The initiative will be implemented at local, national and transboundary basin level and aim to specifically promote global-regional-national linkages. Initially, the programme will start in the following 8 countries: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Tunisia. Additionally, it starts in 5 river basins / shared aquifers: the Lake Chad basin, Limpopo basin, Kagera basin, Volta basin and the North-Western Sahara Aquifer System.

In particular WACDEP will promote feed back of lessons learned at national level into regional, pan-African and global discussions on climate change adaptation and ensure that planning at the local, national and regional level is informed by the latest analyses and understanding at the global level.

Strategies for implementation

The implementation of the programme will include the following strategies:

• Promoting peace building, human security, and regional integration through better management of shared waters and enhanced capacity of regional climate change centres
• Building on lessons learned in developing IWRM plans, climate change adaptation plans, disaster management plans and plans to combat desertification
• Linking local, national, transboundary and regional scales and promoting holistic, gender-sensitive and integrated approaches to adaptation
• Promoting a partnership approach to adaptation through mobilisation of relevant stakeholders at national, transboundary, regional, pan-African and global level

Collaboration with relevant pan-African initiatives

The programme builds on GWP’s on-going work in Africa and will involve collaboration with relevant pan-African initiatives such as:

• the Climate Information and Development (ClimDev) programme implemented by African Development Bank (AfDB) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA),
• The European Commission (EC) support to the African Network of Basin Organisations (ANBO), through GWP, on Transboundary water management and other initiatives by River Basin Organisations (RBOs) and Regional Economic Commissions (SADC, ECOWAS, ECCAS, EAC),
• The EC support to AMCOW through the EU Water Initiative-Africa Working Group (EUWI-AWG) secretariat hosted by UNDP and Stockholm International Water Institute
• The GTZ programme support to AMCOW,
• Existing Project Preparation Facilities for investments in water and climate change adaptation
• Other on-going adaptation initiatives at country level by UNDP, UNEP, UNFCCC and others.

The programme builds upon GWP’s experience in developing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plans across 13 African countries; the combined experience of the UNFCCC, UNDP and UNEP in supporting countries to develop National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs); the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction’s experience in disaster risk reduction (floods, droughts) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s experience in supporting the development of plans for combating desertification.