Senegal is taking a new step in its fight against the effects of climate change with the launch of the National and Subnational Adaptation Planning Coherence Project (PNA-JCF). Funded by the Green Climate Fund and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this three-year project is under the supervision of the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition. It was launched this Wednesday, October 1, 2025, in Dakar, following the launch in seven other regions of the country. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Governor Digou Yala Mathilde Sadio.

Three major pillars

With a total budget of 1.567 billion CFA francs, the PNA-JCF operates in nine regions. Its objective is to integrate climate change adaptation into national, sectoral, and territorial planning in order to strengthen the country's resilience.

Indeed, the project coordinator at the UNDP, Gabriel Pierre Ndiaye, maintains that it is based on three major pillars: strengthening the climate governance framework, producing data and decision-making tools, and improving access to climate finance.

"Since 1994, Senegal has had a National Committee on Climate Change (ComNAC), which was institutionalized in 2011. But its operation still has limitations. This project strengthens these structures to enable them to better fulfill their role of coordination and steering, conduct factual studies, and develop planning documents to prioritize medium- and long-term adaptation options," Ndiaye said. He added that "competition is fierce to obtain international funding."

According to him, "only solid projects documented by convincing scientific evidence can be retained."

He stressed the need to diversify funding sources. "Senegal must explore other mechanisms such as the Global Environment Facility, the Adaptation Fund, the World Bank, the AfDB, the AFD, as well as bilateral cooperation. But to access them, we need bankable projects, reliable data, and solid scientific evidence," he said.

National ownership to ensure sustainability

 

Dakar Deputy Governor Digou Yala Mathilde Sadio welcomed the initiative. She said the project builds on efforts already underway since 2015 with the development of the first National Sectoral Adaptation Plans. Today, it strengthens and expands this work to four new strategic sectors: biodiversity, water resources, tourism, and livestock.

She also emphasized the importance of collective mobilization, stating that "Senegal faces pressing climate challenges, namely recurring floods, coastal erosion, pressures on natural resources, and health impacts." "This project must involve all stakeholders—local authorities, civil society, the private sector, local communities, and technical partners—so that national planning responds to grassroots realities," she said.

Beyond its three years of implementation, the PNA-JCF aims to provide a structuring framework for sustainably placing climate adaptation at the heart of public policy. "The project is coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition, which guarantees institutional continuity and national ownership," said Dibor Sarr, adaptation program manager at the Ministry of the Environment.

For her, "the achievements must not be forgotten but serve as a basis for future generations. And with this project, Senegal is strengthening its adaptation strategy and positioning itself as a pilot country in integrated climate planning in West Africa."