Namibia bags N$300 million for climate change- gun for a further N$450 million at next board meet

Namibia will get N$300 million from the Green Climate Funding (GCF), the financial mechanism under the UNFCCC and in the Paris Agreement, after two of its projects to address climate change in Namibia were approved at the 14th meeting of the Board held in South Korea last week.
The projects were submitted by the national accredited entity, the Environmental Investment Fund. Out of the 85 pipeline proposals submitted to GCF from around the world, only 10 were approved and of those 10, Namibia managed to bag funds for two projects.
Speaking earlier this week on the achievement at a joint briefing, Environment Minister, Hon Pohamba Shifeta said the approved projects will be implemented over a period of five years, and will commence on 1 February 2017 and run until 2021.
According to Shifeta, one of the projects is centred around climate-smart agriculture and resilience for the north-eastern regions.
“The N$150 million conservation agriculture project will be implemented in Zambezi, Kavango East and Kavango West as part of food security and self reliance,” he said.
Shifeta said the aim of the project is to reduce food insecurity and reduce vulnerability to climate risks and threats, while increasing the adaptive capacity, well-being and resilience of vulnerable small-scale farming communities threatened by climate variability and change.
Furthermore he said the project will directly and indirectly benefit 16,000 farmers and will be executed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry.
Meanwhile, the second approved project is a grants facility for Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM). The project, Empower to Adapt: Promoting resilient community-based natural resource management, will also get N$150 million and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism will take centre stage.
Shifeta said that the goal of the project is to ensure that local communities within CBNRM areas have reduced vulnerability and increased resilience to the anticipated negative impacts of climate change, especially in the conservancies. The overall project is envisaged to benefit in excess of 62,000 people.
Also at the brief, Agriculture Minister, John Mutorwa said the two projects will give the country added hope. “We expect the two projects to contribute significantly to the sustainability of our natural resources, improve food security and build capacities for our crop growing farmers and forest resource users,” he said.
Mutorwa further commended the team that managed to bag the funds through the proposals. “It is evident that we have the people and competencies to develop good proposals within our institutions,” he said. Shifeta added that the Environment Investment Fund is looking to mobilize further resources to the tune of N$450 million for three projects to be tabled to the Green Climate Fund during its next Board meeting.