the signing the UN treaty on Climate Change and his subsequent speeches back home,’’ he added.

NAN recalled that the House of Representatives adopted the committee report on Climate Change on Oct. 26.

By Ikenna Uwadileke