Afdb-Africa Resilience Forum 2021: Threats and solutions...Does local capacity hold the key? Take-aways from public and private experts.
ENPNewswire-October 5, 2021--Afdb-Africa Resilience Forum 2021: Threats and solutions...Does local capacity hold the key? Take-aways from public and private experts
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Release date- 04102021 - 'Each season we are seeing the climate changes. From the flood to the drought...resulting in food insecurity, community conflicts and migration.' - environmental activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim.
The fourth edition of the African Development Bank's Africa Resilience Forum took place 28-30 September, with the theme 'COVID-19 and Beyond: Working Together for a Resilient Continent'. The Forum is a flagship African Development Bank platform that brings together thought leaders from government, civil society, the private sector, development partners, and academia, to promote state-building and peace initiatives across the continent.
During the opening ceremony of the Forum, African Development Bank President Akinwumi A. Adesina summed up the 'hydra-headed challenge' confronting the continent: COVID-19, conflict and climate change.
Over the three-day conference, sessions focused on various topics, and offered possible solutions. Themes included vaccine access, women's entrepreneurship, youth unemployment, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Here are some of the take-aways that emerged from the virtual discussions:
Investing in security is an investment in development
Adriano Afonso Maleiane, Mozambique's Minister of the Economy and Finance, whose country has been hit by security challenges, said: 'Today, spending on security is equal to investment. Without security (there is) no investment, no growth, nothing.'
He welcomed an announcement made by President Adesina, who said the Bank would work closely with regional member countries on security-indexed bonds to address the root causes of insecurity by protecting investments and livelihoods.
Climate change, a threat to resilience
As explained by Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation: 'Africa is highly threatened by climate change. Even if we were to live up to the Paris Agreement of a 1.5 -degreeC world, there will still be a massive need to invest in adaptation.'
Vulnerable populations are most at risk, said environmental activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim from Chad, one of the fragility hotspots on the continent. 'Each season we are seeing the climate changes. From the flood to the drought...resulting in food insecurity...
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