The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Kenya Climate Ventures (KCV) have signed a Joint Declaration to deepen cooperation on climate resilience and adaptation finance in Sub-Saharan Africa. The agreement was announced at the Adaptation Investment Summit for Africa 2026 in Kenya.
The cooperation covers existing initiatives including the Kenya Uganda Adaptation Accelerator (KUAA) project and the ACT Coffee Programme (Advancing Climate-Resilience and Transformation in African Coffee), as well as the Africa Climate Adaptation Investment Catalyst Initiative. The partners also plan to cooperate across the Kenyan coffee value chain.
UNIDO will contribute market development and acceleration expertise from its climate adaptation project portfolio and work on climate-resilient transformation of the coffee sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. KCV brings experience in enterprise support and early-stage financing vehicles, including support for early- and growth-stage, gender-inclusive, climate-smart enterprises.
The Joint Declaration covers investment frameworks and impact methodologies, market intelligence, joint events and the co-development of dedicated climate finance initiatives. Planned activities include co-creating and harmonizing impact assessments and applying UNIDO’s Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) tool to guide financing decisions and align with international best practice.
The partners intend to use their expertise, instruments, networks and access to climate finance providers to strengthen the mobilization of domestic and international capital. They also plan peer learning and knowledge exchange involving investors, fund managers, development partners, policymakers, enterprises and other ecosystem actors.
“This Joint Declaration marks an important step in advancing climate adaptation finance across Africa. By combining UNIDO’s global expertise with Kenya Climate Ventures’ experience in enterprise development and climate investing, we are strengthening pathways to unlock investment, scale climate-smart enterprises and build resilient economies. We look forward to translating this collaboration into tangible impact for communities and businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Victor Ndiege, Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Climate Ventures.
