Nature-Based Solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa for Climate and Water Resilience

This technical note describes a methodology used to analyze Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) investments in sub-Saharan Africa from 2012 to 2021. By scanning the portfolios of the World Bank and the African Development Bank, the study identified 85 projects with significant funding, particularly in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, aimed at addressing water security and flooding while providing biodiversity and carbon sequestration benefits.

• A dataset of 85 projects implementing Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for climate- and water-resilience was identified from the portfolios of the World Bank and the African Development Bank between 2012 and 2021. This includes 46 projects from the World Bank with total budgets of $7.9 billion ($2.5 billion for NBS components) and 39 projects from the African Development Bank with total budgets of $4.2 billion ($2 billion for NBS components).
• The countries with the highest volume of NBS projects identified in the scan are Ethiopia (10), Ghana (7), Malawi (7), Tanzania (6), Uganda (6), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (5).
• NBS projects in sub-Saharan Africa are being used to address challenges such as water security, coastal flooding, and urban flooding, while providing co-benefits for carbon sequestration, livelihoods, and biodiversity.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Nature-Based Solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa for Climate and Water Resilience. https://www.wri.org/research/nature-based-solutions-sub-saharan-africa-climate-and-water-resilience

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Nature-Based Solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa for Climate and Water Resilience. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/nature-based-solutions-sub-saharan-africa-climate-and-water-resilience.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Nature-Based Solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa for Climate and Water Resilience |url=https://www.wri.org/research/nature-based-solutions-sub-saharan-africa-climate-and-water-resilience |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendnaturebased, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Nature-Based Solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa for Climate and Water Resilience}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/nature-based-solutions-sub-saharan-africa-climate-and-water-resilience}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }