The Green Climate Fund has selected Nairobi as the host city for its East and Southern Africa regional office, as part of a broader $960.3 million climate financing package approved at its 44th board meeting in Songdo, South Korea.
The decision, announced following the late March meeting, also confirmed Abidjan as a second African hub serving Central, North and West Africa, marking the Fund’s first move to establish a permanent regional presence closer to developing countries.
The board approved funding for 18 new projects globally, bringing the Fund’s total portfolio to more than $20 billion across over 350 projects, reinforcing its position as the largest dedicated climate finance vehicle for developing economies.
Africa accounted for a significant share of the latest approvals, receiving about $441 million, or 46 percent of the total allocation. Among the projects is a $250 million programme developed with the World Bank to expand climate-resilient energy access across 21 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The establishment of regional offices represents a structural shift in the Fund’s operations, aimed at decentralising decision-making and technical support to improve project delivery, oversight and alignment with national priorities.
Under the new structure, Nairobi will serve as the coordination hub for project preparation, stakeholder engagement and implementation support across Eastern and Southern Africa. The move is expected to shorten approval timelines and address longstanding bottlenecks that have delayed disbursement of climate funds in developing countries.
The decision also reflects Nairobi’s growing role as a centre for international development finance, hosting multiple multilateral agencies and environmental institutions.
In parallel, the board accredited 10 new entities to access funding, including national and regional institutions, in a push to expand direct access to climate finance and reduce reliance on international intermediaries.
The expansion comes amid rising demand for climate finance across Africa, where countries face increasing costs from climate-related shocks and significant investment gaps in energy, infrastructure and adaptation projects.
