Côte d’Ivoire faces increasingly severe impacts from climate change, with the 2022 NDC estimating adaptation and mitigation target costs at 22 billion USD for the period 2021–2030 (12 billion for adaptation and 10 billion for mitigation). Yet, according to the country’s National Climate Change Programme, only 5.21 billion USD was mobilized between 2016 and 2022, highlighting a major financing gap. The compilation of financing sources for the implementation of the NDC performed under the ICAT project has revealed that the country depends heavily on international funds (Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility, multilateral development banks) while domestic resources and private sector contributions remain limited.

At the same time, the national system for tracking climate finance was weak: no centralized database existed, coordination between institutions was fragmented, data was inconsistent, and climate-related spending was not systematically integrated into national budgets. This made it difficult for Côte d’Ivoire to mobilize new funding, track the use of existing funds, and report to the UNFCCC.

Led by the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition, with support from experts from Gauss International, the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) project in Côte d’Ivoire aimed to strengthen national transparency in climate finance and help the country meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement. The project had two main goals:

• Standardize a national system to identify climate finance needs for achieving the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and related adaptation measures.
• Develop a robust Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system to track both international and domestic climate finance flows, evaluate their effectiveness, and support transparent reporting to the UNFCCC.

Underlying these objectives was the ambition to build trust with donors, improve governance, and support the mobilization of additional resources.

To achieve these aims, the ICAT project carried out several key activities:

• Diagnostic of climate finance landscape: An in-depth assessment quantified financing needs and gaps, and analyzed existing financial flows, governance challenges, and private sector engagement.
• Development of a national methodology: A climate finance “tagging” system was created to tag public expenditures contributing to climate objectives, aligned with international standards (OECD Rio markers, World Bank co-benefit methodologies). The methodology also included cost estimation of NDCs and a framework for assessing financial needs and support received. A draft decree on Establishing Climate Markers for the Preparation of Public Investment Projects was produced in order to be presented for official adoption and enactment. Together, these elements form the backbone of a national taxonomy framework that will enhance the country’s ability to transparently track climate finance.
• A three-tier climate finance institutional structure was established: 1) A Steering Committee for high-level oversight; 2) A Technical Committee for data collection and verification, and 3) A Permanent Secretariat for system administration and reporting.
• A detailed procedures manual was also produced to guide data collection, verification, and archiving.
• Capacity building, stakeholder engagement, training and consultations were conducted with ministries, technical experts, and private sector actors to ensure ownership and sustainability.
• The project designed and prepared the deployment of a national digital platform, enabling centralized data collection, interactive dashboards, and real-time reporting. 
• A roadmap to embed the MRV finance framework (financedurable.ci) into the broader national transparency architecture alongside greenhouse gas inventories, mitigation tracking, and adaptation monitoring was elaborated.

The project applied the ICAT Climate Finance Transparency Guide to support the design of methodologies, institutional arrangements, and reporting systems.

Participants at an ICAT workshop in Côte d’Ivoire. 

Côte d’Ivoire now has a digital platform and a standardized methodology for climate finance tagging, cost estimation of NDC implementation, and evaluation of financial needs and support; a clear governance structure with defined roles and procedures has been established, enhancing coordination between ministries and other stakeholders. Climate finance tracking is now part of the National Climate Transparency System, ensuring coherence across mitigation, adaptation, and support components.

By providing robust and transparent data, the system strengthens Côte d’Ivoire’s ability to attract climate finance, engage the private sector, and demonstrate accountability to international partners.

The ICAT project marked a turning point in Côte d’Ivoire’s climate governance by creating the first comprehensive national framework for measuring, reporting, and verifying climate finance. Through diagnostic work, methodology development, institutional structuring, and digital integration, the country is now better equipped to monitor financial flows, align them with climate priorities, and meet transparency requirements under the Paris Agreement. 

More importantly,  through the initial taxonomy framework, the draft decree, and the institutional arrangements, the ICAT project in Côte d’Ivoire significantly advanced the implementation of climate finance transparency reform measures required by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to access resources from the Fund’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). This experience is a clear example of how enhanced transparency can be used to increase access to climate finance.

“The ICAT project has provided Côte d’Ivoire with more robust tools to enhance transparency, traceability, and analysis of climate finance. These structural advances improve our national climate governance and support the reforms undertaken as part of the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility, including the development of climate markers in public investment programming and the establishment of a taxonomic framework for a green, low-emission transition. Among other things, this strengthens our ability to mobilize additional financing to accelerate the implementation of our mitigation and adaptation policies as outlined in the new NDC 3.0 for the benefit of the country’s sustainable development.” –Mohamed Sanogo, National Climate Change Program Coordinator, ICAT Côte d’Ivoire Coordinator, General Coordination of Programs and Projects, Ministry of the Environment, Sustainable Development, and Ecological Transition.

While challenges remain—particularly in data reliability, institutional capacity, and resource mobilization—the progress achieved has built a strong foundation for sustainable climate finance governance.