On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Allianz RE joined forces to support vulnerable communities in Morocco and Ghana in developing integrated risk management approaches for climate risks. In Morocco, the implemented risk management activities of this Public-Private Partnership are targeted at Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) located in Industrial Zones (IZ). The Ait Melloul Industrial Park was selected as a pilot IZ, because it has an economic value for the

The industrial zone in Aït Melloul was selected as a pilot zone due to its historical exposure to flash floods which have caused significant financial losses. It lies in the Souss Massa region, 20km from the port of Agadir. This industrial zone is managed by the local government in close cooperation with the business association Association des Investisseurs de la ZI d’Aït Melloul (ADIZIA) and hosts approximately 300 enterprises, most of which are SMEs operating in the food processing industry. Overall, 25,000 employees depend directly or indirectly on business in this industrial zone. The

MSMEs, significant driver of employment and GDP in Morocco. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are vital to the Moroccan economy, accounting for more than 30% of gross domestic product (GDP) and representing more than 70% of jobs (African Development Bank Group, 2021). However, challenges precede the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the significant contribution of MSMEs to economic growth and livelihoods in Morocco, their development has been constrained by challenges that precede the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges include inadequate access to credit and a lack of

MSMEs are one of the most important, yet vulnerable, drivers of development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This stems from the fact that, while micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are known to support over 50% of all livelihoods on the continent (both formal and informal), these firms often face a plethora of heterogenous risks that regularly put their survival and continuous operations in jeopardy. These risks can range from those faced uniquely at a firm level (such as credit, crime and infrastructural risks) to those endured at a much larger, systemic scale (such as climate

Climate change is manifested in Ghana through extreme weather events, especially flooding. The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) is particularly exposed to these recurrent shocks threatening economic development and human lives. Many public assets and infrastructure are key to flood control and risk mitigation in urban areas, but at the same time can be severely affected by extreme weather events and climate risks themselves. However, in Ghana, most public assets and infrastructure are not insured. This might be due to a relatively low understanding of insurance and the unavailability of

Urban flooding is a significant issue in Ghana, particularly in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA). Government agencies and municipalities seek to minimize damage from natural disasters, also for their public assets, through a variety of prevention measures. Nevertheless, a residual risk will always remain. Risk transfer within an Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRM) is central. For the development of an insurance product for public infrastructure assets various information about them, such as their value as well as their precise locations and previous flood occurrences for the

Loss and damage from natural disasters have increased substantially over the last couple of decades. In 2020, for example, 980 natural disasters struck the world, causing significant economic loss, destroying major infrastructure, and claiming human lives.1 A single natural disaster can have enormous financial impacts. Some of these damages and losses can be reduced and transferred if appropriate policies and actions are applied. For this reason, Climate and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) has gained importance on international agendas and in many organisations. The main idea behind DRM is to

A risk profile of a public asset is an evaluation of the probability of the asset getting damaged depending on its exposure and vulnerability to a hazard. This determines potential risk reduction measures and the estimation of funds needed to protect the public asset, as a way of mitigating potential risks and threats. In addition, if there should be any residual risk after taking the necessary adaptation measures, these risks can then be transferred to third parties such as insurance companies. It is in public authority’s best interest to be proactive when it comes to risk profiling its

The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) suffers from rainrelated floods almost every year. This development is likely the result of several factors, including a rapid expansion of sealed-off surface, unplanned urbanization, weak infrastructure, inefficient waste collection and disposal system, as well as a changing climate with more intense rainfall events compared with earlier decades. GAMA is the economic hub of Ghana and is made of 29 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies with an estimated 5.1 million inhabitants – making it the seventh-largest metropolitan area in Africa1

Ghana’s capital Accra is a significant business hub and has a high natural vulnerability to flooding. A combination of unplanned spatial developments, high percentage of paved areas, lack of proper solid waste management, and lack of maintenance for the drainage system result in frequent flooding during (but sometimes even outside) the rainy season. It is expected that climate change further aggravates this. Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) face significant challenges to finance reconstruction work after floods. The negative