Africa to be allocated USD 30 million by the US to strengthen climate-resilient food security initiatives

The US has committed $30mn to embolden climate-resilient food security initiatives throughout Africa. This announcement was made by the US climate envoy, John Kerry, during the Africa Climate Summit's premier segment held in Nairobi, Kenya.

Of this commitment, an initial sum of $20mn is allocated to the Africa Adaptation Initiative's Food Security Accelerator. The objective is to fund African agri-businesses, enabling them to develop independent, climate-resilient supply chains. The remaining $10mn is set aside for the Climate Resilience and Adaptation Finance and Technology Transfer Facility, which aims to expand technologies, such as cold chain storage, to ensure food's quality and safety.

This financial pledge is aligned with the President's Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (Prepare), introduced by US President Joe Biden during Cop 26 in Glasgow in November 2021. Biden's strategy, as conveyed by Kerry, involves collaborating with Congress to allocate $3bn annually by 2024 to nations most susceptible to climate change repercussions. Kerry emphasized that this is the most substantial US contribution ever directed towards climate change adaptation efforts.

Kerry highlighted that Africa is enduring the brunt of the climate crisis, necessitating proactive and effective adaptation measures. In his words, the infrastructure established today, like roads and bridges, will only foster growth and alleviate poverty if they endure the tests of time.

According to the article by Procurement Resource, the USA is putting the most instrumental efforts to date in terms of contributing to climate change effects and the endurance to fight it. The USA is to allocate a sum of USD 30 million to Africa to grapple with the side-effects of deleterious climate change.