| World Bank IMF and Dev Agencies |    494 VIEWS  |
| World Bank IMF and Dev Agencies | |
| 494 VIEWS | |
 |
Tuesday, September 15, 2020 05:54
PM / by World Bank Group / Header Image Credit: World Bank Group
Plan will be rolled out
amid the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizing that climate action and green recovery
will be key priorities as countries work to build back better
Today, the World Bank released the Next Generation
Africa Climate Business Plan (NG-ACBP), which sets out a blueprint to help
Sub-Saharan African economies achieve low carbon and climate-resilient
outcomes.
The Plan calls for countries to seize the opportunity
to scale-up climate resilience to grow their economies and reduce poverty,
redouble efforts to increase energy access across the region, and take
advantage of sustainable and innovative approaches to leapfrog into greener
development pathways. Without rapid deployment of inclusive,
climate-informed development, 43 million additional people could be pushed
below the poverty line by 2030 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
As the largest financier of climate action in Africa,
the World Bank will use this new Climate Plan to build on a strong track record
under the original plan in which the Bank supported 346 projects with more than
US$33 billion in World Bank financing over the past six years.
"The climate challenge cuts across every priority - poverty reduction, agriculture, job creation, women’s empowerment, fragility,
and more," says Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for West and Central
Africa. "Countries therefore have to tackle it in multiple ways, including by
helping cities develop in clean ways, making climate smart agriculture
practices the norm, improving clean, green, and affordable energy, and putting
people and communities at the forefront in order to improve lives and protect
the future."
Over the next six years (2021-26), the World Bank will
focus on five key areas in Africa- food security, clean energy, green and
resilient cities, environmental stability, and climate shocks- that emphasize
the interrelatedness of climate risks and opportunities. The Plan sets
ambitious goals that push the boundaries of sustainable development in Africa,
including training 10 million farmers on climate-smart agricultural approaches,
expanding integrated landscape management over 60 million hectares in 20
countries, increasing renewable energy generation capacity from 28GW to 38GW to
increase access to clean electricity, and outfitting at least 3O cities with
low carbon and compact urban planning approaches.
"Africa's main challenge is to adapt to climate change
by investing in more resilient agriculture and food systems, building
infrastructure that resists extreme weather events, protecting its coastal
cities, and enhancing disaster preparedness systems," says Hafez Ghanem, World
Bank Vice President for East and Southern Africa. At the same time, green
technologies provide an opportunity for growth and job creation. This is
especially true in the energy sector where renewables have become a source of
clean and inexpensive energy, bringing the goal of universal access to
electricity within reach."
The World Bank recommends that Sub-Saharan African
countries enact policy reforms that recognize the realities of climate change,
in order to strengthen recovery and promote long-term growth. This includes
addressing the sizable infrastructure gap in a green and resilient manner,
using less carbon-intensive materials and technologies while creating more
competitive job opportunities.
The development of the Plan was led by Kanta Kumari
Rigaud, Lead Environment Specialist Rigaud, who underscores that ramping up
climate action on both the resilience and clean energy fronts is critical to
address climate change and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, as the window of
opportunity to counter the climate crisis is rapidly narrowing.
This Plan will be rolled out amid the COVID-19
pandemic, recognizing that climate action and green recovery will be key
priorities as countries work to build back better from one of the biggest
setbacks in the region's development in the last 25 years.
Download Here - The Next Generation Africa
Climate Business Plan : Ramping Up Development-Centered Climate Action
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