African governments have been urged to incorporate climate information in planning to ensure that development projects are not devastated in the event that they are affected by the vagaries of climate.

The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Executive Director Mahboub Maalim has said that for a long time African countries have not embraced the need to inculcate climate data into the development plans because it has been difficult for policy planners to decipher the information being provided by climate scientists.

“But now there has to be a change of approach, because climate change has caught up with us and we need to deal with the challenges,” he said as he addressed the African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development conference in Nairobi on Wednesday.

Addressing the gathering, the Head of Environment, Water and Natural Resources at the African Union mission Khalil Timamy disclosed that AU is working on a strategy to enable African countries mitigate the devastating effects of climate change.

Timamy said though the strategy is coming late, it is crucial to ensure that there is a set program for African countries to put in place structures that address environmental challenges since climate issues is not a one off matter but a scenario that is evolving and needs to be dealt with.

Joseph Kimani