At workshop in Yaounde: UNESCO empowers Central African stakeholders on climate-change project dev’t.

The workshop was organised at the UNESCO head office in Yaounde. The capacity building training, which ran from July 22 to 26, drew participants from five African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, and Chad.

According to organisers, the program was designed to address the numerous challenges faced by African countries, which, despite contributing only 4% of global emissions, are home to 60% of the nations most affected by climate change.

Enter organisers 

Speaking at the event, the Director of the Environmental Department at Senghor University, Etotépé A. Sogbohossou, highlighted the pressing challenges posed by climate change and the barriers to accessing available funding. 

“We have noticed that the effects of climate change and the problems it causes to society are significant. While there are finances ready to be utilised, the lack of awareness and expertise in project conception hinders access to these funds,” she explained.

The Director explained that the training workshop was inspired by the COP22 in Abidjan and was holding for the first time in Central Africa, adding that it will help the various stakeholders enhance their project development skills.

“…the goal is to help them understand how to conceive good projects on climate change that will attract financing,” the Director said, adding that: “An important part of this training is that we brought institutions that are at the heart of financing projects, like the African Development Bank”. 

Participants were educated on various topics, including understanding the context of results-based management and the general principles of development projects. 

It covers conducting essential needs analyses for project formulation and mastering project formulation tools such as intervention logic, budgeting, and planning. 

The trainees also learned to grasp climate change uncertainties and potential impacts, identify key issues and the instruments and actors involved, and develop strategies for adapting to and mitigating climate change. 

Participants laud initiative 

The workshop had 25 participants, with a gender composition of 17 men and eight women. Among the attendees was the Mayor of Fongo-Tongo in the Menoua Division of the West Region, Dongue Paul. 

Expressing his gratitude to UNESCO for organizing the workshop, he said: “In my capacity as Mayor, overseeing a community primarily engaged in agriculture, climate change is a major concern. It is imperative to gain knowledge on how to write projects that can secure funding to combat this phenomenon”.

The inclusion of representatives from the African Development Bank provided participants with insights into the availability of funds for climate action, emphasising the importance of effectively written and well-conceived projects.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3183 of Monday July 29, 2024