…to host Sahel Climate Fund secretariat
By Hauwa Ali and Fatima Saka
Nigeria is grappling with the adverse effects of climate change, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.
This is as he pledged to host the secretariat of the Sahel Climate Fund, including staff welfare and accommodation.
The “Sahel Climate Fund” is the financial body of the Sahel Region Climate Commission (SRCC).
President Buhari made the disclosure in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday while speaking at the 2nd Heads of State and Government of the Sahel Region Climate Commission (SRCC) during the 36th AU Summit.
According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, President Buhari also warned that climate change is an increasing threat to Africa, with Nigeria no least affected, stressing that its adverse impact is the underlying cause of many human population stressors and conflicts with the potential of causing regional instability.
‘‘It has now been recognized as a threat to human survival with different degrees of challenges based on the regions,” he said.
President Buhari added that the Sahel region, like several other regions of the world, is subject to high climatic variability characterized, among other things, by changes in rainfall patterns, desertification, extreme temperatures, recurrent droughts with perceptible effects on agricultural land, pastures, water resources, food security and the economy in general.
According to him, this situation weakens both the living conditions of the populations and the ecosystems and contributes to growing insecurity in the area.
‘‘Nigeria is grappling with a wide-range of adverse impacts of climate change.
‘‘Like other countries in Africa within the Sahel Region, the country has over the past few decades been plagued by a lot of climatic irregularities with serious concerns on the society, due to its spontaneous nature and likely overwhelming effects on national development with implications for food security due to changes in rainfall pattern, desertification and obstruction to the natural ecosystems,’’ he said.
The President expressed concern that the availability and access to funds for implementation of climate change activities, especially adaptation, remain major problems for the African region.
He, however, acknowledged that Nigeria as an active member of the commission, would support the operationalization of the secretariat toward effective implementation of climate change activities in the region.
According to him, the fund will among other things, serve as a gateway to climate finance and investment strategy, finance the implementation of National Determined Contributions (NDCs) of member states and ensure effective participation of the Sahel Region in the global effort to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
He underscored the need for urgent and extensive action to tackle climate change in Africa, warning that climate change is an increasing threat to Africa, with Nigeria no least affected.
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The Nigerian leader stated that its adverse impact is the underlying cause of many human population stressors and conflicts with the potential of causing regional instability.
President Buhari, therefore, described the Sahel Climate Fund as an additional financial resource which is adequate and predictable for implementation of the requirements of the Climate Change Convention and the Paris Agreement.
According to him, the Fund will, among others, serve as a gateway to climate finance and investment strategy, finance the implementation of National Determined Contributions (NDCs) of member states and ensure effective participation of the Sahel Region in the global effort to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The Fund is also expected to mobilize required resources from member states, bilateral and multilateral partners, and private financial institutions.
He said: ‘‘Understanding the barriers to accelerated climate finance inflows and our climate related sectors, are perceived to be high risk investment destinations due to multilayered operational risks, the Sahel Climate Fund will serve as a gateway to climate finance and investment strategy that considers innovative and practical ways to overcome multiple risk impediments and sustainable financial support to Sahelian Countries.
‘‘In addition, the Sahel Climate Fund will be the necessary Climate Finance Mechanism that will be instrumental in financing the implementation of the NDCs of member states, contribute to strengthening the adaptation and resilience capacities of local communities along with their livelihoods, and ensure effective participation of the Sahel Region in the global effort to curb GHG emissions.
‘‘The Sahel Climate Fund will mobilize the necessary resources from member states, bilateral and multilateral partners, and private financial institutions to foster cooperation and coordinated actions among Sahel Region Climate Commission member countries to address climate change”.
He underscored the need for urgent and extensive action as well as broad international participation required to tackle climate change in Africa.
‘‘We are looking forward to a positive and sustainable view concerning provision of adequate and predictable finance, adaptation, loss and damage, capacity building, development and deployment of necessary support to the Sahel Region Climate Commission so as to ensure comprehensive activities towards mitigating and adapting to climate change and sustainable development in the region,’’ the President added.
In his text circulated at the Summit, King Mohammed VI of Morocco warned that by 2030 no fewer than 118 million people in Africa will be directly threatened by extreme weather events.
In the G5 Sahel-sub-region, he said, it is estimated that poverty could affect an additional 13.5 million people by 2050.
‘‘Despite this alarming situation, up to 2020 our continent has received only 12 percent of global climate financing,’’ he said.
King Mohammed VI declared that the climate battle in the Sahel region, which has been most severely impacted by climate change, can only be won through the optimal mobilization of the region’s own public funds.
He added that the drive for funds should be accompanied by effective international financial support that matches the ambitions of the Climate Investment Plan.
Pledging support for the Commission, the Moroccan King said his country has honored its commitments made at the maiden conference by providing the Commission with ‘‘capacity building, technical assistance and financial support for the preparation of feasibility studies to finalize its Climate Investment Plan.’’
The Sahel geo-climatic region comprises 17 countries stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea, including Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sudan and Chad.
