Namibia is in the process of reviewing four major climate funding concept notes worth N$10.5 billion, ahead of a planned submission to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a senior government official has confirmed.
According to Petrus Muteyauli, Deputy Director for Multilateral Environmental Agreements in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, the funding proposals have been developed by key institutions seeking accreditation as direct access entities to the GCF. These include the Development Bank of Namibia, Agribank, Bank Windhoek, and the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), with the ministry itself accredited as a delivery partner.
“In order to speed up further access to climate finance, the entities seeking accreditation as direct access entities have each proposed a concrete and impactful programme for funding from the Green Climate Fund,” said Muteyauli.
The proposed initiatives cover a range of sectors, including agriculture, energy, and water infrastructure, all aimed at increasing Namibia’s climate resilience.
Agribank has proposed the “Climate-Smart Agriculture Transformation Facility”, a N$4.69 billion (USD 250 million) project that aims to build resilience in the agricultural sector through climate-adaptive production systems and integrated value chains.
The Development Bank of Namibia’s proposal, “Enhancing Water Security in Municipalities”, also valued at USD 250 million (N$4.69 billion), seeks to address water scarcity in urban areas, exacerbated by climate change, by investing in efficient distribution systems and wastewater treatment.
Bank Windhoek’s “Clean Energy Facility”, valued at N$938.5 million, is focused on decarbonising the national energy supply by supporting investments in renewable energy, low-carbon transport, and energy-efficient technologies.
Meanwhile, the Namibia Nature Foundation has submitted a N$187.7 million proposal titled “Promoting Climate-Resilient Regenerative Agriculture in Namibia’s Communal Farming Areas”. The project aims to improve food security, restore degraded land, and boost incomes in northern Namibia through climate-smart, regenerative farming practices.
Muteyauli noted that Namibia’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement includes a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 65% from a business-as-usual baseline and to enhance carbon sink capacity by approximately 5,000 metric tonnes.
“To achieve this, we need enhanced access to finance, technology, and capacity-building,” he said.
He further revealed that over the past decade, Namibia has mobilised around N$4 billion in climate finance from multilateral and bilateral sources. “Most of the funding came from the Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility, Special Climate Fund, and the Adaptation Fund,” said Muteyauli.
Currently, Namibia has climate projects under implementation valued at approximately N$1.3 billion, underscoring the country’s commitment to climate resilience and sustainable development.
