Africa holds immense potential to drive a new era of sustainable growth. With abundant natural assets, including some of the world’s richest renewable energy resources, and a young, dynamic population, the continent is well positioned to pursue pathways that deliver prosperity while strengthening climate resilience. Yet this potential is increasingly at risk, as the accelerating effects of climate change threaten to erode hard-won development gains and constrain future growth.
The challenge lies not in the strength of commitments but in achieving alignment between national development priorities and investor expectations. Many NDCs remain broad policy frameworks with limited integration into national development and sectoral plans. In several cases, project pipelines are still emerging and few initiatives are structured in ways that appeal to investors. These gaps are a result of perceived tensions between climate and growth priorities and by fragmented institutional mandates that make ‘whole-of-government’ implementation difficult.
Recognising this challenge, the African Climate Foundation (ACF), with support from Dalberg, developed the NDC Investment Planner (NIP) to bridge the gap between NDC ambition and investment. The NIP helps countries move from climate plans that inspire to portfolios that deliver, linking national targets to practical, investor-ready pathways for growth and resilience.
