Annual report 2016: supporting Africa's response to climate change

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Annual Report 2016

Supporting Africa’s

response to climate

change

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For more information on the ClimDev-Africa Programme, visit the website at

http://www.climdev-africa.org

This work is facilitated by the Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank. The African Climate Policy Centre is the

secretariat of the Climate for Development in Africa Programme, which is funded by Norway, Sweden, the European Union and USAID. The views expressed and information

contained in this report do not necessarily represent the views of the partner institutions.

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Abbreviations and acronyms

Afri-Res Africa Climate Resilient Investment Facility

AGRHYMET Regional Centre for Training and Applications in Agricultural Meteorology and Hydrology

ARC African Risk Capacity

ClimDev-Africa Climate for Development in Africa Programme DRP Developing Radio Partners

EAC East African Community

ECA Economic Commission for Africa

ECCAS Economic Community of Central African States ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ICPAC IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre IGAD Intergovernmental Authority for Development MFEA Monitoring Framework and Evaluation Approach NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development

REDD Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation SADC-CSC South African Development Community - Climate Services Centre Samoa Small island developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action SBI Subsidiary Body for Implementation

SBSTA Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice UNEP United Nations Environment Program

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNISDR United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

WISER Weather and Climate Information and Services for Africa WMO World Meteorological Organization

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Tables

Table 1: African Climate Policy Centre income and expenditure (excluding committed funds) 16

Table 2: Climate Change and Desertification Unit income and expenditure ... 16

Table 3: ClimDev Special Fund income and expenditure ... 17

Table 4: ClimDev Special Fund status of disbursements to projects ... 17

Table 5: Donor contributions to ClimDev Special Fund as of June 2016 ... 18

Table 6: Profile of African Climate Policy Centre Professional staff... 18

Table 7: Current and projected staffing for the ClimDev Special Fund ... 19

Table 8: Current staffing for the Climate Change and Desertification Unit ... 19

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This annual report presents the activities and achievements of the Climate for Development in Africa Programme (ClimDev-Africa) during the calendar year 2016. The programme was delivered, within the constraints of available resources, and focused on providing guidance and technical support to member countries in the context of the Paris Agreement on climate change, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Agenda 2063, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 and the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action (Samoa) Pathway. As regards the Paris Agreement, ClimDev-Africa activities have primarily focused on firstly assessing the implications of the agreement for Africa and subsequently supporting the domestication of the agreement through the development and implementation of the nationally determined contributions as a mechanism for emissions reductions and mainstreaming climate change into development planning. In the context of the Samoa Pathway and the Sendai Framework, ClimDev-Africa’s activities focused on enhancing the climate resilience of the small island developing States. The present report also highlights emerging issues, new partnerships and operational strategies, and science-policy-practice dialogues leading up to the twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. During the year, the programme’s partners completed a business plan to guide its activities for the next five-year phase of the programme (2017–2021).

2. Programme implementation highlights

 The National Climate Change Policy and Strategy for Liberia has now been completed and is ready for submission by the Government to the National Assembly for ratification.

 The programme assisted Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau to develop capacity and infrastructure to improve weather prediction and early warning systems through the installation of a high resolution (1 km) numerical weather prediction and early warning system that is currently being integrated into their operational infrastructure. The cloud-

based system is accessible online

(http://uneca.belgingur.is/map/panafrica.9.1.full/composite/2016-08- 08T03:00+03:00).

 A cloud-based continental 9 km resolution numerical weather prediction system and early warning system was also deployed, with customized implementation in the

Gambia and Guinea-Bissau

(http://uneca.belgingur.is/map/panafrica.9.1.full/composite/2016-08- 08T03:00+03:00).

 Site characterization for deployment of wireless communication platforms was completed for Seychelles.

 Capacity-building for African small island developing States with regard to the Internet of Things through a workshop jointly organized with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Italy and co-sponsored by the International Telecommunications Union and the Internet Society. This constitutes significant support towards its implementation in the African small island developing States.

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 Data connectivity, capacity, installation and training for the Comoros and Seychelles were provided, to facilitate early warning for disaster risk management.

 A pan-African youth and gender programme for addressing desertification was developed.

 An induction workshop was held for 23 new national members of the Young African Lawyers Initiative appointed by their governments.

 As a result of engagement with ministerial conferences and governance bodies, important decisions at Heads of State and ministerial level were taken, including: the Ministerial Statement of the Ninth Joint Annual Meetings of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration and the Economic Commission for Africa Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (E/ECA/CM/49/3 and AU/STC/FMEPI/MIN/Res/3(II));¹ the Cairo Declaration of the sixth special session of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment;² the key messages of the second session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development; and the outcome of the twenty-sixth ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union.³

 Three regional expert meetings were held that brought together policymakers, civil society organizations, development partners and the private sector to assess the renewable energy components of the nationally determined contributions.

 The operationalization of the Africa Climate Resilient Investment Facility at the African Climate Policy Centre, in collaboration with the World Bank, the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank, was initiated.

