Under the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the African Development Bank (AfDB) will continue to develop a pipeline in the areas of climate adaptation and mitigation, land degradation and international waters. One to watch is a USD 7.2 million GEF grant project that the Bank is helping the Mano River Union (Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire) prepare to support conservation of the Upper Guinea Forest. The project will enable the implementation of a shared vision and the use of innovative tools to manage trans-boundary ecosystems and watersheds.

The Upper Guinea Forest stretches across all four countries of the Mano River Union, and is one of Africa's two major lowland rain forest regions. It suffers from deforestation, threats of illegal mining and unsustainable economic activities. Conservation of the Upper Guinea trans-boundary forest resources is one of the eight African Union/NEPAD emerging priorities in the environment and climate change area.