Malawi has secured over K16 billion in grant financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to implement a new climate adaptation project.
From the GEF’s Least Developed Countries Fund, the country has secured $8.9 million (around K15.4 billion), complemented by an additional $800,000 (about K1.4 billion) from the United Nations Development Programme.
The GEF is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects that address the planet’s most pressing challenges in an integrated way.
Titled “Championing Local Adaptation for Productive Ecosystems and Enhanced Resilience (CLAP for Resilience)” the project is targeting 28 vulnerable rural communities in the Bua River Basin.
According to the Secretary for Natural Resources and Climate Change Yusuf Mkungula, commencing in January 2026, the six-year project will be implemented in Kasungu, Mchinji and Nkhotakota.
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These areas are said to face significant threats from climate change, deforestation, land degradation, and biodiversity loss, which jeopardize agriculture and local livelihoods.
“The project’s implementation will be led by the Environmental Affairs Department and draw on strong collaboration with district councils, community-based organisations, and private sector actors,” Mkungula said.
Among others, the project will strengthen capacities to support gender responsive grassroots interventions for climate change adaptation and also support the adoption of climate-smart and nature-based solutions for climate-resilient agriculture and ecosystems.
“Furthermore, the project will address several remaining barriers to adaptation, ensuring that the communities in the target districts are resilient and develop sustainably under current and future climate conditions,” Mkungula said.
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While the project is expected to come across weather related challenges as it is physical in nature, Mkungula said challenges in implementation will be curtailed through sensitisation of communities in the target areas.
The GEF grant comes amidst rising calls for developed nations to honour their climate finance commitments, ensuring that developing countries like Malawi, which bear the brunt of climate impacts, have the resources to build resilience.