 The Climate Research for Development Scientific Advisory Committee finalized its governance structure.

 The Climate Research for Development Scientific Advisory Committee and the Oversight Board expanded the Committee’s membership from 15 to 19 to account for gender diversification and the inclusion of social science expertise in order to strengthen capacity to guide African climate research.

 The sixth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa was convened in Addis Ababa. Key highlights included the launch of the inaugural Professor Patrick Obasi Memorial Lecture, to honour the contributions of African scientists to the evolving climate change science and discourse, as well as Climate Information Services Day to recognize the importance of climate information services in Africa’s development.

1 www.uneca.org/sites/default/files/uploaded-documents/CoM/com2016/e1600585-_ministerial_statement.pdf.

2 web.unep.org/sites/default/files/amcen6/amcen_sixth_special_session_cairo_declaration_final.pdf.

3 www.au.int/web/sites/default/files/decisions/29514-assembly_au_dec_588_-_604_xxvi_e.pdf.

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 A partnership between the African Trade Policy Centre and the African Climate Policy Centre on the capitalization of agricultural production and trade opportunities under climate change was fully operationalized.

 The African Climate Policy Centre convened ministers and experts on trade to raise awareness and mainstream climate change into trade policies and to contribute to the continental free trade area process.

 Two memorandums of understanding were signed by the ClimDev Special Fund, the African Risk Capacity, the Africa Regional Hydromet Program of the World Bank and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Met Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the channelling of resources for climate-resilient development.

 The ClimDev Special Fund submitted five projects for approval to the African Development Bank – four regional climate centre projects and one national project.

 Community radio programmes reporting on climate change and development are now operational in Cabo Verde, Cameroon and Rwanda.

 At the twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, ClimDev-Africa partners, the African Development Bank, the African Union Commission and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), organized the Africa Pavilion, a convening space for visibility, advocacy and discussion on key climate change issues affecting Africa.

 Forty-three experts from member States reviewed and adopted a regional strategic plan for the sustainable production and marketing of gum Arabic for climate change adaptation and poverty alleviation in the drylands of Africa.

3. Progress on implementation by results area

3.1 Results area 1: Widely available climate information, packaging and dissemination

African Climate Policy Centre

Operational capacity for building, deploying and using numerical weather and seasonal prediction systems in African small island developing States

The African Climate Policy Centre is in the process of deploying a cloud-based high- resolution 1 km operational numerical weather prediction and early warning system to enable African small island developing States to manage weather and climate-related risks. The system, which is based on open-source tools, provides a cost-effective and comprehensive solution to operational weather forecasting compared to most existing licence-based systems where high annual subscription fees renders them unsustainable. Forecasters from the African small island developing States, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) and a number of mainland countries have been trained on its use and management.

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Dedicated in-country systems have been deployed in Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Seychelles.

Figure 1

Weather and seasonal prediction systems in African small island developing States

High resolution Africa-wide continental operational numerical weather prediction and early warning system

A pan-African 9 km resolution analogue system is being developed for the continent to support the regional climate centres and mainland countries. When fully operational, the system will significantly improve the generation and delivery of climate products and services (e.g. disaster management, health and agriculture). Currently, the system is being integrated into the Regional Climate Outlook Forum processes at ICPAC to build capacity in forecast verification with the goal of improving forecast quality and the economic utility of weather and climate forecasts in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region. The system was deployed, with customized implementation in the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.

Training and consultations on use and management of numerical weather prediction and early warning systems in African small island developing States

Hands-on training was organized in Seychelles to strengthen the capacity of member States and regional climate centres to manage and use the numerical weather system.

Participants were drawn from the African small island developing States, the Gambia, Ghana,

Guinea-Bissau Cabo Verde Sao Tome and Principe Seychelles Mauritius Comoros

Figure 3

Madagascar numerical weather prediction (total rainfall)

Figure 2

Pan-African numerical weather prediction (total rainfall)

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Madagascar, Mauritius and ICPAC. The International Centre for Theoretical Physics presented solutions to the communication challenges faced by African small island developing States.

Deployments and direct engineering assistance on wireless communication platforms ClimDev-Africa established a technical assistance programme to build the capacity of African small island developing States to enable them to design low-cost wireless communication systems. For Seychelles, site surveys were carried out and a deployment plan has been developed.

A workshop on wireless deployments was organized in conjunction with Mauritius and Seychelles to enhance the capacity of scientists and technicians from African small island developing States, mainland countries and regional climate centres to effectively implement wireless deployments. Data connectivity, capacity, installation and training between two islands in Seychelles and one island in the Comoros were provided to facilitate early warning for disaster risk management. Specific interventions and outcomes include:

• Support provided to the Indian Ocean small island developing States, namely, the Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles, has enabled real-time data transfer and has improved the utility of hydro-meteorological observational networks, and early warning and data management systems.

• A wireless network connecting the meteorological office at Seychelles International Airport on Mahé island with the weather station at Praslin Island Airport has enabled observed climate and weather data to be transmitted in real time.

