The Knowledge Hub

This report aims to identify strategic actions to increase investment in nature-based solutions (NBS) for climate resilience in sub-Saharan Africa by evaluating over a decade of NBS project investment and assessing a range of policy, financial, institutional, social, and technical barriers to adoption. It examines historical and projected data for climate hazards in the region to provide background on the challenges the region faces. To establish a baseline of the status of NBS in the region and evaluate the types of projects being implemented, this report presents an inventory of NBS projects from across the region that were initiated between 2012 and 2023. In addition, the team conducted over 50 interviews with project developers, funders, and investors of NBS projects in sub-Saharan Africa to gain insights on the key barriers to NBS project investment and implementation. This report synthesizes results from the analysis and interviews to offer targeted recommendations for how actors such as governments and multilateral organizations can effectively scale up NBS in the region.

This CCDR highlights how climate action offers an opportunity to safeguard development gains and accompany the ambitious transformation Senegal is embarking on to achieve its objective of reaching middle income status in the next decade. It notes NBS opportunities in Greater Dakar, which were identified through GPNBS' NBS Opportunity Scan.

This regional Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) focuses on four countries of the 11‑member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and identifies opportunities for these countries to increase cliamte resilience, including through the application of NBS.

This report showcases an economic assessment conducted by the Municipalidad de San Salvador de Jujuy, the Ministerio de Obras Públicas de Argentina, and the World Bank on different methods to restore the Alvarado Canal, including nature-based infrastructure.

Access to actionable information that outlines opportunities for nature-based solutions (NBS) investments at early stages of project design is essential for enabling the scale up of these solutions, which can effectively reduce climate risks, while bringing important socioeconomic benefits. This report summarizes how the Nature-Based Solutions Opportunity Scan (NBSOS) can support the World Bank, its clients, and development partners to identify NBS investment opportunities, understand the associated benefits, and integrate these interventions into projects.