Africa Climate Change Fund approves fund for climate resilience projects in Benin, Lesotho

The Africa Climate Change Fund has approved a project proposal for around $ 1 million to support Lesotho and Benin to access international climate finance, an initiative underpinned by evidence that adaptation to climate change must start locally.

Approved in September, the project proposal has been designed with the goal to improve the climate resilience of communities and local economies by increasing investments in climate change adaptation in target areas. The project mainly seeks to support the development of high quality, bankable projects aligned with African countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), identification and strengthening of national institutions and stakeholders to access the Green Climate Fund, and small–scale or pilot adaptation initiatives targeting vulnerable communities. On completion, the project will increase local governments' access to climate finance to implement climate change adaptation investments in Benin and Lesotho, through internationally recognized mechanisms.

Lesotho and Benin are two African countries that face challenges like institutional, technical and financial capacities to contribute to building resilience. These two countries require more local-level investments to undertake measures to enhance water retention, promote more resilient farming and irrigation methods and climate-proof existing infrastructure such as water wells, bridges and rural roads.

The project will be implemented by the United Nations Capital Development through its Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) programme. "An opportunity to expand the ACCF's geographic reach and field of intervention and is in line with the Fund's overall goal to address climate change challenges facing the African continent," The Africa Climate Change Fund (ACCF) Coordinator, Naida Mohamed said.