East Africa meets to drive climate change financing

22 02 2023 | 11:38 Tonny Musani / MONITOR

The two-day meeting that brings together directors of Climate Finance in the National Treasuries, ministries of Finance and Ministries of Climate Change in the East Africa region starts today at Kigo, Kampala.

The Finance ministry in collaboration with the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the UK Government COP26 Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance, have organised a symposium aimed at enhancing national and regional climate finance ambitions.

The two-day meeting that brings together directors of Climate Finance in the National Treasuries, ministries of Finance and Ministries of Climate Change in the East Africa region starts today at Kigo, Kampala.

The session seeks to kick-start a regional dialogue on climate finance access and mobilisation for enhanced regional climate action.

“The meeting aims at sharing information and knowledge about climate finance to promote cooperation among EAC member states and exchanging experience of climate finance among the network members and non-members states,’’ Ms Dagmar Zwebe, the Country Representative of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), said in a press release yesterday.

The institute is tasked with facilitating the establishment of a Climate Finance Unit (CFU) within the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development. The CFU is funded by development partners, including the FCDO and the EU delegation to Uganda.

The expected outcomes of the meeting include increased understanding of climate finance at the national and regional levels, brainstorming about potential ways to address these challenges, and the roles of the countries, region, and funders.

“The funders will develop a platform for information sharing among agencies and a roadmap of agreed actions towards enhancements of access to climate finance,’’ a February 15 statement the GGGI released reads in part.

During CO26 in 2021, which was held in Glasgow, Scotland, the East African Countries of Uganda and Rwanda were identified as pioneer countries for the United Kingdom-led Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance.

Uganda’s Climate Change Act 2021 mandates the creation of framework strategies on climate change from districts to the national level.

During the 36th NRM party anniversary on January 26, President Museveni emphasised the need to protect the environment to check climate change.

About GGGI

Based in South Korea, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organisation with 45 members and over  20 countries and regional integration organisation(s) in the process of accession - dedicated to supporting and promoting inclusive, and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. 

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