Selective Review of

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Selective Review of Drought Risk Management
Initiatives in Africa
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Introduction

• Presentation draws from
• Africa Review Report on Drought and
  Desertification
• Report
• Prepared by ECA Team for ACSD CSD-16 and 17 in
  accordance UN General Assembly Resolution 58/218
• Based on input from Member States, regional
  partners
• Internal and external peer review and comments
• Structure of presentation
• Overview of Drought and desertification in Africa
• Review of Concrete actions taken and progress
  made
• Challenges and Constraints
• Lessons learned and recommended priority
  approaches and actions
• Conclusion

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1.0 Overview Drought

• At the heart of serious challenges and threats
  to sustainable development in Africa.
• impacting adversely human health, food
  security, economic activity, natural resources
  and the environment, and national and global
  security.

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• Status and trends of drought Africa

Drought events per country from 1970 to 2004
Increasing frequency and severity of drought
witnessed in the continent

• Climate change to exacerbate drought
• Two thirds of Africa is classified as either
  deserts or drylands.
• Current climate scenarios- driest regions of the
  world will become even drier

Source Adapted from Noojin, Leah 2006. Factors
that influence Famine in Sub-saharan African
Countries


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Impacts of drought

• Drought one of the most costly events and
  processes in terms of economic losses and loss of
  life in the region.
• Africa most vulnerable due to
• Widespread poverty Large share of Africas
  economies depend on climate-sensitive
  sectors-rain fed agriculture Poor
  infrastructure Heavy disease burdens High
  dependence on and unsustainable exploitation of
  natural resources Conflicts
• Consequences mostly borne by the poorest people
  and the SIDS
• Women and children bear the greatest burden

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Impacts on food security , water, Energy,
Migration, Poverty Reduction and Economic growth

• Food Security
• Famine
• The consecutive droughts in Southern Africa since
  2001 have led to serious food shortages
• The drought of 200203 resulted in a food deficit
  of 3.3 million tonnes, with an estimated 14.4
  million people in need of assistance
• At the height of the Horn of Africas drought in
  2000, 3.2 million Kenyans were dependent on food
  aid, and malnutrition reached 40 percent of the
  population, more than 3 times the normal level.
• Water
• Drought among the key factors which influence
  water availability projected to be one of the
  greatest constraints to economic growth in the
  future.
• Climate change is expected to exacerbate
  continents increasingly critical water
  situation. 
• By 2025 Southern Africa to join most countries in
  North Africa that can already be classified as
  having absolute water scarcity today.
• This means that will not have sufficient water
  resources to maintain their current level of per
  capita food production from irrigated agriculture

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• Thus by the year 2025 nearly 230 million Africans
  will be facing water scarcity,
• 460 million will live in water-stressed countries
• In the Nile region, 75 per cent decrease in river
  flow by the year 2100
• Significant impacts on agriculture, above 20
  decrease will interrupt normal irrigation.
• Could cause conflict
• Migration and refugees impact
• Impacts felt beyond the affected dry-land areas
• Displacing big population of people and forcing
  them to leave homes
• Energy
• Mainly felt through losses in hydropower
  potential for electricity generation
• Also through changes in the growth rates of trees
  used for fuel wood.
• The rural areas and the urban poor bear the
  greatest cost due to the limited alternatives

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• Poverty reduction and Economic Growth
• Drought and floods account for 80 percent of loss
  of life and 70 percent of economic losses linked
  to natural hazards in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• The drought of 1990/1991 in Zimbabwe resulted in
  a 45 drop in agricultural production but also a
  62 decline in the value of the stock market, a
  9 drop in manufacturing output and an 11 drop
  in the GDP.
• In Kenya, the drought of 1999-2001 cost the
  economy some 2.5 billion dollars. Can best be
  thought of as 2.5 billion dollars of foregone
  development, for example, hospitals and schools
  not built.
• Thus for millions in Africa, poverty eradication
  is inextricably linked to success in mitigating
  the impacts of drought.

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Review of concrete Actions taken and progress
made to mitigate drought Impacts

• Effective strategies are necessary to
  understand, monitor and forecast drought
  mechanisms to identify and prioritise appropriate
  responses, and evaluate impact of the
  interventions.
• Climate for Development in Africa
  (ClimDev-Africa) Programme has been developed
  under the AU, ECA and AfDB partnership
• To guide the effective integration of climate
  information and services into development
  planning for Africa and to ensure the
  mainstreaming of climate considerations in
  achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
• Regional Climate Outlook Forums convened annually
  by (WMO) in the Greater Horn of Africa, in South
  Africa and in West Africa
• The World Hydrological Cycle Observing System
  (WHYCOS) contributes towards an easily accessible
  source of hydrological information through water
  resources assessment and planning, ecosystem and
  water quality monitoring, flood forecasting and
  drought monitoring and prediction.

