Designing resilient infrastructure and avoiding maladaptation

Description

Africa’s transportation infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Flooding is the most common risk, especially for unpaved roads—which still account for 70 to 80 percent of the road network in many sub-Saharan countries—undermining bridges and blocking logistics corridors for weeks.

The Implementation of the UN Plan for the Decade of Sustainable Transport explicitly identifies the need for “low-carbon, resilient, and environmentally friendly transport systems” as one of the six interlinked focuses of the Decade. 

Africa’s infrastructure deficit is estimated at between $130 billion and $170 billion per year (AfDB, 2022), with an annual funding gap of $68 billion to $108 billion. This structural deficit makes it all the more important to “build smart” from the outset, by integrating climate resilience into infrastructure design, rather than having to adapt or repair it after the fact (The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa estimates that the cost of building climate-resilient infrastructure is generally 5 to 10% lower than the cost of repeated repairs and rehabilitation of non-resilient infrastructure).

An analysis of African countries’ National Adaptation Plans reveals a tendency to prioritize the agriculture, water, and health sectors at the expense of transportation and mobility.The transportation sector is often discussed in terms of the flood resilience of road infrastructure, but rarely within an integrated framework that brings together land use planning, passenger mobility, logistics, and decarbonization.

The workshop’s objectives are:

• to share best practices regarding the integration of transportation into National Action Plans (NAPs)
• to illustrate how the use of data and long-term climate projections can inform the design of resilient infrastructure
• to demonstrate how the integration of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can mitigate climate risks and hazards
• to address infrastructure financing challenges
• The role of public procurement in integrating adaptation issues

Speakers

• Carly GILBERT-PATRICK, Secretary General of SLOCAT

• Antonia HÖÖG, Sustainable Development Director at Keolis Group
• Mohamed MEZGHANI, Secretary General of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP)
• Carlos NOUMEDEM, Technical Director at SETEC Afrique
• Marion REYRE, Project Director at Actierra

Moderator: Bernard SOULAGE, Secretary General of Climate Chance and Chair of the GART Scientific Council