The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance (WACMCF), facilitated by the UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat, have supported the 15 ECOWAS Member States in determining the region's climate finance needs and priorities. This led to the development of a Climate Finance Access and Mobilization Strategy for the region, endorsed in April 2022 by the Specialized Technical Committee of Ministers in Charge of Environment, and adopted by the Authority of Heads of State and Government in July 2022.1
Convened by the ECOWAS and the WACMCF in collaboration with the UN Climate Change secretariat, the training was conducted jointly by the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism (GEF, GCF, and AF) and others (e.g., accredited entities). The aim is to provide a deeper understanding of project development, structuring, and submission as required by each fund or institution, to further develop a pipeline of project draft concepts agreed upon by all countries. The skills learned in the forum will enable government participants to access finance for priority project proposals for the region. Furthermore, they will allow participants to develop project proposals to mobilize finance from both public and private sources at the international, regional, and national levels. The forum also serves as an opportunity for national experts to engage with each other, exchange information on their priority needs, and deliberate on ways to address common challenges as a group. Participants are invited to actively engage in the forum and come prepared to both share and agree on outcome recommendations.
The UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat has supported the region in determining their climate finance needs and priorities, resulting in the development of a Climate Finance Access and Mobilization Strategy. The Needs-Based Finance Project was developed in response to decisions of the Conference of the Parties regarding long-term finance.
Draft Programme
Day 1
| Time |
Description |
Intervention |
| 8:30 - 9:00 |
Arrival and registration |
UNFCCC
|
| 9:00 - 9:15 |
Opening Session |
ECOWAS Comission
UNFCCC
|
| 9:15 – 9:30 |
Introduction
- Opening remarks
- Overview of the training workshop and objectives |
CDKN (Moderator)
ECOWAS Commission |
| 09:30 – 10:00 |
Session 1: Presentation of the ECOWAS Climate finance Access and Mobilization Strategy |
UNFCCC |
| 10:00 – 10:30 |
Tea/Coffee break |
|
| 10:30 – 13:00 |
Session 2: ECOWAS regional priorities and identification for further development
- Updates on national priorities to enable identification of further potential regional programs.
- Consolidating and ranking of priorities discussed.
|
Country representatives from:
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Cabo Verde
- Cote d’Ivoire
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea Bissau
- Liberia
- Mali
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
|
| 13:00 - 14:00 |
Lunch Break |
|
| 14:00 – 15:30 |
Session 3: Overview of the Climate Funds and their project cycles
- Overview including funding windows, access modalities and key aspects of project development cycle, highlighting their priorities, requirements, and key players for each phase of the process |
AF
GCF
UNDP (tbc)
GGGI (tbc)
|
| 15:30 – 16:00 |
Tea/Coffee Break |
|
| 16:00 – 17:00 |
Session 4: Interactive Discussion and working session
- Interactive discussion
- Breakout work on Miro Board and initial discussions on the potential regional programme ideas
|
CDKN (Moderator) |
Day 2
| Time |
Description |
Intervention |
| 09:00 – 09:15 |
Recap of Day 1 and overview of Day 2 |
|
| 09:15 – 11:00 |
Session 4: Establishing the climate and regional rationale
- Interactive panel discussion with several multilateral climate funds.
- Breakout groups to work on a succinct articulation of the climate rationale for the respective regional programme ideas identified in session 2. |
CDKN
GCF
GEF
AF
|
| 11:00 – 11:15 |
Tea/coffee break |
|
| 11:15 – 13:00 |
Session 5: Understanding programme design and introducing the Theory of Change approach
Introduction with Theory of Change (ToC) approach and insight on how the respective funds utilise this approach with regards to their project development, appraisal, implementation, and M&E. |
CDKN (Moderator)
GCF
AF |
| 13:00 – 14:00 |
Lunch break |
|
| 14:00 – 15:30 |
Session 6: Working Session |
CDKN (Moderator) |
| 15:30 – 16:00 |
Tea/coffee break |
|
| 16:00 – 17:00 |
Session 7: Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) and risk management
Focus on gender and social considerations in designing project proposals, including the importance of multi-stakeholder consultation processes for developing fit-for-purpose and inclusive programmes.
Identification of the different risks that a project should consider and how can they be mitigated and managed.
|
CDKN (Moderator)
GCF
AF |
Day 3
Day 4
| Time |
Description |
Speakers |
| 09:00 – 09:15 |
Recap of day 3 and overview of day 4 |
ECOWAS
CDKN (Moderator) |
| 09:15 – 10:00 |
Session 12: Packaging regional priority programmes
|
CDKN (Moderator)
|
| 10:00 –11:00 |
Session 13: Importance of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
M&E requirements, project monitoring and evaluation designs, such as results-based monitoring and evaluation (RBM) frameworks of the multilateral climate funds and how these can be incorporated into the project documentation.
Q & A |
CDKN (Moderator)
UNDP (tbd)
Others (tbd)
|
| 11:00 – 11:30 |
Tea/Coffee Break |
|
| 11:30 – 13:00 |
Session 14: Working session – Finalizing draft regional programme concept notes
|
CDKN (Moderator) |
| 13:00 – 14:00 |
Lunch Break |
|
| 14:00 – 15:45 |
Session 15: Working session - Project concept presentations |
CDKN (Moderator)
|
| 15:45 – 16:15 |
Tea/Coffee Break |
|
| 16:15 – 16:45 |
Session 16: Next steps and plan forward
- Q&A
|
ECOWAS (moderation)
UNFCCC
|
| 16:45 - 17:00 |
Session 17: Closing remarks |
ECOWAS
UNFCCC |