• Capacity established in the Comoros to link the meteorological office at Lycée to the meteorological stations at Hahaia and remote stations at Ouani and Fomboni has enabled real-time monitoring of climate and marine environments.

• Capacity-building and deployment at the University of Mauritius has generated interest in the Internet of Things for monitoring of climate and marine environments. Detailed assessment of the potential connectivity of observing networks has laid the foundation for improving data networks in future programmes and projects.

Seychelles Comoros Mauritius

Figure 4

Engineering assistance on wireless communication

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Climate research for development initiative

The second Climate Research for Development Scientific Advisory Committee meeting was held and resolved to pursue development of a framework for the assessment of the impact of a two degree temperature rise on Africa, and of a five-year strategy.

Regional Climate Research Partnership workshops for Eastern and Southern Africa involving multiple institutions, stakeholders, and various climate user sectors were organized and endorsed the Climate Research for Development Research Partnership Framework. In addition, user-driven priority research areas were agreed.

The joint Scientific Advisory Committee and Oversight Board meeting announced its decision to expand committee membership to address the current gender imbalance as well as the inadequate representation of social science expertise. The meeting also reviewed the progress of the initiative’s activities, terms of reference for the five-year Strategic Plan, the continuity of regional climate research partnership platforms in Eastern and Southern Africa, and other emerging issues.

ClimDev Special Fund

Four projects from regional climate centres under the European Union and Africa, Caribbean and Pacific disaster risk reduction financing and one national project for Senegal were submitted to the African Development Bank’s senior management for approval. These projects will strengthen the capacity of Africa’s regional climate centre and the network of the national meteorological and hydrological services to produce and disseminate climate and weather information in order to reduce the climate risks, and build resilience to natural hazards in sub-Saharan Africa. These projects are:

• Satellite and weather information for disaster resilience (SAWIDRA) in Eastern Africa under ICPAC;

• Southern African regional climate information services for disaster resilience development (SARCIS-DR) under the Southern African Development Community - Climate Services Centre;

• Satellite derived information for disaster risk reduction in West Africa under the Regional Centre for Training and Applications in Agricultural Meteorology and Hydrology (AGRHYMET Regional Centre);

• Severe weather forecasting in support of disaster resilience in Africa under the African Centre of Meteorological Application for Development - Continental Climate Centre;

• Climate and weather information to increase the resilience of Senegalese communities to climate change and variability under the National Agency of Civil Aviation and Meteorology, Senegal.

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3.2 Results area 2: Quality analysis for decision support and management practice

African Climate Policy Centre

Under this results area, most of the research studies started during the previous reporting period are ongoing. The overall implementation status is described below:

Regional studies on the nexus of climate change, agriculture, food security and trade The studies continued in five countries of the East African Community (EAC) and 15 countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). These two regional studies, which started in 2015, are in the final stages.

Support to the African Group of Negotiators

ClimDev-Africa support in facilitating the participation of the African Group of Negotiators in meetings continued. During the reporting period, it supported the Group’s participation in the forty-fifth session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and other negotiation processes for the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Young African Lawyers Programme

The main objective of the Young African Lawyers programme is to develop the capacity of young African legal experts to strengthen Africa’s negotiating positions and ensure that African countries get the best possible deal under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process, and also build legal expertise to support African countries in designing policies, strategies and laws on climate change. In October 2016, new members of the programme cohort convened for an induction workshop in Addis Ababa.

Support on intended nationally determined contributions

For a better understanding of the implementation of the nationally determined contributions, analysis of the actions and activities listed under various sectors in that regard was undertaken by the African Partnership Facility for Nationally Determined Contributions.

As a result, several publications on key thematic areas were produced to support countries.

On the implementation of climate-smart agriculture within the framework of the nationally determined contribution implementation in Africa, and in collaboration with NEPAD and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the African Climate Policy Centre contributed to a high-level panel discussion entitled “Transitioning from intended nationally determined contributions to nationally determined contributions – How do African countries implement the agriculture components of the nationally determined contributions?”. In addition, in November 2016, the Centre participated in an East African subregional workshop on investments in climate-smart agriculture in Kigali.

Founded to explore ways to capitalize on the opportunities emerging from the nexus of climate change, agricultural production and trade, the partnership between the African Climate Policy Centre and the African Trade Policy Centre is now operational. High-level policy dialogues were organized in the Africa Pavilion at the twenty-second session of the Conference

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of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakech, Morocco, and at the Africa Trade Week 2016 in Addis Ababa to raise awareness of and encourage the mainstreaming of climate change into trade policies.

Climate-resilient infrastructure

In preparation for operationalization of the Africa Climate Resilient Investment Facility – a joint initiative of ECA (under the auspices of the African Climate Policy Centre), the World Bank, the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank – training for policymakers, the private sector, river basin organizations and power pools was conducted during the second Africa Climate Resilient Infrastructure Summit in Addis Ababa. To promote the Facility, events were held at the twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and at the Annual Meeting of the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. A supply and demand mapping assessment was concluded and seed funding secured from the Nordic Development Fund for operationalization of the Facility.

