The first Sahara and Sahel Observatory GCF project for the benefit of Guinea Bissau takes shape.

Improving the climate resilience and food security of the most vulnerable populations in the coastal areas of Oio and Cacheu, through the adaptation of agricultural production systems, takes the center stage of the new project that will be implemented by the Sahara and Sahel Observatory in partnership with the GCF.

The OSS signed on friday, October 21, 2022, a 10M USD Funded Activity Agreement, allowing it to start its first Climate Change adaptation project financed by the Green Climate Fund. It will also be the first project implemented for the benefit of Guinea Bissau over a five-year period.

The signing ceremony was held in South Korea on the occasion of the 34th GCF Executive Board, with the presence of Mr. Yannick Glemarec, Executive Director of the GCF, who expressed his appreciation to the OSS endeavour for the project approval through a conceptualization and elaboration process made by its experts in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Biodiversity and Ajuda de Desenvolvimento de Povo para Povo (ADPP) Guinea Bissau in its capacity as the executing partner. He expressed his particular satisfaction with the relevance of the project topic and for mainstreaming gender.

During his speech, Mr. Nabil Ben Khatra, OSS Executive Secretary, reiterated the commitment of the whole team and emphasized that this project is a living proof that there is always a way  to achieve the expected targets through commitment, innovation and perseverance.

The project will support 82,450 direct beneficiaries, 70% of which are women, i.e. 4.6% of the country's population. It will also put special focus on ecosystem adaptation through the restoration of coastal mangrove forests.

Various national partners will support the project implementation on the ground, including : The Ministry of Agriculture, the State Secretariat for the Environment and Biodiversity, the General Directorate of Water Resources, the Instituto Nacional do Ambiente, the Instituto da Biodiversidade and ADPP.

The project official kick-off is due early next year.