The Government of The Gambia reiterated their commitment to adaptation to climate change in Banjul yesterday, committing to scale-up existing resilience-building activities using the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility as part of a new government-owned ‘LoCAL+’ action. The announcement is significant as it illustrates the degree of government ownership of LoCAL as an effective mechanism for channeling climate finance to communities for locally led adaptation.

Ministers shared the proposal at a meeting of the National Steering Committee (NSC) for implementation of the Jobs, Skills and Finance for Women and Youth in The Gambia Programme, or JSF Programme, which wraps up later this year. The JSF Programme, funded by the European Union, provided funds and an opportunity to pilot LoCAL in The Gambia. Such is the success of the LoCAL approach and degree of government ownership, that the government plans to secure US$ 15 million in finance from the Adaptation Fund to scale up LoCAL activities.

The Minister of Environment and co-chair of the NSC stressed the importance of government commitment to local initiatives.

The JSF Programme, implemented by UN Capital Development Fund with technical support from the International Trade Centre (ITC), incorporates employment creation and financial empowerment alongside adaptation to climate change and community-level resilience building using the LoCAL Facility approach. LoCAL’s signature Performance Based Climate Resilience Grants, which are dispersed through national transfer systems, ensure local governments access the finance they need for climate-proofed adaptation and investments. To date, JSF Programme activities in The Gambia, including LoCAL interventions, have been funded by the European Union with a budget of 15 million euros, as part of European support for increased economic, social and security stability in the country following elections that ended 20 years of dictatorship.

While EU-funding for the JSF Programme, launched in 2018, comes to an end early next year, activities will continue in a remodelled format with the government taking a leading role in securing funds and driving action. LoCAL activities in The Gambia will continue to focus on adaptation to climate change, plus projects that support three key areas: decentralisation, support for small and medium-sized enterprises and employment-focused skills development for Gambian women and youth.

Donors and partners widely welcomed LoCAL+ and praised the Government of The Gambia for the degree of ownership and commitment to LoCAL.

“While directly supporting the priorities in The Gambia, the EU has aided in driving sustainable growth, creating jobs for youth, and augmenting access to finance for women. A lot of progress has been made through programmes like JSF but there’s a lot of work that can occur in The Gambia. This is where LoCAL+ can come in, which will continue to drive sustainability. I would like to commend the government along with UNCDF and stakeholders for their successes in pushing for ownership for LoCAL +,” said Lumana Kamashi, Development Cooperation and International Aid Officer at the EU Delegation to The Gambia.

In the context of decentralization, the main goal of LoCAL+ is to scale up current JSF activities from 32 wards to 48 wards with expansion into two new regions - Upper River Region and West Coast Region – with a view to nation-wide roll-out. Strengthening the capacity of decentralized structures (Wards) in PFM (Public Financing Management), Procurement and Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) were mentioned as key objectives by UNCDF Country Relationship Manager, Niania Dabo.

The second component which unlocks SME financing includes the creation of a new investment pipeline of climate resilient SME expansion projects. This will provide technical and financial advisory for the programme (project development, planning, financing and structuring gaps). It will also provide risk capital, allowing SMEs to increase their capacity, and diversify their portfolio of products through growth expansion. Through LoCAL +, UNCDF will increase technical capacity to develop a bankable yet sustainable development project and will help mobilize and facilitate external financing through already existing UNCDF mechanisms. Plans are also underway to leverage existing relationships with UNCDF's sister agency, ITC, as well as mobilise banking and non-banking finance institutions.

The skills development component of LoCAL+ aims to contribute to structural transformation and economic growth by enhancing employability and labour productivity and helping The Gambia to become more competitive. Ms. Dabo also used the NSC as an opportunity to thank the EU for their support for the JSF Programme, which had allowed a successful pilot of LoCAL and paved the way for national scale-up.

“Without the support of the European Union, The Gambia wouldn’t have been able to scale up and drive the LoCAL+ initiative,” said Niania Dabo, Country Relationship Manager, UNCDF. “Through their generous support, The Gambia is one step closer to addressing sustainable development gaps in the sphere of jobs, skills and digital financing.”