OREANDA-NEWS. At the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 21, 2016, nine African nations deposited their articles for  ratification of the global Paris Agreement on climate change, cementing their commitment to a climate-smart development path, and helping the world draw closer to making the Agreement a global reality. Following the ceremony, Mali also filed its ratification papers on September 28, 2016.

The Agreement will enter into force thirty days after at least 55 signatory countries submit ratification papers, which account for 55% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions. The African nations’ ratification brings the total number of countries that have ratified the Agreement to 61, accounting for 47.79% of the total greenhouse gas emissions.

Seven of the African countries which have already ratified are pilots under the $8.3 billion Climate Investment Funds (CIF), running programs built on Investment Plans (IPs) which link their climate actions to their national development policies, with support from the African Development Bank (AfDB).  The seven CIF countries are Cameroon, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Niger, and Uganda. They will now base their climate decisions on their submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), documents, which spell out plans to constrain greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the Agreement’s global ambitions for a climate-safe future.

“Africa faces an urgent double-edged deficit: rampant under-development, and severe climate vulnerability,” stated Kurt Lonsway, AfDB’s Manager for Climate Change and Energy.  “Nevertheless, more than a quarter of African countries running CIF pilots have already ratified the Paris Agreement. This concerted effort on the part of Africa’s developing nations to bring climate action to the development front burner is a particularly positive signal of hope for the success of the Agreement,” noted Lonsway, who is also manager of AfDB’s CIF portfolio.

According to Lonsway, the seven African countries are leading the way forward for other nations facing similar development and climate dilemmas. “The AfDB is proud to work with these nations, and is revolutionizing its own institutional approach to effectively support and accommodate their evolving goals,” he added.

The African CIF-funded countries that have already ratified the Agreement are:

Cameroon: Through its submitted NDC, committed to a target reduction by 2035 of 32% GHG emissions conditional on financial support; preparing a CIF Forest Investment Program (FIP) IP; CIF-related sectors under its NDC include agriculture, forests, and energy.

Ghana: Through its submitted NDC, committed to a target of unconditional reduction by 2030 of 15% GHG emissions and an additional 45% conditional on financial support; has a CIF FIP IP with one approved project and is preparing an IP under the CIF Program for Scaling Up Renewable Energy in Low Income Countries (SREP); CIF-related sectors under its NDC include energy, agriculture, forestry, and other land use.

Madagascar: Through its submitted NDC, committed to a target reduction by 2030 of 14% GHG emissions conditional on financial support; is preparing IPs under the CIF’s SREP program and its Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR); CIF-related sectors under its NDC include energy, agriculture, and land use, land use change and forestry.

Mali: Through its submitted NDC, committed to a target reduction by 2030 of 29% GHG emissions for agriculture, 31% for energy, and 21% for forests conditional on financial support; has a CIF IP under CIF’s SREP program with projects focusing on renewables, mini-grids, and private sector engagement; CIF-related sectors under its NDC include agriculture, forests, energy, and land use.

Morocco: Through its submitted NDC, committed to a target of unconditional reduction by 2030 of 17% GHG emissions and an additional 42% conditional on financial support; has a CIF IP under the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) through which it has developed several globally significant showcase projects; CIF-related sectors under its NDC include energy.

Niger: Through its submitted NDC, committed to a target of unconditional reduction by 2030 of 3.50% GHG emissions and an additional 34.60% conditional on financial support; has an IP under the CIF PPCR program with approved projects in climate information and water resource management; CIF-related sectors under its NDC include land use, land use change, and forestry.