The availability of high quality information is a crucial foundation for effective climate risk management and adaptation. It could provide a vital input to many social and financial decisions, including agricultural and food security, water and energy supplies, social protection systems and national planning. Yet many parts of Africa currently have very weak climate information and services. The science is generally not available and where it is, is not used. Investment in better climate information provides an important, cost-effective opportunity to enhance people’s well-being and livelihoods through more effective disaster risk management, climate change adaptation and development. FCFA aims to generate fundamentally new climate science focused on Africa, and ensure this science has an impact on human development across the continent.

Project goal and objectives

The ultimate goal of FCFA is to reduce disruption and damage from climate change and safeguard economic development and poverty eradication efforts over the long-term. In this way, FCFA aims to make African infrastructure as well as urban and rural plans and investments more climate resilient.

• Significantly improved scientific understanding of climate variability and change across Africa and the impact of climate change on specific development decisions;
• Demonstration of flexible methods for integration improved climate information and tools in specific decision-making contexts;
• Improved medium- to long-term (5-40 year) decision-making, policies, planning and investment by African stakeholders and donors. 

Consortia

FCFA is delivered by 5 independent research consortia, with support from a central coordination unit. Each consortium includes partnerships among leading and emerging African, British and other international centres of excellence. Research on physical climate science is undertaken at both pan-African and regional scales, and 11 pilot projects will provide on-the-ground demonstrations of how improved climate information may support particular development decisions.

Partners: CDKN leads FCFA’s Coordination, Capacity-Building and Knowledge Exchange Unit, delivered by SSN and supported by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Funding: FCFA is a £20 million (US$30 million) programme funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). 

Visit www.futureclimateafrica.org to sign up to the newsletter or view FCFA’s growing library of policy briefs, technical reports, working papers, and case studies for several African countries and sectors. Follow FCFA on twitter: @future_climate