Disasters caused by climate extremes such as tropical cyclones and severe storms, floods, heat waves and droughts are jeopardizing Africa’s hard-won development achievements towards further growth, food security and poverty reduction.
... See More + In 2016 the food security situation deteriorated sharply in Africa–especially in East and Southern Africa as a result of droughts and floods linked in part to El Niño/La Niña–related phenomena. The risk of the El Niño-induced food insecurity in southern Africa in 2016, the recent risk of famine in northern Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, and the recent outbreak of the Fall Armyworm (FAW) in East and Southern Africa (ESA) all demonstrate that responses are still largely reactive than proactive. Inadequate Early Warning System (EWS), coupled with limited investment and weak institutional and technical capacity, are implicated in contributing to food insecurity-related emergencies in ESA. In supporting these efforts, an assessment of food security EWSs was conducted to improve food security and resilience3 in eastern and southern Africa. This study aimed at assessing bottlenecks and opportunities for improving food security EWSs for enhanced resilience in ESA.
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The World Bank has been supporting a comprehensive program to strengthen cooperative management and development within the Zambezi River Basin.
... See More + This program provides regional financing and analytical work that brings together the various commitments within a World Bank-financed portfolio of more than US$2 billion to facilitate dialogue among the riparian states and further drive the development of climate-resilient water resources for sustainable growth. The application of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol in the Zambezi River Basin represents part of this broader program of support to the riparian states toward enhancing development outcomes through improved cooperation and sustainable development. The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol is a multi-stakeholder tool that evaluates the performance of hydropower projects against globally-applicable sustainability criteria for basic good practice and proven best practice. This policy note summarizes the experience of using this tool for a guided self-assessment of the proposed binational Batoka Gorge Hydro-Electric Scheme by the Zambezi River Authority. This note presents the regional context, scope of the program, outcomes and important lessons learned.
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The World Bank has been supporting a comprehensive program to strengthen cooperative management and development within the Zambezi River Basin.
... See More + This program provides regional financing and analytical work that brings together the various commitments within a World Bank-financed portfolio of more than US$2 billion to facilitate dialogue among the riparian states and further drive the development of climate-resilient water resources for sustainable growth. The application of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol in the Zambezi River Basin represents part of this broader program of support to the riparian states toward enhancing development outcomes through improved cooperation and sustainable development. The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol is a multi-stakeholder tool that evaluates the performance of hydropower projects against globally-applicable sustainability criteria for basic good practice and proven best practice. This policy note summarizes the experience of using this tool for a guided self-assessment of the Itezhi-Tezhi Hydropower Project by Itezhi-Tezhi Power Corporation, a joint venture between Zesco and TATA. This note presents the regional context, scope of the program, outcomes and important lessons learned.
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The risk of the El Niño-induced food insecurity in southern Africa in 2016; the recent risk of famine in northern Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and South Sudan; and the recent outbreak of the fall armyworm (FAW) in East and Southern Africa (ESA) all demonstrate that responses are still largely reactive than proactive.
... See More + Inadequate early warning systems (EWSs), coupled with limited investment and weak institutional and technical capacity, are implicated in contributing to food insecurity–related emergencies in ESA. Yet over the years, strong evidence has emerged on the benefits of investing in EWSs. In Ethiopia, investing in a drought EWS, which would reduce livelihood losses and dependence on assistance, has a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of between 3:1 and 6:1. Similarly, the BCR of improving national hydro-meteorological services in developing countries ranges from 4:1 to 36:1. Consistent with one of the goals of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), increasing investment in EWSs would contribute to a substantial increase in the availability of, and access to multi hazard and disaster risk information, one of the key inputs in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
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Market-based sustainable finance initiatives led by members of the Sustainable Banking Network (SBN) have made significant progress in directing the financial sector towardsustainability.The SBN Global Progress Report is based on a unique measurement framework, the first of its kind to assess sustainable finance initiatives across emerging markets.South Africa has been engaged in promoting a greener economy for many years.
... See More + The country’s sustainability journey began as early as 2011, with the issuance of the Green Economy Accord, which promotes green finance flows. The UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) views South Africa as the key country in Africa where banks have been at the forefront of introducing best practices in environmental and social (E&S) risk management and helping to drive change on the continent. South Africa’s four largest banks were among the earliest emerging market signatories of the Equator Principles (EPs).Regulatory requirements for sustainable finance have thus far focused on the pension fund sector, through the revised Pension Funds Act (2012), which requires consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks as part of fiduciary responsibility.The Banking Association South Africa (BASA) launched the Principles on Social and Environmental Risk Management in 2014. The scope of application is specified (lending and investment), and reference is made to international standards such as the EPs and UNEP FI.While voluntary initiatives exist and some regulations have been introduced, South Africa’s framework for sustainable finance is still missing some key features, such as technical guidance, supervision, and disclosure requirements. This leads to a mixed performance in its overall results. However, the South African banking industry demonstrates a clear maturity in its approach to sustainable banking and the implementation of good international industry practices.
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The development objective of the Third South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Governance and Shared Growth Project for Seychelles is to improve management of marine areas and fisheries in targeted zones and strengthen fisheries value chains in the Seychelles.
... See More + The project comprises of four components. The first component, expansion of sustainable‐use marine protected areas will support the Government of the Seychelles (GOS) in implementing its pledge to protect an increasing share of its maritime space. The second component, improved governance of priority fisheries will have a greater focus on fisheries management at a national level. It consists of four sub-components: (i) support the finalization and the implementation of the Mahé Plateau and the Praslin fisheries management plans, the most important fisheries management instruments of the country; (ii) consolidate the existing fisheries and marine environment statistics by developing a fisheries information management system and providing targeted training to government statisticians; (iii) reinforce the country’s capacity to manage its fisheries sector through a review and update of the fisheries institutional framework, the drafting of a fisheries sector policy note, assessing the current public support to the sector, and capacity building and ad‐hoc technical assistance for the relevant public entities; and (iv) approximately 10 percent of the Blue Bond proceeds will be channeled through the blue grants fund to contribute to the management of these fisheries. The third component, sustainable development of the blue economy will help finance the sustainable development of the Seychelles blue economy and support increased value addition in the aquaculture, industrial, semi-industrial, and artisanal fishing and processing sectors. It consists of four sub-components: (i) facilitate the expansion of seafood value chains and promote synergies with other value chains, including through targeted studies, capacity building to fishers and operators, and investments in initiatives led by artisanal fishers; (ii) strengthen the enabling environment for local investments in the aquaculture sector; (iii) finance studies and technical assistance to improve the planning and decision‐making mechanisms related to investments in the blue economy; and (iv) augment the Seychelles’ ability to export its seafood products by investing in its sanitary and phytosanitary monitoring capacity. The fourth component will support the coordination and implementation of the project, through a project implementation unit (PIU).
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