• Disasters cause $12.7 bln in yearly damages to African buildings and infrastructure.

• Floods account for nearly 69% of losses, with energy and telecoms most affected.

• South Africa, Nigeria, and Algeria face the highest annual losses at national level.

Natural disasters inflict an average of $12.7 billion in damages each year on infrastructure across Africa, according to a report released September 8 by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

Titled Infrastructure Resilience in Africa, the report covers damages from earthquakes, floods, cyclones, storms, and landslides to infrastructure such as water systems, telecommunications, transport, energy, ports, airports, and oil and gas facilities, as well as to residential, commercial, health, and educational buildings.

Losses to infrastructure are estimated at $1.83 billion per year, while damages to buildings reach $10.87 billion. Energy assets are the most affected, with average yearly damages of $844 million, followed by telecommunications ($418 million) and roads and railways ($282 million).

Regional disparities are significant. East Africa suffers the highest annual losses, at $5.49 billion, followed by North Africa ($2.31 billion), Southern Africa ($2.31 billion), West Africa ($1.58 billion), and Central Africa ($1 billion).

Nationally, South Africa records average yearly losses of $1.7 billion, Nigeria $1.1 billion, and Algeria $1 billion.

Smaller countries, while experiencing lower absolute losses, face relatively greater economic impacts. Annual losses represent 1.5% of GDP in Lesotho, 1.25% in Mauritius, and 1% in the Comoros.

Floods are the most destructive natural hazard, accounting for 68.7% of losses, followed by earthquakes at 27.7%. Cyclones (1.6%), tsunamis (1.4%), and landslides (0.5%) make up the remainder.

The CDRI warns that climate change could increase Africa’s disaster-related losses by 27% in the coming years. While African governments finance 26% of adaptation efforts from national budgets and borrow for an additional 54%, the report stresses that these efforts are insufficient without stronger support from wealthy nations, development finance institutions, and multilateral lenders.

Improving resilience, it notes, requires not only building new assets to withstand climate and geological risks but also proactive planning. This includes regular maintenance, preparedness strategies based on reliable data, early warning systems, and closer coordination between disaster management agencies, meteorological services, and research institutions.