3.3 Results area 3: Informed decision-making, awareness and advocacy African Climate Policy Centre

Awareness-raising and capacity-building

As part of its support to the Government of Liberia, the African Climate Policy Centre supported the development and drafting of a national climate change policy, strategy and action plan. This concluded a series of activities carried out in Liberia to help the country mainstream climate change into development and enhance the country’s capacity to build resilience against its adverse impacts. The completion of this climate change strategy provides an opportunity to integrate climate change into the national development programmes by domesticating the Paris Agreement and ensuring alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063.

During the ninth Joint Annual Meetings of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration and the ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, two policy dialogues were convened to underscore the importance of climate change in Africa’s growth and development. The first was on greening Africa’s industrialization, which provided space for advocating that Africa should adopt the green pathway towards sustainable and inclusive development. The second was entitled “After Paris: Implications for green growth in Africa”

and discussed climate finance, transparency and accounting mechanisms, loss and damage, technology transfer, growth and industrialization. It also emphasized the importance of nationally determined contributions for limiting global warming to well below 2°C.

The African Climate Policy Centre organized capacity-building activities for community radio stations and staff on climate change, development and analytical reporting in Cabo Verde, Cameroon and Rwanda. These stations produced more than 160 radio programmes as well as dozens of bulletins to better inform citizens about climate change.

• In Cameroon, Bonakanda Community Radio in Bueaand Menji produced and broadcast radio programmes that helped to: enhance community-based solutions to the water problem, including the formation of more than two dozen water

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management committees and activities aimed at protecting water catchments;

increase in irrigated vegetable farms through augmented rainwater harvesting activities; and increase beekeeping activities to support community livelihoods on the slopes of Mount Cameroon.

• In Rwanda, Radio Huguka and Radio Ishingiro produced and aired a series on “Our Environment, Our Future” which contributed to the campaign to keep plastics out of the country. In addition, in Gicumbi, Developing Radio Partners raised public awareness on sanitation that led to biogas production initiatives as a way to achieve sustainable sanitation solutions.

• In Cabo Verde, three stations (Radio Voz d’Bubista, Sodade FM and Espargos Radio) helped the island nation to share information on environmental issues relevant to its communities, including the threat of the Zika virus and eradication strategies for the virus. The Cabo Verde weekly bulletins have also put greater emphasis on farming, fishing, trash collection, beach erosion, water resources, dam management and deforestation.

In addition, key awareness-raising events organized included: the sixth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa, 18–20 October 2016, and the Africa Pavilion at the twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 7–18 November 2016. At the former, over three hundred participants urged Africa to engage fully in the Paris Agreement and requested the African Climate Policy Centre to consider supporting member States in implementing nationally determined contributions to ensure proper alignment with national and regional developmental goals.

Publications

The following 2016 publications are available on the ClimDev-Africa website in both English and French:

• The African Climate Policy Centre contributed to the research and drafting of the Economic Report on Africa 2016: Greening Africa’s Industrialization, which advocates Africa’s adoption of a green pathway towards sustainable and inclusive development.

• It also made significant contributions to the publication entitled Africa’s Blue Economy Policy Handbook. The book is in line with the Centre’s small island developing States programme and the African leaders’ emphasis on blue economy development in the Agenda 2063.

• Two policy briefs entitled The Paris Agreement:

The future relevance of UNFCCC-backed carbon markets for Africa and Transforming Africa’s Transport Sector with the Implementation of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

Figure 5

Policy brief on transforming Africa’s transport sector with implementation of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions

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• Three information sheets entitled African youth and empowerment for climate change dialogue and response action, Driving Africa food trade in a changing climate, and Africa partnership facility for Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

• Technical paper entitled Non-carbon Benefits of REDD+:

The Case for Supporting Non-carbon Benefits in Africa Web engagement

New content is regularly posted on the ClimDev-Africa website, including new documents, stories and event information. Below are highlights of recent engagement:

• Dissemination of ClimDev-Africa outputs continued on social media during the reporting period. The number of Twitter followers increased by 56 per cent from 791 to 1240 and the number of likes of the ClimDev Africa page on Facebook held steady at 4612.

• A newsletter covering the Africa Pavilion at the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the fifth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa, and recent publications was disseminated in March 2016 to over 850 subscribers.

• Eighteen press releases were produced and posted on the ClimDev-Africa website.

Climate Change and Desertification Unit

To enhance the knowledge of beneficiaries and member States on climate change and desertification, the following activities were undertaken:

• An expert group meeting was organized to review the draft regional strategic plan for the sustainable production and marketing of gum Arabic for climate change adaptation and poverty alleviation in the drylands of Africa. The strategy was reviewed and adopted by 43 experts from member States.

• A high-level political dialogue was convened for African Ministers and senior government officers to discuss strategies and collaboration in the effective implementation of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative and other major African initiatives in combating desertification and climate change.

