$21.5 million funding from AfDB for climate change mitigation project in DRC

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a US$21.5 million Forest Investment Program (FIP) grant to support climate change mitigation initiatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The aim of the project is to facilitate the reduction of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions from deforestation and forest degradation as well as help to reduce poverty in the Mbuji-Mayi, Kananga and Kisangani basins.

The AfDB and Congo are looking to build on the successful  Forest Investment Plan that was approved and implemented by the Forest Investment Program in June 2011.

It will pilot an integrated approach to REDD+ (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, maintenance and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries), in degraded savannah area as well as closed forest area.

It will look to address the main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, and in particular land tenure security, agriculture, forestry and bio based energy sources.

Relying on land-use planning and Payment for Environmental Services (PES) as the main implementation modalities, the activities will be implemented through in-kind PES, based on the communities’ compliance with agreed land-use plans. Results-based cash payments will also be used for tree planting activities instead of conventional work remuneration.

The project is aligned with the objectives of the fourth pillar of the DRC’s 2012-2016 Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (GPRSP-2), which focuses on environmental and natural resource management and protection and climate change control in terms of mitigation and adaptation. The focus on green and inclusive growth aims at protecting livelihoods, improving food security, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources and stimulating innovation and job creation.

It is also consistent with the cross-cutting objectives of AfDB’s 2013-2017 CSP for the DRC, in particular, capacity-building in the areas of natural resource governance and the promotion of climate resilience. The project is also in keeping with the Bank’s poverty reduction and environmental protection mission.

The total cost of the five-year project is estimated at US$22.10 million. It will be financed with the FIP grant (97.3%) and beneficiaries’ contributions amounting to US $0.60 million (2.7 per cent). The direct beneficiaries are estimated at 50,000 households or 400,000 people.

The GHG emission reduction likely to be achieved by the project over 25 years is estimated to be about 4 million tons of CO2-equivalent.