DEVCOM NIGERIA

Thursday, 28 November 2019

African Development Bank at COP25

Event date:

02-Dec-2019 (All day) to 13-Dec-2019 (All day)

Event location:

Madrid, Spain

Organiser:

African Development Bank Group

WHO: African Development Bank Group

WHAT: 25th Conference of the Parties (COP25) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

WHERE: IFEMA, Madrid, Spain

WHEN: 2-13 December 2019

The 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) organized and presided over by Chile will take place in Madrid, Spain, from 2 to 13 December 2019.

The 197 Parties that make up the treaty – 196 nations plus the European Union – will seek to move towards the implementation of the agreements that have been reached under the Convention that lays down specific obligations for all Parties to fight climate change.

Having signed and ratified the Paris Agreement, nearly all African countries have committed to enhanced climate action through reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience. For the continent, adaptation to the adverse impact of climate change is urgent. Now is the time to translate the commitments made by African countries under the Paris Agreement into action, by safeguarding development gains and building resilience against extreme weather events that are increasing in frequency and intensity.

This annual conference is the single global platform for all nations to negotiate an internationally agreed way forward to combat climate change. It also represents a key event that brings together all the major stakeholders engaged on climate change issues from across governments, private sector and civil society, including the African Development Bank’s main partners in the climate change domain.

Highly represented in previous COP summits, the African Development Bank, the continent’s premier development finance institution, will be present in Madrid to support regional member countries to engage in an informed and effective manner in the negotiations through support to the African group of negotiators and through advocacy to make Africa’s voice heard in the international arena. The Bank has, through its climate change action plan, made important commitments to integrate climate considerations across its operations and to scale up its climate investments in African countries. Last September, the Multilateral Development Banks announced their plan to increase the global climate action investments each year to $175 billion by 2025. In Madrid, the African Development Bank will join the other MDBs to showcase our joint commitment to combatting climate change.

A delegation of experts from the African Development Bank, led by Anthony Nyong, Director of Climate Change and Green Growth, will engage with public and private actors to build and strengthen partnerships to promote climate-resilient and low-carbon development in Africa. The Bank’s experts will participate in different events and hold sessions at the Multilateral Development Banks’ Pavilion about climate finance, building resilience and mainstreaming gender in climate change operations, among other topics.

The MDB Pavilion is the fruit of collaboration between Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and World Bank.

10 December: Africa Day

10 December marks Africa Day at COP25. This is a celebration jointly organized by the African Development Bank, the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.

Africa Day at COP25 will focus on concerted global action on climate change to attain the Africa We Want and it will be held in Room 3 from 18.30-20.00.

Official hashtag: #AfricaCOP25

Agenda of African Development Bank’s events at the MDB Pavilion:

Tuesday December 3, 2019 - 14:00-15:00
Nature-based Solutions for Climate Resilience

Wednesday December 4, 2019 - 16:00-17:00
Report on the Work of the Adaptation Benefits Mechanism Executive Committee

Thursday December 5, 2019 - 11:30-13:00
Engaging the Private Sector in Financing Adaptation

Friday December 6, 2019 - 10:00-11:30
Climate Resilience Solutions in Africa

Monday December 9, 2019 - 17:00-18:00
Gender and Climate Change in Africa. From Sensitivity to Responsiveness

Tuesday December 10, 2019 - 09:00-10:00
Boosting the development of water and climate projects

Tuesday December 10, 2019 - 11:00-12:00
Building Resilience to Climate and Extreme Weather Events for African SIDS

Thursday December 12, 2019 - 14:00-15:00
New Climate narrative in Africa

2019 Global Gender Summit: to achieve new impetus towards gender parity, all stakeholders need to act in five priority areas

26-Nov-2019

Africa needs new impetus in its journey towards gender parity. Making progress on any single indicator of gender inequality is likely to require systematic action on a range of indicators by governments, companies, communities, and individual men and women.

A new McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) report prepared with McKinsey & Company, Africa, The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Africa finds that accelerating progress towards parity could boost African economies by the equivalent of 10 percent of their collective GDP by 2025.

The report was launched Tuesday at the 2019 Global Gender Summit co-hosted by the African Development Bank and Rwanda under the theme: “Unpacking constraints to gender equality.”

