In 2022, ECOWAS adopted a Regional Climate Strategy (RCS), the objective of which is to adapt to and to mitigate climate change by sector (transport, agriculture, energy, soil fertility reduction, forestry, water, health, etc.). Effective implementation of the strategy depends on the mobilisation of innovative additional financial resources known as "climate fund". ECOWAS and the Green Climate Fund therefore join forces to facilitate stakeholders' access to the fund.

At various degrees, ECOWAS Member States have challenges in meeting the demands of the battle against climate change and in transforming their climate action strategies into bankable projects, particularly in the agricultural sector.

This was highlighted in the mapping of international climate finance flows carried out by ECOWAS (2003-2022), which shows a shortfall in investment in climate action compared with the conditional needs expressed by the States under the Paris Climate Agreement. Despite useful collaboration with various partners, the need to increase the volume and effectiveness of climate finance flows remains a matter of concern.

In this vein, ECOWAS has strengthened its collaboration with international funds dedicated to climate action, in particular the Green Climate Fund, which is the largest fund dedicated to the climate. One of the cornerstones of this cooperation is the accreditation of its Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) and its Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF) to the Fund to increase the ways for channelling climate funds to the region through direct access. ECOWAS is thus providing a framework conducive to meeting the climate commitments of its Member States while actively contributing to the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

As an implementing partner for Member States under the preparatory support programme and adding to the West African Climate Smart Agriculture Initiative (WAICSA), which aims to facilitate access to finance for climate-smart agriculture, RAAF has secured funding of USD 1.4 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in 2023. With this funding from the GCF, ECOWAS, through RAAF, will work to facilitate better access to climate finance for the implementation of the Regional Climate Strategy through (i) institutional and technical capacity building, (ii) preparation and submission of project portfolios and (iii) knowledge sharing and learning.

The project was officially launched on 12 and 13 March 2024 in Lomé (Togo) during a regional information and awareness-raising workshop attended by all stakeholders, including the ministries responsible for agriculture, animal resources and the environment, the designated national authorities/Green Climate Fund focal points, regional producers' organisations (ROPPA, APESS), ECOWAS, CILSS/AGRHYMET, BOAD, EBID and technical and financial partners (Green Climate Fund, FAO and UNOPS).

The implementation of these actions will contribute to filling the gaps and removing the obstacles identified and will facilitate the ECOWAS Commission's support to Member States in mobilising the additional funding of USD 239,852.18 million expressed in their revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for conditional and unconditional actions by 2030.

This will also contribute to the resilience of the development sectors highlighted in the ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy. "Acting together" within the framework of regional solidarity is therefore an absolute necessity towards reducing the region’s vulnerability and collectively facing up the risks arising from the impacts of climate change.