The African Union Commission has trained representatives of Ministries of Water from African Union (AU) Member States in developing Climate Resilient Water Investment Programmes and Green Climate Fund Projects. The training which preceded the AU-AIP Water Investment Summit, took place from 11 to 12 August 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Representatives of various AU Member States who attended the training pose for a group photo
The AUC organized the training in collaboration with GiZ, Green Climate Fund, and GWP Africa. The training was financed by the European Union as part of the Blue Africa Transboundary Water Management Action; German Technical Cooperation (GiZ); Green Climate Fund (GCF) as part of the AU AIP Multi-Country GCF Readiness project; Afreximbank; and the Regional Climate Resilience Project (RCRP-2) which is financed by the World Bank .
The training aimed at:
1️⃣ Training the focal persons on preparing project concept notes for GCF investment
2️⃣ Providing support in developing a climate-resilient water investment project
pipelines
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) estimates that Africa will need an investment of over US$3 trillion in mitigation and adaptation by 2030 to effectively implement its Nationally Determined Contributions. The biggest challenge is how to mobilise this huge financial resource, as African countries have limited capacities in preparing bankable projects to mobilise resources for taking climate actions.
In response to the existing huge gap in water investment in Africa as well as the capacity limitations of Member States to prepare water projects to access climate finance, the African Union Commission, through the Directorate for Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy (SEBE), has been implementing projects with the main aim of strengthening capacities of Member States in accessing climate finance.
The projects include the following:
(a) The AU-AIP Multi-Country GCF Readiness Support with the main goal of strengthening capacities of countries for climate-resilient water investment planning and project preparation to take climate actions. The project is financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
(b) The Blue Africa Action on Transboundary Water Management which is supported by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) which also has component for enhancing investment in climate resilient water security in Africa.
Officially opening the Africa Regional Training on Developing Climate Resilient Water Investment Programs and Green Climate Fund Projects, Mr. Harsen Nyambe, Director, Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy at the AUC noted that guidelines for developing National Climate Resilient Water Investment Programmes are already in use by some countries.
He further underscored ongoing efforts, such as the AU-AIP Multi-Country GCF Readiness Support Project, the Blue Africa Transboundary Water Management Action, and the Regional Climate Resilience Program, are helping Member States strengthen capacities, enhance investments, and improve sector monitoring to access climate finance and build resilience.
During the training, Sten Schurer, GIZ Implementation Manager for the Global Programme ‘Water Security’ highlighted the impact of the Blue Africa Action which focuses on Transboundary Water Management in Africa and is Funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and implemented together with the African Union Commission and the Secretariat of the African Ministers Council on Water.
“This single Action is part of a much larger Team Europe Initiative on Transboundary Water Management in Africa. This Initiative provides a framework for coordinated action between EU Member States, EU institutions and African partners, which currently contains 51 ongoing projects on the African Continent. To be more concrete, we currently intend, under the Blue Africa Action, to support 5 African Member States in the development of their National Water Investment Programmes and Resource Mobilization Strategies, to attain sustainable and long-lasting investments in their national water sector. We will do this in close cooperation with the African Water Investment Programme, and its Multi-Country Readiness Programme,” explained Sten Schurer, GIZ Implementation Manager for the Global Programme ‘Water Security.
On his part, Mr. Alex Simalabwi, Global Water Partnership CEO, commended African Union Member States for submitting a strategic portfolio of over 80 transformative water and climate-resilient infrastructure projects, which was showcased during the AU- AIP Africa Water Investment Summit 2025 in Cape Town for potential funding & investment.
The pipeline represents a diverse and dynamic portfolio with a total project cost exceeding USD 30 billion. The projects span all stages of development, from early concept to those already under construction. The initiatives cover a wide range of subsectors, including water supply and sanitation, multipurpose infrastructure, flood management, early warning systems, aquaculture, integrated water resources management (IWRM), nature-based solutions, traditional knowledge and conflict management, energy and energy efficiency, and water transport.
Member States indicated that they now have a better understanding and knowledge of how to prepare projects for GCF Investment and received technical support to advance their national climate resilient development processes. Participating Member States also shared knowledge and experiences around climate-resilient water investment and financing.