Canada and African Union Commission conclude first high-level dialogue

Ottawa – In late October 2022, the first Canada-African Union Commission High-Level  Dialogue took place in Ottawa as the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat travelled to Ottawa.

Included in 168 million dollars of funding earmarked for sustainable development initiatives is Global Affairs Canada’s Climate Action Africa.

Over the course of five years, the 15-million-dollar project will provide short-term technical assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa based on needs identified at the local level. The project is being implemented by Alinea International, Econoler and WSP. Climate Action Africa deploys primarily Canadian climate change experts to support governments, NGOs, private sector organizations, civil society organizations and post-secondary institutions.

Canada’s Minister of International Development, Harjit Sajjan emphasized the importance of Chairperson Mahamat’s visit and the relationship with African countries on shared priorities – including climate change.

“The Canada-African Union Commission High-Level Dialogue was an unprecedented opportunity to see how we can strengthen our partnership and work toward a more prosperous and inclusive Africa that has greater food-system resilience and can better withstand climate change, conflict and other shocks,” said Sajjan.

The funding prioritizes ensuring all interventions work towards gender equality including supporting climate-change adaptation.

Climate Action Africa has three project pillars including the mainstreaming of women’s capabilities to fully participate as active agents of change in climate change. Additionally, the project aims to enhance climate governance, increase mitigation and adaptation potential, and facilitate south-south knowledge exchanges.