The government of the United Kingdom has declared that it will contribute an additional £200 million to help African nations adapt to the effects of climate change. The pledge, which the government said would help deal with severe drought and floods across the continent, was made at the COP27, which is currently taking place in Egypt.

In a statement released yesterday, the UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, stated that the money would be given to the countries most impacted by climate change through the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Climate Action Window (CAW).

To help vulnerable nations adapt to the effects of climate change, from the Horn of Africa’s severe drought to South Sudan’s floods, the CAW is a new mechanism that was established to channel climate funding.

Cleverly said: “Climate change is having a devastating impact on countries in Sub-Saharan Africa facing drought and extreme weather patterns, which have historically received a tiny proportion of climate finance.”

“This new mechanism from the African Development Bank will see vital funds delivered to those most affected by the impacts of climate change, much more quickly.”

“Lack of access to climate finance for the world’s poorest countries was a central focus at COP26 in Glasgow. This £200 million of UK funding is helping us to make tangible progress to address this issue.”

In response to the remark, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the AfDB, praised the UK for the increased funds. He stated that the difficulties of climate adaptation for Africa were at the top of his thoughts as he travelled to COP 27 in Egypt, and he added that the UK’s assistance offered him optimism.

He said, “I applaud the UK government for this major contribution towards the capitalization of the Climate Action Window of the African Development Fund, as it seeks to raise more financing to support vulnerable low-income African countries that are most affected by climate change.”

“This bold move and support of the UK will strengthen our collective efforts to build climate resilience for African countries. With increasing frequencies of droughts, floods and cyclones that are devastating economies, the UK support for climate adaptation is timely, needed, and inspiring in closing the climate adaptation financing gap for Africa.”

Donors pledged in the Glasgow Climate Pact to increase adaptation funding from 2019 levels by twofold by 2025. The UK will surpass that goal and quadruple its adaptation financing from £500 million in 2019 to £1.5 billion in 2025, according to the UK Prime Minister.