“Gender equality is not a western agenda, it is not somebody else agenda; it’s a global agenda for growth for inclusive growth for economic development, for society to thrive,” said Vanessa Moungar, Bank Director for Women, Gender, and Civil Society.

The report examines the potential boost to African economic growth as a result of accelerating progress toward gender equality.

“With foresight and a commitment to act, African countries can reinvigorate progress towards parity, triggering a breakthrough in women’s empowerment. But all stakeholders—governments, companies, and the social sector—need to work together to drive results,” Lohini Moodley, a McKinsey Partner in Addis Ababa, said.

Mayowa Kuyoro, Associate Partner at McKinsey, said that it is of concern that at the current pace of change it will take more than 140 years to achieve gender parity. “It will not happen in my lifetime, and that makes me really sad,” she added.

Fatmata Lovetta Sesay from UN Women said, “this report is a cornerstone in our evidence-based advocacy efforts.”

The report highlights five areas to prioritise action:

Invest in human capital. Human capital plays a vital role in driving sustained economic growth and boosting productivity, and it is imperative that countries invest sufficient resources in girls’ education and in women’s skills as well as their digital, financial, and legal literacy so that they are equipped for the future world of work. At the same time, action to ensure that healthcare is affordable and accessible is vital to ensure that human capital is as effective as possible.
Create economic opportunities. Women need economic opportunities if countries are to realize the full potential of their human capital. Creating pathways for African women—the vast majority of whom work informally in low-paid jobs—into better-paid and more fulfilling jobs is a major priority. Action should focus on improving the quality of jobs in the informal sector or by enabling women to leave informal work and find improved working prospects in the formal sector. In our research we focus on interventions in the formal sector, highlighting four priorities: company leaders propelling change from the top with a clear strategy and targets; putting in place creating a positive, inclusive, and supportive environment; unlocking opportunities for women-owned businesses; and developing public and household infrastructure.
Leverage technology. Digital and internet technology is spreading throughout Africa and can be the lever that opens many doors to women, helping to overcome current challenges on a number of indicators of gender equality. Many applications of these technologies apply to both men and women, but the onus is on providers to ensure that they are designed with a gender lens so that women can take full advantage of them. Priorities include creating women-friendly products to drive digital inclusion; and spreading the use of digital to raise financial inclusion and empower female entrepreneurs.
Shape attitudes. Arguably any drive towards gender parity in Africa starts with efforts to change entrenched and widespread attitudes about women’s role in society, an extremely difficult and complex challenge that will require all stakeholders to play a part that is sustained over the long term. Campaigns that are monitored and evaluated are key. Enlisting male champions is another priority.
Enforce laws, policies, and regulations. Africa needs to ensure that women’s rights are enshrined in law and that, where laws already exist, they are rigorously enforced.

2019 Global Gender Summit: African Development Bank, partners officially launch AFAWA Risk Sharing Facility

Rwandan government commits $1 million to AFAWA, making it the first African country to contribute to the programme

UBA, Ecobank and Nigerian Bank of Industry sign expressions of interest

Attijariwafa Bank and African Guarantee Fund sign Memorandum of Understanding to de-risk lending

26-Nov-2019

The African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) programme gained momentum with significant support from commercial banks and a $1 million commitment from the government of Rwanda.

The Bank and partners officially launched AFAWA Risk Sharing Facility, on Monday, at a press conference held during the 2019 Global Gender Summit currently underway in Kigali, Rwanda.

AFAWA is one of the Bank’s flagship gender-focused programmes which seeks to accelerate growth and employment creation across African economies, by closing the financing gap for women.

"Today is a great day!" said Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank. With this facility, women will be able to receive technical assistance. We shall strengthen our capacity and we shall get there. The decision that we are taking today is highly transformational. It will permanently transform Africa."

The press conference was attended by Mr. Philippe Lacoste, Director of Sustainable Development, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, representing French President Emmanuel Macron, Ambassador of Netherlands to Rwanda, Matthijs Wolters; and Rwandan Minister of Finance Uzziel Ndagijimana. Several heads of commercial banks were also in attendance.

"The government of Rwanda fully supports this initiative and is ready to work with the Bank to make AFAWA a success," Ndagijimana, said.

