French Minister for Ecological Transition Monique Barbut to Join the GCA Board, Strengthening Africa-France Cooperation
Paris, Feb. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- France today confirmed support to the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) 2.0, Africa's flagship, African-owned and African-led climate adaptation initiative. This expression of support is part of the momentum generating efforts towards the February 2026 AU Summit and the May 2026 Africa-France Summit, co-convened by HE Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and HE William S. Ruto, President of Kenya and CAHOSCC Chair.
H.E. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Chair of CAHOSCC, said:
"France has answered Africa's call to support our flagship regional adaptation investment program, advanced under the leadership of African Heads of State and Government. I commend President Emmanuel Macron and the Government of France for this leadership and call on all AAAP partners to follow suit by taking urgent steps to concretize their support for AAAP 2.0 and its Upstream Financing Facility. Given the scale and urgency of climate risks facing Africa and the world, decisive action on adaptation is needed now."
H.E. Macky Sall, Chair of the GCA Supervisory Board and 4th President of Senegal, said:
"We warmly thank President Macron for France's continued strong leadership and partnership with Africa on climate adaptation. AAAP 2.0 is focused on promoting inclusive and community-led adaptation efforts, unlocking private adaptation finance and markets, and strengthening the capacity of key African institutions to deliver climate resilience at scale. We also welcome the French Minister for Ecological Transition, H.E. Monique Barbut, whose participation on the GCA Board will further strengthen the partnership underpinning AAAP 2.0."
The French Minister for Ecological transition, H.E. Monique Barbut welcomed the announcement, stating:
"France is pleased to support Africa's own ambitious initiative on climate adaptation. AAAP 2.0 reflects Africa's ambition to transform from the most climate-vulnerable continent into the most climate-resilient. France stands alongside Africa in helping turn this ambition into concrete action."
AAAP was launched by African Leaders in 2021 as the region's leading investment initiative on climate adaptation and was implemented through a partnership of the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and the GCA. Its first phase concluded in 2025, embedding climate adaptation solutions into more than $20 billion of critical development investments across some 40 African nations. France has been a longstanding supporter of AAAP, including through its €10 million contribution to the program's first phase.
AAAP 2.0 was launched by African Leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2025, following the Africa Climate Summit II in Addis Ababa. AAAP 2.0 is advanced under the auspices of the presidency of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) and serves as the continent's primary platform for scaling climate adaptation action for the period 2026 to 2030.
Notes to Editors
About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that promotes adaptation to the impacts of climate change. It works to climate-proof development by instigating policy reforms and influencing investments made by international financial institutions and the private sector. The goal is to bring climate adaptation to the forefront of the global fight against climate change and ensure that it remains prominent. Founded in 2018, GCA is the first international organization to maintain dual headquarters in both the Global North in Rotterdam and in the Global South in Nairobi - underscoring the equal partnership between regions and the conviction that climate adaptation solutions must be co-designed and co-owned. Its regional hubs in Abidjan, Dhaka and Beijing, leverage local expertise to pilot and scale context-specific approaches. Together, these centers ensure a continuous, two-way exchange of knowledge and best practices that empower communities and drive resilient and inclusive growth worldwide.
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- France Reaffirms Support to Africa's Flagship Climate Adaptation Program AAAP 2.0
Antoine Brasset Global Center on Adaptation +31643146821 antoine.brasset@gca.org
