A capacity-building training for Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) was held in Nairobi, Kenya on the margins of the Africa Climate Summit and the Climate Week.
The workshop targeted government officials from African ministries responsible for climate change and finance. It drew 71 participants with 27 coming from African countries including Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, the United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Credit: UN Climate Change
Family picture - participants attending the training in Nairobi, Kenya
Setting the stage: Objectives
The LT-LEDS Capacity Building Workshop aimed to equip participants with the necessary knowledge, skills, and networks to effectively develop, implement, and monitor the long-term low-emission climate-resilient strategies. The specific objectives of the workshop were:
Increase participants' understanding of LT-LEDS and their significance in achieving long-term climate and development goals in the African context;
Build the capacity of participants in developing and implementing LT-LEDS, including skills in scenario modelling, policy integration, and stakeholder engagement, all the while considering the region’s unique challenges and opportunities; and
Encourage collaboration and networking among countries, organizations, and stakeholders involved in the LT-LEDS process, promoting knowledge sharing and the identification of challenges, opportunities, and potential areas of support for their implementation in Africa.
Addressing the LT-LEDS gap
As of July, the secretariat had received 66 LT-LEDS submissions, with only 8 coming from African countries, despite available support and the benefits of such strategies. It is against this background that the training was organized for African countries, with the aim of increasing these figures. The continent faces unique challenges that call for tailored approaches and targeted capacity-building efforts to achieve sustainable development.
According to the Paris Agreement, all Parties should strive to formulate and communicate LT-LEDS, considering their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. LT-LEDS serve as a critical tool for countries to align low-emission development with broader sustainability, socio-economic, and climate change adaptation goals.
LT-LEDS represent an opportunity for countries to set a long-term vision and roadmap for the deep, economy-wide transformation necessary to achieve low-emission and climate-resilient development while aligning with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
RCC organizers of the training. From left to right, Lawrence Mashungu (NDCs and LT-LEDS Specialist, RCC EASA), Willie Otieno (Regional Lead, RCC EASA), Walters Tubua (Regional Lead, RCC WACA), Moubarak Moukaila (Regional Coordinator, RCC WACA) Marc Daubrey (NDCs and LT-LEDS Specialist, RCC WACA)
Participants were taken through the LT-LEDS development process, starting with an explanation of the link with the NDCs. The programme covered the LT-LEDS development cycle and modelling, including tools, methodologies, stakeholders mapping, developing long term visions and financing low emission development.
In addition, a presentation of the findings of the LT-LEDS Assessment in Africa highlighted the main gaps and challenges slowing down their development on the content. These included insufficient financial resources, data for establishing baselines, and technical capacity to analyze data.
Several participants from countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Togo, the Central African Republic, Chad, and Senegal shared their specific domestic experiences, underscoring issues such as the lack of data, funding, technical modeling capacity, and difficulties in evaluating costs for technological solutions. They emphasized that the heart of the problem in Africa lies in limited awareness regarding the importance of LT-LEDS development and their alignment with NDCs.
As a result, participants expressed the need for more training opportunities on LT-LEDS and capacity building in data collection, MRV systems, and modeling. They concluded that sharing experiences could help improve the understanding and development rate of LT-LEDS.
The journey ahead
The training received positive feedback and was considered highly beneficial. Partners agreed that additional sessions would be organized, with a more regional focus. These would also be delivered in French to cater to Francophone Africa.
Following the event, the RCCs have already begun receiving concrete requests for support to develop LT-LEDS from participating countries.
