A group of over 85 insurers in Africa have pledged to create a financing facility to provide $14 billion of cover to help protect 1.4 billion people within the continent against floods, droughts, and tropical cyclones.
The commitment to create the African Climate Risk Facility (ACRF) was made during the ongoing COP27 event.
Coming together as signatories to support the set-up of the ACRF, will provide the necessary capacity needed by insurers to the solutions that will respond to climate risk.
This commitment comes as Africa continues to face irreversible loss and damage associated with global climate change impacts such as drought, flood and tropical cyclones.
The commitment that insurers have made to underwrite $14 billion of insurance cover for climate risks by 2030, will protect 1.4 billion people against floods, droughts, and tropical cyclones.
With African nations being among the most exposed globally to the impacts of climate change and nature loss, Africa cannot continue to rely on international aid and developed world climate finance commitments to respond to climate catastrophes.
The ACRF will provide protection for the continent’s most vulnerable communities by providing $14 billion of climate risk insurance by 2030 to African sovereigns, cities, humanitarian organizations and NGOs.
At the same time, the Facility will include a donor-funded Trust Fund that provides premium subsidies, product development technical assistance and policyholder capacity building. The governance of the Trust Fund will be designed to allow swift response to opportunities.
Mainstreaming resilience into Africa’s economic development is essential to secure future prosperity and sustainable growth. Now is the time for the African insurance sector to play the significant role it should in creating this resilience.
Kelvin Massingham, Director Risk and Resilience, FSD Africa
The Nairobi Declaration on Sustainable Insurance’s proactive and market-based approach is exactly what need, and the commitment today is a strong statement to work together to provide an African-led solution to loss and damage.
Irreversible Loss or Damage refers to the calamitous impacts of climate change that cannot be circumvented by mitigation and adaptation alone.
Patty Karuihe-Martin, CEO Namib Re
So apart from managing risk, crafting affordable risk transfer and risk sharing solutions through compliant, trusted and responsive Insurance and Reinsurance for such loss or damage for the developing countries is a crucial discussion; if not for unfailing and guaranteed resilience then at least to allow for decent work and dignified life to continue.
