Multi-Stakeholder Climate Adaptation Dialogue for the Port of Banjul 4th Expansion Project
The Global Center on Adaptation is convening a Multi-Stakeholder Climate Adaptation Dialogue to discuss the proposed adaptation investment options and prioritized investment plans, including the costs and benefits under different climate scenarios for the Port of Banjul 4th Expansion Project
Event description:
The Port of Banjul 4th Expansion Project was initiated to increase cargo handling and storage capacity of the terminal to address the increasing demand on the port facility as the volume of cargo and trade continues to rise while the facility is not expanding commensurably.
The Banjul seaport is located on the estuary of the River Gambia and serves not just as a logistics hub but as a key link to neighboring Senegal. The Gambia is a low-lying country and could be exposed to significant sea-level rise. Adjacent to the Banjul Port area is the Tanbi Wetlands Complex area, which is demarcated as a RAMSAR site. The Tanbi Wetlands Complex plays an important role in flood mitigation for the city and its infrastructure systems and assets.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and European Investment Bank (EIB) are considering financing the proposed expansion of the Port of Banjul. In compliance with AfDB Climate Safe Guard Systems, Climate Adaptation management plans need to be developed to address the impacts of physical climate risks to the project.
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) through the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program is offering technical assistance to the Gambia Ports Authority to mainstream climate adaptation and resilience to the Port of Banjul 4th Expansion Project. GCA assigned a consortium featuring Lobelia Earth, Royal HaskoningDHV, and Cityscape Associates Gambia to conduct a high-resolution climate risk assessment and to develop climate adaptation management and investment plans for the project.
The climate risk assessment for the project has been completed, a Multi-stakeholder Climate Risk Dialogue was held on the 30th May 2022 to present the results to the project stakeholders as well as to get their feedback. Climate Adaptation Management and Investment Plans are currently been developed to provide mitigation strategies to climate-proof the Port of Banjul 4th Expansion Project to the impacts of the climate hazards identified and quantified during the climate risk assessment.
The Climate Adaptation Dialogue is a sequel to the Multi-Stakeholder Climate Risk Dialogue and will build on it to present the proposed adaptation measures, prioritized adaptation investment plans, cost, and benefits of the adaptation measures under different climate scenarios to address the key climate risk and decrease the vulnerability of Port of Banjul 4th Expansion Project to impacts of climate change. The discussion will equally focus on the cost of inaction; this will be presented as the cost associated with future climate change-related disruptions, damages, or other limitations on functionality.