The climate programme of the Belgian Development Agency (ENABEL) has just received support from the Brussels-Capital and Walloon Regions, located in the west and south of Belgium respectively. Through financing agreements signed on 7 November 2022, these regions are allocating a total of 6 million euros to enable the agency to finance climate resilience projects in six countries, five of which are African.
The envelope released by Wallonia amounts to €2 million. It will support Enabel’s ‘Sahel’ thematic portfolio in Senegal and Burkina Faso. In these two West African countries, the projects concerned aim to restore, manage and sustainably develop forest ecosystems in the context of the Great Green Wall. The funding will also allow the installation of solar panels in the water analysis laboratories in Bujumbura, Burundi, where the Lake Tanganyika Management Authority is located.
Solar-powered desalination plant
The Brussels region will provide two million euros from 2023 to 2025 for the construction of flood protection infrastructure in the towns of Rubavu, Musanze and Rwamagana in Rwanda. These activities are part of the Belgian governmental cooperation project for sustainable and resilient urban development.
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The Brussels-Capital Region will also allocate one million euros over the period from 2024 to 2026 to equip certain villages in Mozambique with a drinking water supply and desalination network powered by renewable energy. This project complements the Belgian government’s cooperation portfolio with Mozambique.
“The fight against climate change is the challenge of this century, and this requires new types of partnerships for greater impact. I am delighted that the Walloon and Brussels regions are joining forces with the federal level to strengthen the climate projects implemented by Enabel in various countries. This strengthens our collective impact”, explains Jean Van Wetter, Enabel’s managing director.
Boris Ngounou