The United States Government has pledged KSh 4.3 billion (US$29,420,600) annually to build climate resilience in Africa.
US Presidential Special Envoy on Climate John Kerry disclosed this in Nairobi, Kenya at the Africa Climate Summit
According to him, the Biden administration is working on a fund to help nations affected by climate change respond to emergencies.
“As part of implementing President Joe Biden’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) – an initiative launched at the COP26 in Glasgow, I’m pleased to announce the US’ intent to provide an additional KSh 4.3 billion to accelerate climate-resilient food security efforts across Africa,” Kerry said.
Kerry said President Joe Biden’s administration will first provide KSh 3 billion to the Africa Adaptation Initiative for the Food Security Accelerator, which will invest in African agricultural businesses and help them create independent and climate-resilient supply chains.
Second, KSh 1.4 billion will go to the Climate Resilience and Adaptation Finance and Technology Transfer Facility to scale technologies advancing adaptation like cold chain storage, which helps maintain the quality and safety of food from the farm into people’s homes,” he added.
The White House has repeatedly stated, “On day one in office, President Joe Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement” after his predecessor Donald Trump pulled the US out of the agreement. The summit’s opening speeches included clear calls to reform the global financial structures that have left African nations paying about five times more to borrow money than others, worsening the debt crisis for many.
For instance, Kenya’s Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya said Africa has over 30 of the world’s most indebted countries.
Kerry disclosed President Biden launched PREPARE, to help half a billion people in developing countries, especially in Africa, adapt to the worst impacts of this crisis this decade. “President Biden wants to work alongside African nations to lead the way in adapting to and managing the impacts of climate change. That’s why, as part of PREPARE, he’s committed to working with Congress to provide KSh 4.3 billion annually for adaptation by 2024, the largest commitment in US history,” Kerry explained.
Apart from the US, the United Arab Emirates, which will host the next United Nations climate meeting, announced it plans to invest KSh 656 billion in Africa’s “clean energy potential.”
On her part, European Union President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe wants to be Africa’s partner in climate action. “It is time to move from words to action. Climate financing should be brought to the international podium at COP28. KSh 145 billion will be allocated to sustain investments. We need to build and grow Africa’s green market. Let us take this to the COP28,” she explained.
President William Ruto said the tragedy of climate change is that it is relentlessly eating away at the progress that has been made in mitigating it.
“Going by evidence based on scientific projections, its appetite to consume our GDP will grow in years to come. We are already losing between 5-15% of our GDP growth every year to the adverse impacts of climate change,” he explained.