Ethiopia has been the first country to secure funding from the newly launched ClimDev-Africa Special Fund (CDSF). It secured $1.1 million to strengthen its climate-information and early-warning systems.
The news was released in a press release from the Economic Commission for Africa, a United Nations regional body based in Addis Ababa, and came during the 20th Session of global climate negotiations (COP20) meeting in Lima, Peru. The fund was set up by the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and the ECA.
The $136m ClimDev Special Fund (CDSF) gives grants to projects that will be put into action by national and regional organizations. Partners in the ClimDev-Africa Programme consider climate change to be a serious threat to Africa and fear it could undermine development and progress, including poverty reduction.
The money will support the second phase of building national capacity to monitor the weather, and in data analysis, interpretation, forecasting and dissemination. The National Meteorology Agency says it will continue the project after the current funding.
Severe weather such as drought and floods, has severe effects on food production as well as on infrastructure such as roads and power, in Ethiopia, as in many African countries. Ethiopia has sought to build its strategic responses. Having good quality climate data should support the economic development strategy of promoting agriculture and industrial growth. Previously Ethiopia received help in 2013 through the ECA’s African Climate Policy Centre.
Many development experts are working in Ethiopia on pioneering programmes including using science and data to support development. It is another reason many experts wish to learn Amharic, to help them further their knowledge.