Africa

Region: Africa

Africa:

Projects
109
Resources
162
Stories
319
Feature
12th September 2025
Devolving climate finance: Lessons from a Kenya-Nepal peer exchange on locally-led adaptation The following blog by Rahul Singh, Esperanza Karaho and Megh Dhoj Adhikari, explores Kenya’s devolved climate finance model, which empowers local communities to lead climate adaptation planning and implementation. A peer‑exchange led by CDKN enabled Nepalese municipal and provincial representatives to observe Kenya’s approach firsthand, which, if implemented in Nepal could help bridge its local funding gaps.
Feature
3rd September 2025
From flood maps to mind maps: Participatory systems modelling of floods in Limbe, Cameroon  In Limbe, Cameroon, flooding is not just caused by heavy rainfall. Rather from a complex interplay of land-use decisions, poor waste management, weak governance and a lack of infrastructure. Tackling this requires a systems‑thinking approach. The following blog by Dr Lum Sonita Awah, a postdoctoral Fellow at the University of the Free State and an early career research fellow with CDKN, shares how participatory systems modelling can be used to create holistic approaches to flood mitigation and management.
Feature
12th August 2025
Brokering justice in a changing climate: Amplifying African youth voices as pathways for transformation On this International Youth Day, we celebrate African youth across the continent that are stepping forward to advocate for transformative climate justice through storytelling, creative media, and community-led projects. From mental health awareness in Ghana to Indigenous gardening in South Africa and eco-feminist art in Uganda, these 12 young leaders are helping reshape policy, culture, and practice. The following blog, authored by Zizipho Royi and Nadia Sitas, demonstrates that resilient and equitable climate futures become possible when youth are treated as active agents of change.
Active
Project
Active
Gender equity and social inclusion (GESI): Priority action area

The GESI priority area focuses on empowering those most affected by climate change, including women, girls, youth, Indigenous communities, people living with disabilities (PLWD), and other disadvantaged groups.

Feature
3rd July 2025
Integrating Indigenous knowledge into environmental policies for sustainable forest management in Benin This blog, written by Ferdinand Ayimasse, Esdras Obossou and Edmond Totin, highlights SURVIE NGO’s collaborative project in southern Benin, where Indigenous knowledge from sacred forest traditions is being integrated into national biodiversity policy through multi‑stakeholder co‑production dialogues. By engaging traditional leaders, government bodies, NGOs, and local communities, the initiative aims to bridge cultural and institutional gaps, advocating for legal frameworks, public awareness, and co-governance models to sustainably protect forests and cultural heritage.
Resource
30th June 2025
Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) training manual for Ethiopian practitioners   This Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) training manual is a key resource for the Ministry of Planning and Development of Ethiopia and its partner institutions. It provides guidance to GESI experts (and facilitators) on how to plan, prepare for, and conduct training on GESI integration in the design and implementation of development and climate change projects.
Resource
29th June 2025
Technical briefs: Building water resilience in Kenya These five technical briefs outline the key findings and recommendations derived from a comprehensive functionality and governance study that assessed public good climate investments in water infrastructure implemented through the County Climate Change Fund (CCCF) mechanism across five counties in Kenya.
Feature
29th June 2025
Hope, action, and resilience: The future of Nairobi’s informal settlements in the hands of young leaders What do 30 young leaders from Muungano wa Wanavijiji, representing different informal settlements in Nairobi, envision for their communities, and how do they plan to get there? This blog co-authored by Sarah Ouma, Kevin Stanley Mburu, Lucia Scodanibbio, Christine Wambui, Jacob Omondi, Zizipho Royi, explores the inspiring visions these young people shared at a recent knowledge brokering workshop, highlighting their commitment to driving change.
Feature
12th June 2025
Improving local access to climate finance: Lessons from the CDKN Namibia country programme This blog, by Amanda April and Margaret Angula, dives into the critical challenge of ensuring climate finance effectively reaches local communities in Namibia. It examines the complexities of current funding flows, highlighting significant barriers and offering practical recommendations to bridge the gap between national climate goals and essential on-the-ground adaptation efforts.
News
20th May 2025
CDKN at Rise Africa Festival 2025 The Rise Africa Festival 2025 takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 25-29 May. CDKN will be co-convening a two-day workshop on 29 and 30 May to explore human rights-based approaches (HRBA) for biodiversity and climate action in cities.
Feature
10th April 2025
Bridging Indigenous and Western knowledge systems for inclusive forest-based resilience in Benin Rooted in cultural and spiritual traditions, sacred forests offer unique opportunities for conservation. This feature article by Edmond Totin, Esdras Obossou, and Ferdinand Ayimasse highlights the Knowledge-to-Action (K2A) project in Benin, led by the NGO SURVIE de la Mère et de l’Enfant. The K2A initiative aims to integrate Indigenous Knowledge and sacred forest management into biodiversity and climate policies across six districts.
Feature
2nd April 2025
What does a just transition mean for Africa? The concept of a just transition is not new and has been around since the 1980s when it was used by Trade Unions to draw attention to the social effects of environmental measures (United Nations, 2023). In the context of climate change, it aims to ensure that no one is left behind, or excluded, in the transition to environmentally sustainable and low-carbon economies.