Global Water Partnership and partners have launched the Africa Project Preparation Partnership for Climate Resilient Water Projects to provides a platform for countries to exchange knowledge and lessons as their experience in preparing, financing, and implementing water projects grows, in particular, in the context of the GCF.
The Partnership provides a platform for an Africa-wide coalition of National Designated Authorities (NDAs), Direct Access Entities (DAEs) and Water Ministries and agencies, regional institutions, climate and development financiers, private sector and other entities that are committed to working together to enable countries to access the technical and financial support they need to prepare and implement climate resilient water projects efficiently and effectively. Co-organizers and participants of the workshop, and relevant entities beyond, are invited to join the Partnership.
The Partnership, launched in Johannesburg, South Africa, provides a structured resource for African countries to continue accessing strategic and technical support to prioritize and prepare climate resilient water projects via a facilitated, flexible mechanism that enables demand-driven technical assistance for NDAs, DAEs, and national water agencies.
100 participants – comprised of Green Climate Fund (GCF) National Designated Authorities (NDAs), GCF Direct Access Entities (DAEs), and decision makers in Water Ministries and agencies – from 24 countries attended a Technical Workshop on Project Preparation for Transformational Climate Resilient Water Project Concepts in Africa for the Green Climate Fund.
Addressing a longtime expressed need, a Project Preparation Partnership for Climate Resilient Water Projects in Africa for the GCF was launched at the end of the workshop.
The technical workshop was organized by the Global Water Partnership (GWP), in collaboration with the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA), African Water Facility (AWF), Africa Climate Change Fund (ACCF), all hosted by the Africa Development Bank (AfDB); the Climate Resilience Infrastructure Development Facility (CRIDF); and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), with technical inputs from the Green Climate Fund Secretariat and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The workshop responded to countries’ needs and expressed demand for support to strengthen the capacity of NDAs, DAEs, and Water Ministries and agencies to prepare climate resilient water projects that meet GCF investment criteria. Participants reviewed the GCF funding requirements and mandate, investment criteria, and its operational modalities and procedures for delivering climate finance through different windows. They also considered fit-for-purpose examples of project design and financing instruments. Countries shared their experiences and lessons in accessing GCF resources.
Through interactive, hands-on exercises over three days, NDAs, DAEs, and water decision makers worked on 44 country-prioritized water project ideas to sharpen their climate rationale and paradigm shift potential. The workshop was live-streamed, with substantial viewership from across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, emphasizing the global need and drive to scale up climate resilient water investments.
Participants expressed a strong desire to continue collaborating after the workshop across countries and with partners to share experiences and support one another as they advanced their project ideas to GCF concept note stage.
The Partnership is committed to continue building on the momentum of this workshop, with NDAs, DAEs, and ministries supporting one another to overcome barriers, drawing on the increasing expertise across the continent. Furthermore, recognizing that aspects of water projects that deliver development benefits that do not directly address climate impacts require co-financing from other sources such as government or private sector, the Partnership will work with active and relevant existing financing partners for project preparation to appropriately structure financing for climate resilient GCF water projects in Africa.