• During the twentieth session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission in Nairobi, the Climate Change and Desertification Unit contributed to the review of support provided by FAO to African countries in the last biennium and agreed on further areas of support and collaboration.

• Support to the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment continued during the sixth special session of the Conference held in Cairo, Egypt. The meeting concluded with key recommendations related to sustainable development, desertification, climate change, and the sustainability of the Conference. Prior to

Figure 6

Pull-up on renewable energy

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the meeting, the Climate Change and Desertification Unit organized an expert group meeting to review the draft African Union strategy on climate change.

• In collaboration with the Government of Kenya and the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Climate Change and Desertification Unit organized the first regional coordination meeting of the African Group of Negotiators to develop a work programme for the effective implementation of the Convention in Africa.

• In implementing the declaration of the Conference of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change with a particular focus on young people and women, the Climate Change and Desertification Unit organized a meeting in Nairobi to adopt a strategy to jump-start the effective implementation of the framework and to promote a unique platform for women and young people in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The women and young people plan was agreed.

• The Climate Change and Desertification Unit provided financial and technical backstopping to the African Group of Negotiators during the forty-fourth session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation and the first session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement.

• In collaboration with WMO, experts from national meteorological and hydrological services were brought together to review and validate guidelines for the development of national strategic plans on meteorology and hydrology services. The meeting approved the template for the strategic plan and adopted guidelines for integrating weather and climate services in national and regional development programmes.

• The Climate Change and Desertification Unit organized the third Africa Drylands Week and, in collaboration with the Government of Namibia, the First African Drought Conference. It also participated in the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the validation of the draft Africa regional framework on sustainable forest management. The Unit was also involved in the sixth Session of the Africa Regional Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Mauritius.

Activities implemented by the ClimDev Special Fund under this results area cover two domains: factoring climate change information into development policy; and supporting dialogue among government institutions, private sector, civil society and vulnerable communities.

Development policy support

The Special Fund launched 2 projects, appraised 13 and approved 7 projects for funding. The following two projects were launched in 2016 and are currently being implemented:

(a) Flood disaster risk reduction in Bunyala, Kenya, implemented by Maseno University, Kenya. The project will enhance the capacity of Busia County government

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institutions, community organizations and other stakeholders to better manage risks and disasters associated with floods in the Budalangi area of western Kenya.

(b) Strengthening climate information and early warning systems for climate- resilient development and adaption to climate change in Ethiopia. The project is executed by the National Meteorology Agency. It aims to improve socioeconomic development, address climate variability, and build resilience to climate change for Ethiopia through high-quality weather and climate services.

The following 13 projects were appraised:

 Community-based adaptation to climate change through climate-smart agriculture in Adiyakulu, Southern Region of Eritrea. The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Land, Water and Environment. Its objective is to increase community resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change through integrated climate-smart agriculture.

 Capacity enhancement of policymakers and policy support institutions for climate information generation, management and integration into development plans and programmes, United Republic of Tanzania.

Implemented by the Division of Environment in the Vice President’s Office, the project seeks to enhance the capacity for quality analysis and produce evidence on climate change for use in development planning.

 Climate data rescue and database enhancement for improved climate information services in national meteorological and hydrological services in Djibouti, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia. The project will be executed by the WMO representative for Eastern and Southern Africa. It seeks to improve climate data availability for climate change analysis and adaptation for improved climates services and food security in the four countries.

 Climate change best practice award. The project, which aims to promote climate resilient best practices and innovations, will be implemented by the National Environment Trust Fund, a semi-autonomous government agency within the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in Kenya.

 Ethiopia gender, climate change and agriculture support programme will improve the livelihoods of smallholder women farmers, pastoralists, young people and other vulnerable communities. The project will be executed by the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs.

 Satellite and weather information for disaster risk reduction in central African countries. Through the establishment of an Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) centre in Cameroon, the project aims to enhance the generation of weather forecasts to support disaster risk management in central African countries.

 Mainstreaming climate change into innovative value chains of smallholder agriculture and wild collection in dryland areas of Zimbabwe and promoting best practices across Southern Africa. The project will be implemented in two

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districts by Hilfswerk Austria International Zimbabwe (HWA-Zimbabwe) and seeks to enhance smallholder farmers’ adaptation capacity and build resilience to climate change.

 Enhancing the resilience of vulnerable local communities to extreme weather events and climate vulnerabilities in Mauritius. The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Disaster and Beach Management in the Grand Port District.

 Disaster risk assessment and climate change adaptation in Somalia project will build capacity in early warning and demonstrate the benefits of applying climate information for adaptation. The project will be implemented by ICPAC in collaboration with the IGAD Somalia Office and Somalia Meteorological Service.

 Bridging climate information gaps to strengthen capacities for climate informed decision-making in Africa. The objective of this project is to reduce vulnerability and foster food security through strengthening capacity to understand and deploy appropriate climate information and best practices. It will be implemented in five countries (Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Tunisia) by the African Technology Policy Studies Network in collaboration with the following institutions: Stockholm Environment Institute - Africa Centre based in Kenya; ICPAC based in Kenya; the Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel based in Tunisia; the AGRHYMET Regional Centre based in Niger; and the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development based in Kenya.