Ambassador Wolters said the Netherlands would soon announce a significant contribution to AFAWA.

Attijariwafa Bank and the African Guarantee Fund signed a $50 million Memorandum of Understanding to de-risk lending to women through partial guarantees.

Hicham Fadili, Head of Development, International Retail, Attijariwafa Bank said: "These agreements will allow us to give new impetus to women's entrepreneurship in Africa. Today is the first step of a long journey.”

African Guarantee Fund Jules Ngankam Deputy CEO thanked the donors for their commitment. “ We have just reduced the gap between women and financial institutions. We now have the capacity to cover 75% of risks."

AFAWA is expected to unlock $3 billion in private sector financing to empower female entrepreneurs through capacity-building development, access to finance as well as policy, legal and regulatory reforms to support enterprises led by women.

In August, G7 leaders approved a package totaling $251 million in support of AFAWA during the summit in Biarritz.

Olukayode Pitan, president of Nigerian Bank of Industry said with the signings they could lend more to women. " Any women's business is good business.”

Kennedy Uzoka President and CEO of United Bank of Africa hailed the agreements as an important moment for “our mothers and our daughters. The road to financial credit is paved with difficulties for women. But once they pass through the gate, they never look back.”

Signing on behalf of ECOBANK, Joséphine Anan-Ankomah, CEO of Ecobank Group, gave

assurances that her bank was committed and ready to adapt its methods to help ensure women's success. “We will be there for AFAWA. Our ambition is to be the benchmark for other institutions."

The 2019 Global Gender Summit is co-organized by Rwanda and the African Development Bank. It aims to share best practice and encourage innovation to accelerate progress on gender equality.

Bring women to the table to build peace in Africa, say gender experts

26-Nov-2019

Women bear the brunt of conflict and for peace building to be successful they must be involved in conflict resolution and reconstruction at every stage, said gender experts at the 2019 Global Gender Summit in Kigali on Tuesday.

Speakers at a plenary session on peacebuilding called for home-grown solutions to conflict and the participation of women in policy and decision making at local, national and regional levels.

“Africa needs to silence the guns. We need to develop our own action plans, not waiting for donor organizations and development partners,” said Bineta Diop, the African Union’s Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security. “Most of the time we don’t look at what fuels the conflicts. We need to invite women to the table of discussions and negotiations.”

The Senegalese women’s rights activist noted that Africa is home to one third of the global refugee population, the majority of them women and children. Frameworks on peace and conflict resolution need to be urgently implemented, she said.

“The African Union is leading with initiatives in this regard, but we require everyone one board,” Diop said, noting the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA), initiative.

The African Development Bank and the government of Rwanda are hosting the Global Gender Summit from 25 to 27 November in Kigali. The Summit, held for the first time in Africa, is being organized by the Multilateral Development Banks’ (MDBs) Working Group on gender.

Government representatives from Côte d'Ivoire and Rwanda shared insights into how they incorporated women into post-conflict peace processes.

Euphrasie Kouassi Yao, special advisor on gender to Côte d'Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara, said women’s empowerment and inclusion were critical to the peace process following civil conflicts in her country.

“If we want Africa to be at peace, women must be empowered. And as we move towards elections next year, we are preparing women to be ambassadors of peace. It is about getting all women involved and empowered, from rural, urban, and even those in the diaspora,” Kouassi Yao said.

She said Cote d’Ivoire was the first African country to develop a conflict resolution plan independent of donor agencies.

“From our experience, for sustainable peace to happen, women should be at [the centre of] decision making. Women must be involved in peace planning, implementation, and reconstruction,” she said. “The peace process and mechanism must be home grown and not led by donors.”

Goretti Mwenzangu, the Director of Gender Promotion at the Rwanda National Police told the session: “When women are in decision making, you experience peace.”

The police officer, who is also the coordinator of Rwanda’s Isange One Stop Centre for gender-based violence, said Rwanda was willing to share knowledge and experience after the 1994 genocide in the country.

“Getting women from crisis to leading the process of peace is critical,” Mwenzangu said.

The Coordinator of the G5 Sahel women's platform, Justine Coulidiati-Kielem, said without women onboard, it is difficult to achieve peace in any context.

