Extreme weather events including droughts, floods, cyclones are becoming more violent and frequent, creating

severe infrastructure disruptions particularly in the case of Africa and developing countries. In 2019, The Global

Commission on Adaptation estimated that an annual investment of $1.8 trillion to $2.4 trillion globally in climate

resilient infrastructure is needed by 2030 to effectively adapt to climate change. According to the African

Development Bank (AfDB), Africa’s shortfall in infrastructure financing remains between US$68 billion and

US$108 billion per year.

Greening public investments in essential infrastructure sectors, including water, energy, buildings and transport

will effectively accelerate the achievement of the SDGs and the goals of the Paris Agreement. In addition to

delivering significant economic dividends and new job creations, sustainable infrastructure investment plans have

the potential to strengthen economic resilience against climate risk and to empower countries achieve their

adaptation and mitigation NDCs targets under the Paris agreement.

In the post-COVID world, it is an opportune moment for Africa and developing countries to rebuild their economies

towards more sustainable models and to scale-up sustainable and resilient infrastructure investment, in a rapidly

changing world.

At the same time, the implementation of successful sustainable infrastructure investments requires the provision

of key success factors, including capacity building; the development of effective policies and legislations at the

country level; enhanced institutional knowledge to align infrastructure investments with national climate goals;

strong, well-structured, and developed governance structures; public investment management reforms; effective

inter-agency coordination and a holistic approach to reform across relevant public and private institutions.

Held on “Finance Day”, the Leadership Dialogue will explore pathways for African and developing countries, sub-

regional, regional and international organizations, financial institutions, and the private sector to:

• Efficiently develop the tools and methodologies needed to accelerate sustainable infrastructure

investments,

• Design policies and incentives,

• Attract financing opportunities – including private finance – and,

• Encourage public-private-partnerships for a climate resilient world.