Conservation organisation the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have collaborated to advance the work of the Africa Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Hub in addressing the impacts of climate change on the continent.

The AfDB Climate Change and Green Growth Department established the NDCs Hub in August to serve as a resource pool for regional member countries and coordinate activities across various related sectors.

The hub focuses on three key areas – the fostering of long-term climate action, mobilising the means for implementation, and focusing on coordination, advocacy and partnerships.

It will, therefore, provide regional member countries with a one-stop centre for technical assistance on NDC strategy development; facilitate access to climate finance and scientific knowledge; and ensure capacity building, peer-to-peer learning and best practice sharing, monitoring and evaluation and project origination.

The hub further supports African countries in implementing their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) as part of the voluntary obligations under the Paris Agreement, which falls within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and deals with greenhouse-gas emissions mitigation, adaptations and finances.

African countries have shown significant support and zeal for the global climate agenda, with 54 countries on the continent having signed the Paris Agreement and more than 70% having since ratified the agreement.

Despite their political resolution, African countries are, however, confronted with challenges such as aligning their NDCs with existing national development plans, according to the AfDB. Other challenges include converting NDCs into investment plans; limited capacity and access to scientific knowledge and expertise to address the ramified impacts of climate change; and accessing adequate financing.

“In response to these challenges, the AfDB has created the NDC Hub and welcomes the partnership with the WWF to support countries in the development of strategies and implementation mechanisms for their NDCs,” AfDB Climate Change and Green Growth director Anthony Nyong said in a statement released last month.

He noted that the institutions would deliver their individual expertise and joint convening power to translate NDC concepts into actions that will set Africa on a low-carbon and climate-resilient development pathway.

“Our collaboration in supporting the implementation of NDCs forms a core element of the WWF’s and the AfDB’s partnership agreement, and is [also] a core element of our joint ambition to ensure the long-term sustainable development of Africa,” WWF Africa director Frederick Kumah noted in the same statement.

The hub will further offer a platform for external stakeholders and other development finance institutions, as well as national, subnational and city authorities, the private sector and other non-State actors, to become involved in NDC implementation on the continent.

The Africa NDCs Hub will be hosted in the AfDB’s Climate Change and Green Growth Department within the power, energy, climate change and green growth vice-presidency.