Unlocking Disaster Risk Financing and Risk-Informed Investments in Eastern Africa
Africa is increasingly bearing the brunt of climate-related disasters—droughts, floods, cyclones, pest outbreaks, and heatwaves—exacerbated by fragility, conflict, and socio-economic vulnerability. These hazards continue to displace communities, disrupt food systems, damage critical infrastructure, and reverse hard-won development gains.
Despite growing risk exposure, investments that integrate disaster and climate risk considerations into infrastructure, agriculture, and urban planning remain minimal. While frameworks like the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030) call for systemic risk integration, action across financing, planning, and implementation remains slow and fragmented.
Risk-informed investments—including ecosystem-based approaches, climate-smart agriculture, resilient infrastructure, early warning systems and risk transfer—offer high returns across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Yet, high upfront costs, weak risk governance, and limited coordination across sectors often hinder investment at scale.
This webinar aims to leverage good practices and build a shared understanding of what’s working, what’s missing, and how the Eastern Africa region can better design DRR solutions and leapfrog efforts to increase financing and investment for DRR in a scalable and sustainable manner.
Webinar Objectives
This session, convened by ICPAC, seeks to:
- Assess the current landscape of disaster risk financing and risk-informed investment across Eastern Africa, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
- Explore innovative financing mechanisms, including blended finance, public-private models, risk transfer and risk-layering instruments.
- Showcase practical experiences and regional models and tools that demonstrate the value of proactive, resilience-focused investments.
- Foster multi-stakeholder dialogue on aligning policy, finance, and technology to enable anticipatory and adaptive investments in Africa.
Panelists
Dr. Andrew Mude
Lead for Agri-SME Development and Innovative Financing African Development Bankdiscussant
Dr. Mude serves as the Lead for Agri-SME Development and Innovative Financing. In this role, he is dedicated to de-risking and improving financial access for small and medium enterprises within the agri-food system. Dr. Mude is also spearheading the Bank's innovative Africa Climate Risk Insurance Framework for Adaptation (ACRIFA). This ambitious initiative aims to mobilise an initial $1 billion in concessionary capital and grants to mitigate risks for private sector investments and scale insurance solutions that catalyse investment and foster resilience and adaptation in the agricultural sector.
Before his tenure at the African Development Bank, Dr. Mude led the Dryland Innovations team at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), where he was instrumental in developing and expanding the Index-Based Livestock Insurance programs across East Africa. Dr. Mude was the 2016 recipient of the Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, recognising exceptional, science-based achievement in international agriculture and food production by an individual under 40. He received his PhD in Economic Development from Cornell University in 2006.
Ms. Norah Becerra
Head of Programme Coordination Unit of the Tripartite Agreement (BMZ/IDF/UNDP)discussant
Ms Norah has extensive experience in developing agriculture and disaster risk finance. She has provided advisory services to many financial institutions globally and currently provides support to applicants to the ISF, among others, teams composed by insurance companies, governments, and local stakeholders. She also evaluates and monitors ISF projects in several countries. Norah studied economics at the University of San Francisco Xavier, Sucre, Bolivia and has a Master's in International Economic Relationships from the University of San Andrés, La Paz Bolivia.
Mr. Nesibu Yasin
Deputy Commissioner Ethiopian Disaster Risk Managment Commission (EDRMC)discussant
Mr. Nesibu leads the strategic alignment and execution of Ethiopia’s disaster risk policies, spearheading the shift toward risk-informed development and self-reliance in emergency response. Nesibu played a pivotal role in presenting the 2024 Disaster Risk Management Policy and draft bill to Parliament, framing Ethiopia's transition from donor-dependent responses to resilience built on locally generated capacities. He has emphasised the urgent need to empower displaced and vulnerable communities across regions, including Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Tigray, through developmental partnerships that foster self-sufficiency and long-term resilience.
Mr. Haris Khan
Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist World Bankdiscussant
Mr. Khan leads the World Bank’s disaster risk management and climate resilience engagement with the Regional Economic Commissions (RECS) in Africa and supports national urban and disaster resilience engagements across Somalia, Kenya, Rwanda and CAR. He has over 20 years of extensive experience working with governments across South Asia, Africa, and East Asia, helping them overcome challenges in urban planning, governance, risk reduction, climate adaptation and building fiscal and physical resilience. His work has allowed him to lead complex policy dialogues and assist client governments with risk analytics, technical assessments, strategy development, policy actions and preparation of investment projects. He has also served on Advisory Bodies, including as a Program Advisor at Stillman’s School of Business, Member Advisory Council at The George Washington University School of Business and Urban Community Development in Montgomery County, Maryland. He has a Master of Science degree in Transport Management & Economics from the University of Antwerp, Belgium and holds Fellowships of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (FCILT) UK and the Management Strategy Institute (MSI) USA.
Dr. Ahmed Amdihun
Head of IGAD Disaster Risk Management Programme IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC).discussant
Dr. Ahmed Amdihun is the Head of IGAD Disaster Risk Management Programme at IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC). His work focuses on climate resilience, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and providing technical and policy advice to IGAD and its member states. With over 14 years of experience, Dr. Amdihun has expertise in DRR, climate resilience, DRR, environmental systems modeling, spatial planning, and capacity development. He has held key roles at the UN, Addis Ababa University, and the International Livestock Research Institute, and serves on Technical advisory group for initiatives like the Risk-Informed Early Action Partnership, CREWS, the Anticipation Hub and WMO RA1. He has PhD in Environmental planning and modeling and Masters in Earth Sciences