The African Water Facility (AWF) has allocated €16m to fund for proposals for the “Preparation of Water and Climate Change Investment Projects”.
In a statement, the AWF said winning proposals would be awarded grants ranging in size from €1 million up to €3 million for the preparation of water projects and programmes aimed at building resilience to climate change in Africa, with funding to be allocated to projects.
This AWF is receiving support for this grant fund from the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), who will make use of their extensive knowledge and worldwide experience in sustainable development and climate change to assist with the implementation of the call.
“The collaboration between AWF and NDF in this call for proposals combines the knowledge and experience of both organisations. By joining forces it is expected that we can support clever, effective and innovative project ideas that combine attention on water and climate change. Hopefully these can then later leverage financing for follow-on water-sector investments in Africa,” said Pasi Hellman, Managing Director of NDF. The primary objective of NDF’s operations is to facilitate investments in low-income countries that address the causes and consequences of climate change.
”Extreme spatial and temporal variability of climate and rainfall coupled with climate change require urgent action in order to achieve water security as called for by the African Water Vision 2025.” says Martin Ledolter, Managing Director of ADA, the operational unit of the Austrian Development Cooperation. “Therefore, ADA puts the nexus between water, food and energy security and the role of ecosystems at the centre when thinking about climate-smart projects”.
In its selection, the AWF will prioritize projects focused on the “preparation of investment programs or projects” that show strong climate and water adaptation and/or mitigation emphasis. Components focused on improving water governance in the context of climate change and on capturing and disseminating climate and water information and knowledge will be also considered.
“We can no longer design water projects without considering the changing climate context and the significant impact it is having on water resources” said Akissa Bahri, Coordinator of the AWF. “The AWF wants to select and support the most promising, sustainable climate-smart water projects to generate a real shift in the type and nature of water projects being implemented on the continent to ensure water security for future generations.”
The sub-sectors supported include water resources infrastructure, water for agriculture, water for energy, water supply and sanitation, and water for environment, among others. Support could be extended to include non-water infrastructure or natural resources, such as forestry, livestock, or a broader water-energy-land focus of interventions, where it is relevant to the overall water sector and related climate adaptation and mitigation measures.
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