United Kingdom’s development finance institution, British International Investment (BII), launched the African Climate Conversation (AFC) platform yesterday. The AFC platform is aimed at bringing together leading African voices to explore, evaluate and debate the greatest challenge facing the continent.
The AFC will showcase the work of pioneering business leaders and entrepreneurs who are developing and scaling new models for climate-smart development. The platform also offers content on a copyright-free basis. BII hopes that the contributions to the AFC platform will shape conversations at COP27 in Egypt and beyond.
Speaking on the AFC launch, the chief executive officer (CEO) of British International Investment said; “Our rapidly expanding portfolio of climate-related investments in Africa is a reflection of the scale and quality of climate innovation across the continent. Through The African Climate Conversation, we want to draw global attention to the expertise and knowledge being applied by African scientists, academics, entrepreneurs and civil society to solve the climate challenge with imagination and urgency.”
In a phone call with Nairametrics, Emmauel Balogun, the Group Head of Media Relations at advocacy firm, Africa Practice, said that the platform is already live and will feature stakeholders who are already working towards climate smart development in Africa, to showcase their ideas through videos, podcasts, and articles.
According to Balogun, the AFC will create dialogue and aid Africans to join the global climate conversation by saying what they want and promoting the realities around them, so solutions can be created to address common challenges.
Addressing the possibility of taking the conversation beyond words to implementation, Balogun says that BII has already established itself as a huge climate investor in Africa. So, the platform will focus only on amplifying African voices.
What you should know
- BII has made a commitment to allocate up to 30% of new funding to climate financing. It expects to invest about £9 billion from 2022 to 2026.
- The AFC platform will feature webinars, videos, podcasts, op-eds, Questions & Answers as well as data insights from a geographically diverse range of business leaders, policy influencers, academics, scientists, youth activists, civil society, and ordinary people making everyday decisions about activities such as cooking and transport that impact climate change.
- BII has investments in over 1,300 businesses in emerging economies and total assets of £7.7 billion.
- Some contributors to the AFC platform include; Dr. Mo Ibrahim; Businessman, Philanthropist, His Excellency Wamkele Mene; the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Ineza Umuhoza Grace; an eco-feminist working in the climate change and environment protection sector, and others.