Stockholm, Sweden - The African Water Facility (AWF) announced today at the Stockholm World Water Week 2014 its new partnership with the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) as it joins the AWF donor community through a € 6 million funding. The NDF will also be providing technical support to assist with the management of water projects designed to build resilience to climate change across the African continent.
The primary objective of NDF's operations is to facilitate investments in low-income countries that address the causes and consequences of climate change. This partnership with AWF aligns well with NDF’s Strategy 2014-2015, which emphasis increased support to climate change-related activities in Africa.
“NDF is excited about the collaboration with African Water Facility. AWF has a good track record, and its host, the African Development Bank is a key actor in supporting development in Africa. NDF’s climate change activities and its experience from various innovative climate finance programs and instruments is -through this arrangement- brought to benefit from the work of AWF”, said Pasi Hellman, Managing Director of the Nordic Development Fund. “AWF has a great understanding of the water and climate-related concerns affecting Africa, and has shown good leveraging ability for water investments in the region.”
Through this partnership, NDF will expand its impact in Africa through AWF projects, which aim at mobilising of resources to boost the development of the water sector, promoting water knowledge and enhancing water governance.
“We are excited to welcome the Nordic Development Fund as a member of our donor community” said Akissa Bahri, Coordinator of the African Water Facility. “The NDF brings tremendous knowledge and worldwide experience in sustainable development and climate change, and we look forward to working closely with the NDF team to explore innovative ways to strengthen the African water sector.”
Given the NDF’s vast climate change know-how, the AWF will be able to draw upon the Fund’s experience in designing and managing climate change projects on the continent. This will be done via the technical expertise the NDF will deploy to assist with the selection, preparation and implementation of climate-smart projects that the AWF will fund following the call for climate and water related project proposals announced simultaneously today.
More detailed information about this call for proposals and application requirements is available on the AWF website at www.africanwaterfacility.org/en/callclimate/