ABIDJAN, Aug 5 – The African Development Fund has approved $4.23 million grant to help 13 African countries integrate natural resources into economic planning and development financing decisions.
The project, which will run from October 2026 to September 2029, aims to strengthen how governments measure, manage and account for natural capital, including ecosystems, biodiversity and other environmental assets, when designing public policies and investment strategies.
The initiative covers Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The African Development Fund, the concessional financing arm of the African Development Bank Group, said the project will support countries in improving policy frameworks, statistical systems, institutional capacity and knowledge mechanisms needed to incorporate natural capital into development planning.
The programme will include technical assistance, assessments of statistical readiness, biodiversity financing tools, pilot projects to measure green wealth, capacity building and peer-learning activities.
The project will be implemented with support from partner institutions including the World Wildlife Fund, Germany’s development cooperation agency GIZ, the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the United Nations Environment Programme.
The African Development Bank Group said better integration of natural capital into decision-making could help countries build climate-resilient economies, improve development financing decisions and attract green investment.
“In the long term, this could lead to tangible improvements in the development of the target countries in terms of gross domestic product growth, increased foreign direct investment inflows, economic development, poverty reduction, improved employment, economic competitiveness, and financial and economic risk ratings,” said Innocent Onah, chief natural resources officer at the African Development Bank Group.
The initiative reflects growing efforts among African governments and development institutions to measure the economic value of natural resources while addressing climate risks and biodiversity loss.
