Accelerating adaptation action in Africa

This research paper by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) identifies key strategies to accelerate climate change adaptation across Africa. Based on interviews with African scientists and practitioners, the paper advocates for a shift toward locally-led, inclusive solutions that integrate indigenous knowledge with scientific projections. It proposes three primary investment pillars: enhancing people's skills and knowledge, building climate-resilient economies, and investing in nature-based solutions.

• Africa is experiencing significant climate shifts, with land temperatures increasing by more than 1°C since pre-industrial times and sea-level rise reaching or exceeding 5mm/year in several coastal areas, which is higher than the global average of 3-4mm/year.
• Effective adaptation requires integrating indigenous knowledge—such as zai pits for water retention and Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) for land restoration—with scientific climate projections to inform long-term development decisions of five years or more.
• There is a critical need to invest in people's skills through climate-informed education and a climate-smart workforce, particularly for the youth, as half of Africa's 1.3 trillion people are aged 0-19 years.
• Climate services must move toward providing 'actionable information' and multi-hazard early warning systems, though many national and regional services remain financially unsustainable and dependent on donor funds.
• Adaptation outcomes are improved when gender-responsive and socially inclusive approaches are used, as climate impacts affect men and women differently based on their socially defined roles.
• Economic resilience can be enhanced by applying the 'triple dividends' framework, which targets reduced disaster losses, increased economic activity from lower risks, and social, environmental, and economic co-benefits.
• Climate finance is heavily centralized, with an estimated 10 percent reaching local actors; there are widespread calls for decentralization to support subnational governments and local communities.
• Innovative financial instruments are being deployed to support natural infrastructure, including green bonds (valued at over US$2 billion as of October 2019), blue bonds for marine projects, and debt-for-nature swaps.
• Nature-based solutions (NbS) are essential for disaster risk reduction, but must follow standards (like the IUCN Global Standard) to avoid maladaptation, such as single-species tree plantations that undermine biodiversity.
• Large-scale initiatives like the Great Green Wall, involving 21 countries from Senegal to Djibouti, demonstrate the potential of using public works programmes to restore ecosystems and create green jobs.

APA

Dupar, M., McNamara, L., Carter, S., April, A., Araujo, J., Andargatchew, A., Baker, E., Bouwer, R., Gordon, C., Mlobeli, M., Mohanlal, S., Pillay, K., Rudolph, G., Scodanibbio, L., & Scott, C. (2021). Accelerating adaptation action in Africa. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/WP-Accelerated-Adaptation-WEB.pdf

Chicago

Dupar, Mairi, Lisa McNamara, Suzanne Carter, Amanda April, Julio Araujo, Arsema Andargatchew, Emma Baker, et al. Accelerating adaptation action in Africa. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2021. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/WP-Accelerated-Adaptation-WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{dupar2021accelerating, author = {Dupar, Mairi and McNamara, Lisa and Carter, Suzanne and April, Amanda and Araujo, Julio and Andargatchew, Arsema and Baker, Emma and Bouwer, Roy and Gordon, Chris and Mlobeli, Mnoneleli and Mohanlal, Shanice and Pillay, Kamleshan and Rudolph, Guy and Scodanibbio, Lucia and Scott, Charlotte}, title = {{Accelerating adaptation action in Africa}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/WP-Accelerated-Adaptation-WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }