Adaptation projects in Africa among 13 beneficiaries of new USD1.2 B of GCF resources

Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority’s Enhancing community resilience and water security in the Upper Athi River Catchment Area project (worth USD9.5 million), Niger’s Hydro-agricultural development with smart agriculture practices resilient to climate change (worth USD 35.5 million)  and a joint Cooling Facility undertaken by the  World Bank in multiple countries including Malawi, Kenya, Somalia and Kenya among others are some of the 13 projects granted USD 1.2 billion by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board ahead of the 26^th Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change set for Glasgow in the UK in November.

In an announcement made last Friday, the GCF Board said the funds are to support new projects for mitigation and adaptation action and represents the largest amount allocation by the Board in a single meeting. The new projects bring the total size of the GCF portfolio to USD 10 billion, representing USD 37.2 billion in assets, including co-financing.

Recognising the importance of increasing support for developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change, the majority of new funds, 59% in grant equivalent terms, are allocated for adaptation. Just over half of the new funding will go to Small Island Developing States, Least Developed Countries, and African States, which are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and 35% of the new funds will be channeled via direct access entities working at regional or national level. The newly approved funding proposals also include innovative programmes to catalyse private sector climate finance, particularly in adaptation. The new projects and programmes are listed in full below and more details of each are available on the GCF website.

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