John Kerry Travels To Nigeria, Kenya On Climate Action

Posted by Eric Ojo African News, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, West Africa Tuesday, September 13th, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry will travel to Nigeria and Senegal to engage in discussions with government counterparts and the private sector regarding strengthening climate action and the upcoming 27th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

The special presidential envoy will arrive Abuja today and travel to Dakar, Senegal on Thursday. While in Senegal, he will also attend the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), where he will discuss the importance of adaptation with African Environment Ministers, including U.S. efforts to help more than half a billion people in developing countries adapt to and manage the impacts of climate change through the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE).

In a related development, the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the African Development Bank Group on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding on the hosting of the Bank Group’s 2023 Annual Meetings in May next year.

The meetings, which comprise the 58th annual assembly of the African Development Bank and the 49th meeting of the African Development Fund (ADF), the Bank Group’s concessional window for low-income countries, will hold from the 22nd to 26th of May 2023 in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh.

The Annual Meetings are the Group’s topmost statutory event. They provide the stage for its boards of governors and management to review the organization’s activities over the previous year. The 2023 meetings will also provide an opportunity for leaders to take stock of Africa’s response to the growing threat posed by climate change and the impact of the situation in Ukraine on Africa’s food security and its untapped natural resources.

The Acting Governor of Egypt’s Central Bank, Hassan Abdalla, who is the current chair of the Bank Group’s Boards of Governors, signed the memorandum on behalf of his country. The Bank Group’s Secretary-General Vincent Nmehielle signed on behalf of the institution.

Nmehielle said this was made possible, amongst others, by the high-quality standards that Egypt possessed in meeting the requirements for hosting the Annual Meetings of the Bank.

He also noted that the signing of the memorandum—which defines the host country’s responsibilities and outlines other requirements for hosting the meetings—marked the commencement of planning for the 2023 event.

“The African Development Bank is pleased that preparations for the 2023 Annual Meetings have commenced. This memorandum of understanding we have just signed reflects our alignment on the 2023 Annual Meetings. It also signals that as parties to this agreement, we are ready to move forward with the successful organization of the 2023 Annual Meetings in Sharm El Sheikh—also known as the City of Peace.

“On behalf of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, I wish to extend our sincere appreciation to H.E. Mr. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, for his staunch support and commitment to the African Development Bank Group”, he stressed.

Also present was the Bank Group’s Executive Director for Egypt and Djibouti, Ahmed Zayed, who is also Dean of the Board of Directors.

Egypt has been a founding member of the Bank’s Group since 1964 and is one of the largest regional member country shareholders. The Bank Group’s cumulative investments in Egypt amount to close to $7 billion, with an active portfolio of $1.4 billion.

Egypt was selected to host the 2023 event following the country’s expression of interest in hosting the meeting for the 2022 to 2027 cycle.