In Africa’s rural landscapes, livestock is more than just an economic asset—it is a lifeline, a cultural legacy, and a ladder out of poverty for millions. But today, that lifeline is under threat.
Climate change is reshaping rangelands, worsening water scarcity, and increasing the frequency of droughts and floods — putting entire pastoral communities at risk. Meanwhile, Africa’s livestock sector remains largely invisible in global adaptation finance flows.
Adaptation is a priority for the African continent, and we explored how climate adaptation funds can drive transformational change and build systemic resilience.
That’s about to change.
AGNES is proud to announce a new partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Bonn Secretariat Office to implement a transformative project: “Strengthening Capacities to Access Climate Adaptation Finance for Climate-Resilient Livestock Production Systems”.
The project being piloted in Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia aims to build the skills, systems, and strategies necessary to unlock financing opportunities for one of the most climate-vulnerable sectors on the continent – the livestock sector. Climate-resilient livestock production systems can also be a pathway to achieving the Paris Agreement goals.
At the heart of this initiative is a powerful idea: African countries already have the expertise — they just need the support to enhance their capacities in project conceptualisation to implementation on the ground. It is premised on the shared commitment – across actors on the ground and implementing agencies as well as long-term systems change.
“It’s a full-circle solution—from ideation to proposal development, from partnerships to funding pipelines, and from negotiations to implementation as envisaged under the Sharm el Sheikh Joint Work on Agriculture and Food Security,” says Dr. George Wamukoya, AGNES Team Lead.
Working through her NDC Delivery Lab, the project will support strengthening the capacities of National Expert Teams in the following aspects:
- Conduct baseline assessments and identify adaptation needs in the livestock sector,
- Develop climate rationale and investment-ready project concepts that reshape how we approach climate solutions in the livestock sector.
- Engage development partners and public and private funding institutions, including MDBs, private sector and philanthropy, among others, and
- Translate proposals into funding pipelines aligned with climate-resilient development pathways.
This collective effort to rethink project design for lasting impact is fundamental and informed by the commitment to integrated solutions and peer learning.
AGNES is optimistic about this innovative approach as a way of transforming livestock production and management systems in a changing climate.