In 2014, the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF) under the Climate Investment Fund (CIF) funded the Strengthening climate resilience project in the Kafue sub-Basin in Zambia. Engineer Indie Dinala, the project manager, told Africa Climate Conversations that farmers in the Kafue sub-basin would depend on wild fruits and wild tubers during drought. 

But today, the USD 38 million projects have introduced, among other measures - solar-powered irrigation projects enabling farmers to farm even during drought seasons. In addition, a climate-proofed road was built to enable private sectors to reach and buy farm products from the communities' farms. Thus, the adaptation measures have only created resilience but also improved nutrition and livelihoods.

This Episode is part of financing change in Africa series made possible by a collaboration between  the continent's premier development finance institution – the African Development Bank Group, the Climate Investment funds and the Africa Climate Conversations. 

African drylands are home to more than half a billion people who live and work in the drylands.

"We need to rethink restoration within the dryland. The voice of the people must be part of the design, implementation, and the monitoring process," Lalisa Duguma, a scientist with the World Agroforestry, told the Africa Climate conversations. "Restoring drylands is not a walk in the park. It needs a very strong commitments, skillsets, understanding the social-cultural complexity existing in those location."

Listen to the series trailer here

Who defines what is degraded? As you listen to today's episode, remember the GLF Africa 2021 Conference happens online on the 2nd and 3rd of June this year. Click here to register.

The Restoration of the African Dryland series is a six-part series on the upcoming Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) Africa Digital Conference led by the Center for the International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). In collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank and Charter Members. The GLF 2021 Conference will be happening online on the 2nd and 3rd of June this year.

Photo by CIFOR

Today on the Financing change in Africa series we are asking ourselves how Africa can balance between its development plans and emission reduction, given that over 600 million people in Africa do not have access to electricity.

In 2019, the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources (UNU-INRA) report on Africa's stranded assets warned that Africa must forego burning 90percent of known coal reserves, 34percent of gas, and 26percent of oil. So, the question is, how can Africa avoid stranded assets, stranded workers, and stranded communities as the continent implements the Paris agreement and develop?

But countries like South Africa have had one of the most advanced national dialogues on just transitions. South Africa was the only country to mention a just transition in its initial Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2015. What can African countries learn from South Africa, a country with longstanding coal dependence and a high unemployment rate?

The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) Africa Conference Digital 2021 conference will be happening on the 2nd and 3rd of June this year. It is the first-ever digital conference focused entirely on Africa's drylands and how integrative restoration practices can see them flourish once again. The meeting takes place when the world is still finding means to cope with the global pandemic, already impacting restoration.

The series will tell you why the African drylands home to half a million people and over two million globally are critical. It will also explore solutions such as the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) bringing 100 million hectares of land in Africa into restoration by 2030, contributing to the restoration of these drylands. The 8,000 km Great Green Wall is stretching from Senegal to Djibouti, bringing life back to Africa's degraded landscapes, aimed at providing food security and jobs for the millions who live along its path. 

You will hear more about the upcoming GLF 2021 conference and the UN Decade on Ecosystem restoration, to be launched just after the GLF conference running from 2021 to 2030.

Climate change impacts men and women differently. When the COVID-19 pandemic has led to income losses increasing the poverty burden in many countries, Sheila Oparaocha, the ENERGIA International Coordinator and Programme manager tell us why access to energy is critical for women to achieve the SDG goals. Anne Kuriakose, a senior social development specialist at the climate investment funds, explains the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) pursuing gender equality goals in its work supporting climate-resilient, low-carbon development investments on the continent?

Mental health is not often directly linked to climate change.

But let's be honest, temperatures are rising, floods, droughts, heatwaves, bush fires, rising sea levels are getting real and affecting real people. Their livelihoods and day-to-day quality of life is adversely affected. Not to mention the Covid-19 pandemics and high cost of living which adds on to the economy and mental effects.

In Kenya, last year, the Kenya National Mental Health Task Force recommended to the government to declare mental health an emergency in Kenya. The task force report identified climate change and its effects among things associated with the rising depression, suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders in Kenya.

The task force found out that one in every two Kenyans suffers from a mental health condition. It also indicated that at least 25 percent of outpatients and 40percent of inpatients in different health facilities had mental illnesses at the time of the study. The Centre for Disease Control and prevention ranks mental health and substance abuse as number five among the leading causes of death in Kenya.

