SCALA Niger

Project details

Introduction

Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa with over 80 percent if its land is lying in the Sahara, being classified as a mostly arid and semi-arid country. As one of the fastest growing populations and one of the poorest of the world, Niger has been experiencing chronic food insecurity, exacerbated by political insecurity, climate change and epidemics. Violence, sometimes related to the scarcity of natural resources, has partly fuelled a humanitarian crisis. Its economy relies heavily on agriculture, which accounts for over 40 percent of the GDP and is considered an unstable and high-risk activity.

More than 80 percent of Niger's population depends on agriculture, and small-scale farmers are the most directly affected by climate variability, being exposed to desertification, sandstorms, increased temperatures, variability in rainfall patterns, droughts, floods, locusts, and crop diseases. Agriculture is primarily rainfed and subsistence with less than 1 percent of arable land irrigated, with decreasing productivity soils highly sensitive to water and wind erosion because of major arid desert planes and sand dunes areas. These events adversely impact livelihoods, productivity, and economic growth.

Country Climate Plans

In 2013, Niger adopted the National Policy on Climate Change (PNCC), setting up a framework for mitigation and adaptation in the country. In 2014, the country started its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process with the support of the UNDP-UNEP National Adaptation Plan Global Support Programme, which was followed by financial support from the Green Climate Fund for a NAP Readiness project from 2018-2021.

In 2016, Niger ratified the Paris Agreement and submitted its first nationally determined contribution (NDC), prioritizing agriculture, livestock, and forestry sectors, which represent close to 89 percent of GHG emissions. The revised NDC submitted in 2021 raised Niger’s ambitions in terms of adaptation and mitigation based on new estimates of emissions for key sectors AFOLU (Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use) and energy. The NDC, which is aligned to the Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth Strategy (SDDCI- Niger 2035) and the Economic and Social Development Plan (PDES) 2017-2021, will contribute to ensure food security, promote the sustainable management of natural resources and renewable energies, strengthen the resilience of ecosystems and communities, combat poverty and reduce GHG emissions.

In 2021, the country formulated The Strategy to Mobilize Private Sector Finance, aiming to increase the involvement of the private sector in climate change adaptation and resilience actions, and strengthen the financial capacities of private companies and private financiers. Niger is currently finalizing its NAP. As part of the support from the NAP Green Climate Fund project, private sector engagement was also explored, and a strategy drafted in 2020.

In July 2022, the Government of Niger expressed their interest in receiving support from the SCALA programme, which supports countries to build adaptive capacity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet targets set out in their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

Project details

Niger’s Strategy to Mobilize Private Sector Finance strategically aligns with the SCALA PSE Facility, particularly:

Axis 1. Mobilization and engagement of private companies and business organizations in the planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of adaptation programmes and projects through the creation of a permanent special technical commission on private sector financing and public-private partnerships.

Axis 2. Inventory update of companies operating in the AFOLU sectors, assessment of financing needs, as well as identification of promising sectors of interest to companies.

To attain these objectives, and to strategically contribute to the country’s national targets, Niger requests assistance to help achieve priority activities across Axes 1 and 2 of the Strategy to Mobilize Private Sector Finance. The intervention includes conducting a private sector and ecosystem mapping for the livestock/meat and leather sectors, an analysis of private sector engagement opportunities, barriers and de-risking solutions, and a validation workshop. It is expected the intervention can support the design of climate-resilient and gender responsive interventions and the implementation of Niger’s NDC and NAP.