DR Congo signs grant agreement with GCF in Paris

The Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday signed a readiness grant agreement with the Green Climate Fund, providing USD 300,000 for capacity building in the African State.

The agreement was signed in the presence of H.E. Robert Bopolo Mbongeza, Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Sustainable Development, at the GCF stand during the Paris COP talks.

The funding will help DR Congo prepare to access investment funding from GCF for mitigation and adaptation projects. DR Congo was ranked as the poorest country in the world in 2013, and the newly established Ministry of Environment currently needs to build its institutional capacity, including the technical and operational skills to engage with the Fund.

The agreement will support the strengthening of DR Congo’s National Designated Authority (NDA), consultations with stakeholders across the country, and preparation of a country programme as part of the framework for engagement with the Fund.

The contract was signed by Hans Andre L. Djamba, NDA Authority Coordinator from the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Sustainable Development of DR Congo. The delivery partner for the work is Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE), which was represented by Déthié Soumaré Ndiaye, Coordinator of the CSE Climate Finance Unit.

The grant agreement follows the signing of a similar agreement with Guyana earlier this week, as the Fund’s readiness programme swings into action. 95 countries have expressed an interest in the programme, and more than 30 such programmes have been agreed to date.

GCF provides early support for readiness and preparatory activities to enhance country ownership and access through its country readiness programme. A minimum of 50 per cent of readiness support is targeted at Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and African States.