President William Ruto has officially launched the construction of a Sh1.7 billion Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) headquarters in Nairobi, marking a significant milestone in Africa’s climate resilience efforts. The groundbreaking ceremony took place at the Kenya School of Government (KSG), where the three-storey facility is set to be completed within two years.
Funded entirely by the international body, the facility will serve as the GCA’s second global headquarters and the primary adaptation hub for Africa. It will host a research hub, restaurants, and Mazingira House — the new headquarters for Kenya’s Ministry of Environment.
Ruto emphasized the strategic importance of the project, terming it a timely and visionary intervention that places Kenya at the forefront of climate governance on the continent. “This hub will be a regional platform for policy dialogue, cutting-edge research, and capacity-building to accelerate climate adaptation,” he said.
He added that the centre would foster collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and development partners to deliver scalable and practical climate solutions, especially at the devolved government level. It will also play a central role in public service training, performance management, and leadership development for climate-responsive governance.
The president further called on both government and private sector partners to embrace the centre’s opportunities, encouraging integration of climate resilience into national and county development frameworks.
Present at the event were GCA President Prof. Patrick Verkooijen, former Senegalese President and GCA Supervisory Board Chair Macky Sall, and former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
The Nairobi centre underscores a renewed North-South partnership in addressing climate change impacts. It follows an earlier GCA Board meeting in April, hosted by Ruto, where Africa’s climate vulnerability was extensively discussed. Ruto warned that without robust adaptation efforts like the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), the continent faces mounting threats including migration, economic instability, and health crises.
With this new headquarters, Kenya positions itself as a continental leader in driving forward climate adaptation strategies to secure a sustainable future for Africa.