World Bank grants $60m for research on climate change in 6 African nations, including Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, December 11, 2020 (FBC) -The World Bank Board of Directors yesterday approved a $60 million International Development Association (IDA) grant to help African countries strengthen the resilience of their agricultural sectors to the threat posed by climate change.

The grant fulfils the World Bank’s commitment at the 2019 UN Climate Summit to increase its support to the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security, to help advance agricultural research efforts for the benefit of rural households that rely on agriculture as a major livelihood source, and to increase food security.

Through the new operation-Accelerating the Impact of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa project, AICCRA—the World Bank will support research and capacity-building activities carried out by the CGIAR centers and partner organizations, with the goal of enhancing access to climate information services and validated climate-smart agriculture technologies in Africa.

AICCRA activities will be concentrated in six countries —Ethiopia, Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Kenya, and Zambia— but its benefits will be realized region-wide.

“CGIAR plays a unique catalytic role in strengthening global, regional and local capacity to combat the effects of climate change, in Africa and throughout the world,” said Deborah Wetzel, World Bank Director of Regional Integration for Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Africa.

AICCRA will be administered by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, the lead center for the CGIAR Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS).