In an engaging and impactful session held 5th December 2024, AfriLabs hosted a webinar highlighting the critical role of women as leaders in climate adaptation. The webinar served as a convergence point for a diverse panel of experts, women leaders, and innovators across diverse sectors to discuss solutions, challenges, and opportunities for empowering women to lead in the climate adaptation space.

Opening Remarks: Highlighting the Impact of Women-Led Climate Action

Representatives from the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), African Development Bank (AfDB), and Climate Investment Funds (CIF)—the funders of the Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge— provided insightful opening remarks.

• Gloria Gowal-Abiri from GCA emphasized their commitment to empowering African youth through initiatives like the YouthADAPT Challenge, highlighting “GCAs commitment to empowering the next generation of African youth through the youth pillar of the African Adaptation Acceleration Program” which enhances capacity through investor- readiness programs while fostering sustainable solutions. She highlighted how the program breaks barriers for women in climate adaptation by ensuring a 50% gender mainstreaming in the program, and over 60% of the enterprises supported are women. Moving forward the program will link enterprises to private sector financing to further scale their businesses.

• Joash Moitui of AfDB called for inclusive approaches to climate action, particularly by empowering women. Joash stated “the fight against climate change requires inclusive and innovative approaches that harness the potential of all, particularly women who are most impacted by climate change”. He noted that 3rd cohort of the YouthADAPT- supported entrepreneurs are all women, leading innovations in AI, IoT, and blockchain to tackle adaptation challenges.

• Emmanuel Kouadio from CIF stressed the importance of gender-responsive strategies, noting that women are both disproportionately affected by, and integral to climate resilience. He advocated for increased investment in gender-sensitive programs, citing CIF’s Gender Action Plan and its support of over 55 million people globally—51% of whom are women. He further expressed, “at the CIF, we firmly believe empowering women in climate adaptation is not just a moral imperative, it is also a social strategy for achieving resilience system development as women are the most hit by the effects of climate change.”

Keynote: Women’s Role in Driving Climate Adaptation

Olola Vieyra, Country Representative for Côte d’Ivoire at the Global Green Growth Institute, highlighted the unique vulnerabilities and strengths of women in addressing climate change. She called for gender-responsive policies, capacity building, and innovative financing tools, such as green bonds, to scale women’s participation in climate action. She showcased programs in Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Uganda that empowered women through green jobs, solar energy, and leadership initiatives.

Panel Discussions: Women as Drivers of Change

The panel featured experts from various fields:

• Dr. Esther Onyango stressed education as the foundation for equitable climate solutions saying, “If you educate a woman, you educate a nation.” She emphasized building women’s agency to advocate for equitable and just climate solutions. She also called for strategies to integrate gender dimensions into national climate action plans, including policies like Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and called for integrating gender dimensions into national climate policies.

• Mandy Jayakody highlighted innovative financing models like South Africa’s Green Outcomes Fund that lower barriers for women entrepreneurs.

• Shahira Yousef addressed the underrepresentation of women in STEM and advocated for mentorship and financial access to scale their innovations.

• Nonhlanhla Cynthia Mhlongo showcased her biodegradable hand glove sanitizer, a practical, eco-friendly solution to plastic pollution and an example of women’s ingenuity.

Celebrating Women Innovators

The webinar also highlighted groundbreaking innovations led by women from the YouthADAPT cohorts.

• Gislaine Matiedje Nkenmayi (Cameroon) reduces post-harvest losses by valorizing indigenous vegetables, supporting smallholder women farmers.

• Dr. Rebecca Andeshi (Nigeria) pioneers circular agro-solutions and IoT research for sustainable livestock waste management.

• Lucy Wangari (Kenya) utilizes IoT and AI to optimize onion farming, improving productivity and empowering farmers with market opportunities.

These women exemplify how women-led enterprises address environmental challenges, create jobs, and promote economic growth.

Addressing Barriers and Unlocking Potential

Panellists identified systemic challenges hindering women’s leadership in climate adaptation, including limited access to resources, underrepresentation in policy-making, and societal biases. Overcoming these barriers requires collaborative efforts to equip women with education, mentorship, and access to resources.

AfriLabs’ Commitment

AfriLabs continues to champion women in climate action through initiatives like:

• RevUp Women Initiative: Supporting over 500 women-led businesses with training, mentorship, and peer learning.

• Greenovations Program: Amplifying women-led solutions in renewable energy, waste management, and climate-smart agriculture.

As AfriLabs Programmes Manager Oluwatoyin Oyeniyi summarized, “Women are at the core of shaping a sustainable future. Their resilience and creativity are a testament to the untapped potential that can drive transformative climate solutions across Africa.”

Looking Ahead

This webinar celebrated the invaluable contributions of women to climate adaptation while calling for continued efforts to break barriers and integrate gender perspectives into climate strategies. By empowering women, entire communities can thrive in the face of climate challenges. AfriLabs remains committed to fostering women-led innovation ecosystems and amplifying the voices of women leaders in climate action.