An inception workshop in Niamey on 8 January 2026 marked the official launch of an ICAT project in Niger, aiming to establish a national climate finance transparency framework. 

Under the leadership of the National Environment Council for Sustainable Development, the workshop brought together representatives from Niger’s relevant institutions, along with project consultants and technical experts. It served to present the project’s background and information base, including the results of the previous ICAT project in the country, as well as the objectives and work plan of the new initiative. It offered a space for productive dialogue and a first opportunity for engaging Niger’s stakeholders in the process of building a national climate finance transparency framework.

Photo: Illa KANE

Why climate finance transparency matters at national and international levels

A robust national climate finance transparency framework will enable Niger to prepare more reliable estimates of climate finance needs and the support received. At the national level, such a system can support Niger in advancing climate action and sustainable development goals by helping track, attract and direct climate finance towards impactful interventions. Furthermore, it will help the country meet its international obligations under the Paris Agreement. 

This project is implemented at a time when Niger is working on updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. Increased emphasis on transparency can support the design of stronger, evidence-based NDCs. Climate finance transparency can accurately determine NDC resource needs and effectively mobilize, manage and monitor financial flows for NDC implementation. 

“The launch of the ICAT work coincides with the revision of the NDC, which should result in a more coherent and realistic NDC 3.0, the implementation of which will require the mobilization of sufficient, transparent, and traceable funding. Consequently, a monitoring system is an essential lever that will make it possible to identify the climate finance flows received and mobilized, ensure transparency in their use, assess their impact on climate policies, and report this information at the national and international levels.” – Deputy Director General of Environment and Sustainable Development, Lieutenant-Colonel Aboubacar Kanfo Abdoul Karim.

Photo: Illa KANE

A continued productive partnership between ICAT and Niger 

The newly-launched project aims to strengthen Niger’s transparency and accountability in climate finance by establishing a national tracking system. The expected results include a robust system for assessing and tracking climate finance needs and flows, as well as enhanced institutional and technical capacity. More specifically, the project will address the following priorities:

• Validation of institutional arrangements for climate finance tracking;
• Ex-ante assessment of climate finance needs;
• Establishment of the basis for a national system to monitor climate finance flows.

The activities are building on the work achieved through a previous ICAT project in Niger, which strengthened transparency in the energy and Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Uses (AFOLU) sectors, and conducted an initial study exploring options for setting up a system to monitor national and international climate finance. Based on the study’s recommendations, this second ICAT project will develop a climate finance transparency framework adapted to the country’s requirements. 

Niger will implement the approach set out in the ICAT Climate Finance Transparency Guide, which outlines phases and steps to guide the process and can be adapted to the specific needs and context of each country. The guide has already been used to establish climate finance transparency systems in other African countries, including Côte d’Ivoire and Morocco, with very positive results. Through the process of developing the framework, the project aims to strengthen the capacity of Niger’s stakeholders in climate finance transparency, improve their understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and raise awareness on the value and importance of the framework.

“It is essential that each institution present here takes ownership of the work plan objectives, contributes to improving data and tools, actively participates in coordination mechanisms, and supports the institutionalization of the national climate finance monitoring system. This is a strategic undertaking. It not only helps to meet the requirements of the enhanced transparency framework, but also strengthens Niger’s capacity to better plan, mobilize, and monitor the effectiveness of climate finance.”- Executive Secretary, National Environment Council for Sustainable Development, Lieutenant Colonel Magagi Yacouba. 

Photo: Illa KANE