Malawi and other least developed countries (LDCs) are receiving just 18 percent of global climate change financing, highlighting the urgent need to expand funding for climate resilience projects, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has said.
Bethany Donthorn, IIED director, spoke after visiting climate projects in Malawi and Uganda under the Least Developed Countries Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (Life AR). She noted that while global climate finance is promoted worldwide, actual local councils responsible for implementing these programs access only 10 percent of funds.
“From Malawi, teams have just finalised designing the framework for climate finance and are learning from Uganda on best practices,” Donthorn said. “Initiatives like Life AR aim to ensure climate finance reaches all countries more effectively.”
The Life AR programme, currently active in Mangochi, Salima, and Rumphi districts, focuses on reforestation, sustainable agriculture, and climate resilience. With a $6.5 million (K11.3 billion) budget, the programme is also expected to boost carbon credit markets for communities participating in forest conservation projects.
Mangochi District forestry officer Takondwa Ganeti said the initiative is helping farmers plant new trees while protecting existing forests to reduce flooding at local irrigation schemes. “With the carbon market framework, communities could also benefit financially through carbon credit trading,” Ganeti said.
Environmental Affairs Department principal environmental officer for climate change Yamikani Idriss stressed that cross-country knowledge sharing among Life AR participants, including Uganda, Ethiopia, and Burkina Faso, is critical for programme success.
ActionAid has highlighted the financing disparity, noting that while African nations paid $60 billion in debt repayments in 2024, rich countries are expected to provide $1.4 trillion annually in climate finance. According to ActionAid, Malawi alone is owed $750 billion based on historic and projected atmospheric emissions dating back to 1992.
