The Wide World Fund for Nature (WWF) and the African Development Bank have joined forces to advance the work of the Africa Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Hub in addressing the impacts of climate change on the continent.
The African Development Bank’s Climate Change and Green Growth Department set up the African Nationally Determined Contributions Hub last August to serve as a resource pool for regional member countries, and to coordinate activities across various related sectors.
The Hub supports African countries in implementing their NDCs as part of the voluntary obligations under the Paris Agreement.
African countries have shown tremendous support and zeal for the global climate agenda. All 54 countries have signed the Paris Agreement and over 70% have since ratified it. Despite the political will, African countries are confronted with challenges such as aligning their NDCs with existing national development plans; converting NDCs into investment plans; limited capacity and access to scientific knowledge and expertise to address the ramified impacts of climate change; and accessing adequate financing to bring to fruition the objectives and targets indicated in the NDCs.
“In response to these challenges, the AfDB has created the NDC Hub and welcomes the partnership with WWF to support countries in the development of strategies and implementation mechanisms for their NDCs”, said Anthony Nyong, Director, Climate Change and Green Growth.
Both institutions will bring on board their individual expertise and their joint convening power to turn NDC concepts into actions that will set Africa on a low carbon and climate resilient development pathway.
The Hub will provide regional member countries with a one-stop centre for technical assistance on NDC strategy development, facilitating access to climate finance and scientific knowledge, capacity building, peer-to-peer learning and best-practice sharing, monitoring and evaluation, and project origination.
“Our collaboration in supporting the implementation of NDCs forms a core element of WWF’s and AfDB’s agreed partnership agreement, and is a core element of our joint ambition to ensure the long-term sustainable development of Africa,” said Frederick Kumah, WWF’s Director for Africa.
The Hub will offer a platform for external stakeholders, other development finance institutions, national, sub-national and city authorities, private sector and other non-state actors to get involved in NDC implementation on the continent.
The AfDB in a member of the Global NDC Partnership. The Africa NDC Hub will be hosted in the Bank’s Climate Change and Green Growth Department within the Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth Vice-Presidency.