Monday, December 8

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Currency depreciation in Africa

According to SWIFT, African regions with strong integration saw increased use of local currencies and decreased use of hard currencies such as the US dollar. For instance, the use of the West African franc by the eight countries in the West African Economic and Monetary Union has overtaken the South African rand and the British West African pound.

This implies that boosting the use of regional currencies will shield the African trade market from adverse global conditions associated with the performance of US dollars. However, further regional coordination remains necessary to build a continental payment system that encourages the use of local correspondent banks and local currencies. These moves can help in managing currency depreciation to boost African trade finance. 

Climate Change in Africa

However, the DW report argued that just 18 per cent of GCF financing went to projects in the world’s poorest countries, while 65 per cent went to projects in middle-income countries like Mexico or India.  

GCF is an essential partner towards Africa’s climate action. It is one of the most potent multilateral financing mechanisms available for the continent in supporting genuine-time climate action efforts. 

Despite the underlying challenges within climate finance the region faces, it ought to be ready to harness GCF’s potential and become resilient as climate change impacts do not wait.