 Amélioration de la résilience des populations par l’accès à l’information climatique pour une meilleure intégration du changement climatique dans les politiques nationales et sectorielles de développement en Côte d’Ivoire. The project, which will be implemented by the National Climate Change Programme (Programme National Changement Climatique), seeks to improve access to climate information for better integration of climate change into national and sectoral development policies to build resilience to climate change.

 Renforcement des investissements pour un developpement resilient au changement climatique dans le complexe Lac Nokoué- Lagune de Porto Novo, Benin. The project, which will be implemented by National Water Partnership of Benin (Partenariat National de l'Eau du Bénin), seeks to increase investments for climate-resilient development.

 Adaptation au changement climatique et reduction des risques cotiers dans onze pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest: Development de la Mission d’observation du Littoral Ouest Africain (MOLOA). The project, which will be implemented by Centre de Suivi Ecologique and co-financed by the ClimDev Special Fund, the World Bank and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, aims to strengthen regional cooperation in costal risk management.

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The following seven projects were approved (three from regional climate centres, three from national centres, and support for the Africa Pavilion), and their details are provided in Annex 2:

• Satellite and Weather Information for Disaster Resilience in West Africa (SAWIDRA-WA)

• Satellite and Weather Information for Disaster Resilience in Africa (SAWIDRA)

• Satellite and Weather Information for Disaster Resilience in Eastern Africa (SAWIDRA-EA)

• Improved Climate and Weather Information to Increase Resilience of Senegalese Communities

• Satellite Based Water Monitoring and Flow Forecasting System in Niger River Basin

• Meteorological Observation Network Improvement in Mali for Climate Change Resilience

• Africa Pavilion at the twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Marrakech, Morocco Policy and outreach

The ClimDev Special Fund provided support to the African Group of Negotiators Expert Support for the preparation of submissions on behalf of African countries to identify adaptation measures and enhancement of productivity in agriculture and in the development of a note used by the African Group of Negotiators in the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice negotiations on agriculture.

Africa Ministerial Conference on Water, 2016 – The ClimDev Special Fund, in partnership with the African Water Facility, convened a joint session on “Infrastructure for water and climate change resilience: design and financing”, to discuss a common understanding of policy for design and financing requirements and options for practical implementation of climate change resilience projects in the water sector.

The Fund contributed to work on sovereign risk insurance – The Fund undertook a scoping mission to the African Risk Capacity to establish the governance, structure and operations of that agency and to discuss the management of weather index-based sovereign risk insurance.

3.4 Africa Pavilion at the twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change The Africa Pavilion provided a convening space for visibility, advocacy and discussion on key climate change issues. It constituted a platform for discussions, side events and meeting rooms for African delegates. Some of the key events that were convened at the Pavilion are listed below:

Africa Day - The event was held on the dual themes of “Moving from commitment to action with nationally determined contributions” and “The Africa Renewable Energy Initiative:

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moving forward.” Participants included President Ian Khama of Botswana; President Alpha Condé of Guinea; President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia; and President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo. In addition, ministers, heads of the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, ECA, NEPAD and development partners also attended, among others.

High-level event on the Africa Hydromet Programme - The event discussed means of supporting modernization of climate information systems and services in Africa.

Africa at the Forefront of Climate Change - The event deliberated on innovations for adaptation to climate change, financing and coordination of various initiatives such as the African Risk Capacity and the Africa Adaptation Initiative.

4. Secretariat, financial analysis and human resources

4.1 Secretariat functions

The secretariat convened a retreat for ClimDev-Africa partners to review the Phase II business plan and adopt a framework and strategy for resource mobilization.

4.2 Financial Report African Climate Policy Centre

The following financial analysis describes the utilization of funds from all partners contributing to the implementation of the 2016 workplan from 1 January to 31 December 2016.

The opening balance was $1,345,074.22 from which $33,293.47 was returned to the United Kingdom Department for International Development due to the expiry of the agreement, leaving total annual resources of $1,304,114.76.⁴

Scheduled payments of $599,846.03 and $737,100.74 were received from the European Union and Norway, respectively, giving a total of $2,649,188.98 for implementation during the year. As shown in the certified financial statement, $1,710,409.17 was spent between January and December 2016, leaving a balance of $938,779.81. This represents a fund utilization rate of 65 per cent, excluding unliquidated obligations. The cost of the proposed activities of the African Climate Policy Centre in the ClimDev-Africa 2016 Work Plan and Budget amounted to $9,738,350.00. Therefore, the total available amount of $2,649,188.98 constituted 27.2 per cent of this budget.

