Climate resilient development: Experience from an African capacity development programme

The WACDEP capacity development programme (2012-2015) trained approximately 140 participants across eight African countries to identify and implement 'no/low regret' investments for water security. The programme emphasized national ownership, the use of local trainers, and the integration of training with active national policy processes. Key results included the enhancement of Burkina Faso's National Adaptation Planning process, the development of a funded urban flood management project in Maputo, Mozambique, and the revision of water and land planning Terms of Reference in Tunisia. The brief concludes that decentralised management and mentor-supported learning are critical for translating capacity building into tangible development outcomes.

• The programme focused on training government planners and decision-makers to identify and appraise 'no/low regret' investments—defined as those providing benefits under both current and various future climate scenarios—to ensure robust returns regardless of future climate conditions.
• The programme demonstrated that competent national trainers (such as university professors and government officials) were available in all eight target countries, eliminating the need for international experts and reducing costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Linking capacity development to ongoing national processes and participants' action plans led to tangible results, such as the inclusion of water security gaps in Burkina Faso's National Adaptation Planning (NAP) process document approved in October 2015.
• In Mozambique, the programme directly contributed to the development of a project proposal for urban flood management in Maputo, which was subsequently approved for funding by the African Water Facility in November 2014.
• In Tunisia, the programme triggered a comprehensive review and validation of national standard Terms of Reference for 10-year water and land planning studies to better integrate climate change.
• The use of a mentor-mentee relationship, where lecturers supported participants in implementing individual action plans, was identified as a highly effective platform for continuous learning outside of formal workshops.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (n.d.). Climate resilient development: Experience from an African capacity development programme. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/WaterCapacity_Final_WEB.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Climate resilient development: Experience from an African capacity development programme. n.d. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/WaterCapacity_Final_WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Climate resilient development: Experience from an African capacity development programme |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/WaterCapacity_Final_WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetworkndclimate, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Climate resilient development: Experience from an African capacity development programme}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/WaterCapacity_Final_WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }