The initiative will involve the implementation of a group of projects and programmes to endorse African resilience, diverse livelihoods and enhance the rural economy by encouraging private sector investments, Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said said at the signing ceremony.

The initiative is based on cooperation between African countries, various partner, and stakeholders to improve the living conditions in 30 percent of the neediest rural villages and areas by 2030 in a climate-sensitive way, El-Said added.

The launch was attended by Minister of Local Development Hisham Amna, Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Ghada Waly, and a number of African ministers.

The initiative is an extension of Egypt’s Decent Life initiative, which was launched by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in 2019 to improve the lives of around 60 million people who live in more than 4,500 villages and rural areas nationwide at a cost of around $50 billion.

Participating in the launch, UN Climate Change High Level Champion for Egypt Mahmoud Mohieldin said the Africa initiative comes within the framework of localising development in a way that is separate from issues of centralisation and decentralisation.

He emphasised the importance of enhancing human dignity within the framework of sustainable development, praising Egypt's efforts to attract investments that have transcended Egypt’s borders to include all African towns and subregions.

He thanked President El-Sisi and the Egyptian government for their efforts to launch many smart green projects and transform ideas into projects in Africa through many regional partnerships and within the framework of a comprehensive approach.

Mohieldin also praised the efforts by Germany and the US to support adaptation in Africa, pointing to the establishment of the Cairo Centre for Learning and Excellence on Adaptation and Resilience in addition to supporting the Africa Adaptation Initiative.

COP27 has seen various efforts to support African countries, who are the most vulnerable to climate change, in implementing their climate commitments and accessing climate finance.

On Friday, Sameh Shoukry, president of COP27 and Egypt’s foreign minister, announced the launch of the Cairo Centre for Learning and Excellence on Adaptation and Resilience to accelerate climate adaptation across Africa.

Also, COP27 saw the launch of the UN-backed Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI) on Tuesday with the goal of raising African carbon credits.