Implementing regional and national adaptation priorities in Central and West Africa (PACO)

Countries in Western and Central Africa are extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change. At the same time, they often lack capacities, approaches and tools for higher resilience and better adaptation. Therefore, the project will improve abilities to adapt to climate change in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and the Republic of Congo. The project will work to build capacity within governments, civil society, municipalities and small and medium enterprises. In all four countries, small scale projects addressing specific adaptation needs will be implemented. The project will also work with the regional climate commissions in the Sahel and the Congo Basin, strengthening their organizational and institutional capacities. Good examples showcasing effective strategies can be taken up by national stakeholders for scaling up through national and international funding. Regional commissions can replicate best practices and proven approaches in other member countries, thus fostering south-south exchange and mutual learning.

Project data

Countries: Benin, Congo, Ivory Coast, Senegal
IKI funding: 19,632,346.91 €
Included preparation phase: 369,332.68 €
Duration: 01/2023 till 12/2027
Status: open
Implementing organisation: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Political Partner: Ministry for Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition MEDDTE

Ministry for Environment Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition (MINEDDTE)

Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and the Congo Basin

Ministry of Living Environment and Sustainable Development (MCVDD) - Benin
Implementing Partner: African Development Bank Group

Islamic Development Bank(IsDB)

National Fund for Environment and Climate (FNEC)

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung e.V. - PIK) - Germany

Sahel Region Climate Commission (CCRS)
Online: https://www.giz.de/de/weltweit/139191.html

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State of implementation/results

The third quarterly meeting of the PACO Management Committee (PMC) took place on 12/24 with participation of all consortium members. Discussions focused on Assessment of activities from 06-12/24, and outlook for 2025; Presentation of the operational digital monitoring tool (MIGITAL); Kick-off of output IV focusing on webinars to be organised by the Institute of Francophonie and Sustainable development.
Sénégal: Kick-off workshop and operational planning held in 09/24; The sectors of intervention (agriculture/water, fishery) and the local intervention zones were identified and validated. A third sector of intervention, biodiversity, is under discussion; Baselinestudies were finalised; PACO identified the National Committee on Climate Change, as national body responsible for managing and acting on climate change to receive support in gender mainstreaming and human capacity development.
Côte d'Ivoire: Kick-off workshop and operational planning held in 12/24. Sectors of intervention for PACO (agriculture, water, coastal zones) and the local intervention zones were identified and validated. Adaptation needs in one of the localities were identified to taylor project activities to the local needs; Baselinestudies were finalised; PACO identified the Commission to Combat Climate Change as potential national body for support to receive human capacity development and boost national gender mainstreaming througout adaptation related thematics.
Benin: Sector ministries took part in three capacity building sessions on using the national environmental information system. A total of 48 officials were trained; Suitable adaptation indicators (to climate change), identified from the National Adaptation Plan were integrated into the monitoring of sector ministries; Authorities in the local intervention zones were met to identify the need for adaptation to climate change. Currently, local subsidy to implement the identified measures are prepared. The national climate fund of Benin finished the preselection phase of the adaptation projects and chose nine projects for the final selection stage. PIK will assist the final selection stage on the ground and planned a field trip for 03/25 to visit the finalist projects.
The Climate Commission for the Sahel Region (CCRS) based in Niamey (Niger) is ready to play its key role in PACO after successfully implementing the local subsidy and improving its financial and administrative capacities. They will now realise major programme activities on the regional level concerning climate finance and the general strengthening of adaptation to climate change capabilities of nine of its member countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sénégal, Tchad).
MIGITAL to track and monitor PACO implementation across the four targeted countries is fully operational. MIGITAL is accessible for all PACO project- and consortium-members and relevant stakeholdersmigital.org) including a digital application version.

Latest Update:
05/2025