Yaounde: Climate professionals trained to boost financing for Lake Chad Basin conservation.

The initiative is aimed at building capacities for the mobilisation of climate finance and sustainable investment in nature-based solutions.

The event brought together over 20 participants drawn from government departments, financial institutions and civil society organisations. They received training on how to design bankable climate projects and how to access funding opportunities for nature-based climate solutions. 

According to the organisers, the workshop seeks to address the increasing environmental and climate-related pressures on the Lake Chad Basin, particularly in wetland areas where biodiversity loss and resource degradation are advancing rapidly. 

“Our aim was to share with participants the necessary resources linked to the funding of nature-based solutions. The trainees were drilled on how to come up with bankable projects that are climate-sensitive. At the end of the workshop, they are expected to present such projects to financing institutions,” PCBLT manager, Mohamadou Oumarou explained

He further emphasised the urgency of protecting Lake Chad Basin resources. He noted that continued degradation of ecosystems in the region worsens the vulnerability of local populations, particularly women and youth, who depend directly on water, land and forest resources for their survival.

United Nations estimates indicate that Lake Chad has shrunk by about 90 percent since the 1960s, affecting the livelihoods of nearly 30 million people across Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. PCBLT, a Canadian-funded initiative was established to strengthen the climate resilience of ecosystems and marginalised communities in the Lake Chad region. 

The project is implemented by Alinea International in collaboration with the Lake Chad Basin Commission, LCBC. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3622 of Wednesday November 12, 2025