The African Development Fund has approved a $14.64 million grant to accelerate climate resilience across the Sahel, with a strong focus on sustainable agriculture practices and regional food security. The financing comes through the Climate Action Window (http://apo-opa.co/43MyWLA), the African Development Bank Group’s climate-focused funding instrument.
Strengthening Seeds, Data Systems, and Climate Resilience
This new grant supports Project 2 of the Programme to Strengthen Resilience to Food and Nutrition Insecurity in the Sahel (P2-P2RS). The funding will expand the regional seed system by distributing high-yielding, climate-resilient seed varieties. Activities include updating the Regional Catalogue of Species and Varieties, building a business-to-business networking portal, and increasing the seed multiplication capacity of research institutions and seed companies to improve availability in climate-smart villages.
The initiative also enhances women’s and youth participation through targeted training programs, ensuring they can benefit from and contribute to sustainable agriculture practices.
Scaling Climate-Smart Villages Through Climate Adaptation Strategies
The approved resources will help strengthen communities’ ability to cope with increasing climate extremes. The project uses a dual model:
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Scaling climate-smart villages around hydro-agricultural infrastructure
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Increasing access to timely climate information to guide decisions
Through these climate adaptation strategies, the initiative will support 30 municipalities and create 60 new climate-smart villages across the Sahel. These villages will play a central role in advancing sustainable agriculture practices that protect soils, boost productivity, and reduce vulnerability to climate shocks.
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Improving Data Collection and Financial Support Programs
To complement agricultural interventions, the project includes upgrades to climate data systems. It will strengthen observation networks, improve real-time data collection, and launch an integrated digital platform for data management and sharing. A regional system for loss-and-damage monitoring will also be established, including standardized reporting and a multi-scale digital platform.
These improved systems reinforce financial support programs by providing reliable data for disaster response, resilience investments, and long-term development planning. They also help governments direct resources efficiently while supporting communities that depend on sustainable agriculture practices.
This story was first reported by African Development Fund. Read the full article here.
