Strengthening ECOWAS institutional capacities and Member States' access to climate finance to support the implementation of the agriculture sectoral priorities of the ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy

The document outlines a regional readiness program for 11 ECOWAS Member States to enhance their ability to mobilize climate finance for the agricultural sector. It focuses on operationalizing a climate unit within the ECOWAS Commission, developing a pool of regional climate finance experts, and creating a digital library of climate-smart agricultural practices. The program aims to bridge the gap between the colossal financial needs for climate adaptation in West African agriculture—estimated at $162 billion—and the actual funding received, while ensuring gender-responsive risk assessments and the alignment of regional policies like ECOWAP with the Paris Agreement.

• The agricultural sector is a critical but highly vulnerable pillar of the West African economy, contributing 30% to 50% of the GDP of Member States in 2020 and providing income for 70-80% of the population.
• There is a massive disparity between climate finance needs and actual flows; adaptation financing needs for agriculture are estimated at $162 billion, yet ECOWAS countries received an average of only $2.6 billion per year in total public climate finance between 2013 and 2018.
• Climate change has significantly hindered agricultural productivity in Africa, with a 34% slowdown in growth since the 1960s, the highest impact of any region.
• The program will establish a 'facility for the preparation of projects and access to climate finance' by creating a pool of regional climate finance experts to support Member States in formulating bankable projects.
• A central objective is the operationalization of a climate unit within the ECOWAS department in charge of agriculture to improve climate governance and coordination between the Commission and Member States.
• The program intends to develop a regional digital library of good adaptation and mitigation practices in the agricultural sector, hosted at the AGRHYMET regional center in Niamey, Niger, to facilitate knowledge sharing.
• The proposal emphasizes the need for gender-sensitive climate risk assessments, noting that agriculture is the main source of income for women in West Africa and that they face differentiated vulnerabilities.
• The total requested amount for the 20-month implementation period is USD 1,451,030.
• The program targets 11 ECOWAS Member States: Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2023). Strengthening ECOWAS institutional capacities and Member States' access to climate finance to support the implementation of the agriculture sectoral priorities of the ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gcf-readiness-proposal-togo-rfaa.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Strengthening ECOWAS institutional capacities and Member States' access to climate finance to support the implementation of the agriculture sectoral priorities of the ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy. 2023. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gcf-readiness-proposal-togo-rfaa.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Strengthening ECOWAS institutional capacities and Member States' access to climate finance to support the implementation of the agriculture sectoral priorities of the ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy |date=14 March 2023 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gcf-readiness-proposal-togo-rfaa.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2023strengthening, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Strengthening ECOWAS institutional capacities and Member States' access to climate finance to support the implementation of the agriculture sectoral priorities of the ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/gcf-readiness-proposal-togo-rfaa.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }