ADF Grants $9.5 Million to Boost Sahel Climate Resilience
The African Development Fund (ADF), through its Climate Action Window, has approved a grant of $9.48 million to strengthen climate resilience in the Sahel’s main river catchment basins, covering Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Senegal.
The project, titled Community and Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation in the Wetlands of the Sahel Catchment Basins, aims to address the ongoing degradation of wetlands caused by unsustainable exploitation, inefficient resource management, and the growing impacts of climate change.
The initiative is structured around four key components. The first focuses on ecosystem conservation and green economy initiatives, including a study of the vulnerability of eight wetlands to climate change. Priority sites and activities identified through the study will be supported, particularly empowering women’s and youth groups to engage in sustainable economic activities.
The second component seeks to improve water resource management and sustainable production by strengthening community capacities and local governance. It will support agroforestry, fisheries, and equitable water management, helping communities adapt to changing environmental conditions.
The third component is dedicated to climate risk preparedness. It will build the capacity of the Climate Commission for the Sahel Region (CCRS), enhance local climate services, and develop early warning systems to anticipate and respond to climate-related risks.
The fourth component ensures effective project coordination and governance. A regional Project Management Unit, attached to CCRS, will oversee administrative, financial, and operational management, while monitoring implementation, evaluating performance, and sharing best practices across countries.
The project will operate in selected regions across the four countries. In Burkina Faso, it covers the Oubri and Kuilsé regions (Volta and Niger cross-border basins). In Mali, it will work in the Bougouni (Yanfolila) region, including six protected areas.
In Niger, the focus is on two Ramsar-listed wetlands, Dallol Bosso and Mare de Tabalak, part of the Niger basin. In Senegal, activities will take place in the Senegal River Biosphere Reserve, notably in the Saint-Louis and Dagana departments.
The Climate Action Window, a climate financing mechanism under the ADF, is designed to support adaptation initiatives in Africa’s most vulnerable regions. By promoting sustainable management of ecosystems, empowering local communities, and enhancing resilience to climate-related shocks, the project seeks to safeguard livelihoods and ecosystems in the Sahel.