4 All dollar values refer to United States dollars.

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Table 1

African Climate Policy Centre income and expenditure (excluding committed funds)

Partner Opening

balance at 1 January 2016 (United States

dollars)

Income between January and

December 2016 (United States dollars)

Total resources during the

period (United States

dollars)

Expenditure between January and December 2016

(United States dollars)

Closing Balance at 31 December 2016 (United States dollars)

Fund utilization

rate (percentage)

DfID 33 293.47 -33 293.47 0.00 0.00 0.00 0

Norway +

interest 681 925.67* 737 562.20 1 419 487.87 1 087 531.83 331 956.04 77

European Union

+ interest 629 855.08** 599 846.03 1 229 701.11 622 877.34 606 823.77 51

Total 1 345 074.22 1 304 114.76 2 649 188.98 1 710 409.17 938 779.81 65

*Norway total resource during the period includes interest of $461.43

**European Union opening balance includes interest amounting to $35,793.36

In 2016, the African Climate Policy Centre also implemented the Weather and Climate Information and Services for Africa (WISER) programme funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development.

Climate Change and Desertification Unit

The opening balance for the reporting period was $832,886.84. Funds amounting to

$65,479.98 committed in 2015 became available after the cancellation of some activities. This led to a total $898,366.82 for the year 2016. Out of this amount, as per the certified financial statement of 31 December 2016, $827,323.13 was spent, representing an expenditure rate of 92.09 per cent.

Table 2

Climate Change and Desertification Unit income and expenditure

Partner Opening

balance as at 1 January

2016 (United States

dollars)

Income between January and December 2016

Total resources during the

period (United States

dollars)

Available Balance as at 31 December 2016 (United

States dollars)

Expenditure rate (percentage)

European Union +

interest 832 886.84 65 479.98 898 366.82 827 323.13 71 043.69 92.09

The opening balance includes interest of $11,583.11.

The financial statements of the Fund are prepared on a modified cash basis. The accounts of the Fund are in euros.

Disbursements in currencies other than euros are converted to euros using the cross rates prevailing between the currencies, the African Development Bank’s unit of account and euros on the date of the transaction.

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The Nordic Development Fund has made the disbursement of the second and final tranche of its contribution to the Fund in January 2016, for an amount of € 2.5 million.

Table 3

ClimDev Special Fund income and expenditure

Partner

Opening balance as at 1 January 2016 (euros)

Income between January and December 2016

(euros)

Total resources during the period (euros)

(euros)*

Available balance as at 31 December 2016 (euros)

Expenditure rate (percentage) Sweden

(SIDA) 6 439 875 - 6 439 875 - - -

European

Commission 5 875 778 - 5 875 778 - - -

Nordic Development Fund

2 500 000 2 500 000 5 000 000 - - -

Total 14 815 653 2 500 000 17 315 653 1 743 789 15 571 864 10.07

* Expenditure is not segregated by donor as the budget lines are not structured to capture expenditure by respective donors.

During the period, the first instalment was made for the two approved projects.

Table 4

ClimDev Special Fund status of disbursements to projects

Project Amount (euros)

Country Title Allocated Disbursed Balance

Ethiopia Strengthening climate information and early warning systems for climate-resilient development and adaptation to climate change in Ethiopia

1 000 000 80 000 920 000

Kenya Flood disaster risk reduction in Bunyala, Busia County, Kenya

995 000 228 334 766 666

The financial audit of the Fund for 2014 and 2015 was carried out in June 2016 by the Bank External Auditors.

Contributions

The total contributions received as of 31 December 2016 amounted to € 17,315,653 as shown in Table 5 below.

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Table 5

Donor contributions to ClimDev Special Fund as of June 2016

Donors Amount pledged Amount received (euros)

Sweden (SIDA) SKr 75 000 000 6 439 875

European Commission € 27 380 000 5 875 778 Nordic Development Fund € 5 000 000 5 000 000

TOTAL 17 315 653

4.3 Human resources

In 2016, the distribution of ClimDev Africa staff according to category was as follows:

• African Climate Policy Centre - 10 Professional and 6 Administrative staff

• Climate Change and Desertification Unit - 6 Professional, 1 Administrative staff

• ClimDev Special Fund - 4 Professional and 1 team assistant

One professional level staff member left the African Climate Policy Centre in March 2016.

Table 6

Profile of African Climate Policy Centre Professional staff

N° Level Title/Responsibility

1. P-5 Senior Climate Change Expert (Political) and African Climate Policy Centre Officer in Charge

2. P-5 Senior Programme Management Officer 3. P-5 Senior Climate Adaptation Expert

4. P-5 Senior Natural Resources Expert (Forestry)

5. P-5 Senior Natural Resources Expert (Energy and Climate) 6. P-5 Senior Climate Science Expert

7. P-4 Communications Officer

8. P-3 Information Management Officer 9. NOC National Programme Officer

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Table 7

Current and projected staffing for the ClimDev Special Fund

N° Description Current status

1. Coordinator On board

2. Chief Climate Policy Expert On board

3. Principal Disaster Risk Reduction Expert On board

4. Senior Finance and Administrative Officer On board

5. Team Assistant On board

6. Principal Climate Adaptation Expert To be recruited in 2017

7. Senior Climate Finance Expert (Changed to Monitoring and Evaluation Expert)

To be recruited in 2017

Table 8

Current staffing for the Climate Change and Desertification Unit

Number Level Title Contribution

to unit activities (percentage)

