The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved $72.8 million in funding for eight environmental and climate-focused projects across seven African countries, as part of a broader $232.5 million financing package endorsed during its 71st Council meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The investment targets climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, and flood protection, reflecting growing global attention on climate vulnerability in Africa.
The funded initiatives are spread across Botswana, Eritrea, Sudan, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Togo. These projects aim to strengthen resilience in rural and urban communities facing increasing climate risks such as droughts, floods, and land degradation, while also supporting food security and sustainable land use practices.
The largest allocations include $9 million for the Democratic Republic of the Congo to enhance climate resilience in rural agricultural communities across four provinces. Guinea-Bissau also received $9 million to strengthen coastal and urban resilience against climate impacts, while Senegal secured $8.9 million for flood adaptation projects in the Niayes region and Dakar metropolitan area.
Sudan received the highest combined funding of $16.2 million across two projects. These initiatives focus on restoring degraded dryland ecosystems, improving climate-resilient livelihoods, and promoting climate-smart agribusiness and sustainable natural resource management in key regions including River Nile and Northern States.
Additional funding includes $8.4 million for Eritrea to support sustainable land management in a degraded watershed, $6.3 million for ecosystem restoration in Botswana, and $5.7 million for Zimbabwe to develop biodiversity-based enterprises while improving management of protected and communal landscapes.
The approvals come at a time when African countries are experiencing rising economic and environmental pressures due to extreme weather events and ecosystem loss. According to international assessments, climate adaptation financing needs in developing countries are expected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars annually by 2030, far exceeding current global funding levels.
Many of the approved projects are directly linked to agriculture and food security, with a strong focus on improving farming system resilience through climate-smart agriculture, sustainable land practices, and ecosystem restoration across countries such as the DRC, Sudan, Eritrea, and Senegal.
This funding round marks the final work programme under the GEF’s eighth replenishment cycle. Member countries have also outlined priorities for the upcoming funding phase, which will mobilize $3.9 billion between 2026 and 2030, with a stronger emphasis on integrated solutions linking food systems, biodiversity, climate resilience, and sustainable development.
Since its establishment in 1991, the Global Environment Facility has provided over $27 billion in grants and leveraged around $155 billion in co-financing for environmental projects worldwide. With the new funding cycle approaching, climate-resilient agriculture and ecosystem restoration are expected to remain key priorities across Africa.
