Amb. Seyni Nafo, met with Egyptian Minister of Environment and incoming UNCCD Executive Secretary

AAI COORDINATOR AND INCOMING UNCCD EXECUTIVE SECRETARY DISCUSS ADAPTATION IMPLEMENTATION AND INNOVATION IN AFRICA

In a pivotal two-day visit to Cairo, Ambassador Seyni Nafo, Coordinator of the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI), met with Egyptian Minister of Environment and incoming UNCCD Executive Secretary, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, to discuss innovative adaptation approaches in Africa.

Dr. Fouad, who is Egypt’s Minister of Environment and a longstanding advocate of Africa’s adaptation agenda, was recently appointed by United Nations Secretary General to succeed Dr. Ibrahim Thiaw as UNCCD Executive Secretary.

Therefore, Ambassador Nafo’s visit served not only as a strategic planning milestone for new partnerships and commemoration of AAI’s 10-year anniversary to be hosted in Egypt, but also as a heartfelt tribute to Minister Yasmine Fouad’s long contributions to shaping Africa’s adaptation agenda and action.

Ambassador Nafo, who is also Co-Chair of the Green Climate Fund, said: “As the AAI team, we convey our warm wishes of success to Your Excellency and congratulate you on your appointment as the Executive Secretary of the UNCCD. We pledge full support and commitment to working with you in your capacity to advance Africa's priorities. Egypt’s continued leadership remains instrumental in transforming climate adaptation into a continent-wide success story.”

During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating the implementation of AAI pillars and turning national adaptation plans into tangible projects and investments.

Minister Fouad emphasized the strategic opportunity in linking adaptation to biodiversity and desertification through food security, especially in light of the global biodiversity framework and the increasing urgency of the global food crisis.

She also highlighted:

• The importance of transforming adaptation goals into fundable investment opportunities;

• Egypt’s launch of a national climate risk map, the national adaptation plan, and its leadership in creating enabling frameworks for climate finance;

• The success of Egypt’s renewable energy sector—specifically the Benban Solar Park—as a model to be replicated in the food security sector, by de-risking investments for smallholder farmers and the private sector; and

• The role of the African Center of Excellence for Adaptation and Resilience hosted in Egypt, which focuses on agriculture and food systems.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Nafo commended Egypt’s leadership and noted that the 10-year celebration of AAI in 2025 will showcase concrete milestones and achievements and building new partnerships in the journey of translating plans into tangible implementation.

He stressed that food security will be a core thematic priority, particularly supporting small and medium-sized agricultural projects and expanding dialogues with local banks to recognize agriculture as a vital sector for national economies.

Ambassador Nafo also highlighted AAI’s efforts to:

• Train accredited entities across Africa to enhance direct access to adaptation finance; and

• Strengthen collaboration between the private and public sector on climate action, finance, and technology transfer.

Adaptation in Africa is a critical focus due to the continent's vulnerability to climate change impacts like droughts, floods, and changing rainfall patterns. 

The Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI), is thus working to strengthen adaptation efforts and resilience building through mobilization of funds, enhancing policy frameworks, and implementing on-the-ground adaptation measures across various sectors.

All efforts are aimed at achieving enhanced adaptation on the continent and a significant contribution to climate resilience in the context of implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the African Union’s (AU’s) 2063 agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).