Countries in Western and Central Africa are extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, but often lack the capacities and adequate tools for higher resilience and better adaptation. In addition, comprehensive climate risk analyses are lacking, and the evidence of adaptation effectiveness is limited. PACO aims to support countries in the region to implement their adaptation priorities and thereby improve their abilities to adapt to climate change, focusing in particular on Benin, Republic of Congo, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal. The project will work to build capacity within governments, civil society, municipalities and small and medium enterprises. In all four countries, small scale projects addressing specific adaptation needs will be implemented and their effectiveness evaluated. PACO will also work with the regional climate commissions in the Sahel and the Congo Basin, strengthening their organizational and institutional capacities. Further good examples showcasing effective strategies will be identified to be taken up by national stakeholders for scaling up through national and international funding. These best practices and proven approaches can also be replicated by regional commissions in other member countries, thus fostering south-south exchange and mutual learning.
To foster resilience to climate change in the West and Central African partner countries, the PACO project will implement adaptation priorities in line with the target countries NDCs and NAPs. Outputs of the project include I) Regional support and coordination - The Climate Commissions for the Sahel Region (CCRS) and the Congo Basin (CCBC) will support and upscale climate resilience of their member states in line with international agendas, II) Climate Governance -The four target countries strengthen their national climate governance frameworks and adaptive capacities of key stakeholders, III) Sectoral approaches - Public and private investors implement transformative actions in priority sectors of the target countries' NAPs/NDCs to improve climate-resilient sectoral productivity and IV) South-South collaboration - Key stakeholders engage in South-South collaboration and exchange experiences relevant to technology transfer.
PIK will provide climate risk assessments for the target countries and support the scientific evaluation of the implemented adaptation projects (e.g. through randomized controlled trials), which in turn will inform key decision-makers. Through technical input and close collaboration with local research partners and other stakeholders PIK will foster knowledge co-production and exchange.
