When you combine this vast untapped potential with a rapidly evolving renewable energy landscape, formidable people power from a growing youth population and thriving entrepreneurial scene, it’s clear that MEA has an increasingly important role to play in innovating towards a way out of the climate crisis.

There is a rousing incentive to act with urgency. Though MEA may have the lowest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions in the world, it’s the most vulnerable region to the effects of climate change, especially Africa. Home to many of the planet’s key suppliers of fossil fuels, the region is also pivotal in enabling the shift towards new sources of energy. Already, there is a huge focus from governments to invest in sustainability, and investment in clean energy from the UAE alone totals $40 billion.

But much work is still be done at a far greater scale and that work is dependent on three things: people, money and digital technology and data.

It’s the cost-efficient and highly scalable nature of the cloud, for example, that enables energy startup, M-KOPA Solar, to manage the energy systems of half a million homes in East Africa, bringing affordable clean energy to around 2 million people.

Technology is paramount, not only to the shift towards renewable energy, but to all aspects of climate adaptation. ”The climate crisis is taking a significant toll on the Middle East and Africa. But we live in a new technological era with the potential to power dramatic transformation across every sector of society. Digital solutions offer a way to progress towards a greener and ultimately more prosperous future. Together, we find ourselves at a historic intersection of tremendous opportunity,” says Sherif Tawfik, Chief Sustainability Officer, Microsoft Middle East and Africa.

The exponential rate of technology adoption in the region will help drive this opportunity. Almost half of business leaders say more than 50 percent of their assets are in the cloud, meaning powerful foundations are already in place to create solutions to MEA’s greatest climate change challenges.

The agriculture industry, for example, sustains 70 percent of livelihood in Africa but also accounts for almost 90 percent of all freshwater withdrawals. To conserve water while still preserving crop yields, farmers need to know exactly where and when to water fields and how much water they should use. Innovative tech solutions are needed to provide smallholder farms – particularly those in rural areas – with accurate data.

The Kenyan National Agriculture Platform is working with Microsoft to drive digitalization of agriculture through an app called AgBot.

The AgBot is a one-stop-shop for half a million farmers where they can access services and information to increase their productivity. Further work is now being done on the app to incorporate data analysis for more informed decision-making.

Further north in the UAE, multinational corporations like Etihad Airways are using advanced analytics and AI to measure and benchmark their environmental footprints.

The ability of businesses to measure their carbon emissions is essential to carbon reduction, but accuracy is extremely challenging because of large volumes of data that typically sits in silos. But the cloud helps by digitalizing processes to break down data silos and centralize data for better reporting, ultimately enabling companies like Etihad to implement carbon efficiency savings across their operations.

The use of technology to help businesses report, record and reduce their environmental impact is essential as it’s big business that will ultimately tip the scales towards a net-zero future.

Implementing innovation at a greater scale

It’s clear enterprising organizations in MEA are already using technology for climate adaptation in exciting and impactful ways. But greater collaboration is needed to replicate these kinds of successes at scale. COP27 provides an opportunity for world leaders to come together and make it happen.

“With Egypt as host of this year’s conference, the Egyptian government has been given a unique platform to voice the climate adaptation needs of countries in Africa and the broader region,” comments Mirna Arif, Microsoft Egypt General Manager. “As a country and as a continent, it’s time be ambitious in our vision, not only of how we want to progress on our own sustainability journey, but also how we will contribute to the global fight against climate change.”

During the summit, we can expect to see bold initiatives and announcements from both the public and private sector as we strive to move beyond pledges to progress. For our own part, Microsoft will focus on both the technology and skills needed to drive broad-scale impact.

This includes general access to quality local data, strategic collaborations with the public sector around the deployment of key sustainability solutions and the development of critical skillsets needed to promote a green economy.

At the beginning of November, we published our Sustainability Skills Gap report highlighting the necessary skills needed to move beyond pledges to progress. It is now more important than ever that sustainability is considered at every level of our society and economy, and in order to do this, we will need the workforce to have the right skills.

