A significant action was taken in Diourbel a few days ago. It went largely unnoticed, yet the seeds of resilience have been sown. The National Local Development Program (PNDL) and the Action Group for Alternative Development Initiatives (GAIA) aim to encourage local authorities to be more proactive and assertive in their search for green financing. The prerequisite is training.

“There is a lot of money in climate change. But how do we access it? That is the big question. This capacity building for local authorities will allow them to be better informed about what is happening. We want to mobilize them to fight against climate change,” said Colonel Babacar Dia, coordinator of the Project to remove obstacles hindering climate finance for local authorities within the PNDL.

The road ahead is not easy. It will be no small feat. Yet, these challenges are not insurmountable. Would abandoning a wait-and-see approach be the first step towards mobilizing green financing? The answer is a resounding yes for Professor Henry Mathieu Lô, President of the NGO Gaia. "If we truly want to combat climate change, we must change this wait-and-see attitude. With the PNDL (National Local Development Program), we want to support local authorities in genuinely taking ownership of the issue of climate change. Local authorities are the solution to climate change, not the problem," argued Professor Henry Mathieu Lô, President of the NGO Gaia.

Training local government representatives on developing projects eligible for green financing is crucial: local areas will be the testing ground for relevant solutions, as these geographical spaces are the first victims of climate change. "If local authorities don't mobilize to find funding, the battle will be lost before it even begins," warned Professor Henry Mathieu Lô.

The call for awareness was heeded by the beneficiaries. The president of the Association of Mayors of the Diourbel department, Serigne Modou Ngom, recommended that local authorities work together to develop inter-municipal projects. "Pooling our resources will open doors for us at the national and international levels. Partners are quick to support local authorities when they have inter-municipal projects," stated Serigne Modou Ngom, while the Prefect of Diourbel, Abdou Khadir Diop, urged the mayors to adopt the strategies formulated by the trainers.