The African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched its third call under its Climate Action Window (CAW), with the focus shifting from climate adaptation and mitigation projects to technical assistance (TA).

The call was launched on the sidelines of the COP29 climate conference held in mid-November in Azerbaijan. It is open to AfDB-eligible government entities, ministries, departments, agencies, AfDB departments, non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations and intergovernmental organisations (including UN organisations, regional economic communities and river basin climate centres).

The TA sub-window will support the preparation, financing and implementation of adaptation and mitigation schemes aligned with the Paris Agreement, nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and national adaptation plans (NAPs).

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, adopted by 196 parties at the COP21 conference in France in 2015. It entered into force in November 2016. The agreement's overarching goal is to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

The TA sub-window will address critical preparation needs in key sectors such as transport and infrastructure; energy access and renewable energy; water access and wastewater management; agriculture, forestry, land use and fisheries; and green and sustainable finance, building resilient and green infrastructure, and climate information and early warning.

The assistance will complement the CAW adaptation and mitigation investments by assisting eligible countries in improving the bankability of their projects and supporting the development or preparation of underlying policies and frameworks for improved climate action.

The TA is crosscutting for both adaptation and mitigation and will help countries access other international climate finance by strengthening their national climate policies and strategies, creating an enabling environment for climate action and preparing investment-ready schemes.

The allocation for this call is US$56 million, to be disbursed as grants, with a minimum amount of US$260,000 and a maximum of US$1.3 million.

Interested parties can submit their proposals here, with a deadline of 5 February 2025. Successful applicants will be notified starting from 16 May 2025.

#COP29: @AfDB_Group launches Climate Action Window Technical Assistance Facility during @COP_AZ to support innovative #ClimateResilience projects across 37 low-income African countries.

Proposals accepted until Feb. 5, 2025.

More: https://t.co/abALV6ACNu #AfricaCOP #AfDBatCOP29 pic.twitter.com/EPmm1cCWNI

— African Development Bank Group (@AfDB_Group) November 19, 2024

Two levels of TA will be provided, including assistance for projects, which aims to fulfill the objectives and criteria of the CAW adaptation and mitigation investments, focusing on project preparation to enhance access to climate finance.

The second level targets the enabling environment and looks to build the capacity for designing schemes aligned with the CAW’s objectives and to facilitate access to climate finance.

Proposals should demonstrate how the TA provided will build resilience to climate-related shocks and extreme events, reduce risks associated with climate change (such as extreme heat, drought and flooding), and leverage the most beneficial opportunities linked to climate adaptation and mitigation.

“The CAW enables African nations to pilot initiatives that truly address our needs,” said Madagascar’s environment minister Max Fontaine at the launch of the TA call. “With its flexible approach, we can, for example, fund ecotourism projects in Madagascar that both protect forests and create jobs – support that Africa urgently needs.”

According to the AfDB, nine out of 10 of the world’s most vulnerable countries are in Africa, namely Chad, the Central African Republic (CAR), Guinea Bissau, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), Sudan, Niger, Zimbabwe and Liberia. The bank says the continent is not only the most climate-exposed region globally but also the least climate-resilient region with the lowest climate readiness. However, it is allocated just 3% of domestic and international climate finance.

The CAW seeks to accelerate climate adaptation measures in 37 low-income African countries. It aims to raise US$4 billion by 2025 towards an ultimate target of US$14 billion. Approximately US$442 million has been committed under the window so far.

The allocation of funding between the sub-windows is 75% for adaptation, 15% for mitigation and 10% for TA. The call for mitigation schemes was launched in May, preceded by the call for adaptation projects in December 2023.

The AfDB says the CAW represents the largest pipeline of adaptation projects in Africa, with 80 projects valued at US$800 million already identified and 41 projects funded.

Photo: CAW COP29 side event (Source: AfDB)