Our Principal Consultant, Dr. Maria Antoniou, representing Grid Engineers with her expertise in climate risk assessment and adaptation strategies, participated virtually in the multi-stakeholder engagement event on
Climate Resilience for the Djibouti Regional Economic Corridor, held on January 28, 2025, in Djibouti City.
Organized by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the World Bank Group, the event was part of the technical assistance efforts supporting the World Bank’s
Djibouti Regional Economic Corridor Project, a development project aiming to improve regional connectivity and enhance logistics efficiency in Djibouti, along the Djibouti – Addis Ababa southern corridor. The technical assistance is implemented as part of the African Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP)—a joint initiative by the GCA, the African Union, and the African Development Bank—aimed at increasing access to climate finance and integrating climate adaptation into investment projects.
Grid Engineers participated alongside a consortium of technical consultants (led by CPSC, Canada) engaged by the GCA to ensure that climate resilience is embedded throughout the investment project. Our company specifically contributed technical expertise by conducting a comprehensive climate risk assessment, assessing the impact of key climate hazards (flooding, rainfall-induced landslides, and extreme heat) on the corridor and the broader socioeconomic environment. Additionally, we led the identification, prioritization, and appraisal of economically and technically feasible climate adaptation solutions to mitigate such impacts, focusing on safeguarding infrastructure, strengthening local community resilience (e.g., food security and access to essential services), and ensuring long-term sustainability and macroeconomic stability.
The event fostered in-depth discussions on:
– The results of the climate risk assessment study;
– The proposed climate-smart adaptation strategy for corridor climate-proofing;
– Proposed guidelines for integrating climate considerations into Output- and Performance-Based Roads Contracts (OPBRCs);
– The prioritization of nearby rural road upgrades to enhance regional climate resilience.
Bringing together a diverse range of national stakeholders, the engagement provided a platform to validate results, gather feedback, and integrate climate resilience into the investment project.