2011 Cif Partnership Forum - African Countries Are Ready for Cif Investments (AfDB)

African delegations from Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tunisia will attend the CIF (Climate Investment Funds) Partnership Forum on 24-25 June in Cape Town, South Africa to share experiences with fellow CIF pilot countries from around the world. Burkina Faso, the DRC, Morocco, Mozambique, and Zambia will also be there for the learning and to present their CIF investment plans and projects for approval at closed CIF committee meetings coupled with the forum. Kenya and Mali will also present their investment plans for initial feedback.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has helped all of these nations develop their investment plans and will be in Cape Town to help them take this next big step in their quest for green development.

Morocco will present to the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) Committee its project for a 125MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant at Ouarzazate. It represents the first project to be implemented from the MENA Region CTF Investment Plan, which aims to accelerate global deployment of CSP by investing in expansion programs in five countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. When implemented, this will be one of the largest concentrated solar power developments in the world, adding more than 1 gigawatt of solar power generation capacity to the Middle East and tripling today's global capacity of CSP.

Burkina Faso is set to present its investment plan to the Forest Investment Program (FIP) Sub-Committee for approval. It is requesting USD 30 million to implement projects designed to promote decentralized, sustainable forest management that supports wider stakeholder participation and deeper appreciation of the forest value chain. The AfDB expects to channel about half of the FIP funds to Burkina Faso, along with its own co-financing, to support investments in national forests and nature parks and their administration.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will also present its USD 60 million FIP investment plan for approval. DRC was selected as a FIP pilot country due to its advanced stage in the 'preparation for REDD+' process, demonstrated by its being the first country in the Congo Basin with an approved Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP). Its FIP investment plan has been informed by national REDD objectives on afforestation and reforestation, subsistence agriculture, land use planning, land and forest tenure, improved wood-fuel stoves, and district-level integrated development.

Mozambique will present its investment plan to the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) Sub-Committee for approval. It aims to mainstream climate change in central budgets and planning, sectoral investments, and the private sector. It will hinge on Mozambique's NAPA priorities to 1) strengthen early warning systems; 2) build the capacity of farmers to deal with climate change; 3) reduce the impacts of climate change along the coastal zone; and 4) improve water resources management. The AfDB has helped execute several studies, including the Strategic Environmental and Social Environmental Assessment (SESIA) of the investment plan, an institutional assessment and public expenditures review, and a coastal cities vulnerability study among others.

Zambia is also presenting its PPCR investment plan for approval. The AfDB has been working closely with the government of Zambia and other partners to develop a PPCR investment strategy in line with national development priorities, including strengthening early warning weather systems, integrating climate resilience in infrastructure planning and investments, and strengthening the adaptive capacity and livelihood of farmers and natural ecosystems in the most affected areas of southern and western Zambia.

Kenya and Mali will both offer drafts of their investment plans to the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program in Low Income Countries (SREP) Sub-Committee for feedback. Kenya could benefit from up to USD 50 million in SREP financing and Mali up to USD 40 million to pilot and demonstrate the economic, social and environmental viability of low carbon development pathways in the energy sector by creating new economic opportunities and increasing energy access through the use of renewable energy solutions.