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• African Drought Risk and Development Network -
  Drought Forum- set up
• Established with support from the UNDP and
  UNISDR.
• Promoting the development of coordinated
  strategies for enhanced and effective drought
  management at national level.
• AUC/NEPAD - The Africa Regional Strategy for
  Disaster Risk Reduction and Program of Action for
  its implementation (2006-2010) developed and
  adopted
• Subregional DRR strategies at different levels of
  development and implementation
• SADC - Revised its sub-regional strategy,
  factoring in DRR,
• IGAD -Strategy in place
• ECOWAS- Approved a sub-regional Common Policy
  and mechanisms
• ECCAS - Established a sub-regional centre for DRR
  in the DRC and developing a sub-regional strategy.

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• Some sub-regional centres for drought and early
  warning are in place
• The African Centre of Meteorological Applications
  for Development (ACMAD),
• The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications
  Centre (ICPAC), and
• The SADC Drought Monitoring Centre (DMC),
• In SADC sub-region, heightened attention is being
  given to programs on drought and food security as
  a result of frequent droughts.
• The region is investing heavily in irrigation.
  This has seen the area under irrigation grow from
  1.63 Million hectares in 1985 to an estimated
  1.96 million hectares in 2005. In addition a lot
  of investment is being put into research and
  production of drought-tolerant seed varieties.98
  The SADC regional has also developed
• More than 30 countries have a platform for
  disaster risk reduction (DRR )
• Countries adopting emerging innovative market
  schemes such as index based weather insurance and
  price risk insurance linked to credit to make
  drought risk management financially viable in
  Malawi - weather insurance contracts
• Few early warning systems have been established
  at country level.

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3.0 Main Challenges and Constraints

• Poverty continues to be main overarching
  challenge and constraint
• Difficulties in achieving effective
  integration/mainstreaming into NDPs and PRSs
• Climate change to exacerbate
• Weak institutional capacity including poor
  institutional set ups and inadequate human
  resources
• Inadequate funding and lack of sustainability of
  programs
• The inadequate information available and poor
  access
• Poor economic and social infrastructure and
  services in drylands
• Technology options that empower communities
  remain largely inaccessible and unaffordable
  particularly to a majority of rural populations
  and the urban poor.
• Conflicts

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4.0 Lessons learned and recommended approaches
and actions

• NDPs including PRSPs can be important platforms
  for securing attention and resources to address
  impacts of drought. Need to intensify efforts to
  systematically integrate drought adaptation
  priorities into these development framework with
  a view to
• Mobilize implementation resources
• foster medium and long-term political and policy
  commitment for drought mitigation programs
• Need to increase support and up-scale the
  implementation of drought and other related
  disaster strategies and plans at regional, sub
  regional and national levels
• Establish accessible and innovative mechanisms
  for channelling increased levels of support,
  particularly financing to farmers and other
  frontline natural resources managers.

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• Mobilise and empower local authorities, civil
  society, private sector and local communities
  through increased capacity building that is
  linked to tangible results on poverty reduction.
• Need to develop the information base on drought
  and desertification and enhance knowledge
  application
• programs to strengthen the collection of
  information including through targeted research
• Comprehensive information systems
• promote networking and centres of excellence
• Link and coordinate measures for drought
  adaptation with those aimed at addressing climate
  change impacts
• Enhance synergy
• Diversify resources available for implementation
  of Drought adaptation strategies, plans and
  programmes
• Up scale drought adaptation programs

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• Strengthen management and adaptation to drought
  impacts especially in the face of climate change
  and the high vulnerability of the region to
  climate change impacts
• Enhance capacity for systematic climate
  observations and timely climate information
  exchange, outreach and application.
• Strengthen early warning systems and drought risk
  management institutions
• Strengthen knowledge networks, platforms and
  tools.
• Strengthen institutional arrangements and human
  resources capacity to provide effective
  leadership for coordination, planning, monitoring
  and championing of drought programs at regional,
  subregional and national levels.

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5.0 Conclusion

• Drought a continuing and growing threat to
  livelihoods of millions in the region
• Increasingly making them unable to edge out of
  poverty.
• Trend set to worsen with the onset of climate
  change
• Adapting to drought impact has tremendous
  benefits towards achievement of MDGs in the
  continent Particularly poverty reduction, food
  security, combating diseases, and ensuring
  environmental sustainability.
• African countries have responded and made some
  progress towards drought adaptation.
• Upscale implementation integrated approaches,
  vigorous resource mobilisation, institutional
  development, enhanced political will and
  commitment at all levels

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION