Global Center on Adaptation announced the official launch of its regional office in Côte d’Ivoire. The virtual launch ceremony took place on 16 September and was attended by several African leaders.

The African office is hosted by the African Development Bank at its headquarters in the Ivorian capital Abidjan.

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Participants videoconference to launch the Africa office of the Global Center on Adaptation in Ivory Coast.
Participants of the virtual launch ceremony of the GCA Africa office.
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Participants videoconference to launch the Africa office of the Global Center on Adaptation in Ivory Coast.
Participants of the virtual launch ceremony of the GCA Africa office.

Third office

Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) Africa will work with partners across the continent to scale and accelerate adaptation action to protect African communities from the impacts of climate change.

The launch of GCA Africa comes shortly after the launch of GCA’s South Asian office in Dhaka by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in September 2020. Its first regional office was launched in Beijing by Premier Li Keqiang in June 2019.

The Global Center on Adaptation is an international organisation established in 2018 to accelerate action and support for adaptation solutions. The center has its headquarter in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and is, together with the World Resources Institute, the managing partner of the Global Commission on Adaptation.

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President Akinwumi Adesina of the African Development Bank during the virtual launch ceremony of the GCA Africa office
President Akinwumi Adesina of the African Development Bank announced that his bank will double its finances on climate.
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President Akinwumi Adesina of the African Development Bank during the virtual launch ceremony of the GCA Africa office
President Akinwumi Adesina of the African Development Bank announced that his bank will double its finances on climate.

Doubling of finance

African leaders welcomed the opening of a regional office of GCA, voicing the hope that it will spur the continent’s efforts to combat climate change.

President Akinwumi Adesina of the African Development Bank said:  ‘I am delighted with the launch of GCA Africa hosted by the African Development Bank. The bank has committed to doubling its financing for climate to 25 billion dollar by 2025, with over 50 percent devoted to climate adaptation.‘

Adesina warned that Africa must not be short-changed by global climate finance. ‘We will partner with the GCA to mobilize more resources for climate adaptation in Africa’, he said.

Scaling up of measures

President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon and Chair of the African Adaptation Initiative mentioned the necessary scale-up of adaptation measures. 'The devastating effects of climate change which include severe droughts, floods, reduced agricultural yields, sea-level rise, and other climate-related disasters, are on the rise', according to president Ondimba.

‘The launch of GCA Africa is a bold and innovative initiative to galvanize the support needed to significantly scale up adaptation on the continent, identify gaps and connect regional partners to find solutions.’ 

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CEO Patrick Verkooijen of GCA as moderator of the virtual launch ceremony of the GCA Africa office
Moderator Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation.
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CEO Patrick Verkooijen of GCA as moderator of the virtual launch ceremony of the GCA Africa office
Moderator Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation.

Solutions broker

Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation emphasized GCA’s role as solution broker.  ‘Adaptation is not a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity. Through our role as a solutions broker, GCA Africa will work closely with partners in every sector to ensure the most effective adaptation measures are shared and scaled across the continent.’

Global summit on adaptation

The GCA is the lead partner institution for the Climate Adaptation Summit (CAS) in the Netherlands – the first major gathering of international leaders dedicated entirely to adaptation. 

The summit takes place virtually on 25 January 2021 and will be streamed worldwide over 24 hours with (online) anchoring events from cities around the world.
 

Full Live stream recording (4 hrs, 22 min) of the virtual launch of the GCA Africa and accompanying conference on 16 September.
This news item was originally published on the website of African Development Bank Group