But despite the high numbers, Kenya has only 71 psychiatrists serving a population of nearly 50million people. A majority are in private practice, according to the Kenya Health Workforce report. Currently, 75percent of Kenyans cannot access mental health care, according to the task force.

Image by chenspec from Pixabay

Africa forest cover accounts for 23 percent of its planned area. Africa is also home to the most significant proportion of forest-dependent subsistence households globally. More than half of the continent's population relies directly or indirectly on the forests for livelihoods.

Ines Angulo, the Forest Investment Project (FIP) coordinator at the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), says Africa is the continent with the highest annual rate of net forest loss at 3.9M hectares in the last decade. The forest loss has been increasing steadily since 1990. How is the FIP project working with African countries to manage forest loss and provide suitable livelihoods to communities dependent on them?

In Ghana, the Global forest watch indicates that Ghana's forests once covered a third of its 24-million-hectare landmass. In 2020, the country lost 136kh of its natural forest, equivalent to over 30 million tons of CO₂ emissions. The Forest Investment Project Ghana has been working with local communities and stakeholders to reduce deforestation while ensuring forest-dependent communities benefits from the natural resource.

Valerie Fumey Nassah, the manager for the plantation unit at the Forestry Commission of Ghana, also talks about the project achievements and lessons learned.

Africa accounts for total funding of 300 million USD of the The Pilot Program for Climate Resilience. The pilot project for climate resilience is a USD1.2 billion adaptation funding window of the climate investment funds under the Strategic Climate Fund.

Lorie Rufo, the project coordinator of the, says the adaption funds worked with Mozambique, Niger, and Zambia, among other countries, to build community resilience. The fund has also supported Ethiopia, the Gambia, Madagascar, Malawi, and Uganda to prepared their climate-resilient investment plans. What are the results?

Mozambique is Africa's second most threatened country by climate change after Madagascar. The country benefitted from the climate resilience funding for its Sustainable Land & Water Resources Management Project. Cesar Tique, the agriculture, rural development, and climate change specialist at the African Development Bank in Mozambique, tells us how the project has helped build community resilience.

Located in the Rift Valley, Lake Bogoria National Reserve is a stunning place. It is adorned by a pink cloud of flamingos and geysers bubbling with the most spectacular hot water volcanic springs. But unfortunately, James Kimaru, the Lake Bogoria National Reserve Senior warden, told the Africa Climate Conversations that the lake has increased by more than 10 kilometres, and 90 percent of these hot springs are underwater. 

"With the rising temperatures resulting to enhanced rains the alkaline Lake Bogoria, fresh water lakes Baringo and Lake 94 might merge resulting to a massive biodiversity loss as a result. Kenyan's lack of interest in research for low financial allocation on conservation research," Kimaru warned.

Annually the lake earns Kenya between Kshs70-80 million, but visits have reduced by over 95 percent over the last year. But despite its tourist attraction and revenue generation Kimaru says only five percent of the Baringo county - home to three flooded rift valley lakes budget goes to conservation research.

"A lot of research has been conducted in terms of water quality, inflow rates and soil texture but none has ever been done on the lake's level increase. The phenomenon has not been experienced," Kimaru told the Africa Climate conversations.

Today we are talking about the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program in Low-Income Countries (SREP) funded by the Strategic Climate Fund. the Strategic Climate Fund is one of the two Climate Investment Funds (CIF). The funds are channelled through five multilateral development banks. SREP has been financing the scaled-up deployment of renewable energy solutions aimed at increasing energy access and economic opportunities.

Covid-19 has impacted energy consumption in Kenya. Paul Ngugi, the Geothermal Development Company regional manager, says with almost 2800 MW installed capacity available to the consumers, a peak demand of nearly 2000 MW. With many power plants ready for commissioning, Kenya is producing more energy than it can use. Despite the home user's connectivity increasing, there is a need for the county to expand in energy demand and invest in more energy users, preferably industrial users.

Later, in the show, Paul Ngugi, the Geothermal Development company regional manager, will tell us about geothermal explorations in Kenya and the 1600 MW Menengai Geothermal Project, funded by SREP.