As climate change, conflict, and economic upheaval continue to ravage Africa's economies and impede development, a growing need to re-evaluate resilience assessment methods has emerged, according to development experts and scholars from the region.
On May 23 and 24, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) convened a meeting of experts to discuss ways to foster Africa's resilience.
According to Mahaman Ali Adam, Niger's technical adviser at the Ministry of Humanitarian Action and Disaster Management, African countries, especially in the Sahel, continue to face shock after shock, ranging from conflict to droughts and floods, that are both unpredictable and unavoidable.
Dr. Linus Mofor from the Africa Climate Policy Centre emphasized the importance of resilience in Africa, particularly in sensitive areas like agriculture, energy, water, and transport ecosystems.
Allessandra Casazza, UNDP's Resilience Hub for Africa manager, noted that the convention aimed to help the hub understand 'what resilience is like in the continent and how we can do better.'
Paul Ladd, director of UNRISD, stressed the importance of research in making informed decisions, saying 'if we're looking to use our collective resources well, then research is an important cornerstone for being able to make decisions.'
