PROJECTS

African Leadership in Climate Finance

PROJECT TYPE

A capacity-building programme for African civil service leaders

LOCATION

Ireland

START DATE
November 2016
LEAD PARTNER

Sustainable Nation Ireland

PROJECT MANAGER

Stephen Nolan, Sustainable Nation Ireland

THEME

Decision Metrics and Finance (DMF)

PARTNERS
University College Cork, GESCI

Project scope  

ALICF aims on developing a demand-driven capacity-building programme for African civil service leaders, regulators and parliamentarians on finance for climate action. The program will provide key decision makers with the tools, models, mechanisms and competences to underpin the development of climate friendly policies and their financing. Over five years, the programme is targeting the up-skilling of 500 civil servants, 80 energy regulators and developing an African parliamentarians network focused on finance for climate action. 

In focusing on the area of climate finance capacity building and developing local knowledge and expertise, ALICF can contribute to making African countries more attractive to inward European capital investment and opening up new markets for European low-carbon enterprises.

Innovation potential

GESCI, one of the project partners, is considered an African leader in building capacity around ICT and knowledge economy at the political and governmental level. The project will utilise innovative digital learning content from the GESCI. In addition, by focusing on civil servants, energy regulators and Parliamentarians, further project innovation potential lies in supporting a joined-up thinking approach to climate finance across national political and governmental systems. By building this capacity in such a way, this allows for an acceleration in climate finance up-take activities, decreasing emissions while increasing resilience. 

Demand-side need

Following high-level discussions with key international organisations, including the African Development Bank and World Bank, capacity building in the area of climate finance was identified as critical to supporting the realization of COP21 commitments and overcoming a potential barrier to unlocking climate finance within developing world countries. These include holding average global temperature rises to no more than 2°C and to help at risk countries adapt to risk. This project, in supporting public policy makers, regulators and parliamentarians with new tools, development of competencies, models and mechanisms that supports local climate related capacity development, sees market demand driven from both the political and governmental establishment. This project also assists Europe in meeting key commitments under COP21 and UN SDGs.

Potential Climate Impact

By overcoming local capacity issues, ALICF will reduce GHG emissions, key to holding the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C, to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C, and to achieve net zero emissions in the second half of this century. The project will support decision makers with the tools to underpin their commitment to climate action, unlocking finance and driving the transition towards a national low-carbon economy.