Background

Malawi has committed to implementing its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), which outlines national priorities in mitigation and adaptation aligned with the Paris Agreement. The country’s targets reflect a broadened and more quantifiable sectoral scope, particularly in agriculture, forestry, energy, and water resources, building on earlier commitments under NDC 2.0.

Despite Africa’s minimal contribution to global emissions, the continent faces heightened vulnerabilities due to its reliance on climate-sensitive sectors, poverty, and institutional capacity constraints. Malawi mirrors these challenges, especially in translating NDC commitments into bankable projects, coordinated action, and measurable progress. Persistent data gaps and the lack of systematic diagnostic tools have made it difficult to identify capacity constraints and track institutional readiness for NDC implementation.

To address this, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES), supported by CGIAR, developed the NDC Capacity Scorecard, a structured analytical tool designed to benchmark institutional capacities, identify priority areas, and inform technical assistance for NDC delivery.

The workshop held in Lilongwe marked the first country pilot of the NDC Capacity Scorecard in Southern Africa, allowing stakeholders to test its relevance, usability, and alignment with Malawi’s national priorities as the country advances its NDC 3.0 implementation.

Objectives

The two-day workshop aimed to bring together government institutions, development partners, civil society, and the private sector to pilot-test the NDC Capacity Scorecard in Malawi. Specifically, the workshop sought to:

• Introduce the NDC Capacity Scorecard, its structure, dimensions, and scoring methodology.

• Apply the tool through a participatory assessment of Malawi’s institutional readiness across financial, technical, governance, and monitoring & evaluation dimensions.

• Validate priority capacity gaps in line with Malawi’s NDC 3.0, National Climate Change Management Policy, National Framework for Water and Climate Services, and National Adaptation Plans.

• Identify lessons learned to refine and further develop the Scorecard.

• Lay the groundwork for scaling, positioning Malawi as a reference country for institutional NDC capacity diagnostics.

Expected Outcomes

The workshop generated several key outcomes:

• Diagnostic baseline of Malawi’s institutional capacity to implement NDC 3.0.

• Validated capacity priorities, including finance mobilization, monitoring and evaluation, and cross-sectoral coordination.

• Policy linkages between Scorecard outputs and national planning frameworks.

• Operational lessons learned for improving usability and relevance of the tool.

• Strengthened regional leadership, with Malawi serving as a pilot country in Africa for NDC capacity diagnostics.