The African Development Bank has announced the nomination of Anthony Nyong, the director for Climate Change and Green Growth, as one of the ‘100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy 2019’ by Apolitical, a peer-to-peer learning platform for governments.
He was chosen by London-based peer-to-peer learning platform Apolitical for his impact on influencing climate policy on the continent.
Nyong, a pioneering and globally recognised climate change expert, was named among the top 20 on the prestigious listing announced Wednesday in London.
Lisa Witter, the Apolitical’s executive chairman, said: “The need to reduce greenhouse gas emission is urgent. 174 countries and the EU agreed to act at the Paris Agreements. At Apolitical, we highlight the good work that government does and help it to become even better. By showcasing these climate policy leaders, we hope to encourage more collaboration and exchange to accelerate the effective response to the global climate threat.”
Nyong joined the bank in 2008 and built up the bank’s climate change initiatives including its Green Growth Agenda. Prior to joining the bank, he worked as a senior programme specialist for Climate Change at the International Development Research Centre in Nairobi.
In this role, Nyong successfully mobilised substantial resources to set up the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa programme that has significantly built adaptation capacity across the continent. Prior to that, he was a coordinating lead author of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and was a co-recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions. Nyong also served as a professor of Climate Change at the University of Jos, Nigeria.
“We are delighted by this nomination of one of our own to this list,” Amadou Hott, the AfDB vice president, Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, said. “It is a worthy recognition of his – and the bank’s -commitment to respond to climate change threats on our continent, which remains disproportionately affected.”
Apolitical’s ‘100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy’ list celebrates inspirational leaders, politicians, advocates, youth activists, academics and diplomats from all over the world whose work is indispensable to raising awareness, such as Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, who sparked off a worldwide movement to fight against global warming, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest ever US congresswoman and lead advocate of the Green New Deal, Patricia Espinosa, and David Attenborough, the world-renowned British historian.
The list was compiled from hundreds of nominations from governments, international organisations and academia, including the UNDP, Harvard, Oxford, Bloomberg, the Climate Action Network.
“It is an honour to be acknowledged amongst such an influential list of leaders who are passionate and actively working to influence policy and make a tangible difference towards addressing global climate change,” Nyong said. “Climate change has evolved from an environmental worry to a threat on global development, particularly in Africa. The African Development Bank under the leadership of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has demonstrated a strong commitment at both policy and implementation level, to climate compatible development in Africa.”