Africa: African Development Fund Grants $4.3 Million to Strengthen Integration of Natural Capital Into Decision-Making in 13 African Countries

What the report says

The African Development Fund, the concessional lending arm of the African Development Bank Group, has approved a $4.23 million grant to support the second phase of a project aimed at bringing natural capital into development financing and decision-making across Africa. AllAfrica, citing the African Development Bank, reported that the effort covers 13 countries: Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

According to the report, the project is designed to improve the policy, statistical, institutional and knowledge systems needed to value natural resources and use that information in public planning and financial decisions. It will include policy support, technical assistance, assessments of statistical readiness, biodiversity financing tools, pilot initiatives, capacity building and peer learning. The implementation period is set for October 2026 through September 2029.

The bank said the initiative involves in-kind support from partners including WWF, Germany’s GIZ, the African Union Development Agency–NEPAD, the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the UN Environment Programme, along with contributions from the participating countries. African Development Bank official Innocent Onah said the project is intended to support climate-resilient, nature-friendly and inclusive development by helping countries better measure and manage natural wealth.

In broader context, natural capital refers to ecosystems and resources such as forests, land, water and biodiversity that can be accounted for alongside traditional economic measures. The project’s backers say better valuation could strengthen development planning and help attract green investment.