Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Capacity Building in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Policy Framework Approach

Abstract

Climate change related disasters are increasing in severity and frequency across Sub Saharan Africa worsening an already desperate socio economic and political climate. El Nino induced droughts, floods, cyclones and related disasters have increased community vulnerabilities especially on the rural poor that make up the majority of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper argues that climate change has become an inherent and permanent aspect of contemporary development discourse and trajectories. Therefore, the study discovered that resilience capacity building rests only on a robust policy framework tailor made to respond to climate change induced vagaries for a particular region as opposed to a one size fits all approach borrowed mainly from western based multinational institutions. Research results show that policy decay has led to repeated and worsening vulnerabilities. Adaptation and resilience to such dangers, hence requires a deliberate, meticulous and well-balanced response strategy enshrined in an equally well thought and inclusive policy framework. It is argued therefore that policy decadence is the major cause of the worsening vulnerabilities and policy paradigm shift is the major catalyst to a climate change resilient community. The research relied mainly on qualitative research methods and the collected data was analysed using the exploratory analytical method. The finding of this research is that policy decadence has led to ever increasing vulnerability across Sub-Saharan Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular.