This working paper is part of a series presenting regional and thematic analyses that leverage the results of the Global Infrastructure Risk Model and Resilience Index (GIRI), developed by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), in the run-up to CDRI’s second Global Infrastructure Resilience (GIR) report. It presents, for the first time, the detailed results of the GIRI model applied to the Africa region.

Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate-related disasters. Some regions of the continent also face substantial earthquake risks. Decision makers do not have access to information that would enable them to understand the potential financial consequences of these risks in their jurisdictions. For the first time, this paper presents the results of a risk assessment for the region and individual countries. It also demonstrates its application in analyses at the subnational level, with examples of three countries. The risk assessment, categorised by type of hazard and infrastructure sector, can help decision makers, financiers, and donors identify priority areas for action.

The benefits of resilience programmes in Africa are enormous. This paper proposes specific actions to organize the financing needed for resilience and to strengthen African institutions responsible for infrastructure management to be better prepared to absorb the shock of disasters, to respond faster and more effectively once catastrophes occur, and to repair and restore services as quickly as possible to minimize the negative impact on the economy, businesses, and livelihoods. The GIR 2025 report will elaborate further on these recommendations.

This paper is organized into seven sections. After this overview, Section 2 presents the definitions of risk, resilience, and related key concepts. Section 3 provides a summary of the GIRI model and its key findings. Section 4 summarizes the global results of the GIRI model at the regional, national, and subnational levels. Section 5 provides a detailed examination of GIRI model results for Africa. Section 6 reviews the challenges of disasters and examples of resilience solutions in the transport, energy, and urban infrastructure sectors. Section 7 discusses key elements of infrastructure resilience in Africa, focusing on ways to strengthen the capacities to absorb, respond to, and recover from disasters. This section also reviews options for financial instruments and institutional strengthening measures to enhance the resilience of infrastructure systems in Africa.