These efforts will build on the work Microsoft has been doing for more than 30 years, empowering customers, partners, and governments across MEA to build digital capabilities.

Tools and innovations like our datacenters are empowering people and transforming the way organizations and industries operate. Now, we’re doubling down on our commitment to provide the technology needed for a more sustainable future.

“Given our role as an enabler of a diverse range of digital solutions, Microsoft has a unique responsibility to help governments and organizations to achieve their climate goals through the power of technology. We are committed to accelerating digital transformation in Africa, with a view to helping the continent realize its growing innovation potential in the climate technology space and beyond,” says Wael Elkabbany, General Manager, Microsoft Africa Regional Cluster.

As it stands, the Middle East and Africa can be likened to a sleeping giant with powerful potential to lead the world’s energy transition and build a greener future. Beyond the clear opportunity in renewable energy, there is much to be gained from the region’s track-record of invention.

From water scarcity to food insecurity and lack of access to electricity, MEA’s problem-solving capabilities have long been put to the test.

COP27 is an opportunity to share learnings with the rest of the world. The challenge ahead is daunting but, together, we can move faster.

Monday, November 07 2022, the UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly was at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt, where he made a raft of UK adaptation-related announcements including a £95 million Propcom+ investment that is set to benefit at least 4 million Nigerians, including 2 million women, to increase productivity and adapt to the effects of climate change while at the same time reducing emissions. 

Propcom+ builds on the UK Government’s investment in agriculture through the Propcom Mai-karfi programme in Nigeria. This new £95 million Propcom+ programme is set to help address key barriers to sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria.  It will support the development of climate-resilient agricultural policies, actions, and investments that deliver nutrition, increase productivity, adapt and build resilience while reducing emissions, and protect and restore natural ecosystems.  For example, through the adoption and scaling of practices such as heat and flood tolerant crop varieties and integrated soil fertility management.

The new Propcom+ programme involves supporting inclusive and resilient growth by promoting the progressive transformation of Nigeria’s rural economy. The new programme will build the capacity of small-scale farmers and rural communities in climate smart agriculture. It will work with Nigeria’s vibrant private sector on agriculture to increase productivity, improve nutrition and food security, enhance climate resilience, pursue lower emissions and halt and reverse biodiversity loss, as well as helping to tackle some of Nigeria’s underlying drivers of conflict and insecurity.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: 

“The Glasgow Climate Pact gave the world the tools to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees and build a secure and sustainable future. Now is the time for all countries to step up their action on climate change and deliver the tangible change needed. The UK will continue to play a leading role in this mission. The funding we have announced will support countries which are facing the devastating impact of climate change, to adapt effectively.” 

UK Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Nigeria, Ben Llewellyn-Jones said:  

“Nigeria is extremely vulnerable to climate change and land degradation. Climate risks are increasing, diminishing productive capacity, and contributing to worsening food insecurity. Farmers are on the front line and highly dependent on seasonal rainfall making them increasingly vulnerable to the changing and unpredictable climate. 

“Tackling climate change and biodiversity loss is a key UK international priority and we remain committed to supporting inclusive and climate resilient growth in Nigeria through the Propcom+ programme which will build on the successes and lessons from previous engagement and deliver on adaptation and resilience, and on nature for climate and people.” 

The UK is proud to support Nigeria’s climate, environment and energy ambitions in the lead up to COP27.  Through programmes such as Propcom+, UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions), UKNIAF (UK-Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility), and FSD (Financial Sector Deepening) Africa, amongst others, the UK supports Nigeria on protecting and restoring nature, climate adaptation and resilience, promoting access to climate finance, clean energy, sustainable cities, infrastructure and transport.   

Under the UK’s COP Presidency, almost all developed country climate finance providers made new, forward-looking climate finance commitments, with many doubling or even quadrupling support for developing countries to take climate action.