The University of Nairobi is implementing the initiative also known as C4DLab.
Image: GILBERT KOECH
Got a solution to the impacts of climate change and building the resilience of communities? you can apply for funding.
The Global Centre on Adaptation under the Climate Resilience and Adaptation Accelerator Program has offered Sh15 million to support three Kenyan teams with solutions to physical climate risks or build the resilience of communities.
“The selected start-ups will receive tailored business coaching, professional guidance on finance, support defining the climate impact potential of their solution, and preparation for future investment opportunities,” GCA said.
The University of Nairobi is implementing the initiative also known as C4DLab.
“The innovative solutions seeking to build the resilience of communities will leverage on digital technology, particularly mobile, to deliver climate resilience and adaptation solutions to and with low-income and vulnerable populations.”
Startups have until February 28 to apply.
The solution should be innovative and has a deep and novel technological aspect and the startup should have a solid team with diverse experience and knowledge and gender balance.
The startup will be assessed on its business model, value proposition, competitiveness and scalability.
On July 7, 2022, UoN and GCA signed a partnership agreement to scale up adaptation for climate-resilient infrastructure and nature-based solutions in Kenya and across East Africa.
During the event that took place at the UoN in Nairobi, CEO of GCA Prof Dr Patrick Verkooijen announced Sh15 million to scale up the most innovative solutions for climate-resilient infrastructure in the country.
“You are the future of the adaptation challenge and we look to you to develop innovative solutions for a resilient continent,” Verkooijen told the students.
This landmark partnership was supported with a financial contribution of €1,200,000 by GCA under the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP).
It aims to develop a robust pipeline of investments for resilient infrastructure in Kenya, unlock climate finance, create green adaptation jobs, and support Kenyan entrepreneurs to scale up business solutions for climate-resilient infrastructure in Kenya.
“Today, GCA is launching a strategic AAAP partnership with the University of Nairobi that will support the Government of Kenya, multilateral and international organizations, the private sector, and, most importantly, students, to shape and lead the generation of research, knowledge, and solutions to help address the risks of climate change, not just in Kenya but across Africa,” said Prof. Verkooijen at the ceremony.
The collaboration will create a platform led by GCA and the University of Nairobi to contribute to a broader network of African centres of excellence and knowledge partners globally, including the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, to exchange knowledge and lead the way forward in the adaptation agenda.
The AAAP is an Africa-own and Africa-led initiative launched by GCA and the African Development Bank, with the support of the African Union and African leaders.
The AAAP is mobilizing $25 billion for climate adaptation investments in Africa in the next five years for a faster and stronger post-Covid-19 economic recovery based on climate-resilient development pathways.
In its first year of operation, the AAAP’s Upstream Financing Facility has influenced more than $3 billion of downstream investments with Multilateral Development Banks in 19 countries across Africa.
Early this year, GCA in collaboration with the African Development Bank and the UoN’s Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies opened a three-day regional training on the future of resilient food systems in Africa.
The training sought to promote digital climate-informed solutions as a tool to help tackle the growing impacts of climate change across the continent.
The Regional Forum on the Future of Resilient Food Systems in Africa – AAAP Digital Solutions for a Changing Climate will strengthen the knowledge and capacity of stakeholders from across Eastern Africa to design and implement digital climate adaptation services projects to improve food security and climate resilience for farmers and facilitate knowledge sharing on approaches to scale up the use of digital climate adaptation services.
Digital climate-informed advisory services are tools and platforms that integrate climate information into agricultural decision-making.
These services range from digital mobile apps, radio, and online platforms to digitally enabled printed bulletins based on climate models and extension services that utilize digital climate-informed solutions.
Digital climate-informed solutions offer crucial opportunities to build the resilience of small-scale producers in the face of worsening climate change impacts, particularly when bundled with complementary services such as financing, input supply, market access and insurance. From seasonal forecasts to pest advisories, effectively designed digital climate-informed solutions can provide producers with the resources to adapt to climate shocks and plan for new climate conditions.