Nature-Based Solutions for Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa: Where Do We Stand and What Is Needed?

Urban agriculture site in N'Djamena, Chad. Photo credit: World Bank

In three of the past five years, Chad's capital, N'Djamena, has experienced significant flooding displacing vast numbers of people. As rains fall further north than usual, it becomes clear each year that existing flood protections aren’t enough. Unplanned urban development and the spread of concrete roads, buildings, and other hard surfaces that stop water from soaking into the ground make flooding worse and intensify other hazards such as extreme heat. 

To address these challenges, the World Bank-financed N’Djamena Urban Resilience Project is integrating nature-based solutions, such as green spaces that absorb and manage rainwater, alongside traditional drainage systems. While the primary focus is on reducing flood risks, these solutions also help cool urban areas and create greener spaces for recreation and community gatherings.   

The case of N’Djamena is not unique. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, communities are facing escalating environmental pressures while striving for economic growth. The region’s population is expected to nearly double by 2050, increasing exposure to natural hazards and placing additional pressure on governments to provide basic services while managing land and water resources more effectively.  With Africa facing an annual infrastructure financing gap of more than $100 billion, urgent investment and action are needed to secure a sustainable future.

A new report, Growing Resilience: Unlocking the Potential of Nature-Based Solutions for Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa, takes a deep dive into how nature-based solutions can help address these challenges. Published jointly by the World Resources Institute and the World Bank, in collaboration with the African Development Bank, the report evaluates nearly 300 nature-based solutions projects implemented over the past decade using the data, analytical expertise, and experiences of these organizations. It highlights progress, identifies key barriers, and provides recommendations to scale up the adoption of nature-based solutions.

Between 2012 and 2023, investments in nature-based solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa grew steadily, by approximately 15% annually (Figure 1), to surpass $21 billion in total funding. However, this remains only a fraction of what is needed to protect the region and its people.

(Source: Growing Resilience: Unlocking the Potential of Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa report. NBS: nature-based solutions; SSA: Sub-Saharan Africa; WB: World Bank; AfDB: African Development Bank.)

But funding alone isn’t enough. Governments, investors, and project developers also need to overcome policy, institutional, technical, social, and financial barriers to make nature-based solutions work.  In Freetown,  a tree-planting project required training local teams to ensure its success. In Ethiopia, raising awareness and demonstrating the benefits of wetland and floodplain restoration helped secure government support. In Ghana, where land rights can complicate projects, clear ownership and rights agreements were essential in preventing conflicts. These examples show that scaling up nature-based solutions takes more than investment; it requires smart planning, collaboration, and local knowledge.

To help bridge these gaps, the report outlines six key recommendations for increasing the use of nature-based solutions across the region:

• Integrate nature-based solutions into relevant national policies and planning. For example, the government of Rwanda’s Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy allocates a share of the national government’s budget for nature-based solutions initiatives. 

• Build technical capacity to create investment-ready projects. The World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) provides financial and technical support to help governments and organizations develop expertise in nature-based solutions project design.  Through partnerships and collaboration in the region, the specific technical capacity for nature-based solutions can be further strengthened.

• Incorporate equity and community needs to ensure nature-based solutions projects deliver benefits beyond building climate resilience. This includes using existent guidance on gender and social considerations for nature-based solutions projects to make projects more inclusive and impactful. 

• Diversify funders and funding sources to ensure long-term project sustainability.  While grants play a key role, expanding financing options such as blended finance and private sector investment, can provide more stable, long-term support. Sustainable funding models should also account for operations and maintenance.

• Tailor strategies to each country’s unique challenges, considering natural hazards, governance structures, and available resources. In fragile or conflict-affected areas, modular and small-scale nature-based solutions interventions with strong community engagement may have a higher chance of success than large-scale projects. 

• Enhancing monitoring and evaluation to measure both direct and indirect benefits of nature-based solutions projects.  Dedicated resources should be allocated to track how nature-based solutions interventions reduce risks such as flooding and land degradation, while also capturing broader impacts on biodiversity, livelihoods, and economic development.   Using consistent measures and tracking results over time will be key to showing the impact of these solutions. 

NBS offer a sustainable way forward for Sub-Saharan Africa, but greater investment and commitment are needed. With stronger support from governments, the private sector, and development partners, combined with innovative financing and local engagement, these solutions can play a key role in the region’s future. 

To learn more, explore the full report here and discover how GFDRR is advancing nature-based solutions.