22nd March 2023 In News

New Research Codifying Climate Finance Access Constraints: A case study of southern African institutions seeking to mobilise GCF resources

Phase III of the Southern Africa Climate Finance Partnership (SACFP) was implemented by SSN from March 2020 to February 2023, with funding support from the International Development Research Center (IDRC). This phase of the programme presented an innovative opportunity to bring researchers to the coal face of implementation, where novel groups of climate finance practitioners are grappling with the many practical challenges of mobilising GCF resources for the first time.

Through the knowledge and innovation broking methodology of the SACFP, practitioners have been exploring opportunities to scale up climate finance access in the region. A key research output from this phase of the programme has been the surfacing and codifying of internal constraint factors that impact institutional capacity and individual capability to mobilise international climate finance. The Codifying Climate Finance Access Constraints: A case study of southern African institutions seeking to mobilise GCF resources policy brief is available for download on the SACFP Knowledge Portal.

Through an extensive and deeply participatory capacity needs assessment process, followed by iterative engagements and validation processes over the course of the phase, the programme enabled practitioners to codify new knowledge relating to the constraining and limiting factors they face, as well as the opportunities to overcome these factors through collaborative learning and partnership approaches.

Individuals or organisations who believe that direct access to international climate finance by local institutions is a vital component of attaining national ownership of climate change project portfolios would be interested in the findings of this research. The research points to several categories of constraints that need to be addressed to unlock effective direct access to GCF resources. It is likely that the lessons learned by entities seeking direct access in southern Africa are relevant to those entities seeking direct access elsewhere in the world.

The SACFP team is greatly heartened by the drive, energy and commitment of a growing group of climate finance practitioners in the region. We believe that this group holds within them the potential to play a significant role in the scaling up of climate interventions across southern Africa. Although Phase III of the SACFP has come to an end, the team looks forward to welcoming collaboration with new funding partners who share our mission to mobilise greater direct access to climate finance in the region. The SACFP has proven to be a successful methodology for advancing this mission. Further knowledge outputs from this phase of the programme are forthcoming, and readers are invited to keep an eye out for these on the following channels:

For any questions or comments, please contact: sacfp@southsouthnorth.org