The global Adaptation Fund has awarded US$24.55 million to a regional climate resilience project supporting semi-nomadic agro-pastoral communities in the transboundary Kunene River Basin of Angola and Namibia, according to a press release by the Commonwealth. The five-year initiative was approved by the Adaptation Fund Board at its 46th meeting in Bonn, Germany, on 01 June 2026. The Commonwealth supported the project through its Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub (CCFAH). Namibia is a Commonwealth member country. The funding marks a major step in cross-border climate action between the two nations.
The project will be implemented by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through the Ministry of Environment of Angola, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism of Namibia, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at the regional level. It targets the Kunene River Basin, where recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall and environmental degradation continue to affect livelihoods, food security and resilience. The initiative reflects the importance of regional cooperation in addressing shared climate risks. These risks cross borders and affect interconnected ecosystems and communities. The basin remains a focus of growing climate pressure.
Successive CCFAH national advisers in Namibia contributed to the project’s development through targeted in-country technical assistance and sustained support to strengthen institutional capacity. Their work included coordinating and leading meetings involving IFAD and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. Advisers reviewed the project document and provided technical inputs. They also supported completion of the capacity assessment required by IFAD for the flow of funds into the ministry. This work helped finalize the project proposal.
Petrus Muteyauli, Head of Multilateral Environmental Agreements in Namibia, thanked the Commonwealth team for valuable guidance in finalizing the proposal.
He said: “Namibia will continue to demonstrate leadership and commitment in the global climate arena.” Uzoamaka Nwamarah, Head of Climate Change at the Commonwealth Secretariat, noted that CCFAH support to Namibia has already delivered tangible results. She said: “This milestone reflects the importance of sustained climate finance readiness support and institutional capacity building. We have supported Namibia since 2021 to strengthen the enabling environment for climate finance access, including accreditation support, technical capacity development, and the establishment of national coordination mechanisms that help build long-term in-country capability to access and effectively utilise climate finance.”
The approval formed part of a broader package of adaptation financing endorsed by the Adaptation Fund Board in response to rising demand from climate-vulnerable countries. Among the projects approved during the meeting, the Angola–Namibia initiative was the largest regional project. Through CCFAH, the Commonwealth Secretariat continues to help member countries strengthen climate finance readiness. It also supports them in building national capacity and developing bankable proposals. These efforts aim to unlock resources for adaptation and resilience.