Climate Adaptation in Africa

In the African continent, where the relentless forces of climate change are felt acutely, the urgency to adapt and build resilience has become a collective responsibility. Africa’s unique landscapes, emerging markets, and the stark reality of climate finance show a troubling lack of attractiveness for private investments in climate-related projects.

The data from the Climate Policy Initiative highlights that financing flows for climate action in Africa reached an average of US$29.5 billion in 2019/2020, representing only 4.7% of the total global climate finance. The urgent need to bridge the financing gap is evident, with Africa’s financing needs amounting to US$2.7 trillion cumulatively over 2020-2030 for adequate response to climate change.

In light of this, AVPA, in collaboration with The Lemelson Foundation, has established the Africa Climate Investing Forum (ACIF) to foster innovation, collaboration, and enhance climate resilience across the continent.

About the Forum

The Africa Climate Investing Forum (ACIF) is designed to equip participants with the skills, knowledge, and tools needed to mobilise, package, and deploy capital innovatively and impactfully in the climate adaptation sector. ACIF aims to inform and engage a dynamic community, fostering a shared understanding of adaptation innovations, investment opportunities and financing instruments for the sector.

The nine-month programme is divided into two parts:

• The Leadership Programme – a three-month foundational course designed to cultivate the expertise of climate investors, innovators, and other key players in the ecosystem to accelerate the development of an effective adaptation finance ecosystem in Africa. Participants will be armed with future-focused strategies and tools to transform the landscape of climate adaptation finance across Africa. They will join virtual sessions along two interrelated tracks: Finance and Climate Adaptation where experts will share innovative funding models and investment strategies for financing Climate in Africa.

• The Immersion Programme – following the leadership programme, participants will continue to the Immersion Program for an additional six months to broaden and deepen their networks through virtual and in-person meetups, granting access to possible investment opportunities, as well as the chance to organise and engage in peer-led sessions, study tours, and pitching sessions. 

Criteria

You are eligible for this Forum if you are an:

Investor – Offering financial instruments or mechanisms specifically aimed at funding solutions or innovations to address a wide range of climate adaptation challenges. Examples of such challenges include but are not limited to flooding, storms, pest infestations, the spread of zoonotic diseases, extreme heat, drought, sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion, wildfires, soil erosion, and loss of biodiversity.

Innovator – Individuals or organisations actively scaling innovative climate adaptation products or services. These should be applicable across a variety of sectors including, but not limited to, water management, agriculture, renewable energy, infrastructure, public health, and disaster risk reduction.