Seventy-four trainees from 26 African countries will join the continent's community of climate finance experts after successfully completing a training program through the African Development Bank. Eighteen of the 74 graduates who emerged as top achievers qualified as trainers and will continue to build capacity across the continent.

The "training of trainers" program empowered trainees to design proposals that will enable them to access climate finance from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and teaches them to pass on their skills to others. The 120-hour training program was conducted virtually in three languages: English (45 participants), French (19 participants) and Portuguese (10 participants).

Desire Nemashakwe, a trainee from Zimbabwe, remarked: "The course has boosted my knowledge and skills and understanding of the GCF and how to develop project proposals for GCF funding. I was a consultant for the Government of Zimbabwe on the GCF Readiness programme and managed to lead in the development of the Country Programme and two readiness project proposals. I have been strengthened in my skills to develop proposals which target GCF resources."

Inadequate access to climate finance remains a major impediment to implementing Africa's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), a requirement of the Paris climate agreement, partly because of a lack of capacity within national institutions to design project proposals that meet the requirements of global climate funds such as the GCF. The new graduates said they were eager to fill this capacity void by applying the knowledge acquired through this program. Their skills will be relevant to a wide range of actors, including project developers, development institutions and national focal points for all the climate and environment funds.

The training of trainers program complements ongoing work by the African Development Bank to enhance the capacity of African countries to access GCF resources through small grants from the Africa Climate Change Fund.

"The African Development Bank has prioritized inclusive green growth in the delivery of its flagship agenda, the High 5 strategic priorities, and has pledged to scale its climate finance to $25 billion up to 2025. Innovative continental interventions such as Desert to Power, the Great Green Wall Initiative, the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, aimed at lifting millions out of poverty while protecting nature, require long-term concessional finance. For regional member countries, acquiring the capacity to design and implement climate projects is a step in the right direction," said Gareth Phillips, Manager for Climate and Environment Finance at the African Development Bank.

The training was implemented by the Climate Change and Green Growth Department of the African Development Bank, with funding from the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Trust Fund (KOAFEC); and conducted by One World Sustainable and CapNet.

Contact:

Media contact: Kwasi Kpodo, Communication and External Relations Department, African Development Bank, email: w.kpodo@afdb.org

Technical contact: Davinah Milenge Uwella, Climate Change and Green Growth Department, African Development Bank