Africa-Press – Botswana. At a time when the African agricultural world is under pressure, the IFAD chief insists on the need for investment in infrastructure.
Developing countries need more than $140bn a year to address climate change.However, for 2019-2020, only $46bn was mobilised.Therefore, during the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought, held in Côte d’Ivoire from 9-20 May, Gilbert Houngbo, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) president, made an appeal to do more, and faster.
The Togolese, who will take up the post as head of the International Labour Organisation in October, has headed the UN agency specialising in agriculture and food since 2017.
IFAD is very active on the continent, notably through the granting of loans to small farmers, promotion of agroforestry, training in water-saving cultivation techniques and advocacy for women.
Supporting the Great Green Wall project, IFAD has also pledged $130m to the Abidjan Legacy programme, launched on the sidelines of COP15, which aims to strengthen African food chains.
Despite the difficulties, this former Togolese prime minister believes in the capacity to speed things up on the climate front.You have insisted on the urgent need to increase funding to ensure the continent’s climate resilience.
Who should pay?
Gilbert Houngbo: I prefer the term “pay” to “invest” in order to develop our infrastructure.
Given that Africa accounts for only 4% to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it would be ecologically unfair to ask it to make the largest contribution.
Especially since, at the 2015 Paris climate conference, OECD countries pledged to mobilise $100bn a year to help southern countries cope with the consequences of global warming.
The aim is not to obtain new commitments from them, but to implement those they have already made and to combine them with the efforts that African countries must also make.
I am worried about the risks of undermining social cohesion due to the rising cost of living.
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