“Women are constantly killed and targeted during conflicts. The challenges of women in peace building requires inclusion,” said Coulidiati-Kielem. “More than ever before, women have to be at the forefront of peace building.”

She also called on African countries to support each other in peace and development initiatives, with the multilateral organizations such as the African Development Bank at the forefront.

“We need to find a holistic solution to conflicts, with women in the lead, and we need to move very fast. The bus needs to move faster towards results,” Coulidiati-Kielem added.

After conflict, it is often women who pick up the pieces, said Fatima Zohra Karadja of the Panel of Eminent Persons of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

“Women end up taking up the responsibility of coming up with strategies to rebuild what has been destroyed. We just need society to recognize this and enshrine it,” she said.

Conference on Land Policy in Africa: re-thinking land reform

26-Nov-2019

Improving the agrarian system to ensure a decent livelihood for small farmers was the focus of the deliberations during a session entitled “Re-thinking land reform in Africa: New ideas, possibilities and challenges” at the 3rd Conference on Land Policy in Africa taking place in Abidjan.

As Horman Chitongue, Professor at University of Cape Town, South Africa, stated: “It’s a question of guaranteeing the means for people working the land to have a livelihood from it, so that these farmers can not only work, but actually live from their work.”

The panel was composed of other academics such as Liz Alden Wily, political economist specialising in land and Sheila Khama, a consultant at the African Development Bank.

“Still today, only 10% of land in Africa belongs to the private sector and only 11% is dedicated to agriculture. Do African governments realise that this century must deliver a new agrarian system? The system is still a traditional one, although we are at a turning point of industrialisation. How can economic growth be created in such conditions?” Wily questioned.

According to the panel, a long-term vision is required to end illegal land appropriation. Historically, agrarian reforms occur during a country’s development phase; that is, change in the institutional, production and land redistribution framework. African States should prioritise an empirical approach to agrarian reform, she said.

For Horman Chitongue, “The objective is to improve land management through good governance. Currently, land is not productive because of bad governance in Africa”. Both agreed that institutions must be enhanced to monitor and implement land sector reforms.

The session also discussed participatory governance in the land sector.

Horman Chitongue said: “The role of the people in this process is the key element of success. Governance cannot occur without the people themselves. They must be involved and their concerns taken on board. Furthermore, traditional leaders should be involved in managing land policy.”

The Conference on Land Policy in Africa is a joint initiative of the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank. This year’s theme is “Winning the Fight against Corruption in the Land Sector: Sustainable Pathways for Africa’s Transformation”. It brings together researchers, academics, international experts and key figures from around the world to debate, in round tables and workshops, the key issues of land and corruption in Africa.

Land policy in Africa: Expert panel calls for "fair, efficient land management"

27-Nov-2019

Experts attending this year’s conference on Land Policy in African have called for fair and efficient land management to support moves to transform the continent.

The third edition of the conference on Land Policy in Africa, currently underway in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan is co-organized by the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank.

Each speaker shared their thoughts on the challenges facing the land sector and shared knowledge on the fair and efficient management of the natural resource in African states. The panel comprised Angela Thoozile Didiza, South African Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform; Michael Lipton, Professor of Economics at the University of Sussex; Bitange Ndemo, Professor at the University of Nairobi; and Ali Mufurui, founder and CEO of Infotech Investment Group.

Angela Didiza said: "It is simply essential that women have access to land. Clear policies must be put in place to ensure implementation of recommendations for land management." In his remarks, Professor Lipton called for “a democratic approach” to avoid arbitrariness in land management and also protect the interests of landowners.

Bitange Ndemo underscored the need to adopt appropriate technology choices for efficient land management. “We cannot make small farms productive. That is why we need to find ways of turning them into large farms. We must decentralize the land-management system and clearly define what we need over the next ten years; that is the right way to improve the system."

Ali Mufurui said, "We have aggravated the system by issuing land titles. Giving someone a piece of land with a land title is not the way to solve the problem; the real issue is what use it is put to. Land has a lifespan and we need to work on using it well to provide the maximum benefit to the entire community. The most urgent need now is to rethink this way of managing the land issue."

The key theme for this year’s dialogue is: "Winning the Fight against Corruption in the Land Sector: Sustainable Pathway for Africa's Transformation".