Minister of State for International Development has committed to supporting
the delivery of green finance across Africa at the African
Development Bank’s (AfDB) Annual Meetings in Egypt.
The Cabinet Minister gave a speech at the conference in Sharm
el-Sheikh outlining the UK’s commitment to reforming the
international financial system so that it can deliver the green
finance needed to fight extreme poverty and tackle climate
change.
He announced that the $2 billion Room to Run guarantee, which the
UK announced at
COP26, has unlocked funding for two new climate resilient water
infrastructure projects in Egypt and Senegal.
Speaking after the visit, Minister said:
Countries across Africa are facing some of the most devastating
impacts of climate change but historically have received only a
small proportion of the green finance available.
The UK is committed to changing that through our agenda to reform
the International Financial System and support for the African
Development Bank’s vital work.
Egypt is a close partner for the UK and I was delighted to be
able to meet with Ambassador Loza to thank him for Egypt’s
support in evacuating British Nationals from Sudan.
The project in Egypt, worth almost £70 million, will expand the
capacity of a water treatment plant so it can provide clean
recycled water to serve 70,000 acres of new arable land,
benefiting 5 million more people than at present.
In Senegal, funding worth more than £16 million will support a
project to improve access to clean water and sanitation services
to 1.45 million people through the creation of more than 13,000
new latrines, 5 surface water treatment plants and a 70-kilometre
sewage network which will serve more than 250,000 households.
The Minister also met with AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina and
counterparts from Ghana, Senegal, Egypt, the Democratic Republic
of Congo and Somalia to discuss how to ensure that finance from
the Bank can reach countries at risk of climate-related disasters
more quickly and effectively.
The Minister last month set out his new
vision for the UK’s international development work, saying the
climate and development crises “are not a choice, but two sides
of the same coin which need to be resolved together”.
Following the conference, the Minister also met with a range of
counterparts to discuss key regional issues. Meeting with Egypt’s
Assistant Foreign Minister for Africa, Ambassador Hamdi Loza,
Minister discussed the need for all
international parties to work together to seek a swift and
effective resolution to the violence in Sudan and thanked the
Ambassador for Egypt’s support in the evacuation of British
Nationals.
Further information
- The UK is a leading supporter of the African Development Bank
and the largest overall donor to its fund for the poorest
countries – the African Development Fund (ADF). This includes the
£200 million to the ADF Climate Action
Window, a new mechanism set up to channel climate finance
to help vulnerable countries adapt to the impacts of climate
change.
