Adapting the Sahel region and the Congo Basin to climate change impacts

Context

The regions of Central and West Africa face major challenges due to climate change, which directly affects the populations reliant on agriculture, livestock, and fisheries. As a response, these regions are collaborating within the initiative Implementation of Regional and National Adaptation Priorities in Central and West Africa (PACO) to support the adaptive capacities of the communities and support environmental conservation and natural resource management. Additionally, the important Congo Basin forests, which serve as carbon reservoirs, require adaptation to the evolving climate to maintain their ecological balance.

Women, who depend heavily on natural resources, are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Their limited access to education, information, and technologies further complicates their ability to manage climate-related risks, particularly in agriculture and other critical areas that are vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate.

Objective

Governments and other relevant actors in Central and West African countries within the PACO network are effectively implementing important and needs-based adaptation measures and activities. These efforts align with their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to address the impacts of climate change.

Approach

The programme focuses on:

• enhancing the organisational and administrative abilities of the Climate Commissions for the Sahel Region and the Congo Basin to support NAP implementation by member states
• improving national monitoring systems for tracking and assessing adaptation projects and measures
• promoting coordination between national and local adaptation measures
• supporting businesses in evaluating climate risks and adopting risk mitigation strategies
• implementing 20 adaptation projects to benefit 50,000 people in PACO countries
• facilitating South-South exchange through regular webinars, conferences, and other exchange and cooperation formats.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) are working to secure additional funds for the implementation of adaptation measures across the PACO countries. In each of the four countries, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) is conducting an in-depth impact evaluation of one of the selected small-scale adaptation projects in collaboration with a local research partner institution.

Last update: August 2024