Nardos Bekele-Thomas appointed to Global Centre on Adaptation Supervisory
The appointment comes at a critical juncture when the world is approaching a climate breaking point with Africa being the most affected bearing the most severe impacts despite contributing least to the crisis.
By Wakhungu Andaje
The Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) has appointed Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), to its supervisory board.
The move is set to place African priorities at the heart of global adaptation decision-making table.
The AUDA NEPAD chief executive officer while accepting the appointment stated that she was honored to join a distinguished board chaired by the 4th President of the Republic of Senegal Macky Sall alongside Rodger Voorhies, who is also the President of the Global growth & opportunity division at the Gates Foundation, and together with the Mayor of Miami Francis X. Suarez.
“I am honoured to accept this appointment at such a pivotal moment for Africa and the world, as the Africa continue to face accelerating climate impacts that disproportionately affect our continent, Africa’s voice must be central to global adaptation governance” said Ms. Bekele-Thomas.
Through this platform, she added “we will ensure that our implementation priorities, development pathways, and proven solutions shape the decisions and financing that will determine our collective climate future.”
The appointment comes at a critical juncture when the world is approaching a climate breaking point with Africa being the most affected bearing the most severe impacts despite contributing least to the crisis.
The GCA President and chief executive officer (C.E.O) Professor Patrick Verkooijen said that as the global center on adaptation (GCA) enters the next phase of the Africa adaptation acceleration program (AAAP) 2.0, Ms. Bekele-Thomas’s leadership will ensure that Africa’s resilience-building agenda remains at the forefront—particularly in the lead-up to COP30 in Belém and the decisive decade of climate action ahead.’
“Under her stewardship, as the chief executive officer at the AUDA-NEPAD she has championed locally led adaptation and institutional capacity building for climate-resilient development across the African continent.
He further stated that her proven track record in advancing intergovernmental coordination and translating policy into action had portrayed Bekele as an indispensable voice on the supervisory board.
Her appointment strengthens Africa’s position as a driving force in shaping the global adaptation agenda, ensuring the continent’s resilience-building efforts receive the political leadership, coordination, and financing it demands.
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