Description

1. P3 Senior Policy Officer Forestry and Land Management

60 Regular staff (African Union budget)

2. P3 Senior Policy Officer Environment and Water Resources/Acting Head of Division ECCWLM

3. P3 Senior Policy Officer Climate Change and Desertification Control

50 Short-term staff (African Union budget)

4. P2 Communication 20 Short-term staff

5. P4 Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative

Coordinator

20 Short-term staff

6. P3 Senior Policy Officer Climate Change

7. Disaster Risk Reduction

Consultant

10 Seconded staff by United Nations International Strategy on Disaster Reduction

(UNISDR)

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5. Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

During the year, the ClimDev-Africa Phase II logframe was finalized and integrated into the ClimDev-Africa Phase II business plan 2017–2022.

6. Challenges

The main challenge experienced during this period relates to limited resources versus demand for support from beneficiaries. As a result, some implementing partners are experiencing delays in implementing agreed activities because of unpredictable disbursement of funds. Significant additional resources therefore are required to ensure adequate delivery.

7. Looking to the future

The programme will continue to strengthen its work in promoting high-level political dialogue to solidify the foundation for effective climate change decision-making in line with regional and global development frameworks.

Planning for Phase II of the programme is at an advanced stage, taking into consideration the significant lessons and partnerships established during Phase I, as well as the needs of African member States, informed by the objectives of the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and Agenda 2063. The implementation of Phase II will underpin the achievement of these development agendas.

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Annex 1

ClimDev Special Fund projects approved in 2016

Number Country Beneficiary Project title Amount

(in euros)

Unit of account (euro rate)

Amount in unit of account 1. Niger AGRHYMET Regional Centre Satellite and weather information for

disaster resilience in West Africa (SAWIDRA-WA)

3 899 500.00 1.27293 3 063 404.90 2. Niger African Centre of Meteorological

Applications for Development

Satellite and weather information for

disaster resilience in Africa (SAWIDRA) 5 790 000.00 1.27293 4 548 561.19 3. Kenya Intergovernmental Authority on

Development Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC)

Satellite and weather information for disaster resilience in Eastern Africa (SAWIDREA)

2 467 170.00 1.27293 1 938 181.99

Subtotal regional centre projects 12 156 670.00 1.27293 9 550 148.08

4. Senegal National Agency of Civil Aviation and Meteorology

Improved climate and weather information to increase resilience of Senegalese communities

999 409.00 1.27293 785 124.87

5. Niger Hydrological satellite-based project – Niger Basin Authority

Satellite-based water monitoring and flow

forecasting system in Niger River basin 1 000 000.00 1.27293 785 589.15

6. Mali AROMET - 2C Meteorological observation network

improvement in Mali for climate change resilience

1 000 000.00 1.27293 785 589.15

Subtotal national centre projects 2 999 409.00 1.27293 2 356 303.17

Subtotal 15 156 079.00 1.27293 11 906 451.26

7. Regional member countries

Twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - Africa Pavilion

254 795.00 1.27293 200 164.19

Total 18 410 283.00 1.27293 14 462 918.62

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Annex 2

Implementation status

MFEA output

MFEA – ClimDev-Africa Phase

II indicator

Output in workplan

C/

P/

O/

N

Progress

Budget (United States

dollars)

Disbursements (United States dollars) * African

Climate Policy Centre

Climate Change and Desertificatio

n Unit

ClimDev Special Fund

Results area 1: Widely available climate information, packaging and dissemination Cluster I: Investment in climate information and climate information services Output 1.H. Interpretation and

packaging of climate data and information enhanced in order to facilitate understanding by users, general public and policymakers, through the establishment of a resource centre and systems support at the African Climate Policy Centre

Indicator 1.H.

Number of climate information products disseminated

Establish operational capacity for building, deploying and using numerical weather and seasonal prediction systems in African small island developing States

O Cloud-based deployment completed. Implementation of dedicated in-country systems is ongoing through Iceland GeoSurvey. Site survey completed for all small island developing States. In-country deployment is under way.

Some knowledge products generated.

260 000

Output 1.C

Audit conducted of current status of the upgrade telecom, observation and data collection systems for upper air and surface network.

Telecommunication facilities improved for the collection and exchange of climate data.

Stations upgraded in the Global Climate Observing System upper air and surface networks.

Indicator 1.C Number of countries and regional climate centres supported as per international standards

Capacity-building, deployments and direct engineering assistance on wireless communication platforms for climate information and climate services delivery

C Workshops conducted:

 Two regional workshops co-organized with the International Centre for Theoretical Physics

 One workshop in Mauritius

 Two hands-on training workshops in Cabo Verde

231 000 210 000

Annual report 2016: supporting Africa's response to climate change