By Florence Onyango
Fig:Participants at the AI for Climate Resilience in Africa Inception Workshop.
On January 30, 2025, key stakeholders from research, policy, and development sectors convened at the Sarova Panafric Hotel, Nairobi for the inception workshop of a groundbreaking initiative. This project, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and implemented by the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN) in partnership with the University of Nairobi (UoN), aims to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) for climate resilience solutions in Africa, harnessing its transformative potential to address critical climate challenges while building capacity across the continent.
The workshop commenced with participant introductions led by Washington Kanyangi (ARIN), followed by opening and introductory remarks from Dr. Joanes Atela (ARIN). Loise Ochanda (IDRC), in her keynote address, underscored the transformative role of AI in tackling climate change and emphasized the critical need for collaborative efforts across research, policy, and implementation domains. She also stressed the importance of ethical considerations when deploying AI, particularly regarding robust data protection and privacy.
Dr. Atela, Executive Director of ARIN, highlighted the organization’s commitment to consolidating evidence and translating research into actionable policy. “Research often struggles to inform policy due to fragmented evidence,” he stated. “ARIN’s role is to bridge this gap by ensuring that valuable insights are synthesized and effectively applied to drive climate resilience.”
Dr. Humphrey Agevi, Research Associate at ARIN, provided a comprehensive overview of the project, outlining its vision, objectives, scope, and anticipated outcomes. Dr. Isaac Rutenberg (CIFOR-ICRAF) offered valuable insights into the current landscape of AI and its diverse applications in climate adaptation and mitigation strategies.
A detailed presentation on scoping and evidence synthesis, also delivered by Dr. Agevi, highlighted key research findings. This was followed by an assessment of capacity needs within the AI and climate resilience ecosystem, further presented by Dr. Agevi. This assessment revealed a significant gap: only six African countries currently integrate AI into their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), underscoring the urgent need to strengthen these frameworks and ensure their effective implementation. Furthermore, the assessment highlighted a critical capacity deficit within universities, revealing that 70% of institutions lack adequate training or possess significant training-related gaps in AI research within the climate resilience context.
The morning sessions concluded with an engaging Q&A session, allowing participants to explore critical aspects of AI integration in climate solutions.
The afternoon session, facilitated by Eurallyah Akinyi, fostered in-depth discussions on sector-specific AI applications, associated challenges, and opportunities for scaling successful solutions. The session culminated in group presentations moderated by Dr. Agevi.
Professor Daniel Olago of the Institute of Climate Change Adaptation at the University of Nairobi concluded the workshop, summarizing key insights and outlining the next steps. Discussions throughout the day emphasized the critical need for multi-sectoral collaboration, policy alignment, and targeted capacity-building to fully realize AI’s potential in strengthening climate resilience across Africa.
This successful inception workshop serves as a crucial foundation for ongoing research, sustained stakeholder engagement, and impactful policy dialogues aimed at effectively integrating AI-driven solutions into Africa’s climate adaptation strategies.
© ARIN Press