The project dubbed ‘Climate-Resilient Banjul: Enhancing Urban Resilience in the Greater Banjul Area’ (CLIMB), is designed to reduce the vulnerability of urban communities to the intensifying impacts of climate change, including floods, changing rainfall patterns, rising sea levels, droughts, and increasing temperatures. These factors are collectively exacerbating existing environmental and societal challenges.
Dr. Dawda Badjie, the executive director of the National Environment Agency (NEA), stated that the project aims to build climate resilience by scaling up investments in ecosystem-based adaptation and sustainable urban planning.
He added that The Gambia’s coastal regions, particularly the Greater Banjul Area (GBA), are facing increased flooding, erosion, and environmental degradation due to climate change.
“Rapid urbanization has compounded the region’s vulnerability, with communities exposed to rising sea levels and extreme weather events,” Dr. Badjie pointed out.
Atifa Kassam Manji, project manager at UNEP, stated that The Gambia climate project was a pioneering effort for both the country and the region.
She explained that the latest Adaptation Gap Report produced by UNEP indicated that the adaptation finance gap remains well above 200 billion USD per year. “Given the scale of the challenges, bridging this gap will require innovative approaches,” the project manager noted.
She also highlighted that urban resilience has become a crucial concept in smart city management, which is multifaceted and includes several components, such as integrated planning across sectors, and risk management and assessment.
A statement read on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme’s resident representative, Sambou Nget, emphasised that the project represents a crucial step towards safeguarding the city and its inhabitants from the adverse effects of climate change.
Mr. Nget noted that climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. “Its impacts are felt globally, but they are particularly acute in vulnerable areas such as Banjul and its surroundings,” he said.
The project, he added, is a flagship initiative designed to enhance the city’s capacity to withstand and adapt to climate-related hazards.
Momodou Kanyi, a representative from the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources, said that climate change poses a significant threat to The Gambia, impacting weather patterns, increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, and contributing to sea level rise.
He further explained that the increasing demand for land and resources often leads to unsustainable practices, exacerbating environmental degradation and threatening ecological balance.
He therefore emphasised their collective responsibility to maintain healthy environments through sustainable livelihoods, adding that industrial activities and inadequate waste management practices contribute to pollution and the deteriorating quality of air, water, and soil.
