Namibia has moved to become one of the first African countries to launch a climate change adaptation program. Supported by the UNDP, the Namibia Africa Adaptation Project (NAM-AAP) will attempt to create long-term systems to manage climate change risks and opportunities.

 

Funded by the Government of Japan, Namibia is one of 20 African countries that has been selected to participate in the overall Africa Adaptation Program, entitled "Supporting Integrated and Comprehensive Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation in Africa," which is worth $92.1 million.

 

Japan's support for climate change adaptation in Namibia and other developing countries is part of a $10 billion 'Cool Earth Partnership' financial mechanism aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions while achieving economic growth. "We are very pleased that Namibia is part of this 'Cool Earth Partnership'", said Kunikazu Shimamoto from the Embassy of Japan in Pretoria. "The Government of Japan sincerely hopes that this project will assist Namibia in overcoming her vulnerabilities to climate change and in developing effective counter measures."

 

At the launch of the $3 million project, Namibian Prime Minister Nahas Angula said, "We believe that the Namibia Africa Adaptation Project will contribute substantially to the attainment of our long-term Vision 2030, the Millennium Development Goals, as well as the goals that we have set for ourselves in the third National Development Plan." The Prime Minister particularly emphasized the need for Namibia to look at all energy options so that the best alternative energy sources could be further developed.

 

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