Accelerating adaptation in Africa
Accelerating adaptation in Africa
The Africa anchoring event of the Climate Adaptation Summit (25-26 January 2021) explored ways to accelerate adaptation action on the continent. CDKN invited leading climate change adaptation scientists and practitioners to provide their perspectives, in this specially-commissioned series of articles and videos. We also synthesised their insights into a framing paper, presented below.
About the Africa anchoring event
The Africa anchoring event took place on Monday 25th January 2021. Read more about the programme here and watch the session back here.
Read CDKN's articles from the event below:
- Accelerating climate-resilient economies in Africa
- Generation restoration – Adapt for our future
- Africa adaptation event shines spotlight on climate-smart agriculture
- Restore Africa’s degraded land – Climate Adaptation Summit
Short video
Watch clips from the interviews in our short video 'Accelerating Adaptation in Africa', directly below, and find the French version of the film here.
Video series
Watch our longer video series, Adaptation Voices, with the six interviewees from the short film. Each video is four to six minutes long, and each one highlights specific entry points where governments, private businesses, civil society and development partners can accelerate effective, inclusive adaptation action.
Framing paper
CDKN has launched a working paper, based on insights from African adaptation experts, which proposes how to accelerate adaptation action in Africa, by:
- Investing in people’s skills and knowledge.
- Investing in climate-resilient economies, which are well-informed by climate risk.
- Investing in nature.
Articles
Youth and innovation: Transforming Africa's inherent adaptive capacity into action
Paseka Lesolang calls for creative funding models to help Africans’ big ideas on adaptation to take off.
What will it take for pastoral systems to adapt to climate change?
Joseph Muhwanga and Mohammed Said consider the impacts of climate change on African drylands to date and in the future – and explore the potential for communities in these areas to keep prospering.
Building an enabling environment for inclusive rural wellbeing
It is time to address capacity gaps in water users associations in Namibia and make the most of their potential to support adaptation to climate change – say Salma Hegga, Irene Kunamwene and Gina Ziervogel.
The potential of climate change adaptation for agricultural enterprises
There is tremendous economic growth potential for agricultural enterprises in East Africa, but expansion depends on their receiving appropriate support – including training on how to be climate-smart. Joseph Muhwanga and Teferi Demissie report.
Nature for recovery and resilience
Alex McNamara says that valuing the natural environment and its contribution to economies and societies is a sure way to improve climate resilience – and our ability to adapt to climate change. He notes how adaptation action is gaining traction in his native South Africa.
Wellbeing for rural people in a changing climate: Experience from Ghana's semi-arid areas
Rahina Sidiki Alare has worked with women’s groups in communities of Ghana’s semi-arid districts to spread timely and accurate climate information and support them to adopt climate-smart agriculture and develop business activities. These ways of working hold important lessons for agriculture-dependent communities elsewhere. She reports on challenges and achievements.
Citizen-led groups support inclusive adaptation to climate change
Dorothy Tembo-Nhlema, Chair of the Weather Chasers Group in Malawi, sees how the group has developed into an energetic, dynamic force for environmental protection in the country and is part of a larger civil society movement for positive change.
Accelerating climate-resilient water management – Africa’s ambitious agenda for change
What will it take for Africa to adapt sufficiently to climate change by 2050? What should stakeholders do to accelerate effective, inclusive climate change adaptation in Africa? Alex Simalabwi outlines the ambitious measures that governments and their international partners are already taking.
Philip Antwi-Agyei gives a first-hand account of how climate change is undermining food security in northern Ghana – and what to do about it.
Strengthening policy support for climate adaptation and transformation
Gina Ziervogel highlights the need for community-level capacity building and knowledge co-creation for effective water management and adaptation to climate change - based on experiences in water-scarce Cape Town, South Africa.
Applying nature-based solutions system-wide offers great potential for adaptation
Professor Sosten Chiotha shares his vision of holistic, sustainable adaptation to climate change – based on years of experience in his native Malawi.
Gender, climate change and obstacles to small enterprises' adaptation - the case of Senegal
Social, financial and technical constraints affect the adaptive capacity of women entrepreneurs in Senegal, says Mamadou Diop, Researcher, IED Afrique, Dakar.
Genre, changement climatique et les obstacles de l'adaptation des PME - cas du Senegal
Les contraintes sociales, financières et techniques affectent la capacité d’adaptation de la femme entrepreneure au Sénégal – selon Mamadou Diop, Chercheur associé à IED Afrique, Dakar-Sénégal.