Introduction

The IPCC Sixth Assessment report estimates that methane – a relatively short lived but potent climate forcer, with high global warming potential – accounts for almost a third of observed warming to date and is a major determinant of near-term global temperature increases. Hence, methane emissions reductions will be critical for limiting global warming. The Global Methane Pledge (GMP), launched at COP26, commits participants to take voluntary actions to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030. More than 25 countries on the continent have joined the GMP and have committed to reducing oil and gas methane emissions. 

An AfDB study in 2022 (excluding agriculture) found that Africa’s oil and gas industries contribute 48% of the continent's 2.4 Mt of CH4 (81.6 Mt CO2e), coal at 1%, municipal solid waste at 35%, and wastewater 7%. The report also raised concerns about biomass burning from shifting cultivation and deforestation, though data is limited. Agriculture contributes 42% of methane emissions, primarily from livestock (enteric fermentation and manure management), flooded rice cultivation, and crop residue burning, with livestock accounting for about 60% of agricultural emissions. Municipal solid waste is the second-largest emitter due to widespread waste burning.

Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG) after carbon dioxide (CO₂), accounting for 14 percent of global emissions. Though methane is emitted into the atmosphere in smaller quantities than CO₂, its global warming potential (i.e., the ability of the gas to trap heat in the atmosphere) is 25 times greater. As a result, methane emissions currently contribute more than one-third of today’s anthropogenic warming.

Reducing anthropogenic methane emissions in Africa offers multiple benefits, including improved air quality, health, and gender-specific impacts, considering the differing roles, responsibilities, and vulnerabilities of men and women. These gender-related impacts, which remain largely unaddressed, relate to economic opportunities, resource access, labor distribution, health, urban planning, participation in decision-making, education, and climate change vulnerability.

Women, who predominantly work in agriculture and use traditional biomass-burning stoves, are closely linked to methane emission sources, exposing them to health risks and heavy labor burdens. Barriers to accessing land, credit, and information limit their participation in methane reduction efforts. Additionally, urban waste management, inefficient farming practices, and the need for clean air disproportionately affect women. 

In line with this, the ACCF is launching this fourth call for proposals. 

The Gender Transformative Methane Reduction Call for Proposals

Priority / Focus Areas

1. Supporting the empowerment of women, men, and youth through climate-smart agriculture using mitigation technologies and innovative practices to reduce methane emissions.
2. Supporting the enabling environment conditions for methane abatement in the oil and gas sector.
3. Supporting Gender-Transformative Solid Waste Management
4. Supporting Gender-transformative Wastewater Methane Mitigation and Recovery Approaches.
5. Supporting African countries in achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by using carbon markets as a mechanism and facilitating the transfer of mitigation outcomes through Internationally Transferrable Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs).

Eligible African Development Bank Regional Member Countries

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Eligible Beneficiaries

1. Governments Ministries Departments and Agencies and Subnational Governments of Bank Regional Member Countries 
2. Regional or sub-regional intergovernmental bodies and other intergovernmental organizations including climate centers, river basin organizations, regional economic communities from the public sector. UN Agencies may be considered on a case-by-case basis. 
3. African Funds: Funds must be legally registered in an African country. 
4. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Community Based Organizations: please refer to the question on the eligibility of NGOs/CBOs. 
5. African research institutions: institutes must be legally registered in an African country and must have demonstrated credibility and track record. 
6. Private sector may be considered on a case-by-case basis to support high demonstration-scale activities where they are first-of-a-kind, sub commercial and require significant development work and are not commercially viable in the host country. 

Grant Amount/Funding envelope

The funding envelope available for this call is USD 10 million in the form of grants, and the Fund is seeking concept notes for projects and programs in the range of USD 250,000 – USD 1 million.  

Selection Criteria

Refer to Guidance note for the detailed evaluation criteria.

How to Apply

Download user guide to assist you in navigating the site.

The application process consists of three stages:

Stage 1 – Eligibility Questions:

1. Create an account on the application site and choose your preferred language, either English or French.
2. Click on "apply" to start your application and enter the title of your project.
3. Complete and submit the eligibility questions (see full list of eligibility questions in Annex 1). You will receive an email notification regarding the eligibility status of your application. If your application is ineligible, it ends here. If eligible, you can proceed to Stage 2.

Note: It is advised to complete Stage 1 early and not delay until the deadline because completing Stage 1 of the application process does not mark the end of the process. Only after successfully completing the eligibility form would applicants then be able to download the concept note template from the portal. The second stage of the application process, which requires the development of a project concept note, requires even more time to complete. If your application is eligible at the end of Stage 1, you will receive a notification to this effect via email. You will also receive a notification via email if your application is ineligible.

Stage 2 – Submission of Concept Note:

1. Log in to the application platform.
2. Download the Project Concept Note template from the application platform.
3. Fill out the Project Concept Note template (see copy in Annex 2) with your project details, using guidance from both this guidance note and the template itself.
4. Compile all pertinent supporting documents into a single file and attach it to the annex of your concept note.
5. Upload your completed Project Concept Note along with all relevant annexes as one file, then click "submit"
6. An initial screening of all concept notes received by the deadline (refer to estimated timeline for the CFP4 below) will be done by Independent Experts against the established criteria (below).

Stage 3 – Submission of Project Proposal:

1. Shortlisted concept notes will be invited to submit full project proposals for evaluation. Proponents will have approximately 30 days to prepare their full proposals. Applicants whose concept notes are not selected will be notified.
2. Proposals will be evaluated by independent experts against established criteria. Top ranked proposals will be selected for further appraisal. Full proposals not selected for appraisal will be notified. 
3. Project appraisals will be carried out by the Bank’s technical and fiduciary experts (led by the ACCF Secretariat) through a desk review, unless an in-person review is deemed necessary. 
4. Proposals that successfully complete appraisal will be submitted to the ACCF’s Technical Committee (TC) and or Oversight Committee (OC) for consideration and approval. Proposals that are rejected at the appraisal stage will be notified.   

Ensure you submit your project concept note by the deadline of 11:59 PM GMT on 29^th November 2024. You can submit your application in either English or French. All sections of the application (the eligibility questionnaire and the PCN) must be completed. Incomplete Project Concept Notes submitted via the portal will not be considered. Furthermore, Project Concept Notes submitted via the ACCF Secretariat email will not be considered.

For more information

IMPORTANT: Review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), and the Guidance Note before beginning the application. You can contact the ACCF Secretariat at AfricaClimateChangeFundACCF@AFDB.ORG at least 2 weeks before the closing date of the call for proposals. Please note that we will only respond to email queries that are not already addressed in the FAQ and guidance notes. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in consulting these resources first.